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Buy with confidence!
If for any reason
you're not
completely satisfied
with an item, simply
return it within 7
days and the
purchase price will
be refunded.
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We ship world wide.
All international
orders must be paid
online. Checks or
money orders drawn
on non-US banks will
not be accepted.
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Engine Assembly
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Assembling an engine is likely the most exciting segment of engine building. This is where we put
our hands on all of an engine’s components and set them into productive motion. But, to put them
into a productive, power-making motion, we have to assemble them properly, and with painstaking
detail.
Before assembly begins, we need to houseclean, with all components clean and laid out in proper
assembly order. It’s a good idea to wash down everything with a solvent to remove all dust and
debris. Brake cleaner is a good cleaning solvent, as is the solvent we use in parts washers. If you’re
using a parts washer, you want fresh solvent; don’t use dirty solvent.
It is very important to keep pistons and connecting rods in proper order to avoid mismatches. Since
each piston has been sized to each bore, we don’t want to make the mistake of installing pistons in
the wrong bores. This is also important for the sake of dynamic balancing.
Engine parts, centered around the crankshaft, need to be set up on the work bench. Pistons and
rods need to be laid out around their respective positions on the crank. The oil pump and
driveshaft need to be parked off to the side. Main caps should be bolted to the block in their
respective positions. At this point, our block and heads need to be ready for assembly. Heads,
especially, should be completely assembled, ready to bolt on.
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The block needs to be safely mounted on an engine stand that allows you to rotate it 360 degrees.
This enables you to rotate the block as you install the crank and assemble the bottom end. We
discourage building the engine on a workbench, which a good many of us do when resources aren't
available. Because engine stands are very inexpensive these days, it makes sense to buy one.
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Now for the fun part -
but don't get too excited
and mess something up.
Take your time and do it
right the first time.
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Short Block
Short-block assembly should begin with the camshaft for ease of installation. Install the camshaft
first because the crankshaft won’t be in the way. We can guide the cam through its journals more
easily when we can get our hands in there. It’s so easy to nick the bearings and create new
problems if we can’t guide the camshaft. Cam journals get a dose of engine assembly lube. Flat-
tappet cam lobes get molybdenum grease – a thick moly-coat lubricant that aids camshaft break-in
during that first firing. Do not use molybdenum on the cam journals.
Roller-tappet camshafts get engine assembly lube on both the journals and lobes during
installation. The same is true for the roller tappets when they’re installed. Use lots of engine
assembly lube on the lifters and rollers for best results. With freshly machined main saddles, the
main bearings should fit comfortably and stay put. Some builders lubricate the main saddles prior to
bearing installation, which is just wrong. Main and rod bearings need a firm grip at the saddles and
journals. When they don’t have a firm grip, they can wrap themselves around the main and rod
journals, causing extensive damage and engine failure.
There is more to installing main bearings than fitting bearing halves into the saddles. We have
witnessed main and rod-bearing failure for reasons most of us never think about. For example, if a
piece of dirt or grit gets in between the bearing and saddle, it distorts the shape of the bearing,
even when this debris is very small. This distortion causes the bearing surface to rise up against
the crankshaft journal, causing a pressure point and premature bearing and crank wear. The high
spot, that pressure point on the back of the bearing, wears first, wearing down to the copper. Once
wear finds its way into the copper, crankshaft journal wear accelerates. This is why bearings must fit
perfectly in the saddles and rod journals.
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Before you lay the crankshaft in place, it’s a good idea to thoroughly wash the crank, including oil
passages, using a rat-tail wire brush. If you’ve already done this – do it again. This dislodges any
stray particles that may have been missed during initial clean up after machine work. Once clean up
is accomplished, we suggest measuring the crank journals one more time to confirm proper bearing
sizing before installation.
When it’s time to lay the crank in place, use an abundance of engine assembly lube on the
bearings. The reason for this is simple: With the best-laid plans, engines sometimes go for months
and even years before they’re installed in a vehicle. Bearings and journals need plenty of
lubrication during “sit” time. And when it’s time to fire the engine, oil system priming is suggested as
a life insurance policy against friction during start-up. We’ll get into that in Chapter 6.
Main cap installation is an area that really mandates your close attention. With the crank in place
and main caps snugged (but not torqued), check crankshaft end-play and side clearances. Main
bearing caps are numbered from the front of the block as #1 through #5. Torque the #3 cap first,
then #2, then #3, then #1, then #5 for best results. Torque the main caps in third or half values.
Don’t torque the main caps all at once to the specified torque. Take it slowly and methodically.
Then, check end-play and side clearances again.
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Building in Power
When we’re planning for power, we don’t always stop to consider how power gets wasted in an
engine’s design and construction. Friction is the power pick-pocket hiding in all sorts of places
inside our engines. Most friction occurs at the pistons and rings; some comes from bearings and
journals; and even more is produced between the pistons and piston wrist pins, lifters and bores,
cam lobes and lifters, and rocker-arm fulcrums and valvestems.
During the engine build, our goal needs to be compromise between having tolerances that are too
loose and too tight. Piston-to-cylinder-wall clearances are critical in order to have good cylinder
sealing, without too much friction and drag. The same is true for rod and main bearing clearances.
Another power-waste issue is engine breathing. You want an induction system that helps your
engine breathe well at the RPM range it is designed and built for. This means the appropriate
intake manifold and carburetor. Go too small on carburetor sizing and you restrict breathing. If ports
don’t match in terms of size, you restrict breathing. Opt for cylinder heads where port sizing is too
limited for your displacement and you restrict breathing. One example would be stock 289/302
heads on a 355-ci stroker. This brings compression to mind immediately. Run too much
compression and you kill power (and the engine!) through detonation.
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On the exhaust side, you want a scavenging system that makes sense. You don’t have to have
long-tube headers for great breathing. Shorty headers will do the job just as well, and without the
shortcomings of long-tube headers. Go too large on header tube size and you hurt torque. Go too
small and you hurt power on the high end. This is where your exhaust system has to work hand- –in-
hand with the heads, camshaft, and induction system.
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Previous | Next
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This has been a sample page from
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How to Rebuild the Small Block Ford
by George Reid
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Over the years, the small-block Ford has remained one of the
most popular and widely used engines on the planet. From the
earliest Fairlanes and Mustangs to the latest Mustangs and light
trucks, the Ford small-block has powered them all. With the
amount of aftermarket support and rebuildable cores out there,
you don’t have to worry about spending an arm and a leg for
quality rebuild – especially if you do the teardown and assembly
yourself.
In How to Rebuild the Small-Block Ford you're walked step by step
through a rebuild, including: Planning your Rebuild; Disassembly
and Inspection; Choosing the Right Parts; Machine Work;
Assembling your Engine; and First Firing and Break-In. It also
gives you helpful hints and tips on performance upgrades,
including cams, heads, ignition, induction, and more. It points out
problem areas to watch for, gives professional builder tips,
procedures that need special care or special tools, and more.
Whether you’re a first-time engine builder or a seasoned
professional, this is the essential guide to rebuilding your small-
block Ford.
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Click below to view sample
pages from each chapter
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Chap. 1 - Before You Begin
Chap. 2 - Engine Disassembly
Chap. 3 - Selecting Parts
Chap. 4 - Machine Shop
Chap. 5 - Engine Assembly
Chap. 6 - Break-In Tuning
Chap. 7 - Buyer's Guide
Chap. 8 - Engine Math
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8-1/2 x 11"
Soft bound
144 pages
Approximately 600 b/w photos
Item # SA102
Price: $18.95
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Click here to buy now!
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Covers 221, 260, 289, 302,
351W, 351C, 351M & 400
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Other items you might be interested in
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The Step by Step Guide to Engine Blueprinting
Practical methods for racing and rebuilding, selecting and preparing
parts, and how to buy machine shop work. This completely revised and
updated version containing an additional 32 pages is simply the best
book you can buy on engine preparation for street or racing! Engine
Blueprinting shows the reader how to use precision measuring tools,
calculate compression ratios, degree a camshaft, and much more!
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Price:
$18.95
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How to Build Big-Inch Ford Small Blocks
Thoroughly explains how to build a stroker, with information that will
help you to better tailor your heads, cam, intake manifold, carburetor &
exhaust system to get the most of the extra cubes. Also included is a
complete guide to head and block castings so you can choose exactly
the right parts for your project.
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Price:
$18.95
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How to Build Max Performance Ford V-8 on a Budget
This book addresses high-performance V-8 engines such as the 289,
302, 351ci small-blocks found in Mustangs, as well as the FE series of
big-blocks. Includes realistic, low-cost formulas for building serious
horsepower in Ford V-8 engines.
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Price:
$18.95
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Shipping is combined and discounted for multiple item purchases!
Buy more and save on shipping!
We ship Worldwide! See International Shipping for more information!
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Search Our Store for More Great Ford, Lincoln & Mercury Items!
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Satisfaction is guaranteed. Our store has a NO HASSLE RETURN POLICY within 7 days of
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If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact us. We look forward to serving
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Thanks for your business!
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MRE
PO Box 47
Grinnell, IA 50112
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