Finally getting started

[Superflash]

Well after 12 months of collecting parts and some semblance of knowing what I’m doing, it’s time to start getting into it.
So far, I’ve had the cylinders bored to 0.060 over with new JP piston set. I have, on advice received on the forum here, discarded the JP rings and replaced them with Hamilton’s.
Next up, got the cases, crank and cam back from the machinist’s who’ve done a pretty good job of line-boring all the new bushes. So, big shout out to Wynnum Engine Reconditioner’s here in Brisbane. While they were at it, the crank was ground to 0.20” under, so still a bit of life left in it yet.
The head has had a bit of a tickle up with new valves, guides, springs and hardware. All lapped in and ready to go. This time I even managed to get the right valves in the right holes….didn’t know about the magnetic inlet valve thing…so again, much knowledge learnt via the forum here. Amazingly, the rocker box and all the internals were in pretty good nick, so just a cleanup required.
Today I set the end float on the crank. The method used might be a bit primitive, but I’m hoping the result is more or less in line with what you’d expect using a dial gauge etc. All I did was hose clamp a small angle onto the cush spline. Through the angle is a bolt and 2 nuts. Push crank all the way over to the timing side. Offer up the bolt to touch the inside of the primary case and lock it. Then push the crank back over to the drive side and measure the gap between primary case and bolt with feeler gauge. The gap I got was 0.00787”. So by my reckoning, a 0.005” shim ought to get me into the zone…..yes?
While I was busy congratulating myself, I had a thought about a fairly long thread here discussing the joys of balancing cranks, rods and pistons etc. So out of mild interest, I chucked the rods onto the wife’s kitchen scales, and discovered that the RH rod is 7g heavier than the LH one. Given I won’t be racing the old girl, or even going for long meandering rides through the outback, is this difference likely to be a major drama further down the line?
I guess depending on opinions, thoughts, and warnings received, I’ll hold off attaching the rods to the crank.
One other thing that has been bugging me….what’s the best cement or similar to seal in the oil pick up pipe that goes to the sump?
Will post pictures once I sort my stupid camera out…
Cheers,

[trevinoz]

It would be a much nicer engine with dynamic balancing but it is your choice.
On the rod weight, if you are going to correct the difference, you have to determine which end is heavy.
Suspend the rod and weigh each end and you should get a result.

[Superflash]

Gidday Trevor. I guess you're right.  Just spoke to a bloke who does all this type of thing.  So will drop the crank rods and piston set off to him to sort the whole lot out. He reckons about a week to do. Cheers

[KiwiGF]

One other thing that has been bugging me….what’s the best cement or similar to seal in the oil pick up pipe that goes to the sump?
Will post pictures once I sort my stupid camera out…
Cheers,

I used a “permanant” (bearing retainer) grade of loctite, this softens with heat if it ever has to removed again.

[Swarfcut]

 SF   Just before you set off to the balancers......Has that crank sludge trap been cleaned out???

   Select the new components you are going to use and take them along with everything that moves...from the cush  nut split pin to the oil scroll locknut. Some balancers are more fastidious, and an annoying double journey may be saved for the sake of completeness. The guy can always decline some parts, but hold up the job if something he wants is missing.

 The balance factor you choose is a compromise anyway, and the sweet spot can be chosen for the engine speed of your style of riding. Lots on the forum of how its done, and real world experience of balance factors that work best.

 Cheers

 Swarfy.

[muskrat]

G'day Tony.
If shes just going to be a odd weekend short/slow road ride I wouldn't bother. But the better it is the longer it lasts.
60% is the magic #, for road (54%) and race (65%) gives a good ride all day at 60-70mph.
JB Weld for the pipe. Used it in a crankcase crack years ago, still holding.
Cheers

[Superflash]

Thanks for the advice. Funnily enough the guy did say to bring everything that bolts on or hangs off the crank.  He was most interested in the balance factor and from what I remembered from reading a couple of threads on here, I told him that 58% seemed to be the favorite number for day to day riding. Then he wanted to know how much I weighed.....! Apparently that can have an effect on how he'll set it up as well. So having thought about Trevs comment I decided that given what I've spent so far I might as well do the job properly. Cheers

[Superflash]

Oh, by the way. Yep have done the sludge trap and put new bungs in. 

[Superflash]

Well just got the crank and bits and pieces back from the engine balancers. $270 which I think isn't too bad. He managed to get a BF of 58%. So am pretty happy with that. So maybe now I can start actually building this beast. Watch this space.  Cheers

[Superflash]

Well that sucks...... just went to put the rods on and it looks like the numpty that sold me the big end bearings gave me LJ ones instead of SJ. So..put it all away again and drink beer instead. Be nice if half of these idiots who sell parts knew just what it was they were selling.... because frankly I don't know what I'm getting unless the part number is clearly marked.

[Swarfcut]

  SF. Maybe a bit of help here. Aftermarket big end bearing sets are often listed with a cross reference based on the old "Glacier Bearings" * catalogue.  Small journal crank shells were listed by Glacier as B2024LC, followed by the undersize. If you can find your new bearings cross referenced to this, that's what you need. Plenty of these oldies on eBay so worth a look for genuine old stock rather than some modern knock off.

 The reference gives a clue to the  application.

      B... denotes big end bearings.

      2 ...denotes the number of pairs of shells in the set

      024   the stock line reference number

     LC The bearing description, in this example LC is Steel Shells, copper-lead lined with lead-tin overlay.

  Swarfy.

 *Glacier were a well respected UK manufacturer of shell and bush bearings for the aftermarket..All went haywire with the compensation payouts made by its parent company for industrial injury claims, namely asbestosis in a big way.

  Treat those NOS composite head gaskets with respect!

[olev]

Tony,
who did your crank balance?
cheers

[Superflash]

Chilton Engineering at Woolloogaba. He normally does V8 Supercar stuff apparently but took my job on as an interesting exercise. Just thinking....how did he manage to balance it all up if the big ends didn't fit....

[Superflash]

Photo of the work done on the crank.  Rods have had a bit of a polish up too.

[morris]

Just thinking....how did he manage to balance it all up if the big ends didn't fit....

I assume he must have weighed the rods and bearings and took the weight up in the calculation?
Someone who knows may confirm or deny this or explain how a crank is balanced? I would like to know too.
I don’t see how you could run a crank on a balancing machine with the rods on. They would swing al over the place and the reading would be incorrect.