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2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C3 of Year Winner (performance mods)
2016 C3 of Year Finalist
to prime it you need either a sbc specific priming tool or and old distributor with the gear removed so it will spin freely and the rotor removed to bit a big chuck drill on it to spin it . https://www.summitracing.com/search/...priming%20tool
The reason is the distributer housing shaft directed the oil into an oriface that got it to the front bearings or something along those lines. But it is necessary to get full flow to the front lifters and full ooil pressure
If your heads are still off and your timing chain is on, set the 2 dots as per the timing chain instructions and then use straight edge across the top of number one cylinder and a machinist ruler touching the top of the cylinder. AS you slowly rotate the engine, the smallest distance is TDC, mark your timing tape on the balancer/ damper. You can also use a dial indicator if you have one.
to find top dead center with the heads on, you can take off the timng chain cover and set the 2 dots on the gears as per the instructions for TDC on cylinder number one,OR put your finger over the plug hole and rotate the motor until the pressure pushes you finger off, or spin the motor by hand and wait for the rocker arms on cylinder number one to be fully closed and watch your timing mark come up to the pointer, then use a TDC tool in the spark plug hole to see when the tool indicates TDC. https://www.summitracing.com/search?SortBy=BestKeywordMatch&SortOrder =Ascending&keyword=top%20dead%20center%2 0tool&page=2
Or at this point you could fish some synthetic rope into the hole and rotate it up until it stops, mark the timimg, then back it off, reverse your rotation and wait for the rocker arms to fully seat, put the same amount of rope back in and roatate until it stops and mark it again. half way between the 2 marks is tdc. Instead of a tool you could use a philips head screw driver with electrical tape on it to keep from marring the cylinder and slowly rotate the motor until the screw driver stops rising.( doing this keep the screwriver in your hand, and keep it from binding, it should be moving freely and not gettting trapped anywhere or at anytine)
which ever process you use, do it a few times to ensure accuracy, go slow so you dont break a tool or damage a cylinder and when ever putting anything in side the spark plug hole , never spin the motor with the starter.
Last edited by Rescue Rogers; Nov 28, 2018 at 11:08 AM.
Ok....if the heads are off......use the tool in the picture to find TDC. Make sure both dot are in the 12 o'clock position on your timing chain. This is #1 TDC. Now from there....you install the timing cover and balancer/timing tab. Line the tab up on the balancer til it is true "0" TDC. Now go ahead and put the engine together.
Later....if you need #1 again......have a helper tap the key til your thumb blows off #1 spark plug hole......then line up the timing mark on 0. TDC again!!! With no BS! Getting the balancer lined up correctly is critical for setting timing.
As far as priming....use the Proform SBC/BBC primer with a strong cordless drill on medium speed........spin the drill until oil comes from all rocker arms and rotate the engine periodically while priming.
From: At my Bar drinking and wrenching in Lafayette Colorado
Edit: Damn, Jebby... you beat me to it again..!
Top Dead Center is determined using a dial indicator on the #1 piston and a degree wheel on the crank. The crank is rotated until the piston, as determined by the dial indicator, is at a noted distance from the top of the bore, and then rotated until the piston is at the same distance back down the bore after passing TDC. TDC is the exact halfway distance between the two as noted on the degree wheel:
Dial indicator set up to determine piston position in bore:
Degree wheel attached to crankshaft and used to determine TDC based on piston position:
Stand-alone pointer used with the degree wheel to determine TDC:
TDC verified to agree with the factory timing tab:
The engine is oil primed using either a special tool that simulates the distributor body in the block, or by using an old distributor housing and shaft with a drill motor:
Spinning the oil pump with a drill motor (using the distributor housing tool) will generate full oil pressure:
While spinning the oil pump with the drill and tool, the crankshaft must be turned over, since many of the lifters will be in a position that blocks the oil flow through the lifter at any static position. Once the engine has been rotated 2 times with the oil pump turning, all of the lifters will have seen throughput of oil, and oil will be discharged at the rocker arms:
