need some help on my cover. how do you line the cover up to put the bolts in? i set it on the bolts and it can move from side to side. i know it bolts to the oil pan, so do you put thoes bolts in first? it would be nice if it had line up pins. thanks for any help...frank...
if you look closely, the cover bolt holes are much larger than the bolts. This allows you to move the cover around quite a bit in order to line up the pan bolts. I normally just start a couple bolts through the cover, then put in the pan bolts and snug them, then install the rest of the cover and water pump bolts and tighten it all up. Later model engines have a dowel pin to line it all up, and I added them to our engines. Makes intallation easier for the most part. Be forwarned...removing/installing the cover with the dowel pins can be a PITA if the pan is still attatched.
thanks mavman. but before i put the oil pan on what else goes on besides the oil pump and pick up tube? does the oil pump drive go in at the top at the dist. hole?...frank...
Oil Pump Drive The drive shaft should have a small washer on it, put the shaft in the pump before installing to the block. This washer keeps the shaft from being pulled out of the pump when removing the distributor after engine is assembled for one reason or another. Aftermarket hardened shafts sometimes are made with a larger diameter center portion to serve the same purpose as the small washer. Using a shaft with no washer on it will cause it to come out with said distributor and getting it back into the pump can be a challenge to say the least. By the way, just a tip if you don't know already, before putting in the distributor and firing up the engine for the first time, get an old distributor and remove the guts. Use the shaft with gear removed to insert into the hole and engage the oil pump drive shaft. Attach a "Heavy Duty Drill Motor" and rotate it slowly. This will basically prime the whole oiling system and allow for a visual check of things plus a "wet" fire up on all the moving parts. You can buy a pump primer to do this also if you want, be sure all oil lines and especially the filter are in place(have put many qts of oil on the floor not paying attn, to that item in days past). I also pour oil in the filter before attaching it to save a little time on getting the system primed, Do this on oil changes too, gets pressure to the parts a little quicker after firing the beast up.
I little note on the timing cover, the book tell you to put some bolts in the timing cover and use the harmonic balancer as the guide. You want to do this so the balancer is centered in the seal, then tighten the bolts down. This is more important than the pan gasket area, I had my truck smoke several seals before one of the neighbor kids saw it in the book and made me feel like a jack a$$
thanks for all the help. i am very pleased at the way (WE) built my motor.:bananaman with all of the help from all of you, it is almost like a family project. here are some pics.
not my thread but very good advice I will use it since I am converting 90 motor to put in my mav and have to replace the whole front of the motor
Well insince this thread has been brung up, Frank would you mind sharing your Motor set-up with us like performance upgrades and such?
