When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I saw some JUN 272's on FB the other day for cheap.
I saw those too and thought about it but after looking at the results that DSport had in this test they'd barely make any gains over the Comp 272+ that Marc gave me. They're the only high duration cam that uses low lift and that definitely hurts their performance.
The only cams I'm really considering are the FP4R, BF272 or one of those other two if I can find a killer deal on a set. The FP4R is choice numero uno because they were designed to be used on stock retainers and get max performance, I'm still unsure if the BF272 would require an aftermarket retainer or not.
I think I still have R2's and JUN 272's available if you're interested.
Thanks, think I'm sticking with the Comps for now.
Unfortunately I have some disheartening news. I got the short block torn down Tues night to find my pickup tube making contact with the bottom of the oil pan so I'll need to hammer that out to make some more clearance but the bigger issue is some pretty extreme damage on main bearing #3. Pulled the girdle out and the bearing literally fell out from having no self retention in it and being worn all the way into the copper.
The crank has some light scoring that would clean up without issue but the thrust face also looks light it might be worn a bit and if that's the case then I'm scrapping the crank.
Most surprisingly is that the bearing never spun so the block and girdle are completely undamaged which is super relieving but I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out the root cause for this failure. The car never had excessive metal in the oil, never made any abnormal noises, never dropped pressure so it's confusing.
As it stands the only two possibilities that make sense are either the crank being bent a bit, or the mains being a bit out of line. I'm more inclined to think it's the crank and that something happened to it when it was getting machined as I never touched the block and didn't have any weird wear the last time it was apart.
So now I'm at the point I may just sell everything from the shortblock and build a 64 block since the machine work wouldn't be any different from what I'm putting into the current block.
Tonight I'm going to do some better analysis since I brought everything home and have better light to look at it under.
They were installed right, as in you took the pic/video wrong? lol
I know you said you didn't have a dial indicator setup to measure thrust, but did you at least eyeball it and make sure the crank had notable end play?
Its weird how the other 3 mains basically look awesome and 3 is fubar.
Last edited by letsgetthisdone; Nov 29, 2018 at 09:43 AM.
They were installed right, as in you took the pic/video wrong? lol
I know you said you didn't have a dial indicator setup to measure thrust, but did you at least eyeball it and make sure the crank had notable end play?
Its weird how the other 3 mains basically look awesome and 3 is fubar.
Yes I have no clue what the hell was going through my head.
I did not check thrust at all. I bought everything home last night along with the main bolts so I'm going to pickup a cheap dial indicator and slap it back to measure.
Sorry I should have clarified. I know what they look like. What did actual ones that came out of the engine look like? Did one side have wear and the other side look new?
Sorry I should have clarified. I know what they look like. What did actual ones that came out of the engine look like? Did one side have wear and the other side look new?
My bad sorry dude haha. I'll post up photos tonight after I've looked at everything under a good light.
Okay so better late than never. Before i go onto the engine stuff I've got some other news. GTA released their 2019 rules yesterday and to my dismay they are allowing sequential transmissions in the limited class. So instead of building the car to fit in both GTA limited and Gridlife trackmod I'm just going to focus on building to trackmod rules. This isn't huge changes but it does mean I can remove some more weight and I can use a bumper exit exhaust which is important because it gives me free reign on oil pan design to make a wet sump that doesn't have starvation issues.
So since I'll be running a bumper dumper, I need to get the oil cooler out of the wheel well. After some thinking and fitting I was able to get it between the radiator and the intercooler next to the AC fan. Using some of the brackets from the AMS kit makes it almost completely bolt on too which is awesome. Just need to make one small additional bracket and longer hoses but I'm happy with the results. Gonna see how it does and if it's running hotter than it was before I'll rig up some sort of guide similar to what's in the stock location.
Cooler placement and hose routing:
Where it sits in the bumper:
Close bumper clearance
So back to the engine stuff. The crank isn't bent after measuring it. There's no abnormal wear on the thrust bearings. Here's some photos:
As for rebuilding the current game plan is to stay on 63 block and get a new crank, rods and pistons. I'm finally gonna move beyond a hold over build and put something together that can hold some decent power. Here's the breakdown:
- Callies 88mm forged crankshaft - Affordable strong crank from a reputable company (I'm really curious/excited about this)
- Saenz connecting rods (still unsure if I'm going with 150mm or 156mm rods) - Their performance series is rated at 800hp and weight is featherlight somewhere around 540g. I still need to call them about length options and get an actual number on weight (the K24 rod they make is 152mm and weighs 540g)
- Wiseco 1400HD .010" over - Going to have the cylinders opened up a bit to get a fresh wall and these slugs should hold any amount of power I throw at them and they're not crazy heavy.
- ARP main studs so I don't have to keep buying new OE bolts every time I have the crank out of the engine
- Reusing my standard ARP headstuds. I don't foresee myself exceeding their strength
- Valve job to get the valve to seal nicely and ensure proper heat dispersion. Staying with stock valves because their size is already big enough. The intakes can't get much lighter and the exhausts are already sodium filled inconel so going with anything else aftermarket would be a step backwards for the most part.
- MAP beehive valve springs should be okay to go to 8000-8500RPM
- Camshafts are still the wildcard. Unsure if I'm going to use the Comp 272 set that Marc gave me or if I'm going to have Comp grind me a set of FP cams.
- King bearings, unsure if I'm getting coated ones or not. Going to talk to some bearing companies about it next week while I'm at PRI.
- Already bought a new timing kit and water pump so everything should be nice and fresh
I'm not sure if the rod weights are with bolts and pistons include pins and rings but if they do then I'll be shaving roughly 260g of each hole which is about 25% lighter and with the crank it might shave even more weight.
Tomorrow I'm going to spend some time smoothing out the oil drainbacks in the head as well as the oil galleys in the block. I'm also going to touch the intake and exhaust ports a bit, I think the evo head in stock trim is pretty capable so it's better to not overdo it. Once all that is done I'll get the block and head to my machinist to get worked over.
So Saenz got back to me. They only offer standard length rods currently but any length can be custom ordered which is a bit more expensive and had a 4-6 week lead time.
Weights are a bit heavier than I thought unfortunately:
4340 = 584g rated for 900hp
300M = 588g rated for 1200hp
4Piston has their performance series 4340 for $725 which isn't a bad deal by any means but I've still got some thinking to do. Part of me still wants to do a 156mm rod and I was hoping to keep weight under 550g
Carrillo super A beams are 530g but are also over $100 more and only rated for 750hp. The Saenz are definitely looking a bit more appealing right now but it'd be cool if they were lighter. Still got plenty of time to make a decision.
I chose Carrillo Pro-H for my build based on the amount of 800whp+ builds that use them without issue. Also, for their weight. I believe they are around 550g with hardware.
Those Carrillo H beams are definitely nice but $1100 is a little on the steep side for me especially considering I don't think this car will ever make north of 700whp.
I also forgot to mention I got the oil galleys in the block polished and deburred today. Need to get a small set of needle files to finish up the head drainbacks and later this week I'll finish cleaning up the head. Here's a little before after of the block:
