Progress Thread HeHateMe gets bent

[droopie85gt]

Some here can describe events as they happened in vivid detail, and if you are lucky enough to visualize it in cartoon form (as I do) is an added bonus. Sometimes it's better that way.

I can do that sometimes. Like when I smash my thumb, I see it throbbing 3 times its normal size and bright red like a cartoon. Then I unleash a string of F and MF that would make Sam Jackson blush.

Or just last week. My new HF press wouldn't press. Like pump the handle, nothing happens. Try to bleed it, nothing happens. Add fluid to it, nothing happens. I pump the handle up and down 3 or 4 times as hard as humanly possible, thinking it will break off the pump mechanism and I can gain some satisfaction that way. Nope, then like it's laughing at me it starts working with no explanation. Like it's an S&M hydraulic press.

 

[droopie85gt]

Sometime back, I said I had put off working on my car during the cool months of the winter, so I could work on it when it is 95 with 65% humidity. Well, I didn't work on it today, but that is where this shindig is headed.

Yesterday my brother brought over his cam bearing tool and we knocked the aux shaft bearings out and replaced them. Today I was going to dingle ball the block and then wash it and the crank really well.

Like @CarMichael Angelo and his 3AM Demon, My Dos Equis Demon has been worrying me. See, when I decided to spend $600 on Crower Sportsman rods, that meant I needed pistons. Std bore forged pistons for a 2.3 are hard to find and generally expensive. So I ordered some KB Hypereutectic std bore pistons...they are cheap. But the XXD is bugging me. It reminds me that the internet says hyper pistons will explode with just the presence of a turbo in the garage. So I look around and for $250 more I can get some flat top Wiseco forged std bore pistons from Racer Walsh. It wasn't clear whether they have them in stock. So it may take 2 or 3 weeks to get. I need to send these KB back to Summit.

Recap. My dirt cheap build has turned into a $999 Stage 3 BoPort head, $150 ported lower intake, $250 gutted, ported, and rotated upper intake, $600 rods, $440 pistons, and $699 for a cam, rockers, HLA's and crap, $200 for misc. gaskets, a million hours ing around with a $75 HX35, a $350 header..yeah, I am making cheap 2.3 HP over here.

 

[General karthief]

Good lord!!!
you need more beer
or a hard wall to smack yourself on the forehead with

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

Sometime back, I said I had put off working on my car during the cool months of the winter, so I could work on it when it is 95 with 65% humidity. Well, I didn't work on it today, but that is where this shindig is headed.

Yesterday my brother brought over his cam bearing tool and we knocked the aux shaft bearings out and replaced them. Today I was going to dingle ball the block and then wash it and the crank really well.

Like @CarMichael Angelo and his 3AM Demon, My Dos Equis Demon has been worrying me. See, when I decided to spend $600 on Crower Sportsman rods, that meant I needed pistons. Std bore forged pistons for a 2.3 are hard to find and generally expensive. So I ordered some KB Hypereutectic std bore pistons...they are cheap. But the XXD is bugging me. It reminds me that the internet says hyper pistons will explode with just the presence of a turbo in the garage. So I look around and for $250 more I can get some flat top Wiseco forged std bore pistons from Racer Walsh. It wasn't clear whether they have them in stock. So it may take 2 or 3 weeks to get. I need to send these KB back to Summit.

Recap. My dirt cheap build has turned into a $999 Stage 3 BoPort head, $150 ported lower intake, $250 gutted, ported, and rotated upper intake, $600 rods, $440 pistons, and $699 for a cam, rockers, HLA's and crap, $200 for misc. gaskets, a million hours ing around with a $75 HX35, a $350 header..yeah, I am making cheap 2.3 HP over here.

Wanna compare dollars spent on engines with less than 8 cylinders?
I’ve got one on the floor of my garage I’ll be happy to offer up as my champion for the most cubic dollars ever spent on 450 hp, only to have It end up a pile of sht festering along the side of a wall in my basement.

Wanna play?

 

[droopie85gt]

Wanna compare dollars spent on engines with less than 8 cylinders?
I’ve got one on the floor of my garage I’ll be happy to offer up as my champion for the most cubic dollars ever spent on 450 hp, only to have It end up a pile of sht festering along the side of a wall in my basement.

Wanna play?

I am certain you have the time and money quotient locked up.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

I am certain you have the time and money quotient locked up.

What else is left?

 

[droopie85gt]

Good looks and humor.

 

[droopie85gt]

Oh yeah, more goodies came in the mail this week whilst I was away in Chicago for training. A 90 degree (forward facing) rotated and gutted upper intake. It's a work of art. I didn't even realize at first glance the EGR was cut off and welded closed. I honed the block last week and wire brushed it off. Still need to wash it one more time. I'm going to wash and do a little home polish on the crank. Once the pistons and rods arrive, it's go time.

And car update...the guy I bought it from reached out and asked if I had come up with a deal with his friend who owned it before him. I hadn't when he reached out, because of the covid and the fact that in April when we last talked, he was building a house. So he said, well talk to him. If something's come up and he is not interested, let me know. I have a friend that wants me to help him build a Fox. So I did talk to the other guy. He already has been working hard on the Fairmont to make it a drag car. Said he realized, he wanted the 85, but he wanted to build a bad ass drag car and realized he couldn't have/do it all. So I reached back out to the previous owner. I am pretty sure we are going to work out something. Even it is him buying a roller and us working out some kind of trade.

 

[LX1993]

That is one nifty looking piece of aluminum.

 

[droopie85gt]

That is one nifty looking piece of aluminum.

The best part was the price. I got it from a guy off the Turbo Ford group out of Canada. It was $225, so I think it was a helluva a deal. The welds are high quality.

Just waiting on my forged pistons to show up. Then get to work on building this thing. I may go ahead and put the crank in it and double check the clearances this weekend, but it if humid AF. I grabbed some coffee and it's 84% humidity right now. Yesterday afternoon it was 89 with 75% humidity. That's just nasty. No fan helps with that. I have seriously begun to think how can I A/C my garage. Maybe just open the door and put a fan in the house blowing into it!

I don't want to cut any (more) holes in the ceiling and there's no windows, just brick walls.

 

[LX1993]

Hell, rent a core drill. Portable A/C you just need a 4" hole for condenser leaving air, pretty much like a dryer vent. Mini-Split setup maybe 2 1/2" just big enough to get suction, liquid, drain line & 16/4 power cord through. That was the third thing in the garage I did when I bought the place I'm at now. First thing was some temporary pole jack's so it didn't cave in on me. Second was putting in lentils over the crumbling iron windows that were supporting the crumbling back wall. Third was a 2 ton Mini-Split, mainly because in the course of doing the first couple things it was so damn hot, compressor in the 'ol beer fridge went off on overloads. F*** that.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

Wait.....You are going to put the project on hold till you find a way to add AC to the garage?



You never get to dog me for having to do sht over ever again.

One syllable word.....Sharp.
4 syllable word...Mit su Bish I.

They both will allow you to get frosty air in your garage with one, maybe two 1” holes drilled through the wall.

 

[droopie85gt]

Wait.....You are going to put the project on hold till you find a way to add AC to the garage?



You never get to dog me for having to do sht over ever again.

One syllable word.....Sharp.
4 syllable word...Mit su Bish I.

They both will allow you to get frosty air in your garage with one, maybe two 1” holes drilled through the wall.

Well., no, I am not putting it on hold to add a/c. I'm just on my 27 year plan. 13 down. Time's almost up on switching cars. May have to start removing the interior on this one to put the cage in.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

Well., no, I am not putting it on hold to add a/c. I'm just on my 27 year plan. 13 down. Time's almost up on switching cars. May have to start removing the interior on this one to put the cage in.

You're not still looking for the body swap are you?

 

[droopie85gt]

You're not still looking for the body swap are you?

If I could swap my fat ass for a skinny body, yes. Actually, the guy I bought it from 13 years ago is interested in it since his buddy backed up. I'd like to swap it for a notch roller if he wants to do it. If not, I'll proceed with this one. I polished the crank out in the heat today and put the driver's fender back on. If he is interested, the engine and trans come out. If he's not, the engine comes out since I'll at least start with the T5.

 

[Olivethefet]

I dont even have lights in my shop...

 

[droopie85gt]

I dont even have lights in my shop...

Do you have sonar vision?

My brother used to build houses and about 8 years ago they renovated a dentist office. He was divorced (as was I at the time) and lived with me. He brought home 4 - 4 tube fluorescent fixtures they were tossing. At the time my garage had one regular 100 watt fixture and I had hung 2- tube 8 ft fixture in it. Took that down and put the 4 fixtures up. Then about 2 or 3 years ago, the ballast on one went out. I got on ebay and ordered 20 LED tubes for no ballast. Took the ballast out of every fixture and wired up the tombstones, correct polarity to the hot and neutral. No more humming from the ballasts and it is bright AF in there. If I could only make it about 5 feet wide and 5 feet deeper!

 

[droopie85gt]

Small steps. Yesterday I polished the crank. The home garage way. I got some metal polish at the 'Zone and tore strips of on old wash cloth. I then went to sawing on each journal. I think it came out good enough.

I only wiped it down with some brake clean. I still need to do a final wash in soapy water and get some rifle brushes and clean out the oil holes.

Hopefully the forged pistons and Total Seal rings get here in the next week or two. After spending way too much time and cussing way too much, after another week or two, I'll have the spiral locks (Satan's invention) in and ready to assemble the short block.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

How are you polishing the crank at home?

 

[droopie85gt]

How are you polishing the crank at home?

Exhibit A

Small steps. Yesterday I polished the crank. The home garage way. I got some metal polish at the 'Zone and tore strips of on old wash cloth. I then went to sawing on each journal. I think it came out good enough.

Blue Magic Metal Polish Cream from Autozone on strips from a wash cloth. Wrapped around and sawed back and forth. The actual best home polish I have ever done actually was with an old real leather belt. It was on a Buick 455 and when we were done, the journals looked like a mirror. I can't remember what we used for polish.

After thoroughly cleaning the crank, I put the main bearings in and torque the crank down to plasti-gage it. Looks like between .0015 and .0020. So .0018 maybe?

CONNECTING ROD BEARINGS

1. Clearance Crankshaft --Desired 0.0008-0.0015--Allowable 0.0008-0.0026
   Bearing Wall Thickness (Standard) (4) 0.0619-0.0624

MAIN BEARINGS

1. Clearance Crankshaft --Desired 0.0008-0.0015 --Allowable 0.0008-0.0026
   Bearing Wall Thickness (Standard) (4) 0.0956-0.0951

Looks good, I'll wait and see what the hot oil pressure is, but it should be good.