crankshaft

Pop – Putting it Back Together

/ Pop my Ride / 3 Comments

Hi folks, it’s Pop here.  Janet did an excellent job explaining basically the what’s and why’s of rebuilding her little 200ci six banger.  More air, more fuel, bigger spark, bigger explosion and more power.  Carl’s Machine Shop was fantastic, and now we have to assemble the parts.  This indeed trips my trigger and I will explain the procedure much to the boredom of some of you.  But, perhaps we can convert a few into budding “gearheads”.

We’ll begin with the bare engine block which was cleaned up, magna fluxed (a process to detect cracks…it passed), over bored 60 thousands of an inch (this is the maximum and was necessary because of scoring in cylinder #4, the result of a broken ring), and new freeze plugs installed.

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The crankshaft went in first with .010” over bearing inserts.  This requires clearance checks using plastigauge.  Plastigauge is thin plastic thread which when compressed, spreads out and its width is then measured to determine clearance.  The top bearing shells are placed in the block, then the crankshaft, then strips of plastigauge across the bearing journals, then the bottom bearings and caps.  The bearing caps are then torqued to specs.  The caps are then removed and the width of the plastigauge measured.  I won’t further torture you with the measurements acceptable throughout the assembly procedure except to say, “everything checked out”.  (Janet: “Except to say we had to do math…math sucks.”)  The crank is then removed and turned over 180 degrees and the process repeated, assuring a straight bore and shaft.  Everything checking in specs, the bearing surfaces are lubricated, assembled and torqued to specs.  One final step, the crankshaft is then moved forward and backward to check end play.

The camshaft (which opens and closes the valves) was original and installed by Carl’s with new bearings, as this requires special tools.  (Janet: “Some of the only tools Pop apparently does NOT have in his garage. It’s just a matter of time.”)

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Next, the pistons with new rings (which snap into piston grooves, hold compression and control oil on the cylinder walls), three rings per piston.  Before the rings are installed in the piston grooves they must be placed in the proper cylinder bore and the gap between the ends measured.  Too close a gap and the ring will break when it expands with heat, spelling disaster.  (Janet: “Apparently I got my dramatic nature from my father.”)

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Each piston is fitted to numbered connecting rods then placed in the proper cylinder and attached to the crankshaft, plastigauged, lubed and torqued to specs.  With the installation of a new oil pump, the “bottom end” is now complete.

 

New timing chain (which goes on gears at the front end of the crankshaft and camshaft) is installed and the front cover and oil pan installed.  We’re now ready for our new and improved cylinder head.

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One final and most important measurement is needed, valve clearance.  We now have oversized valves and increased openings with our new 1.6 to 1 rocker arms.  Heaven forbid the valves hit the pistons at top dead center!  That would again lead to disaster.  (Janet: “Need I say more?”)

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With #1 piston at the top dead center, we fill the space between the block surface and the piston with clay (in our case, Playdough).  We also filled #6, then install the head gasket and head.  The head bolts are torqued, the valve train assembled and adjusted and the engine turned over 720 degrees or two revolutions of the crankshaft (one revolution of the camshaft).  With fingers crossed, we disassemble the valve train, remove the head and measure the distance from the bottom of the valve indentations to the piston surface.  Yes!  We have clearance!

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The top end is now reassembled and the oil pump driven by an electric drill (the bottom of the distributor shaft will do this).  Checking for oil flow from the rocker arms aaaaaaaand – success!

 

Finally, valve cover on and new Ford blue paint job.

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During Janet’s next visit we’ll install our Autolite two barrel carburetor with automatic choke onto the beautiful adaptor plate on the intake manifold.  Add our new 50,000 volt ignition and big exhaust headers and we’re ready to kick some ass.

 

(Janet:  “Pop and I have very different ways of showing overwhelming excitement.”)

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Carl’s Automotive Machine Shop

/ Pop my Ride / 1 Comment

Carl’s Machine Shop opened in 1988 in Calvert City, KY.  It’s a small garage with an adjoining office that cranks out some big stuff.  Carl’s daughter, Carla, runs the shop with her husband Michael as the lead machinist.  The combined knowledge between the two of them is unbelievable.

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Carla and Micheal of Carl’s Automotive

Pop and I were literally talking about who to bring Mavis’s straight 6 to for some machining when we passed Carl’s.  Pulling in I was already nervous about how “Carl” would react to being asked about souping up a little 200.  “We only work on V8’s.” “No specialty jobs.” “Why would you waste time and money trying to build that thing up?”  Michael was working on a opposed 6 cylinder engine when we approached through the open garage door.  We explained our situation and what we were attempting to do and he lit up.  “I just finished a 3 carb set up on a 200 for a guy last week.” Hot damn. Michael was our man!

The real engine work is what really blows Pop’s skirt up.  He’ll let me clean bolt threads and wet sand all day, but when it comes to the mechanical shit, I’ve gotten my share of love shoves.

Love Shove: When Pop wants you to move, so he can basically take over what you are trying to do, he will use his body to ever so gently move you out of the way while his attention remains on what you are doing.  Next thing you know, he is now working on what you were working on and you’re not quite sure how it happened.

I (sort of) gave Pop free reign on the decision making around the engine and its performance.  First thing he did was purchase The Ford Falcon 6 Cylinder Performance Handbook by brothers David and Dennis Schjeldahl.  It contains about every thing humanly possible to do to get more power out of our little 200.

Then he and Michael co-conspired on how to spend as much of my money as possible.  Kidding, but really, they came up with a plan to punch up the power.  Here’s the skinny:

The weakest aspect of the little Ford 200 6 cylinder is the integral intake manifold.  In other words, the manifold is a part of the engine head casting.  Besides being set up only for a small, one barrel carburetor, castings can be rough, limiting, and obstruct a smooth air/fuel mixture.  To cure this problem, we had Michael install a two barrel carburetor adapter plate, increasing air intake from roughly 110 cfm’s to 240 cfm’s.  So now we can cram 240 cubic feet of air/fuel mixture per minute into the combustion chamber, doubling what we had before.  More air, more gas, more power!

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An example of Michael’s top notch machine work.

To get this increased mixture to the cylinders, we had Michael install oversized stainless steel valves with new stock springs and .060 shims.  According to old turbo 200ci Mustang racers, this should be good for 6000rpm without valve float.  (Valve float: When the valves do not follow the cam or ‘float’, they can actually run into the piston tops.)  This is more than enough, as I told Pop we’ll redline at 5K at the most.  He looked at me with a grin and said, “maybe.”

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We also had Michael add a 3 angle cut on the valves.

He ported the head, enlarging the intake and exhaust passages.  Michael also installed an exhaust port divider on the Siamese number 3 and 4 ports, which stops possible exhaust induction back into the engine at the exhaust port, making the outflow of the exhaust smoother.  There’s arguments for and against doing this.  Some say it adds 5 or so more horsepower, some say it doesn’t do a damn thing.  We’re betting on the horse power.

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Beautiful!

To finish the top end, we’re dumping the exhaust into oversized, stainless steel headers (BIG exhaust pipes).  These will be revealed at a later date.

On the bottom end, or the block, he bored the cylinders .060 of an inch over which cleans up any old scores and imperfections and will give us another few cubic inches. We installed flat-topped pistons, which will raise our compression ratio, adding more torque and power.  We turned the crankshaft .010 under on the rod and main bearing journals, again, cleaning up any imperfections or misalignment.  Our little inline 200ci 6 cylinder has 7 main bearings, making her virtually indestructible.  A 350ci GM V8, for example, has 5 main bearings.

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We’ll be running the stock camshaft, great low-end torque, with hydraulic lifters and adjustable 1.6 to 1 ratio rocker arms.  Stock rocker arms are 1.5 to 1 ratio.  1.6 gives us approximately .034in increased valve opening.

Soon to come, electronic ignition for the big spark we need and a Autolite/Holly 2V carburetor (also known as a 2 barrel).

Pop says, “We’re hoping to pull 200 horse power out of this little girl.” The stock rating was 91.  Dear Lord, what have I gotten myself into?

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Carl’s Automotive Machine Shop

To close, I must extend a very big thank you to Michael, Carla and the team at Carl’s Automotive.  Once we got the engine home for the build out, Michael continued to be available to us for questions and advice.  Check out his Instagram account where he pulls in a couple thousand viewers by posting videos of machining crankshafts.  Good guy, good family, good peeps.