She’s done. In this article, we’ll cover crankshaft balancing, valvetrain and crankshaft assembly.
How do you like the plug wire routing? I’ll cover this in a later article installment. I’m considering having the water pump pulleys polished and chrome plated. By the way, the water pump/alternator belt pulley alignment is perfect. If the belt looks whacky [...]
All that’s left is to install the velocity stacks, finish the spark plug wiring and to fabricate an adjustable mount for the alternator.
by Mike Mavrigian, Editor
OUR FORD FLATTIE
Here’s an update on the ongoing build of our Ford Flathead 8BA. I’ve been holding off the start of the article series until the engine is 100% complete. [...]
Our build is done. See the end of this article for several tasty photos of the finished engine, followed by a complete list of the participating manufacturers.
FINAL ASSEMBLY OF OUR
NASTY LITTLE DART 427W
OUR ONE TRICK PONY IS DONE.
WE’RE READY FOR THE DYNO RUN.
Engine build, text and photos by Mike Mavrigian
INTAKE MANIFOLD
Since our Trick Flow heads feature [...]
FROM SHORTBLOCK TO LONGBLOCK
CYLINDER HEADS & VALVETRAIN
Our beasty 427W is finally in longblock form.
Engine build, text and photos by Mike Mavrigian
The use of studs, as compared to bolts, provides a more accurate and consistent clamping load for the cylinder heads, and eliminates wear & tear on the block’s threaded holes during future head service.
by Mike Mavrigian
Build/assembly and all photos by author
Our Lunati roller cam features 0.544″ valve lift at intake and 0.560″ at exhaust, with duration of 232 intake and 242 exhaust. Centerline is 108 intake and 116 exhaust.
CAMSHAFT AND TIMING
Dart thoughtfully provided anti-friction-coated cam bearings with their block. Each bearing is etched with a part number, and [...]
Following years of extensive R&D, the engineering team at ARP® has developed a revolutionary new high performance fastener assembly lubricant that is superior to commonly used oil, moly and other lubes. ARP Ultra-Torque® allows builders to torque fasteners within 5% of their required preload on the first “pull,” virtually eliminating “preload scatter,” and ensures exacting [...]
One of the newest releases from HP Books is High Performance Fasteners & Plumbing, written by Mike Mavrigian. This 170-page book provides detailed, yet easy-to-read technical information on understanding all types of performance fasteners (bolts, nuts, screws, rivets, clamps, etc.) and performance plumbing for fuel, brake, oil and coolant hose, fittings, tubes, etc.
STROKIN’ THE DART WINDSOR
Our current engine project begins with a 351W block and increasing displacement to a whopping 427 CID.
Text & photos by Mike Mavrigian
The Dart 351W iron-alloy block is available in either a 9.200” (standard Cleveland) or 9.500” deck height. We opted for the 9.5” deck.
This project will serve as an example of a [...]
A Kalamazoo, MI racer added a $20,000 racing engine to his list of winnings during Engine Pro’s Engine Giveaway presented by Dart Machinery at US 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, MI on September 12, 2009, during the Fifth Annual IHRA Funny Car Nationals. Justin Wanamaker’s name was the last one remaining as names of the [...]
by Mike Mavrigian
FILE FITTING THE RINGS
Because of our over-honed cylinder diameters (4.263″), standard size rings wouldn’t work, so I started with a set of Total Seal rings P/N CR7190 35, supplied with our Diamond pistons. These are intended for a bore diameter of 4.268″ (1/16″ top, 1/16″ 2nd, 3/16″ oil), requiring a custom file-fit.
In terms [...]
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