Project KABOOM!!! L16 Grenade engine build!!!

[Dat Lurka]

Fire him. 10.98 is not 11. Bastard

[Z chopper]

I had to run by the machine shop today to drop off these...

My flat top pistons and rods to be resized

 

 

grrrrrr

 

but will be watching this high octane engine build

[Dirttrack510]

Fire him. 10.98 is not 11. Bastard

Fire him. 10.98 is not 11. Bastard

I know right... How dare he not manage to get me AT LEAST 11:1 :P

I get to pick up all the parts tomorrow, the shop says everything is ready to go. With a little luck I can get this thing put together and installed before Saturday. I also talked to ISKY cams today and they said I might get lucky and be able to run that huge L4 camshaft, since this head only has the 44mm intake valves and is only shaved .050 I'm keeping my fingers crossed, guess I'll know soon enough :P

[Dirttrack510]

Well, it was a long day of engine building and crap....

 

1st thing today I went and picked up my cylinder head, I gotta say that although the machine work looked great I was slightly disapointed that the cam towers were sitting in a box not attached to the head, my machinist said that they normally leave em' off unless they're doing the engine build. I thought that was B.S. considering they took em' off. I'm hoping my cam aligns properly when I run it.

 

Anyway, the next thing I did was try to finish up the head, put the cam towers on, slide in the camshaft and install and set the rocker arm gap. That's when stuff started to suck...

 

I fought with the rocker arms and the lash pads for over an hour trying to get em' to fit.... Then I called ISKY CAMS, because I couldn't get any gap on any of the rocker arms.... Come to find out the sent me .360 thick lash pads and they were suppose to send me .260 lash pads, sooooo.... for those doing the math the ones I have are about 1/10th of an inch to thick!!! No wonder nothing fit :no: Ron at ISKY said it was their mistake and is sending me the right lash pads via UPS, so hopefully I'll have the right ones pretty soon :hmm:

 

Last, but not least after getting really frustrated with the head, and doing a fair amount of cursing at my engine.... I calmed down and started putting the lower end together. :D This luckily went together great, without a hitch. So now I have my flat top pistons installed in the short block, with new rings, new bearing and most importantly ARP rod bolts. Tomorrow I'm gonna try to do the rest of the engine and have it ready to go for when the lash pads show up, so that I'll only have an hour or so of work to do when they arrive. :P

[Sealik]

Once you get those .260 lash pads you'll still have to do a wipe pattern to confirm they are the right ones...pattern has to be centered on rocker

The pads supplied with my cam were .030 too thin.....

 

You have new or reconditioned rockers....?

[Dirttrack510]

yeah, I know. The last time ISKY sent me a set I got lucky and they were dead on though. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

[Dirttrack510]

:poop: it's hot out there! I went out in the garage and did a little work on the engine. I bolted on and torqued down the cylinder head, installed the ISKY racing cam(still need those lash pads), and installed the new timing chain and gears. After I cool down for a while, maybe I'll go back out there do a little more.

[Z chopper]

hmmmmm pretty

[Dirttrack510]

Well, I went out there and got after it a little more. installed the timing cover, and painted and installed the harmonic balancer/pulley.

 

[Dirttrack510]

hmmmmm pretty

Thanks, all my engines tend to look the same when I build em' :rofl:

I just love that gold paint on the block and accessories with everything else polished up nice. I guess gold is appropriate, as it seems like these cars eat up all my money. Besides, there's nothing better than opening up the hood and it looks like a jewel box in there, nice, clean, and shinny :thumbup:

[Z chopper]

any updates?

[Dirttrack510]

The new lash pads came in and although they fit and I had adjustment, the new ones were just slightly to thin, so I ordered a set of .270 lash pads. I'm still waiting for em' to come in the mail. As soon as they arrive I'll put em' in and start finishing it up. I'm not sure which race car it's going to go in now, since I now installed an L20 "grenade" engine in the race wagon. It sounds good though, if you go to my race wagon page it's on the last page of the build right now.

[Drakoe1]

Man you're make me feel super lazy haha... Really gotta get working on the on mine now that my cappy's back together.... Still trying to figure out what I wanna do with that L18 I got from you too haha

[Dirttrack510]

Update time :thumbup:

 

I got my lash pads installed and all looks good.

I talked to Ron at ISKY and he said I need between 40 and 50 thousandths of clearance for my valve to piston clearance. He said to use a dial indicator to check it, but since I don't own one I asked if this idea would work and he said it would work just fine...

I already know that the rocker arms have a 1.5 to 1 ratio, so I took a feeler gauge and used the .030 blade

.030 X 1.5 (rocker ratio)=.045 simply put the feeler gauge on the rocker arm and swipe it through with the cam and if your clear your good. :D I also used the .040 blade which equals .060 with the rocker ratio and I was good for clearance there too, so I should have no valve to piston issues :thumbup:

 

Here's a pic, so you'll see what I was doing. I did it on all 8 valves and they all cleared just fine.

 

next I finished bolting on the pan, valve cover, oil pump, and my racing alternator. I'll be putting it in the car shortly. I need a few more nuts and bolts and it'll be ready.

 

 

 

 

I can hardly wait to get it installed in the race wagon. :hyper:

[banzai510(hainz)]

YOu have that lame cam sprocket,

How to you actually tell if the cam is timmed? Since the inspection hole is not in the right spot?Where you can see the V mark and dash on cam tower? So I guess you go by the brite links on the chain? and just assume its good .

 

Is this a barnd new Isky? I never knoiew they can take a .270 with a new cam. Regrinds would be more right.

What the cam spec on this?

 

What alternator is this? I know GM makes aperfect fit one but knowbody can tell me what car from. By using the stock qalternator bracket.

The Saturns are not a prfect fit!

 

For racing most guys use the smaller alt for the weight and vibration issues as one usually dont run lights and heater.

 

You might want to get the turnbucket type adjustable alt brackets. before it goes in the car. I like them and wont use the sliding type again anymore

[Dirttrack510]

first, yeah I use the brite links on the chain to set the timing. As far as the Alt. goes this one is from the Speedway Motors Racing catalog part #910-68100 and it comes wired for a single wire hook up. Simply hook up the hot wire and your done. I already run this exact set-up on the car, but wanted to have this motor complete and ready to install when I put it in, so I bought a new one. This alternator is 80 amp also, just in case you wanted to know. The big plus to me is that although you mount this upside down, the threads in the hole you'll use to mount it are the same METRIC thread pattern as the bolt hole in the stock L16 alternator mount hole. I never use the the turnbuckle brackets, as I've never had a problem with the stock one.

[Dirttrack510]

Well crap, i put the engine in the race wagon and the head gasket leaks! Gotta pull it off to fix it before i start it.

[banzai510(hainz)]

How does a head gasket leak before even starting it?

You sure its not comming out of the manifold flange gasket area wheere the water passgae is??????????If you run a water line to the intake

[Dirttrack510]

I know right... No it's seeping in two places along the seem between the block and the head on the oil filter side of the block (above #1 and #3 piston). My engine has no water passages for the manifold anyway, all those have been welded shut, as it's a racing only head. I used a Beck Arnley head gasket on this engine that I got from Rock Auto on a close out buy. I'm really wishing I'd used a Felpro head gasket now. My only guess is that this particular head gasket is one that required some sort of sealant like that Copper Coat spray to be used on it, but the gasket didn't have any directions stating to do so. :confused: I'm gonna try to pull the head and keep the intake and exhaust header attached to save time fixing it. :sneaky:

[banzai510(hainz)]

I'm gonna try to pull the head and keep the intake and exhaust header attached to save time fixing it.

??????????????????????????????????????????????????

 

Beck Arnely gaskets should be fine. I think they are a Victor Renz (japan)

 

yes I use copper cote on all my gaskets.

 

Im just tryin to think how it leak before even starting. Even with a Rockauto gasket.

 

 

You have dowl pins for this head right????????So the head lines up????????

[datzenmike]

I didn't read about the oil pump but I suggest getting one from a KA24E car or KA24DE truck. The rotors are 13% longer and provide way more oil at low speeds. My hot oil pressure at idle on my 300Km L20B went from 17PSI to 29PPSI by just changing to a wrecker KA pump. If you ever run a spray bar for the cam you'll need it.

[Dirttrack510]

I just talked to my nissan parts guy & he said to torque my head to 60 ft lbs instead of the 5O the book calls for.

[Sealik]

I just talked to my nissan parts guy & he said to torque my head to 60 ft lbs instead of the 5O the book calls for.

 

Which book?

 

 

From......How to keep your Datsun.... Alive

L18,L20.Z20,Z22,Z24,.....1st pass15, second pass 35....then 54-65lbs

I always go 60 lbs....just as the parts guy suggested

[Logical1]

I'm really wishing I'd used a Felpro head gasket now. My only guess is that this particular head gasket is one that required some sort of sealant like that Copper Coat spray to be used on it, but the gasket didn't have any directions stating to do so. :confused:

 

^^^ This. A friend of mine and I just did head gaskets and he ordered the rockauto beck gasket and it arrived 'dry' I ordered the fel-pro and it arrived with a 'tacky' coating and expressly said NOT to copper coat it. We installed both as arrived; His leaked, Mine didnt. Pulled his head, copper coated it and re-torqued, Sealed perfectly! On a side note, the fel-pro had built in red rubber looking O-rings around the cylinders and water passages. The beck-arnly did not...

[banzai510(hainz)]

L16 are only about 40 ,ok I do about 42-45 for bolt strectch.Using old bolts

 

60 is OK using the Turbo Z bolts.

 

Im not sure if the stock bolts can take that ,in case one snapps!!!!!!!!!!!