Turned Engine with Dist Removed Question
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 251
Likes: 9
From: Franklin KY
Turned Engine with Dist Removed Question
New to tearing engines apart. My son while helping me rip things apart turned the crank. I have a 76 L48 with the engine out, intake off, pan dropped and everything marked. Not sitting at TDC. Was planning on changing cam, lifters, and timing chain but was going to try and line everything back up before swapping cam, now engine has been turned (cam was afterthought). I am new to the internal workings and was wondering where to start. Is it as simple as finding TDC, swapping cam, replacing intake, then lining up distributor and timing? I don't really know how to do any of this but have a 7 year-old wrench turner who reads well and plenty of patience and beer
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Racer
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 261
Likes: 0
From: Manahawkin NJ
No problem turning the motor. You will need to rotate the crank to align the timing gears dot to dot. This is TDC, but on the #6 compression. You will need to rotate 360 degrees to get TDC #1 to drop in the distributor, but you will need to turn the motor before that point to adjust the lifters.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,118
From: Crossville TN
Google some info on how to set hydraulic lifters on a non-running engine. The tricky part is identifying the "zero lash" point...roughly the mid-point of movement of the piston inside the lifter body. Most write-ups will tell you to 'spin' the push rods. I find that 'shaking' the rods up/down is easier to find zero lash. Shake as you slowly tighten the rocker-stud nut; when there is no more "slop" in the pushrod movement, that is the zero lash point.
And, since you are going to be taking the timing chain cover off anyway, there should be no problem getting everything timed correctly. Just read up on how to do it, get very 'comfortable' with the procedures, and go to it. TDC for #1 cylinder is when the timing mark is approaching the timing scale and the #1 intake valve is closing.
As far as I'm concerned, the Chevrolet Chassis Overhaul Manual (the 'sister' manual to the Chevy Chassis Service Manual) is the best book/manual to use when doing this work.
And, since you are going to be taking the timing chain cover off anyway, there should be no problem getting everything timed correctly. Just read up on how to do it, get very 'comfortable' with the procedures, and go to it. TDC for #1 cylinder is when the timing mark is approaching the timing scale and the #1 intake valve is closing.
As far as I'm concerned, the Chevrolet Chassis Overhaul Manual (the 'sister' manual to the Chevy Chassis Service Manual) is the best book/manual to use when doing this work.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 251
Likes: 9
From: Franklin KY
Not really sure I follow, little slower next time! Think I found instructions for cam replacement from summit. Looking for lifter replacement. If I have this right I line up the timing dots, pull chain, reinstall sprocket lined up, pull cam, swap sprocket to new cam, reinstall cam, remove sprocket and put on new sprocket and chain. Afterward I do lifters (looking for these procedures) then distributor goes back on?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 5,948
Likes: 72
From: Oxford MA-----You just lost the game!!!!
The best thing for you to do at this point would be to get your hands on a book like this:
http://www.amazon.com/How-Rebuild-Yo.../dp/1557880298
Or maybe that chassis overhaul manual 7T1vette was talking about. I have never read it, but he seems to like it, and he's a pretty sharp dude. Assembling an engine isn't that hard. Assembling an engine correctly, well, that's a different matter. Even then, it isn't that hard, it really just involves having the knowledge, and double and triple checking everything. There are a lot of things that you can do wrong if you don't know any better. Actually, you sound like you know how to spin a wrench, but just don't know much about this one particular thing. Maybe this might help you out some:
http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/te...ion/index.html
Good luck, and make sure you get plenty of photos of the 7 year old wrench-turner, they will be adorable when he gets older!!!
Scott
http://www.amazon.com/How-Rebuild-Yo.../dp/1557880298
Or maybe that chassis overhaul manual 7T1vette was talking about. I have never read it, but he seems to like it, and he's a pretty sharp dude. Assembling an engine isn't that hard. Assembling an engine correctly, well, that's a different matter. Even then, it isn't that hard, it really just involves having the knowledge, and double and triple checking everything. There are a lot of things that you can do wrong if you don't know any better. Actually, you sound like you know how to spin a wrench, but just don't know much about this one particular thing. Maybe this might help you out some:
http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/te...ion/index.html
Good luck, and make sure you get plenty of photos of the 7 year old wrench-turner, they will be adorable when he gets older!!!
Scott
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 3,736
Likes: 56
From: anchorage ak
Look in your predicament , change the cam, set the preload adjustment on your lifters, put both dots on the new timing chain and gears pointing straight up set the distributor @ # 1 this should put you in to the zone were your engine will fire set the curve with a dial back timing light proceed to break in the cam shaft. Jmo.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 1,241
Likes: 4
From: Okinawa Okinawa
The best thing for you to do at this point would be to get your hands on a book like this:
http://www.amazon.com/How-Rebuild-Yo.../dp/1557880298
Scott
http://www.amazon.com/How-Rebuild-Yo.../dp/1557880298
Scott
Enjoy the time with your son. My daughter used to help me but now she is 13 and not as interested in turning wrenches.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,231
Likes: 65
From: Seattle WA
St. Jude Donor '14
A cam swap is pretty straightforward and you've got the basic steps right...and all the right references. 
The latest version of overhaul books from SA is the best buy; it's updated quite a bit from some older versions:
http://www.amazon.com/Rebuild-Small-...5611982&sr=1-1
Key point on aligning the timing gear dots - the crank key should be pointing at about 2:00, and the cam pin should be at 3:00. As noted, this is TDC compression #6, so make sure you position the engine to about 12-16 degrees BTDC #1 compression before trying to start.
Appropriate flat-tappet cam break-in is critical - but this is a longer discussion
The latest version of overhaul books from SA is the best buy; it's updated quite a bit from some older versions:http://www.amazon.com/Rebuild-Small-...5611982&sr=1-1
Key point on aligning the timing gear dots - the crank key should be pointing at about 2:00, and the cam pin should be at 3:00. As noted, this is TDC compression #6, so make sure you position the engine to about 12-16 degrees BTDC #1 compression before trying to start.
Appropriate flat-tappet cam break-in is critical - but this is a longer discussion
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 945
Likes: 10
From: Winston Salem NC
If you have the engine out you can pop the #1 plug out and rotate it until it gets to TDC. If you pop the valve cover you can determine when the compression stroke is happeining. The rotor then needs to point to that cylinder so that it can fire off that plug. This is one way to do it.
I had a similar problem when I rebuilt my distributor. I put the dist. gear on upside down. I did it the brute force way and had to pull and rotate the distributor one tooth at a time until it was right again. It took ten tries. There are 13 teeth on that gear.
I had a similar problem when I rebuilt my distributor. I put the dist. gear on upside down. I did it the brute force way and had to pull and rotate the distributor one tooth at a time until it was right again. It took ten tries. There are 13 teeth on that gear.
