Hi Everyone. Maybe someone can help. I am building a 383 for my 1977 corvette.The block is a 4 bolt 350 040 over. I purchased an eaglerod stroker kit. The crank has been installed. Right now I am in the process of installing the pistons and rods. Here is the problem:

The rod ends are tightly installed onto the rods. I removed the bolts to install the bearing halves but the cap is very difficult to remove. I was able to remove the first one and install it into the block for plasigaging, but after I tourqued the rod bolts down it was difficult to remove and possibly making an irroneous plasigage reading. (Although it was within range).

Is this normal? If so, what is the process to remove them? Should I be plasigageing since the crank, rods and pisons are new? Should I take the rods to the machine shop?

I know there are some engine gurus here. Could not get any answers at the local cruise night.

Before I plunk down more cash at the local machine shop, I was wondering if there was some remedy that I can apply myself.

Just in case you are wondering, the motor will be a mild street that will be driven on pleasure drives and to cruise nights.

Here is the cam I plan to use:

http://www.lunatipower.com/Product.aspx?id=2324&gid=297

Thanks everyone!!

 

Can you post a picture of your rods? there are several different schemes for rod bolts and seeing exactly which one you have will help get you correct accurate answers.

 

Hi Tim. I only have 5 posts and it appears that I do not have enough posts to upload pictures. I was in the garage taking a few photos too as per your request. Maybe I am doing something wrong?

 

Rob just did a nice how to write on posting pictures. Here's a link to it.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-p...tep-guide.html

 

Yes, it's not at all uncommon for the rods to be difficult to seperate, especially the stock GM ones. A couple of quick reasonably light taps on the sides of the rod cap, switching sides between taps, with a plastic hammer will usually dislodge them enough to wiggle off, or you can use the hammer handle to tap reasonably lightly on the piston. With rods that have bolts that thread into the cap like yours, there's a pressed bushing in the rods to align the rod with the cap, and they can be a bit tight. If you want to preserve your plati-gauge, then you need to tap on the piston.

This is one of those things that it's nice to have someone there for

I always check measurements even though the shop has already checked them. Everyone makes mistakes, and I have caught more than a few during measuring and mock-up

Just to be clear, you're not torquing rod bolts when they're not on the jornal, right?

 

No. I would not be comfortable with that. It was on the crank journal.

 

 

Billa is correct, there's a sleeve between the two halves to ensure alignment. That's probably what's hanging you up. With the bolts removed, I'd stick them back in the cap a little way and squeeze them together by hand and then tap on the split line with a small brass or plastic hammer. Shouldn't take too much.

BTW: Good plan to check all the clearances. I'm not a huge fan of plastigauge but it will tell you a good rough measurement. Don't forget to look at both the radius on the crank journal and the rod side clearance too.

 

Ooglie, This looks like one of Frank Eskra's kits from Super Engine Builders.

Talk about coincidence, I have the same exact kit (based on the kit# on your rod box) and oddly, I also have a .040 over 350 four bolt block out of a 1977.

I'm just waiting for the crank, I mistakenly ordered a 1 piece crank, and had to send it back for a 2 piece. I'll be doing the same stuff hopefully early this week, so your experience here is great stuff.
I'm using a Comp Cams .495/.495 solid with a 2400rpm stall converter.

BTW, have you figured out what a .040 over works out to be in a stroked 350? since .030 is 383, I wonder what the extra 10 thousandths makes it?

 

These rods are pretty easy to separate and preserve the plastigauge measurement.

Place plastigauge on the bearing in the rod side. Torque accordingly.

To disassemble. Loosen bolts. Turn one additional turn loose. Lightly tap on bolts, alternating from side to side to separate cap from rod until both sides are loose. You may have to repeat this several times until they are loose enough to remove.

You should have an accurate plastigauge reading since you are driving the rod side away from the rod journal.

 

So the rod caps can be removed while on the crank with a soft tap with a hammer to remove them? I want to be 100% clear on the process because I do not want to damage the parts.
The first rod I checked while on the crank, I removed the end cap by gently grasping it with pliers and gently rocking it. Slowly but surely it came off. I was very careful not to damage any parts. And was extremely careful to not damage the crank journal bearing surfaces.

Is it nessasary to take the rods to the machine shop?

The displacement works out to about 385 ci.

Yea that is a coincidence! It is my first lower end build and I am excited, but a little scared because I do not want to start the motor and and have a catastrophic failure, or a failure soon after the motor is built. That would break my heart!

I am planning on using the stock converter. But I have not made up my mind yet. The cam is pretty mild and I do not want to go above .500 lift on the cam. The heads I have are World Products S/R torquer heads. The manufacturer suggests that I should not go above the said .500 in lift.

 

Take everything to your machine shop and have 'em mic the crank journals and big ends of the rods. They shouldn't charge much, you'll get an exact clearance reading and you won't have to mess with plastigage.

 

back the bolts out about 1/8" and then tap on the bolt heads with a brass or plastic hammer while holding the rod cap

 

No pliers on the cap!

You keep asking about the machine shop - the block has been machined for the crank, and the rods have already been through a shop, right? I assumed this was the case - my bad. You can't just bolt this stuff together out of the box and figure the clearances are all right.

 

Suggest you should get comfortable with it before you assemble rods to crank.

Seems you have aftermarket rods ... and they're budget asian rods too (eagle). Budget rods (and OE rods if resized by sloppytech) somtimes have an out-of-round (oval) big end because the bolts/capscrews were not not properly tightened prior to sizing. New bolts/screws should be torqued & loosened & torqued and cycled thru min 3 times before big end is either sized or checked for roundness.

If you have new asian rods and only plastigage ... suggest you leave bearings out ... tq & cycle 3-4 times and then take tq'd rods to machine shop to be checked for round. That not some ethereal pie in sky crap ... seen a spate of otherwise well built race motors pop where eagle Ibeams ovality were at fault but builders' failure to check was root cause.

 

110% ... but do tq cycle the bolts before you take em.

 

Not sure I agree with the guidance, but I wanted to note that there are only two places you can torque a rod: On the journal or in a rod vise.

I think the message we're all giving here is that if you haven't had a machine shop involved in all aspects of this build you're heading off in the wrong direction.

Some detailed information on the build process to date and machine shop involvement would likely address some concerns - or raise new ones, which is OK as it'll save you $$$ and heartache

 

Had a conversation with the machine shop owner today. He stated that the rod end caps can be separated from the rod by loosening the rod bolts and tapping on them with a hammer using minimal force. He told me the rods that I am using are better than stock and good for my application.
Thanks for the advice guys. I will keep you all posted.

 

If thsoe are the Eagle Sir rods tale them apart and retorque them and the check the housing bores for roundness as we have seen issues with those rods in the past.

And if that a kit both ends of the rods will need to be sized at lest the small end and also the pin bores in the pistons always seem to be tight as well and if it was blanced by Eagle have it checked as we have seen problems in that area as well.

When you buy a balanced kit and the rods are still sealed in plastic and the pistons are still sealed in the box it makes you wonder how they do that.

 

I agree! Plastiguage is not very accurate and the troble your having with cap removal can cause false readings. I last used Plastiguage in 1979 when I was 20yrs old. Given my years of expirience, I would go to a local auto machine shop and develop a relationship with someone who can help you do the job the right way as it IS MUCH CHEAPER to pay a professional than to get this process wrong. Cost should not be much to check rod/main bearing clearances with a dial bore guage.