Assembly Q's - 26

[ahh 33 s2]

hey all about to assemble my bottom end and just a few things to query before i do.

Cleaning: what is the best way to clean ur block and parts before assmebly.

1, kero 2, soapy water 3, apply wd40 or similar asap

the brass coolant fittings what can u clean them in to get some of the corrosion off acid? steel brush? replace?

ARP main studs: my mains came with 3 longer bolts. where do these three go. they have been put in by the machinist 2 at the back and on in the middle. is this correct??

also at what tourque and in what pattern do i do them up.

Valve springs: can u run a valve spring designed for a larger lift cam on standard cams. such as a spring to suit a step 2 cam

Rings ive read alot lately about ppl putting in there rings upside down. does this just mean in the rong order or actually upside down.. i just had a desent look and there is nothing to indicate an up or down.. unless its just the way they come in the packet.. CP for the record.

whilst on rings where do u locate the gaps obviously not all in a line hehe.

does any one have any pre build good luck rituals that i can borrow

all help greatly appreciated

thanks dan

[Duncan]

clean the bores with metho and a clean white cloth. when it stops going grey the bores are clean. then some water through the coolant galleries and air backwards through the oil galleries. assuming its all been professionally cleaned in a hot tank first.

brass fitings - wire brush on a grider is perfect. by hand is hard work

arp studs - no idea But torque them up the same order as standard bolts ie from centre outwards. remember to do it in 2 or 3 small increments.

re the rings...yes there is an up and down and there will be a marking at the end of each on the top. It can be tiny and hard to see though.

workshop manual says this re ring gap spacing:

[Swiper the Fox]

fly me over Dan...feed me and supply the grog...and ill screw it together for you.

[ahh 33 s2]

is tiger ok??

[Swiper the Fox]

is tiger ok??

if it doesnt fall from the clouds....lol

Edited July 20, 2009 by DiRTgarage

[ahh 33 s2]

nah i have mechs who have built lots a bottom end to help. just not a 26 and its just the info that i havent been supplied with that i need. as much as i would luv u to put it together for me.. and a flight here and back would prolly be the cheapest labour around

[r33_racer]

The cp ring pack normally comes with or has on it the ring order.

The booklet should have the end gaps for whatever application your using the engine for...from memory end gap for those would be 6 thou per inch of bore diameter top ring and 5 thou per inch of bore diameter for 2nd ring. But check the piston/ring guide that would have come with....maybe your machine shop kept it if you dont have it???? or someone else might know for sure and can correct me.

ARP torque for mains from memory is 53ft/lbs???(with their moly lube)...remember to do it three times(overall process) in about three increments(as Duncan stated) to make sure you stretch the threads correctly....I do believe you can do it twice, and on the third time it should be good. If the bock hasnt been line bored, you should check what your clearances are with internal mics when your girdle is torqued down to that ft/lb. Id also check what crush you get to be safe. Also it sounds like the machine shop put the longer studs in the right place....look at the girdle and its quite evident where they go.

For the frost plugs or welsch plugs...id just get a new set from repco or wherever. They are cheap. If they are eroded as you say in some spots they may leak prematurely...If you dont want too, slap on a good amount of stag when you fit them

Not an expert on heads/valve train, but I dont see why you couldnt run such a spring.

[dazmo]

Hey mate not to sure on how much experience you or your engine builder mates have but I would be a little concerned if you need to ask some of the questions you have. The cleaning is fairly straight forward and mostly commonsense and your mates with engine building experiance should be able to give you the run down. If your mates need to ask about the rings being installed right way up and positioning of ring gaps etc i would not have to much faith in their abilities do they own a ring file? and plan on setting ring end gaps correctly? as you can never just install them on the piston whack them in the bore and hey presto all is good. one of your main studs will need to be cut down to clear the front axel tube that runs thru the sump pan the torque rating on ARP2000 series studs is 60ft/lb with ARP moly lube. you should have no problem with useing the uprated valve springs but out of curiosity why would you want to upgrade valve springs with stnd cams as you will only ever run into a problem (valve float) if you are useing high rpm with larger lift cams and stnd valve springs so it just seems that that is money that could be spent elsewhere for greater gain.

Please dont take this post as having a dig at you or your mates as I would just be a little concerned as some of the questions you have asked are pretty basic and anyone that has to ask these questions should probably just have the job done by an experienced engine builder or at least have someone experienced giving you a step by step guide thru that whole process.

Hope it all works out well for you and you get good results and no problems Daz.

[GTRNUR]

Im with dazmo on this one and again no offence intended.

I have to ask too... Has your block been align bored with the ARP studs installed and torqued to spec. If not your just begging for a spun main. Main bearing clearances are < 0.002". When the ARP mains are torqued to spec they pull/distort the cradle and main rod bearing saddles. If the block is align bored with the main bolts in place your guaranteed bearing clearances are correct when its assembled.

Its basicly the same principal as bolting a torque plate to the block for when cylinders are bored, so that when the head is bolted on the cylinder bores are parallel and properly sized for the desired piston clearances.

[r33_racer]

Hmmm are rb26 mainstuds ARP2000 instead of 8740 chromemoly?

Or can you get both?

I know the 12mm headstuds for rb26's are ARP2000, but I was under the impression all the 10mm mainstuds were all normal 8740...same as 25 and 30's.

[ahh 33 s2]

DAZMO: thanks for the hints with regard to some of my Qs, i personally have no experiance i have a guy who has built a few 26s that i can fall back onto an a mate thats built v8, the main reason im asking these "basic" questions is that i wants to learn and u learn by asking. the more info i can get the more confident i become in nowing that when it does all go together it will stay together.

as for the rings they are all being checked for the correct clearence

as for the valve springs i just want to get new springs in when i get the head rebuilt and change cames later on.. i wouldnt be putting a better spring in if was planning on leaving stock cams

GTRNUR: yes i had the main studs in for line bore and have since spoken to machine shop as well and checked torques specs with them.

thanks for the info