302 Chevrolet Engine Build

Greg Reimer 7376 · 09-08-2018, 06:06 PM

What does it cost to properly rebuild a set of OEM good used rods these days? Mag, resize, equalize the center to center distance, rebush, size for pins,also, how many cores do you go through until you find eight nearly perfect ones?Also, these rods are 50+ years old, how many duty cycles have they accumulated?In short, where are they along the length of a normal lifetime?Now, I bought Manley legal replacement rods that are Stock Eliminator legal. You have to check all dimensions,(who doesn't?),but most of the time they are very close to optimal. These rods are around $100 each, but subtracting the price of used rebuilt parts from the cost of new rods certainly makes them cost effective in light of what another block, pistons, crank, cam, and all the busted stuff you take out of a motor that died of rod failure costs. A local racer that I know has a real aversion to buying used parts. He says that"you build a car out of a pile of used stuff, all you have is a pile of used stuff".Some places, used parts are OK, but not rods from an unknown source.

Mark Yacavone · 09-09-2018, 10:51 AM

Again, this is a mostly street engine.
The cost to re-work a stock rod is not a factor here .
This is an exercise for Mike to learn how to recondition a stock factory rod, among other things. What would he learn by taking a Manley rod out of a box and checking the balance?

Hacksaw · 09-09-2018, 12:29 PM

More than anything it's the 11/32" rod bolts that would scare me.

MIKE JONES 302 · 09-23-2018, 07:57 PM

Last week I decked the block. My goal was to use the factory steel shim head gasket, this didn't work out, the block measured 9.013 on one side and 9.027 on the other, bad factory machine work, so I went 9.00 and set it up for a Fel Pro head gasket .038. I will bore the block next.

Nmbr1GMfan · 09-24-2018, 07:39 PM

Looking good son, keep it up.

MIKE JONES 302 · 09-24-2018, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nmbr1GMfan

Looking good son, keep it up.

Thank you

I bored the block, had to go 4.034 to get it to clean up. Next I will deburr the deck and bottom of the bores, and relieve the bottom of the bores for honing over stroke, from there it will be honed to 4.040. The balancing will be done after the block is done.

Greg Reimer 7376 · 09-25-2018, 10:07 AM

That disparity you mentioned on the dimensions regarding the block decks isn't unheard of. Many moons ago, I built a 283 for a car I had. The block line honed fairly well, but I had .050" deck height on the right head. It was consistent from cylinder #2 through cylinder #8. I brought it down to be correct with whatever steel head gasket we all used at the time.The left deck was .050" for cylinder # 1,but it rapidly shrank as I measured back until i had .025" on the outer wall of cylinder #7, but the portion of the deck closest to the lifter valley at cylinder#7 had only about .022". That head obviously slanted downhill front to rear, and was twisted as well. The good thing about '60's blocks is that they are all real seasoned by now and aren't going to move any more now. I got hold of an original unrebuilt block wiith factory stampings visible on the right front of the deck,and it had a final assembly date of about May the 15th of 1967. The cast date on the rear of the block indicated it was cast May 12. Hardly a seasoned casting.I didn't rebuild it, it got sold or traded off, but I wonder how accurate the machining at the engine plant could have been,especially when it hardly cooled off from the foundry. Your attention to detail on this project is refreshing to see!

09-08-2018, 06:06 PM	#1
Greg Reimer 7376 VIP Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Glendora,Calif. Posts: 1,136 Likes: 172 Liked 705 Times in 219 Posts	Re: 302 Chevrolet Engine Build What does it cost to properly rebuild a set of OEM good used rods these days? Mag, resize, equalize the center to center distance, rebush, size for pins,also, how many cores do you go through until you find eight nearly perfect ones?Also, these rods are 50+ years old, how many duty cycles have they accumulated?In short, where are they along the length of a normal lifetime?Now, I bought Manley legal replacement rods that are Stock Eliminator legal. You have to check all dimensions,(who doesn't?),but most of the time they are very close to optimal. These rods are around $100 each, but subtracting the price of used rebuilt parts from the cost of new rods certainly makes them cost effective in light of what another block, pistons, crank, cam, and all the busted stuff you take out of a motor that died of rod failure costs. A local racer that I know has a real aversion to buying used parts. He says that"you build a car out of a pile of used stuff, all you have is a pile of used stuff".Some places, used parts are OK, but not rods from an unknown source.

09-09-2018, 12:29 PM	#3
Hacksaw Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Posts: 882 Likes: 206 Liked 310 Times in 174 Posts	Re: 302 Chevrolet Engine Build More than anything it's the 11/32" rod bolts that would scare me.

09-23-2018, 07:57 PM	#4
MIKE JONES 302 Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2018 Location: Colorado Springs Colorado Posts: 28 Likes: 2 Liked 85 Times in 15 Posts	Re: 302 Chevrolet Engine Build Last week I decked the block. My goal was to use the factory steel shim head gasket, this didn't work out, the block measured 9.013 on one side and 9.027 on the other, bad factory machine work, so I went 9.00 and set it up for a Fel Pro head gasket .038. I will bore the block next. Attached Thumbnails

09-24-2018, 07:39 PM	#5
Nmbr1GMfan VIP Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Posts: 1,763 Likes: 1,197 Liked 1,955 Times in 492 Posts	Re: 302 Chevrolet Engine Build Looking good son, keep it up. __________________ Todd Greene

09-09-2018, 10:51 AM	#2
Mark Yacavone Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Miles From Nowhere Posts: 7,817 Likes: 2,907 Liked 5,124 Times in 1,953 Posts	Re: 302 Chevrolet Engine Build Again, this is a mostly street engine. The cost to re-work a stock rod is not a factor here . This is an exercise for Mike to learn how to recondition a stock factory rod, among other things. What would he learn by taking a Manley rod out of a box and checking the balance? __________________ "We are lucky we don't get as much Government as we pay for." Will Rogers

09-25-2018, 10:07 AM	#7
Greg Reimer 7376 VIP Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Glendora,Calif. Posts: 1,136 Likes: 172 Liked 705 Times in 219 Posts	Re: 302 Chevrolet Engine Build That disparity you mentioned on the dimensions regarding the block decks isn't unheard of. Many moons ago, I built a 283 for a car I had. The block line honed fairly well, but I had .050" deck height on the right head. It was consistent from cylinder #2 through cylinder #8. I brought it down to be correct with whatever steel head gasket we all used at the time.The left deck was .050" for cylinder # 1,but it rapidly shrank as I measured back until i had .025" on the outer wall of cylinder #7, but the portion of the deck closest to the lifter valley at cylinder#7 had only about .022". That head obviously slanted downhill front to rear, and was twisted as well. The good thing about '60's blocks is that they are all real seasoned by now and aren't going to move any more now. I got hold of an original unrebuilt block wiith factory stampings visible on the right front of the deck,and it had a final assembly date of about May the 15th of 1967. The cast date on the rear of the block indicated it was cast May 12. Hardly a seasoned casting.I didn't rebuild it, it got sold or traded off, but I wonder how accurate the machining at the engine plant could have been,especially when it hardly cooled off from the foundry. Your attention to detail on this project is refreshing to see!