Hello from an old member

Guys!!
Christmas Day and Boxing day were great :)
I was happy to have a lot of the family in our house over these two days !!

Faith has been sat in her plane many times. She cant reach the pedals but she likes it just the same.

Gill and I did a lot of entertaining this holiday which we really enjoyed.

We closed the holiday from work with me selling my Rover V8 engine, which was collected on Saturday 2nd December and then finishing off the holiday on the Sunday by going for a roast dinner at a friends farmhouse with 10 of my race buddies + their wives and girlfriends. It was great end to the holidays for me and Gill. Plus i now have the money from the sale of the Rover to buy my new SBC parts ;)

Happy New Year folks !!

Pel

And a glorious New Year to you and yours too, Pel. Your statement that "Faith has been sat in her plane many times ...." sounds fantastic, but without a picture? C'mon Grandpa, we need to see the SMILE!!;):D:D

Glad that your holiday was a success, even with you were pushed out of the kitchen this year, but you gained points in the big scheme. Looking forward to hearing more from you in coming months.

Yeah Pops, where is the photos of Faith flying high...

Happy new year to you and congrats on the sale of the Rover engine! X2 on the Faith new plane pics. :LOL:

OH My!!
I've had so much Fun watching Faith in her new plane I forgot to take any pictures ??
I'll get some after work this weekend ;)

OOPS!! I FORGOT TO UPDATE YOU GUYS ON THE NEW SBC ENGINE BUILD FOR THE MGB ?

Its all changed now I'm afraid :(

I almost made a huge BooBoo on the new parts as well !!

I ordered an Eagle forged crank + Forged H beam rods and a set of Mahle Forged pistons at +40 bore size on Friday 15th Jan. On Saturday 16th Jan I popped over to the workshop after work to check out my parts list. It was lucky I did to be honest. I was sure my 4 bolt block was bored +40. But after checking my old pistons I saw they were marked +60 ? Then I remembered that the +40 pistons were in my spare block that I gave to a friend.. Yikes!
So I sent a quick mail to cancel the pistons order. Luckily my UK supplier stopped his order on the Monday.

Then I spoke to my suppliers engine builder and a few Chevy mates. They all agreed that running an old SBC block like mine at +60 overbore for drag racing may not be good for me?
My supplier knows that I have a spare 2 bolt main SBC at stock bore size so he advised me to NOT build the +60 4 bolt engine, and to modify the stock bore 2 bolt engine to 4 bolt mains and work it up from there?

I did some sums and realised that if I buy a splayed 4 bolt kit in the UK and then pay a machine shop to drill and rework the block to make these fit and then have the new caps line bored, and then have the block cleaned, and then have new cam bearings fitted, and the have the bores re honed and the decks skimmed flat it will cost me £800-900 + the time involved for me to remove the freeze plugs and clean the waterways + chase all the threads in the block + put threads in the oil gallery holes to fit plugs and then do all the other little mods to the block that I want.... I then looked at the problem I may have with the condition of the outer bore walls as the engine has been run in a sea going boat so corrosion and pitting under corrosion nodules on these surfaces could be a worry? Then I thought about the cost involved in having the bore walls properly ultrasonically checked for thickness to produce a report that I got cold feet on the build as a whole?? I took some tiime to think about the parts i have been collecting for the SBC build since Sept 2014 and I realised that apart from two used Holley 600Dp carbs that everything was brand new. Apart from the very old SBC block which is bored out to the max and very very old.

So!! I made a decision and ordered a brand new Dart SHP engine block. After reading about this block I am convinced that it is the best choice for my SBC build now. It has a priority oiling system which see's the oil flow to the crank first, and then the cam and then the rocker / valve gear. The bore walls are very thick at 4" bore size and it can be bored to 165 over and still have bore walls about a 1/4" thick ?
So my initial 383 stroker kit for the old block could now stretch out to 433 cubes if I want it to??

I will not make a decision on the final build spec until the new block is here in 2 weeks time. I need to see it and decide on final bore size as well as crank stroke and rod length. The price for this block delivered to me in the UK is £1,515.00 all in. On top of this I will nee to buy oversized cam bearings and have the block decked to my desired height and also have it bored to my desired size? So I guess I'm looking at close to £2000 to get it finished as I want it?

Its not cheap but I think that spending money now in the early stages will pay off in the long run for me.

I have made the choice to put the engine build back by 8 weeks so I can get the new block finished as I want it done this year ?

I was hoping to be out and racing by June this year. I have pushed this back to late August or early Sept to be on track and doing the initial fire up in the pits to bed the engine in now.

If I miss my chance to get racing this year then so be it... I will be happy to wait for 2017 to see the engine build and all of the other mods I want to do finished and ready for testing in January 2017 when the MGB should be capable of running a low 9 or a high 8 second pass ??

Regards to all
Pel

It wasn't bad advice to avoid the sixty-over block.

I've run them plenty, but not on the strip, just street.

Sounds like sound Thinking to me. Start fresh and new, eliminates the second guess work!

I had a .060 over 350 4 bolt block in a 388 config. I raced it quite a bit. Street and strip. It was in a 72 Camaro RS and it ran 6.90s in the 1/8th. Man, I miss that car. It did get hot easily and was hard to cool down between hot laps. I had an aluminum radiator, high flow water pump, bla bla. So I'm sure you made the better decision as you will be pushing it all the time.

Thanks for the feedback guys!!
I have now decided that my first ever SBC build will be:
The Dart SHP Block with the 383 stroker kit at a +30 bore size. CR will be 11:1 for heavy nitrous use to start with.
With the +30 rebore the bore walls will be around 8.5mm thick.
I have spoken to the block suppliers in the uk and they have advised me to have the block decked when it arrives. They have said that a good number of these blocks are not straight on the decks when they check them, hence the extra metal on the decks from factory? They will deck the block for free so I cant complain eh? They just want to be sure that the block is ok when I fit the heads.
These blocks also need oversized cam bearings fitted and my guy will supply and fit these for about $110 all in.
My old Rover engine pushed my 1/8th mile times to around 5.7 seconds @ 114mph. I'm hoping that this new engine will take nearly a second off my 1/8th mile time ??
With regard to engine cooling I will have to wait until the engine is fitted. Without the need at this time for a blower pulley I should have an extra 3" clearance at the front. So I am considering dropping my MGB V8 radiator into may mate Graham who runs Serck Motorsport UK and asing him for a price to replicate my radiator in aluminium, but at twice the thickness ;) My old stock rad has been ok so far for the old 298ci rover but I think it may be time to upgrade from my existing 40 year old radiator for the new 383 SBC.
Things are slowly coming together now guys. And i'm also considering a slight step back now. After reading Vizards books I'm considering ditching the dual quad tunnel ram manifold and the twin 6700dp carbs and fittng a Victor manifold with a single 750 carb for ease of tuning and also some savings on the nitrous system I want to build. I'm liking the look of the Wilson Cross Bar plate system?

More info to follow as soon as I have sold a kidney to pay for more V8 suff :)

Pel

Why did u not get the block at 4.125 bore?

Oversize cam bearings??????

Sold hundreds of those blocks-----

Hi Jerry
I have decided to stick with the 383 as my first build. In time I will want a blower and may then pull the engine for a re bore + new pistons. Having driven two other cars with the 383 build and seen what they can do nasp I think that will be plenty for what I want in the next 2 years. Both of these engines produce over 500hp, one with pump gas and one with methanol. Both run 11:1 CR and both have lower quality heads than I have. They also rev quite nicely. Maybe its a mistake but I'm going to be happy to get this first build completed later this year. Re "oversize cam bearings" The Dart SHP block has larger bores for the cam, so you buy a set of thicker bearings and use a normal SBC cam with stock sized journals.

some mis info there-----------some of the shp blocks are set up for big block bearings so you can use a cam with big block shaft/lobe/journal sizes fo stiffer cam-high pressure springs then don't tend to bend the cam as much. However, there are hundreds of options as to machining and sizes, bore,deck,hone and some of their blocks have wider pan rails by .400 per side plus higher cam centerline for extreme stroker clearance. You'll love the block but I'd suggest you get Dart cataloque info on options and specs so machine shop doesn't sell you pink pig.

Hi Jerry
The block you are describing is the next one up from the one I'm buying which has wider pan rails. You have me worried now so I'm going to forward your notes to my supplier to make sure that what I'm buying is what I think it is?
Cheers
Pel

A quick update guys!!
My block + crank, rods, pistons have all arrived at my suppliers place. I now want the rebore done + balancing + Decking + cam bearings fitted + a few other things... But today they informed me that their Engine guy has now retired and his sidekick has just taken 4 weeks off on holiday?

Now i have to collect my stuff and farm the work out to several machine shops to get it all done ;(

I was hoping to spend a little extra to have it all done in the same place so when I picked it up I could start assembly?

Now the build is delayed by 8 weeks I think ?

Regards to all

Pel

Will they let me do the work in there shop?????? Might make it a road trip--------haven't been over there since 96

That would make for an interesting " Road Trip " Jerry. Mind you, I would be right pleased to have you machine and assemble an engine for me but USA to NZ would be even more of a " Road Trip " .

being a retired airline pilot, the biggest expense is the parking fees for while I'm gone

Hey Jerry...read post 3003 here by Glenn Sexton.
Here's a way to remedy your problem!

http://www.clubhotrod.com/hot-rod-lo...tml#post550977

would I be able to do that with a 1999 ford diesel F350 crew cab, 480,000 miles, rusty rear fenders?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jerry clayton

would I be able to do that with a 1999 ford diesel F350 crew cab, 480,000 miles, rusty rear fenders?

---

Sure! Borrow $500 instead of $5000, and insist that they keep your old, reliable truck that has tons of sentimental value as collateral! Report back when it works!

I think I'd want at least half the price of a new one---------and maybe then I'd only use a one way pass------

Hi Guys!!
The story does NOT get better for me right now. I still have no parts BUT I have been told they should all be available to collect on Friday 8th April?

I'm not holding my breath but I have taken that day as a "work from home" day just in case, as I can haul down there in my trusty people carrier and load al that crap inside and then deliver it to other shops to finish the work I need done.

I had been told that all my stuff had arrived BUT it seems that this was a mistake back on my post from 12th March. The Block was there and the crank was there. But the pistons were not. And the rods which I ordered with the ARP 2000 upgrade were alsp not there? I believe that someone forgot to order some parts and I'm now being given some sort of runaround while they wait for the parts to come in ?

On the UP side I have been talking to my UK Chevy Friends and have decided to Not buy a blower just yet as they seem to all agree that my new 383 engine with a puff of gas will do all I want it to do to run me to low 9's or high 8's when it rolls out after being bedded in and set up later this year?

And I have to bear that in mind to keep my spirits up at this time as this delay is jeopardising my target of having the MGB out on track at full power before the end of our short British Summer :(

If this delay sets me back to 2017 I'll just suck it up and spend more time this winter of 2016 to make sure lots of other stuff gets done to the car so I can roll out in 2017 ready to fight for my 8 second goal :)

Regards to all

Pel

Well that sucks!

Just as simple as that.. I guess there's no place to go but up from here.

Thanks for the update

Well Good news abounds :)

I chased my guy on Wed and copied his boss in about my concerns and guess what?? My guy was on holiday and his boss rang me to say my stuff was there :)

So now I have some boxes !!

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/b...pscszz5xtx.jpg


http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/b...ps9rcjvzhu.jpg

Waaaay cool!!

Looks like Christmas in April! Now the real fun begins!!

I still cant stop Smiling :)
The first little niggle is the lifters I bought for the old Stock 350 engine are too short. They are new in box so i can move them on quite quickly. Apparently if I want to use link bars on the lifters the lifters need to be .300 taller for the Dart block. And they have to be installed before the heads go on.

Niggle number 2 is the oil / sump pan. I got a Moroso one with wings and a trapdoor inside. The box said "dipstick on Drivers side" Ha Ha!! You can tell where this is leading eh ? I sold that new Moroso pan today and will order another one with the dipstick on the other side ;)

My friend with the Slingshot is ordering some new parts for his SBC and I see he has found a 1 piece rear seal for the 2 piece block. Its a 1 piece seal ring that been cut so it can be threaded into the seal housing leaving the joint at the top !! Sounds good to me so I got him to order two and we can share the single postage.

I nearly bought an expensive crank damper because I was fishing in the dark really. But Slingshot Mike told me I want the same 6" one that he has and that was only about $150 ish + P&P from the states instead of the £290 wanted for one by our UK Race shops ? So he is ordering one for me :)

My next new purchase is going to be a vacuum pump for the new engine. I've been toying with the idea of exhaust extractors but I think a vac pump will be best in the long run. All I need to do now is go and learn about them so I can select the right one for my build.

Short term plans are:
1. Drop all the new parts at the engine shop tomorrow.
2. Get the new block bored +30 + whatever extra piston to liner clearance is required for the Forged pistons and heavy nitrous use.
3. Have the decks skimmed by 5 thou.
4. Crank Rods and pistons assembly to be properly balanced.
5. All new components to have a spell in the parts washer and then thoroughly rinsed and dried before getting a coating of oil.

This will all be done in the next 2-3 weeks so I can then get all the parts into the workshop and start assembly of the new Killer engine for the MGB ;)

Regards to alll

Pel

You had me with the smile!

Ha Ha!!
Its as good as running a new PB after being off track for so long. Everytime I look at the pics of all the stuff I have collected since mid 2014 culminating with the last lot of boxes I cant help it :)

Miles of smile to come as well ?

Pel

You can use the exhaust extractors with the vacume pump--------used to run a tap into the intake for the low rpm purge before the exhaust would pick up. A vacume pump solves the low rpm stuff but you will need to mount and align the belt system. If your so excited about the arrival of one Dart box can you even begin to think about me getting a pallet load of eight?? (saves a lot of shipping)

Very good news Pel we are looking for smaller numbers at the strip! and Videos! I'm smiling with you! :)

Awesome new parts Pel! You're getting closer now!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jerry clayton

You can use the exhaust extractors with the vacume pump--------used to run a tap into the intake for the low rpm purge before the exhaust would pick up. A vacume pump solves the low rpm stuff but you will need to mount and align the belt system. If your so excited about the arrival of one Dart box can you even begin to think about me getting a pallet load of eight?? (saves a lot of shipping)

---

Thanks Jerry!
Can you give me some advice on which Vac pump to use please ?

I have just discovered that the Comp Cams Roller lifters I have are too short as I said above. So i asked my UK supplier for a price on the .300 taller lifters. His price was $800.00 for a set of lifters?? Thats over £500 sterling. Can this be true?? I have emailed Comp Cams to explain what I need so they can give me a part number. That was 3 days ago and no reply so far?

My next problem is that I forgot to buy shell bearings for the crank and rods. So I called my UK supplier who sold me the Eagle Forged 383 Stroker Crank and the Eagle Forged Rods. The reply was "we dont know what shells you need mate" When I explained that they sold me the crank + Rods + Pistons + the DART block the reply was "we suggest you measure the crank journals and buy a set of shells to match that. Then trial fit with plastigauge to see if you need to buy more shells that might be + or - 1 thou or so. When i asked for a price of stock SBC 350 shells I was told they are $180 ?

I have now asked my engine guy to measure up the crank journals so i can buy what I need from another supplier as I think my UK supplier is having a laugh with nearly $1000.00 for these lifters and shells??

Regards
Pel

A quick update folks!!
Next Friday 6th May my buddy with the Digger / Slingshot is going to the engine shop to collect my new block + crank rods and pistons etc along with his spare BBC engine which will eventually replace the SBC in the Slingshot. When its all delivered to my place I'm going to start blanking out weekend dates in my work diary. I'm already booked 7 days a week up to the second weekend of June now so i will be looking forward to going bck to working only 5 days a week for a while. The overtime is making me tired but the pay is helping to get more engine stuff and also to assist my oldest Daughter to move out. Sadly this means my Angel Grandaughter Faith will be moving out as well. Luckily the new house is only a 10 min walk away so Gandad will still be seeing her almost daily :) They wont be moving until July but I'm already feeling a sense of loss for some reason. Why is this? They will only be around the corner! I'm going to set my two girls up with the usual stuff like Cooker, Fridge Freezer, Microwave, sofa, dining set, washing machine and the basic crockery and cooking utensils etc as their moving in present. Thats what most of my overtime will be used for I think ;) On the UP SIDE I get another spare room to convert into a Man Cave for my huge DVD and Record collection :) I'm thinking a Futon with a small chest of drawers + coffee table + bedside table + move my sound system and movie system into the spare room so it can still be used as a guest room. I have a mate who will build me a shelf unit to house my DVD's. It will be floor to ceiling and 12 feet wide to hold my 2500 (ish) DVD collection. On the opposite wall there will be shelves to hold my 1200 vinyl disks + 500 CD's. /And then another shelf unit to hold my 260 VHS tapes (I still have a VHS player).

I was talking to a computer expert mate of mine last week aobut this and he said "Why on earth are you doing that Pel? I could put all your media on a hard drive and it would only take up as much room as a small box of tissues" I thought long and hard about this and edcided that I still ant my shelves :)

Back to the new engine now!!
I have bought a plastigauge kit to use so I can be sure this new engine is assembled as best I can. I've never used this stuff before so its going to be another learning thing when I assemble?

Regards to all

Pel

Sounds like a nice and fairly large record and cd collection and I would want to show it off as well. You wouldn't happen to be a Buddy Holly fan would you?

I have a wide taste in Music. Buddy is one of my faves along with a host of other Rock n Rollers to the Beach Boys + Sam Cooke + Jazz + metal + Reggae + Classical music (I have a rare direct cut to disk of the Japan Philharmonic doing the 4 seasons) Thats Vivaldi and Not Frankie ;) I also have a one off acetate of MJ doing Billie Jean in its first cut on the lathe from CBS Studio's where I used to work. This was the pre master before it went to copy. Its much larger than an LP disk but I have a machine I can play it on. However, its soft so i dont really play it often.

I have plenty of rare 12" singles as well.

Fantastic. Man would I love to sit down with you in your den with a couple of cold ones. I can't handle rap and I'm not fond of hip hop or opera, but just about everything else is fair game. I had a music teacher in the 7th grade that introduced us to the Peer Gynt Suites and I've been a fan ever since.
Good luck on your engine build and we'll anxiously await your updates.

Dude!!
Music can really help the state of mind when building engines I think?
If I want to spend time in the garage building something then Peer Gynt 1 and 2 is good background music. When I'm setting up carbs I like to listen to Peter and the Wolf...
And when I'm fitting my nitrous stuff I like to listen to the Darth Vader music by John Williams because it inspires me to be a little Evil ;)

Try it!

Pel

Sure makes sense to me.