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 [...]
Introduction of the new Gold Performance Engine Bearings gives KING Engine Bearings, Inc. three complete race bearing families to meet almost any performance engine-building challenge.
Gold Performance main and connecting rod bearings were first unveiled at the Performance Racing Industry Show, December 10-12, 2009. They join KING’s existing Xtreme Performance and Pro Series as high performance [...]
KING Engine Bearings, Inc. announces Gold Performance Engine Bearings – a dramatic new advance in race engine bearings that reportedly leapfrogs all previous bearing designs. According to King, these new bearings feature vastly improved fatigue strength that allows them to tolerate pressures far greater than any other performance bearing available today.
The new main and connecting [...]
WE BALANCE AND BEGIN ASSEMBLY
text, photos and assembly by Mike Mavrigian
Crankshaft balancing was next on the agenda. Since the Diamond pistons are already weight-matched by Diamond, and the Scat connecting rods are weight-matched at both small and big ends, we didn’t need to perform any weight corrections to those components (I double-checked all piston, rod [...]
Tips for avoiding things that can bite you
By John Mummert
In disassembling Y-Block core engines, I have noted a number of common mistakes that are made during the assembly of Y-Blocks during rebuild. Take care to avoid these mistakes.
Our JE forged pistons included wire locks for floating pin securing.
The wire locks are installed by working your way around the lock with a small screwdriver.
A nice option for wire lock installation is Lockintool’s W-927 installation tool. It takes some getting used to but, once you develop the knack, it’s a real time saver.
Here’s a [...]
Goodson reluctor ring installer jig is an absolute must for installing LS crank timing wheels.
The Goodson tool indexes the ring via the 8mm hole in the ring face.
The 8mm dowel is pictured here. It’s attached to a tang on the outside of the tool.
An internal dowel in the tool engages into the crank’s rear flange [...]
The side relief design provides additional clearance for the crank’s reluctor wheel. Without this added clearance, No. 8 piston would hit the reluctor wheel.
Here’s an underside view that clearly illustrates the side relief/short pin design. Naturally, this also reduces reciprocating weight as a bonus.
As you can see, the compression height resulted in the oil ring [...]
LS PROJECT, PART 2
BLOCK PREP AND BALANCING
by Mike Mavrigian
all photos by author
We swapped out the OE torque-plus-angle main cap bolts for a set of ARP studs. This will provide added strength and will eliminate wear on the block’s female threads during future servicing.
I recently visited Gressman Powersports where Scott Gressman decked our block, honed the [...]
Both rod and main bearings must feature a specified amount of crush area in order to achieve bearing lock-in within the housing.
The bearing shell outer edges (approaching the parting line areas) are larger than the saddle, which adds to the lock-in placement of the bearing shells.
Dirt particles or embedded blasting shot left behind in the [...]
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