Our flattie is almost finished. Compared to an original, she’s looking pretty snazzy. Build, text and photos by Mike Mavrigian The Ford flathead was a popular platform for early rodders, and basically started the hot rod and performance engine movement. The engine production ran from 1937 through 1953, with one of the most popular versions [...]
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 [...]
Lunati, a firm with over forty years of crankshaft know-how, has become a leading distributor for Clevite® bearings. Clevite TriMetal bearings provide critical protection that bi-metal bearings do not. They enable foreign particles to become embedded in the soft surface layer of the bearing. This innovation often protects crankshaft journals from harmful foreign [...]
The United States Patent Office has issued United States Letters Patent No. 7,716,827 to Goodson Tools & Supplies for Engine Builders for its Reluctor Ring Installation Tool (RRJ-350). The Reluctor Ring Installation Tool was originally designed to aid in the installation of the reluctor ring following crankshaft work. Proper alignment of the reluctor ring is [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
We machine the block, balance the crank and check clearances. The Dart Iron Eagle 351W block is a precision-cast and raw-machined product of unparalleled quality. Dart provides a bit of extra deck height and minimal bore diameter, allowing the builder to precisely achieve desired dimensions. By Mike Mavrigian all photos by author [...]
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 [...]
LS LONG STROKE CRANKS Much like the traditional Small Block Chevy, GM’s LS platform has amassed an impressive following of performance enthusiasts who are drawn to its outstanding power potential and durability. With the support of aftermarket parts manufacturers, enthusiasts have been able to constantly raise the bar on what was [...]
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 [...]
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