No Crust Racing

I am embarrassed by how long mine took given what you've gotten done 0_0

Mega effort mate well done. If it makes you feel better... - My new front and rear mains leaked immediately, meaning I had to redo timing again and remove gearbox to replace. - When testing the rear main ws good I had the selector cables off the box (box in neutral, no drive shafts in) but there was enough vibration for it try and grab a gear at idle speeds and it spat the diff shims out, so box had to come out again... There's always "something".

We all gave him some options and opinions, he can choose the one he likes. Move on.

It seems 2 out 2 handsome DIY mechanics agree that you can get away without it.

They help, especially if you are going solo This job is 10x easier with a second set of hands and if you have a helper, you can get away without the leveler. I also used ratcheting straps to help change angles. It's cheap, can sell later and recover most of the cost if you want to.

Absolutely put it in as 1 piece.

Making rapid progress. Can't comment on the pump, never had to do that.

I'd like to think the standards are higher than me building one in my shed is my point Duncan lol

Not really comparable though? I would expect a brand new performance engine to have been assembled in a very clean environment using high quality components and have most variables finally controlled. Heck, that'd probably include the knowing how much "material" the first oil fill will need "hold" from the break in process (if they are not being broken in on a dyno and having oil dumped immediately after). Not quite the same as refreshing an engine that's had a spun bearing go through it or similar where you're re-using some parts that may or may not be hiding a plethora of debris. Cost of engine rebuild? Many many thousands usually, $$ you save using plain mineral/something else oil vs break in oil for the first change? $50 - $100 if you're lucky? Break in oil is not exactly expensive. Good mineral diesel oil ~ same cost as break in oil anyway. Would rather use the product specifically designed for the process personally with my extensive engine building experience (1).

Interestingly, my petrol toyota engine specs the exact same oil as the diesel variant of that car, and guess what, those petrol engines are known to last forever and be clean as a whistle inside...

True of almost every aspect of cars really...

lol well I like my mower, 12-13yrs going strong so I dont wanna risk it. Is it weird to get attached to things purely because they have lived a long life?

I used break in oil, was told to. Have 2-3L left over I have no idea what to do with, put in the mower? Not sure what high zinc content will do, will do some reading.

Very common, worked fine for me. Have seen vaseline also, you just want something that will dissolve in your break in oil, assembly lube "fits the Bill" nicely

Windage etc as Duncan said, the CA ran a "balance tube" from factory though and it ran on the intake side. Anything will help, many people claim there's SFA oil actually flowing in them anyway and they end up just being a pressure relief as in the CA.

Those clearances are fine, as is mixing bearing shells, which I have done on my big ends to open them up a little as they were too tight for my liking (in spec) but this engine is known for spinning big ends and I was always going to mod/tune etc. "0.001" of clearance for every inch of journal" or there abouts is a very widely accepted range. Just spec your oil accordingly, i.e. my engine could have big ends down to to .013mm which is too tight for my liking and specs a 0w-40 oil, I aim for 0.0425 to 0.046, but am running a 5w-40. My mains were pretty much bang on the same as yours (yes different engine and one less cylinder).

Yep, just start with plates/washers and see how it holds up, poor standard Nissan frame was not designed for that loading.

You work all 4 sides of the pin boss taking them from square edge to tapered round edge all the way to near the crown. Risky business lol

As long as it's smooth and transitions from one plane to the next uniformally it'll be fine, I was removing 5g on some pistons and they've seen 800ks and 7k rpm already. Doesn't mean they won't explode but who knows when

Oh you should also leave gudgeon pins with their pistons as a rule of thumb, Don't move those around.

Given the are already so closely matched, do not touch them is my advise or you risk adding stress risers unnecessarily. That's incredibly close.

It's all coming together

"Id do an s13 or s15 - clean and good no aero, light, good suspension and brakes - for a 'do all events car' 500hp tops" Kinda my goal, but some light/basic aero and a touch more power "if" required, but built in so it's there just incase.

How might that go on an S13....

Yes, $30 UV light from Jaycar has already helped me a number of times.