With our heads back together and our polished parts now squeaky clean we were off to
the shop. We started by unmasking and cleaning the surfaces on our freshly painted
DSS Pro Bullet short block. After unpacking our cam, we cleaned it with solvent and
checked it for imperfections making sure the serial # on the cam matched the cam card.
We chose an off the shelf Comp Cams roller grind # 35-306-8 to fit our Ford 302 roller
block. Everything looked good so assembly lube was applied to both the journals and
lobes and the cam was gently slid in. We rotated the cam in place making sure nothing
was binding before the thrust plate was bolted in place and torqued to specs with
Loctite. Next we needed to put our timing set on, making sure to align the timing marks,
then moved on to degree our cam using the specs provided on our cam card. The
process of degreeing your cam is for peace of mind, any second guessing later is not
worth skipping this easy step now. Comp suggests using the intake centerline method
which is very easy to do with the correct tools. A degree wheel, crank socket, pointer,
piston stop, and dial indicator will get you through the process. There are several
degree kits available that provide everything needed to do the job (some with
instructional videos). There are many articles written on this subject and a full set of
instructions come with your new cam, just take your time and you should find this to be
an easy step that assures your cam is correctly timed in your engine to your cam
company's specs.
the shop. We started by unmasking and cleaning the surfaces on our freshly painted
DSS Pro Bullet short block. After unpacking our cam, we cleaned it with solvent and
checked it for imperfections making sure the serial # on the cam matched the cam card.
We chose an off the shelf Comp Cams roller grind # 35-306-8 to fit our Ford 302 roller
block. Everything looked good so assembly lube was applied to both the journals and
lobes and the cam was gently slid in. We rotated the cam in place making sure nothing
was binding before the thrust plate was bolted in place and torqued to specs with
Loctite. Next we needed to put our timing set on, making sure to align the timing marks,
then moved on to degree our cam using the specs provided on our cam card. The
process of degreeing your cam is for peace of mind, any second guessing later is not
worth skipping this easy step now. Comp suggests using the intake centerline method
which is very easy to do with the correct tools. A degree wheel, crank socket, pointer,
piston stop, and dial indicator will get you through the process. There are several
degree kits available that provide everything needed to do the job (some with
instructional videos). There are many articles written on this subject and a full set of
instructions come with your new cam, just take your time and you should find this to be
an easy step that assures your cam is correctly timed in your engine to your cam
company's specs.
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
Well it was finally time to put our power plant together. With winter in full swing up here in
the northeast there was no better time to crank up the heat in the shop and build some
muscle. Before we headed out to the garage a couple of evenings were spent cleaning
and reassembling parts that came back from the polisher covered in polishing compound
including our AFR 185 Outlaw heads. We ended up swapping out some of the stock
components for ones that better matched our cam profile. Each valve pocket was
checked with a micrometer and then shimmed to achieve the correct installed height.
These specs are provided with all new springs and overlooking this process could prove
to be catastrophic! Then we assembled our heads with our new Comp Cams springs,
retainers, locks & seals.
the northeast there was no better time to crank up the heat in the shop and build some
muscle. Before we headed out to the garage a couple of evenings were spent cleaning
and reassembling parts that came back from the polisher covered in polishing compound
including our AFR 185 Outlaw heads. We ended up swapping out some of the stock
components for ones that better matched our cam profile. Each valve pocket was
checked with a micrometer and then shimmed to achieve the correct installed height.
These specs are provided with all new springs and overlooking this process could prove
to be catastrophic! Then we assembled our heads with our new Comp Cams springs,
retainers, locks & seals.
| Building Some Muscle Part 1 |
Next we flipped the block over to fit our oiling system. Our short block came with a main
girdle and windage tray but before we could permanently attach things we needed to test
fit the oil pump, pickup and gaskets. Depending on what oil pump you decide to run
there can be clearance issues that show up on the forward main studs. When using a
main girdle checking your clearance is better done before you start bolting things
together. Once everything was fitted and ready to go we laid down our gaskets, put a
little moly lube on the ends of our ARP oil pump drive shaft, and fit the pump in place.
We used ARP bolts and torqued everything to specs. Our Moroso pickup uses a main
stud to hold it in place which was attached and then torqued in place. The windage tray
was then set in place and torqued down.
girdle and windage tray but before we could permanently attach things we needed to test
fit the oil pump, pickup and gaskets. Depending on what oil pump you decide to run
there can be clearance issues that show up on the forward main studs. When using a
main girdle checking your clearance is better done before you start bolting things
together. Once everything was fitted and ready to go we laid down our gaskets, put a
little moly lube on the ends of our ARP oil pump drive shaft, and fit the pump in place.
We used ARP bolts and torqued everything to specs. Our Moroso pickup uses a main
stud to hold it in place which was attached and then torqued in place. The windage tray
was then set in place and torqued down.
We rolled the motor back over to start work on our front cover, water pump, harmonic
balancer and timing assembly. ARP fasteners were used for all the major stress areas
on the motor but they also have kits that are mainly for dress-up like their engine
accessory kit which really adds a nice touch to the finish appeal of any power plant. The
kit includes fasteners for your: valve covers, timing cover, water pump, alternator, oil
pan, fuel pump, starter, headers, intake manifold, motor mounts, thermostat housing,
coil bracket and distributor hold down. We opted for their 12 point stainless version but
they also offer them in standard hex finished in either black oxide or stainless. Check
them out when you're looking to add that extra touch to your next motor build. We used
ARP thread sealer and assembly lube when installing our head studs into the block. This
was very important for getting the correct seal on fasteners tapped into water jackets
and for maintaining correct torque values during the assembly of our heads. Now that
the front of our motor was assembled we buttoned up our bottom end with the oil pan
that Moroso's custom shop made during our mock-up's. We had the pan polished while
things where being painted so now it was just a matter up putting down our gasket and
torquing down our ARP bolts.
balancer and timing assembly. ARP fasteners were used for all the major stress areas
on the motor but they also have kits that are mainly for dress-up like their engine
accessory kit which really adds a nice touch to the finish appeal of any power plant. The
kit includes fasteners for your: valve covers, timing cover, water pump, alternator, oil
pan, fuel pump, starter, headers, intake manifold, motor mounts, thermostat housing,
coil bracket and distributor hold down. We opted for their 12 point stainless version but
they also offer them in standard hex finished in either black oxide or stainless. Check
them out when you're looking to add that extra touch to your next motor build. We used
ARP thread sealer and assembly lube when installing our head studs into the block. This
was very important for getting the correct seal on fasteners tapped into water jackets
and for maintaining correct torque values during the assembly of our heads. Now that
the front of our motor was assembled we buttoned up our bottom end with the oil pan
that Moroso's custom shop made during our mock-up's. We had the pan polished while
things where being painted so now it was just a matter up putting down our gasket and
torquing down our ARP bolts.
Next we temporarily mounted a head for some valve train geometry and piston to valve
clearance checks. Once everything checked out we installed our Comp Cams hydraulic
roller lifters then bolted the retaining system in place with a dab of Loctite. Make sure
you do this before your heads are on or you won't have the room to slide your lifters into
their bores. Throughout this build we have used SCE gaskets as our choice of gaskets.
Their graphite composite head gasket was the perfect choice for our pumped up pony.
SCE is well known by professional racers and engine builders for their reusable copper
gaskets but what many don't know is that they manufacture much more. They also lay
claim to a full line of gasket materials with all the premium features of a true quality
gasket: silicone beading, stainless steel fire rings, Viton seals, molded rubber with steel
cores, Dyno 10 packs and full engine kits. They offer a full array of applications
including custom work which makes them a complete performance gasket company. So
the next time you're thinking you need a high performance gasket give 'em a shout! To
make sure you avoid the common mistake of installing the head gaskets on backwards
look for the stamp in each head gasket labeled "Front", this must go forward or you will
surely have overheating problems. Next we cleaned the deck surface with solvent and
the laid down our gasket. Then we set the heads on adding moly lube to each of our
studs. Finally we followed the torque sequence adding a final 10 ft lbs to the top bolts to
offset the intake bolt torque as per the AFR instructions.
clearance checks. Once everything checked out we installed our Comp Cams hydraulic
roller lifters then bolted the retaining system in place with a dab of Loctite. Make sure
you do this before your heads are on or you won't have the room to slide your lifters into
their bores. Throughout this build we have used SCE gaskets as our choice of gaskets.
Their graphite composite head gasket was the perfect choice for our pumped up pony.
SCE is well known by professional racers and engine builders for their reusable copper
gaskets but what many don't know is that they manufacture much more. They also lay
claim to a full line of gasket materials with all the premium features of a true quality
gasket: silicone beading, stainless steel fire rings, Viton seals, molded rubber with steel
cores, Dyno 10 packs and full engine kits. They offer a full array of applications
including custom work which makes them a complete performance gasket company. So
the next time you're thinking you need a high performance gasket give 'em a shout! To
make sure you avoid the common mistake of installing the head gaskets on backwards
look for the stamp in each head gasket labeled "Front", this must go forward or you will
surely have overheating problems. Next we cleaned the deck surface with solvent and
the laid down our gasket. Then we set the heads on adding moly lube to each of our
studs. Finally we followed the torque sequence adding a final 10 ft lbs to the top bolts to
offset the intake bolt torque as per the AFR instructions.
We chose a set of Comp Cams hi tech push rods & roller rockers to complete the valve
train. We anchored them with a set of ARP rocker studs to make sure they stayed in
place. First we dipped each push rod tip in oil. Next we slid them in their bores making
sure they sat square on the lifter. Our guide plates were then adjusted to make sure
our rollers ran true on their valve tips. Then we torqued our studs down locking our
guide plates in place. Our rockers were bathed in solvent to get them clean and then in
oil to give the bearings plenty of lubrication before we set them in place. Next we went
through our firing order as we set the lifter pre-load. This process is very simple with a
hydraulic lifter. Make sure you're on the base circle of each lobe you are setting, tighten
your lock nut to achieve zero lash on the push rod then add a 1/2 turn on the lock nut
and finally lock down your set screw. It's that simple! No feeler gauges required. Next on
our list was the intake manifold. This is an area where leaks are common, there are two
tricks for getting a good seal here:
#1. Don't use the 2 small gaskets that fit in the lifter valley. Replace these two gaskets
with large beads of RTV for the best results.
#2. Make sure you use a quality intake gasket and apply a very small bead of RTV
around the water jackets of your cylinder head to insure this area seals correctly.
The SCE gaskets come with a bead molded into one side as you can see in the picture.
Leaks here allow water to weep right down through the lifter valley creating a milkshake
with your oil. The RTV also helps to keep your intake gaskets in place. Now all we had to
do was set our intake down and run our ARP bolts down according to the factory torque
sequence. That buttoned up the big stuff for now. Next we'll attack our pulley system,
dress-up stuff, some small details, and blower. We have some neat plans for our little
supercharger so make sure you stay tuned!!
train. We anchored them with a set of ARP rocker studs to make sure they stayed in
place. First we dipped each push rod tip in oil. Next we slid them in their bores making
sure they sat square on the lifter. Our guide plates were then adjusted to make sure
our rollers ran true on their valve tips. Then we torqued our studs down locking our
guide plates in place. Our rockers were bathed in solvent to get them clean and then in
oil to give the bearings plenty of lubrication before we set them in place. Next we went
through our firing order as we set the lifter pre-load. This process is very simple with a
hydraulic lifter. Make sure you're on the base circle of each lobe you are setting, tighten
your lock nut to achieve zero lash on the push rod then add a 1/2 turn on the lock nut
and finally lock down your set screw. It's that simple! No feeler gauges required. Next on
our list was the intake manifold. This is an area where leaks are common, there are two
tricks for getting a good seal here:
#1. Don't use the 2 small gaskets that fit in the lifter valley. Replace these two gaskets
with large beads of RTV for the best results.
#2. Make sure you use a quality intake gasket and apply a very small bead of RTV
around the water jackets of your cylinder head to insure this area seals correctly.
The SCE gaskets come with a bead molded into one side as you can see in the picture.
Leaks here allow water to weep right down through the lifter valley creating a milkshake
with your oil. The RTV also helps to keep your intake gaskets in place. Now all we had to
do was set our intake down and run our ARP bolts down according to the factory torque
sequence. That buttoned up the big stuff for now. Next we'll attack our pulley system,
dress-up stuff, some small details, and blower. We have some neat plans for our little
supercharger so make sure you stay tuned!!
