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Greetings - I am starting to put together my first engine for my build. I suspect I'll have several questions along the way so I'll just thread them up here. The motor is based on a new Dart SHP 400 short-block & Dart top-end kit (which I am still waiting for).
After two and a half months of waiting I finally got the camshaft this week. So my first question is about cam lubrication. It's a hydraulic cam with hydraulic roller lifters. I have read that I should be using grease on the distributor gear, assembly lube on the cam bearing journals and break-in oil on the cam lobes. Fine, but what if I can't start the engine for a year? Is engine break-in oil still the best choice for the cam lobes?
I have special grease for the distributor gear, Dart assembly lube and Comp Cams 10W30 break-in oil.
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C3 of Year Winner (performance mods)
2016 C3 of Year Finalist
You are going to want a lube that is more of a paste that will stay on the lobes while it sits. The white stuff tends to slide off, I like isky engine asssembly lube becasue its sticky. After its a ssembled, You will need to cover all the ports with tape after assembly and wrap the motor in a motor bag or plastic to keep out humidity. before you start it to break it in you will still need to use a oil priming tool to fill all the oil passages and get oil on the cam and crankshaft. Then rotate the motor over by hand to get oil to all the different lifters and rockers.
Can you wait to build it so it can be broken in while the lube is still where you put it? Can you build a rudimentary engine stand to start it and break it in outside of the car?
Thanks R.R. I ended in this whole situation because parts have been taking forever to come in, or have not been delivered at all. Case in point: Dart top-end kit. Ordered in August 2020 - still no show. The original plan was to build and start the engine this winter and beginning of spring, then continue the body work starting in mid-spring. I really want to focus on body work / paint during the warm weather. So here's the new plan: today I installed the cam with the original grease/assembly lube/break-in oil. I will continue the engine assembly as the parts come in, except the spider retainer and intake manifold. Then next winter when the weather gets cold again, I will pour fresh 15W50 Comp Cams break-in oil through the block's 4 slots onto the cam lobes, button it up, prime it and start it, on the rolling chassis.
I definitely don't have the correct lock plate - it's for GM though. Since nobody proved me wrong, I am going to assume that there is no cam lock plate I can purchase for my factory hydraulic roller cam.
I will use blue thread-locker alone then.
I've never used a cam lock plate or loc-tite on cam bolts and have never had one come "from together". Maybe I'm just lucky.
I've also never torn down a factory built engine with either, either.
Wow, it seems every day comes with a new challenge. Tonight I installed the cam bolts with blue loctite. Once I was done I tried to fit the timing chain cover. Well, it did not fit. The cam's dowel is too long by about 1/8" - it hits the recessed area of the cover.
I just realized this: if you look at the pictures of my post #3, it seems that the cam dowel sticks out more than usual. Maybe it is possible to hammer it in 1/8" while blocking the chain sprocket...
A few days ago I simply placed the thickest feeler blade I could fit between a cam plate bolt and the sprocket and tapped in the dowel about 3/16" until it bottomed out. My guess is that whoever prepped the cam did not tap the dowel pin all the way in as expected, and since I'm a novice I had no clue. The timing cover fit like a glove afterwards.
After that I test-fitted the oil pan gasket and oil pan:
...and test-fitted the water pump:
Everything turned out good.
Now, next question: after reading this https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1603285807, I wonder if I should remove the gas pump plate I already installed and put in a fuel pump pushrod even though I'll be using an EFI system.
Do folks with an EFI conversion install a fuel pushrod? I could not find any literature about this. Thanks.
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C3 of Year Winner (performance mods)
2016 C3 of Year Finalist
I took mine out....didnt want an extra piece of steel in the motor, It shouldnt go any where and it would just be bottomed out against the plate if it was left in there.
Recommendations for engine assembly
