Furious Sam
New Member
I got mine 2years ago zero rust had taken apart bead blasted and painted b5 great car.is that a 69 dash?
1970 Fury III Convertible 126115 miles: Intro & Planned 440/727 Swap
- Thread starter 1970FuryConv
- Start date
Ripinator
Old Man with a Hat
WOW! Thanks a lot for the blow-by-blow description of your restoration work. You've done a terrific job.
Furious Sam
New Member
didn't have to restore just paint all chrome and body panels and interior are all original had a new top just need new dash pad I have one from a 69
1970FuryConv
Old Man with a Hat
Yes it's from a 1969 Fury, although supposedly its correct for early 1970 model year Furys. The 69 dash pad was the exact color I wanted. I just didn't like the wood strip on the 1970 and $125 for that black dash was a lot less than $800+ at abcmoparts.com. I applied a Meguiar's vinyl cleaner/restorer for many days in a row. It came out excellent. The dash shell , instrument panel, and basically everything else in the dash is 1970.
Love B5
What engine trans are in your Fury?
Furious Sam
New Member
I found the car on the side of the road in hampstead nh I made an offer he took it 3000 I had no idea what I bought but I liked it drove it home and found it was from florida paint was rough but no rust my brother works in a body shop and one the guys is a mopar nut it went to maine took it apart blasted primed and painted originl 318 and trans i'm new to this I didn't have any idea there is so much intrest in these cars
3175375
Senior Member
1970FuryConv
Old Man with a Hat
Like your 69 Vert. Well Done!
3175375
Senior Member
1970FuryConv
Old Man with a Hat
My machinist is Ben Tillman
He ran NAPA Petersburg, VA, machine shop for 40 years, until he retired.
After 4-5 years, the store owner called him and said, "We can't find anyone to run the machine shop. We need the space. Would you like to buy the equipment?"
Ben Tillman bought all these machine tools and set them up in a building behind his home. He's still doing machine work, although if you expect your engine returned quickly, he's not your guy. Also, if you expect not to do any grunt work to help him, he's not your guy. He moves slow and has some balance issues, but does fine once he gets beside these machines that's he's known for many years. Also, he has great experience, intelligence, and knowledge, so he's a valuable resource. Ben was also a vocational school auto mechanics teacher in his off hours from NAPA. Finally, many years ago, he ran a green 1969 340 Dart a Colonial Beach Raceway, VA. He ran under 12 secs at 120 mph in the quarter.
440 BLOCK
Block: I used ridge reamer to remove pistons and rods. Ben Tillman miked all cylinders. Engine needed to be bored .030 over, from 4.320 inch to 4.350 inch. Top of block needs to be decked. Carlos at Citizen's Machine shop, Sandston, VA, cleaned the block and heads at his shop using caustic soda/water solution. Ben Tillman uses Carlos, because cleaning equipment, boring machine, and honing machine will not fit in his shop. Carlos lets Ben use the equipment in exchange for Ben's help with certain difficult jobs, like sleeving a 4-cylinder Willy's block. 440 Block and Heads outside Carlos' shop. Someone painted the block Mopar Purple. Engine in extreme need of color change.
Cleaning machine: Caustic soda and water is weak on paint removal. Need stronger solution. Ben Tillman blames it on EPA.
Block at boring machine. Ben Tillman is in the blue shirt, Carlos in gray. Sunnen honing machine is the green piece of equipment in the background.
Block: machine work, lift with chain on chain fall that hung above the Rottler machine for boring. Place a 90° metal base under the block. Use the chain fall to lift the block onto 2 runners for the boring machine. These runners are like the 2 fingers of a forklift. Push the 90° adapter all the way back against the machine. A piece of wood prevents direct contact. Original bore is 4.32 inches. Bored out 20 thousandths to 4.34 inches. Will final bore with Sunnen honing machine to 4.35 inches to match the Keith Black pistons that I purchased. Do one bank at 4.34”. Chain fall to rotate 90°. Do 2nd bank at 4.34"
Above: Willy's block Ben Tillman sleeved for Carlos is in foreground. 440 on boring machine.
After carefully leveling top of cylinder back, Ben Tillman centers boring bar in cylinder
After 51 years, including time sitting in a field in a rusted out 70 Sport Fury, my 440 finally is getting rebuilt. It's been in at least 2 c-bodies before my 70 Fury convertible.
Right side cylinder bank continued
Left side in process. Right side done. Rottler is a German company
I asked why we couldn't just bore out to 4.350, which is 30 thousands over, and be done. Ben was firm in saying the last .010" (10 thousands) needs to be done on a honing machine with deck plate, for absolute accuracy. Carlos is good with that honing machine. It gave a great pattern and both he and Ben miked the cylinders to within 1/4 of a thousandths inch of 4.350". Don't have pictures of honing machine at work. Wish I hadn't missed that.
Main bearing mount chamfer. Ben Tillman is using belt driven tool. Prevents sharp edge on the block from pressing the parting edge of a main bearing into the crank journal.
Block After Chamfer. Ben knows his stuff
He ran NAPA Petersburg, VA, machine shop for 40 years, until he retired.
After 4-5 years, the store owner called him and said, "We can't find anyone to run the machine shop. We need the space. Would you like to buy the equipment?"
Ben Tillman bought all these machine tools and set them up in a building behind his home. He's still doing machine work, although if you expect your engine returned quickly, he's not your guy. Also, if you expect not to do any grunt work to help him, he's not your guy. He moves slow and has some balance issues, but does fine once he gets beside these machines that's he's known for many years. Also, he has great experience, intelligence, and knowledge, so he's a valuable resource. Ben was also a vocational school auto mechanics teacher in his off hours from NAPA. Finally, many years ago, he ran a green 1969 340 Dart a Colonial Beach Raceway, VA. He ran under 12 secs at 120 mph in the quarter.
440 BLOCK
Block: I used ridge reamer to remove pistons and rods. Ben Tillman miked all cylinders. Engine needed to be bored .030 over, from 4.320 inch to 4.350 inch. Top of block needs to be decked. Carlos at Citizen's Machine shop, Sandston, VA, cleaned the block and heads at his shop using caustic soda/water solution. Ben Tillman uses Carlos, because cleaning equipment, boring machine, and honing machine will not fit in his shop. Carlos lets Ben use the equipment in exchange for Ben's help with certain difficult jobs, like sleeving a 4-cylinder Willy's block. 440 Block and Heads outside Carlos' shop. Someone painted the block Mopar Purple. Engine in extreme need of color change.
Cleaning machine: Caustic soda and water is weak on paint removal. Need stronger solution. Ben Tillman blames it on EPA.
Block at boring machine. Ben Tillman is in the blue shirt, Carlos in gray. Sunnen honing machine is the green piece of equipment in the background.
Block: machine work, lift with chain on chain fall that hung above the Rottler machine for boring. Place a 90° metal base under the block. Use the chain fall to lift the block onto 2 runners for the boring machine. These runners are like the 2 fingers of a forklift. Push the 90° adapter all the way back against the machine. A piece of wood prevents direct contact. Original bore is 4.32 inches. Bored out 20 thousandths to 4.34 inches. Will final bore with Sunnen honing machine to 4.35 inches to match the Keith Black pistons that I purchased. Do one bank at 4.34”. Chain fall to rotate 90°. Do 2nd bank at 4.34"
Above: Willy's block Ben Tillman sleeved for Carlos is in foreground. 440 on boring machine.
After carefully leveling top of cylinder back, Ben Tillman centers boring bar in cylinder
After 51 years, including time sitting in a field in a rusted out 70 Sport Fury, my 440 finally is getting rebuilt. It's been in at least 2 c-bodies before my 70 Fury convertible.
Right side cylinder bank continued
Left side in process. Right side done. Rottler is a German company
I asked why we couldn't just bore out to 4.350, which is 30 thousands over, and be done. Ben was firm in saying the last .010" (10 thousands) needs to be done on a honing machine with deck plate, for absolute accuracy. Carlos is good with that honing machine. It gave a great pattern and both he and Ben miked the cylinders to within 1/4 of a thousandths inch of 4.350". Don't have pictures of honing machine at work. Wish I hadn't missed that.
Main bearing mount chamfer. Ben Tillman is using belt driven tool. Prevents sharp edge on the block from pressing the parting edge of a main bearing into the crank journal.
Block After Chamfer. Ben knows his stuff
1970FuryConv
Old Man with a Hat
Engine Block: Ben used a large cone with sand paper installed in a drill to chamfer the top of the 8 cylinder bores in order to aid installing the pistons and rings.
Later, not pictured
Die grinder: instead of surfacing disc, Ben used grinding disc to grind down protrusions of metal at seams and at openings. The point was to get rid of everything that was sharp or could chip off.
Electric Grinders: Used acorn shaped grinder on the end of the shaft to get rid of slag in areas that the die grinder couldn’t reach.
Some casting info for for reference
Stamp pad beside distributor, (from much later in process). E is 1969 model year date code.
8 digit VIN stamp at right side oil pan rail. 9 is 1969 model year. F is Newark Delaware assembly plant. Remaining 6 digits is VIN of car 440 originally from.
Main bearings, label, stock size because Ben Tillman measured crank and determined only polish needed.
Main caps
Bearings: rods, cams, and mains
Ben recommends against Plastigage. He mikes journal, bearing thickness, and inner diameter of main and cap (or rod and cap). He compares to Clevite spec sheet like below to determine bearing clearances and see whether in spec. B2 pre-1973.
Main Bearings, wall height (thickness): Clevite MS – 2324 P Made in USA. Book spec for max wall thickness/depth is .0959 inch. Ben miked them at .0955 inch.
Crankshaft Casting Number 2206160: Ben measured the main and rod journals to be sure that they remained at spec after crankshaft polishing. 2.7495-2.7505”. Rods still within 2.374-2.375”
Main Caps: I torqued them at 85 foot-pounds. Ben used the Clevite Bearings book and inside micrometer to verify journals size ID without bearings installed. Housing Bore: 2.9425-2.9430” spec. Measured within spec.
Deck Height: RS, install connecting rod and KB piston assembly with rod bolts 50 foot-pounds. Did cylinder number 4 first. turn Block until right bank is horizontal. Install piston and connecting rod assembly using Clevite boots on bolts. With piston rock, had a variation between .037 to .040 inch down below deck. Deck height is therefore .0385 inch. Cylinder number 3: turn Block until the left bank is horizontal. Reinstall same piston and connecting rod assembly using Clevite boots on bolts. Rocks from .038 to .043, deck height .0405 Inch. Given this deck height. 88cc combustion chamber, and .040 inch Felpro head gasket, we need to call Jim at Hughes engine and verify compression ratio. Hughes Engine supplied most of my rebuild parts.
Hughes Engine: I called Jim. I explained that the piston is .0385 inches down in the bore. I added that we are using a Fel-Pro gasket .040 inch compressed height and 88 mL 906 cylinder heads with stock 3.75 inch stroke and the cylinder bores bored out 30 over to 4.350 inch. Jim responded that if we took .010” off the top of the block and .010” off the heads, which would restore the heads to stock position (original steel shim head gaskets were about .020" compressed height), we would have 9.25:1 compression ratio which would be okay with 93 octane gas. He does not recommend going any higher with iron heads.
Crank after polish, install with main caps 1/3/5
Rotate block 180° and check height with this dial indicator tool, light green color. (Picture of tool at top of cylinder didn't come out clear, so no pic of tool in action). Imagine the tool straddling the cylinder and the piston head hitting the needle for dial indicator. Deck height is minimum reading.
Later, not pictured
Die grinder: instead of surfacing disc, Ben used grinding disc to grind down protrusions of metal at seams and at openings. The point was to get rid of everything that was sharp or could chip off.
Electric Grinders: Used acorn shaped grinder on the end of the shaft to get rid of slag in areas that the die grinder couldn’t reach.
Some casting info for for reference
Stamp pad beside distributor, (from much later in process). E is 1969 model year date code.
8 digit VIN stamp at right side oil pan rail. 9 is 1969 model year. F is Newark Delaware assembly plant. Remaining 6 digits is VIN of car 440 originally from.
Main bearings, label, stock size because Ben Tillman measured crank and determined only polish needed.
Main caps
Bearings: rods, cams, and mains
Ben recommends against Plastigage. He mikes journal, bearing thickness, and inner diameter of main and cap (or rod and cap). He compares to Clevite spec sheet like below to determine bearing clearances and see whether in spec. B2 pre-1973.
Main Bearings, wall height (thickness): Clevite MS – 2324 P Made in USA. Book spec for max wall thickness/depth is .0959 inch. Ben miked them at .0955 inch.
Crankshaft Casting Number 2206160: Ben measured the main and rod journals to be sure that they remained at spec after crankshaft polishing. 2.7495-2.7505”. Rods still within 2.374-2.375”
Main Caps: I torqued them at 85 foot-pounds. Ben used the Clevite Bearings book and inside micrometer to verify journals size ID without bearings installed. Housing Bore: 2.9425-2.9430” spec. Measured within spec.
Deck Height: RS, install connecting rod and KB piston assembly with rod bolts 50 foot-pounds. Did cylinder number 4 first. turn Block until right bank is horizontal. Install piston and connecting rod assembly using Clevite boots on bolts. With piston rock, had a variation between .037 to .040 inch down below deck. Deck height is therefore .0385 inch. Cylinder number 3: turn Block until the left bank is horizontal. Reinstall same piston and connecting rod assembly using Clevite boots on bolts. Rocks from .038 to .043, deck height .0405 Inch. Given this deck height. 88cc combustion chamber, and .040 inch Felpro head gasket, we need to call Jim at Hughes engine and verify compression ratio. Hughes Engine supplied most of my rebuild parts.
Hughes Engine: I called Jim. I explained that the piston is .0385 inches down in the bore. I added that we are using a Fel-Pro gasket .040 inch compressed height and 88 mL 906 cylinder heads with stock 3.75 inch stroke and the cylinder bores bored out 30 over to 4.350 inch. Jim responded that if we took .010” off the top of the block and .010” off the heads, which would restore the heads to stock position (original steel shim head gaskets were about .020" compressed height), we would have 9.25:1 compression ratio which would be okay with 93 octane gas. He does not recommend going any higher with iron heads.
Crank after polish, install with main caps 1/3/5
Rotate block 180° and check height with this dial indicator tool, light green color. (Picture of tool at top of cylinder didn't come out clear, so no pic of tool in action). Imagine the tool straddling the cylinder and the piston head hitting the needle for dial indicator. Deck height is minimum reading.
1970FuryConv
Old Man with a Hat
440 Block: Ben Tillman's shop, continued
Remove piston/rod assembly (used same both sides), crank, main caps, and main bearings
Deck the block: we used the chain fall to load the 440 block onto the leveling bar of the decking machine. Essentially the bar had to be level and the block had to be lowered on the bar at the area of the mains, so that the bar would be parallel to the axis of the crankshaft.
Ben has a $300 leveling tool, which we used at the top of the block to make sure that it was perfectly level. I had to hold the block in position while Ben used different jacks under the block to hold it up such that I could let it go and the block would stay with the deck perfectly horizontal and facing upward.
Ben used decking machine to cut down the right side by .010 inch. We rotated the block over such that the left side deck was facing perfectly upward, and cut that deck .012 inch. Large wheel adjusts cutting tool height. Small adjusts speed.
Block after deck cut
Used chain fall to remove block from machine and slide across ceiling of shop along the beam, so that we could drop it to the level of the engine stand and reattach the 4 bolts to the back of the block.
Block Clean: I used 3 cans of CRC brake cleaner to douse all of the passages and bolt holes on surfaces of the block. I did the upper side first, then both sides then the front then the rear. After that I turned the block 180° on the stand and did all the bolt holes in passages and surfaces beneath. There are ledges right above the oil pan rail on the inside which are hard to see. That was the only area that I missed. Clean that and air hose to blow them out. Once that was done, the block passed Ben’s inspection.
Freeze plugs, 1 5/8" installed next
Oil Pump Driveshaft Bushing: removed with large long bolt. Fit into bushing so bushing removed with hammer strikes to bolt head.
Oil Pump Driveshaft bushing installed
Crankshaft pics are next
Remove piston/rod assembly (used same both sides), crank, main caps, and main bearings
Deck the block: we used the chain fall to load the 440 block onto the leveling bar of the decking machine. Essentially the bar had to be level and the block had to be lowered on the bar at the area of the mains, so that the bar would be parallel to the axis of the crankshaft.
Ben has a $300 leveling tool, which we used at the top of the block to make sure that it was perfectly level. I had to hold the block in position while Ben used different jacks under the block to hold it up such that I could let it go and the block would stay with the deck perfectly horizontal and facing upward.
Ben used decking machine to cut down the right side by .010 inch. We rotated the block over such that the left side deck was facing perfectly upward, and cut that deck .012 inch. Large wheel adjusts cutting tool height. Small adjusts speed.
Block after deck cut
Used chain fall to remove block from machine and slide across ceiling of shop along the beam, so that we could drop it to the level of the engine stand and reattach the 4 bolts to the back of the block.
Block Clean: I used 3 cans of CRC brake cleaner to douse all of the passages and bolt holes on surfaces of the block. I did the upper side first, then both sides then the front then the rear. After that I turned the block 180° on the stand and did all the bolt holes in passages and surfaces beneath. There are ledges right above the oil pan rail on the inside which are hard to see. That was the only area that I missed. Clean that and air hose to blow them out. Once that was done, the block passed Ben’s inspection.
Freeze plugs, 1 5/8" installed next
Oil Pump Driveshaft Bushing: removed with large long bolt. Fit into bushing so bushing removed with hammer strikes to bolt head.
Oil Pump Driveshaft bushing installed
Crankshaft pics are next
3175375
Senior Member
Doing it right!
1970FuryConv
Old Man with a Hat
Crankshaft Casting Number 2206160
Ben Tillman miked rod and main journals within stock specks. Okay to polish. No reason to grind. Crankshaft in good condition. He agreed that it is forged steel. Journals have no taper. He polished my crankshaft using a 1947 South Bend Lathe Works lathe.
I lifted the crankshaft onto the machine. Ben used the attachments to the machine to anchor crankshaft at both ends while I held it up slightly. The crankshaft is very heavy.
Ben Tillman turned on the Lathe and it began rotating crankshaft on its axis.
Used Sunnen tool with capability for running different width 320 grit emery cloth belts. He used these to polish the crankshaft journals as the Lathe turned the crankshaft. The only slight defects that we found were some small dents at Main bearing Journal number 3, where someone had tried to bang out the thrust bearing. These dings were not very deep. We had to make sure that there was no metal sticking up. After polishing that journal, Ben examined it very closely. The dings were very small, he found no protrusions from them. After carefully polishing that journal, we decided that the small dings would do no more than hold oil.
Check end play during trial fit of crankshaft while setting up for measuring deck height. Magnetic tool, dial indicator, at back of block beside rear end of crank. Zero dial at rearmost motion. Push forward with FBSD .005 inch end play. Within specs of .002-.007". Crank has very little wear. Remarkable.
Install
· Crankshaft: Ben Tillman measured the main and rod journals another time to be sure that they remained at spec after polishing. 2.7495-2.7505”. Rods still within 2.374-2.375”
· Ben does not like using assembly oil and wanted to use thicker assembly lube so that it wouldn’t drain away. We squirted some of the assembly lube on each of the upper bearings.
· Crankshaft, install: First, I placed the upper bearings in position. These are the ones that have the oiling holes. Clevite MS 2324P are full groove main bearings.
· Upper rear main seal: Ultra Gray RTV on lower edge of rubber seal. Place in groove in block with lip facing forward towards inside of engine. Light oil on lip. Then, I placed the crankshaft in position.
· Main Bearing caps: I placed the lower half of the main bearings on each main bearing cap and lubed each of the bearings. I also put thin engine oil on the main bearing cap bolts. Install the main bearing caps 3, 2, 4, 1, 5. ¾ long socket, electric ratchet. ¾ ls, ½ TW @ 85’lbs. Turned crankshaft to make sure that it turned freely. 2nd pass: @85’lbs
· Rear Main Seal: orient such that mounting bolt holes are to the rear of the seal. Install curved crank seal with lip facing forward, gray RTV along the bottom of curved seal. Pressed into groove in cap. Light oil on lip of curved seal. Light Ultra Gray RTV on neoprene side seals. Hold side seals in position with thumbs while sliding cap into place. Light RTV on cap parting surface. Install rear mail seal cap 3/8 12-point short socket, electric ratchet, 3/8 TW@25’lbs.
Connecting Rods and Pistons are up next
Ben Tillman miked rod and main journals within stock specks. Okay to polish. No reason to grind. Crankshaft in good condition. He agreed that it is forged steel. Journals have no taper. He polished my crankshaft using a 1947 South Bend Lathe Works lathe.
I lifted the crankshaft onto the machine. Ben used the attachments to the machine to anchor crankshaft at both ends while I held it up slightly. The crankshaft is very heavy.
Ben Tillman turned on the Lathe and it began rotating crankshaft on its axis.
Used Sunnen tool with capability for running different width 320 grit emery cloth belts. He used these to polish the crankshaft journals as the Lathe turned the crankshaft. The only slight defects that we found were some small dents at Main bearing Journal number 3, where someone had tried to bang out the thrust bearing. These dings were not very deep. We had to make sure that there was no metal sticking up. After polishing that journal, Ben examined it very closely. The dings were very small, he found no protrusions from them. After carefully polishing that journal, we decided that the small dings would do no more than hold oil.
Check end play during trial fit of crankshaft while setting up for measuring deck height. Magnetic tool, dial indicator, at back of block beside rear end of crank. Zero dial at rearmost motion. Push forward with FBSD .005 inch end play. Within specs of .002-.007". Crank has very little wear. Remarkable.
Install
· Crankshaft: Ben Tillman measured the main and rod journals another time to be sure that they remained at spec after polishing. 2.7495-2.7505”. Rods still within 2.374-2.375”
· Ben does not like using assembly oil and wanted to use thicker assembly lube so that it wouldn’t drain away. We squirted some of the assembly lube on each of the upper bearings.
· Crankshaft, install: First, I placed the upper bearings in position. These are the ones that have the oiling holes. Clevite MS 2324P are full groove main bearings.
· Upper rear main seal: Ultra Gray RTV on lower edge of rubber seal. Place in groove in block with lip facing forward towards inside of engine. Light oil on lip. Then, I placed the crankshaft in position.
· Main Bearing caps: I placed the lower half of the main bearings on each main bearing cap and lubed each of the bearings. I also put thin engine oil on the main bearing cap bolts. Install the main bearing caps 3, 2, 4, 1, 5. ¾ long socket, electric ratchet. ¾ ls, ½ TW @ 85’lbs. Turned crankshaft to make sure that it turned freely. 2nd pass: @85’lbs
· Rear Main Seal: orient such that mounting bolt holes are to the rear of the seal. Install curved crank seal with lip facing forward, gray RTV along the bottom of curved seal. Pressed into groove in cap. Light oil on lip of curved seal. Light Ultra Gray RTV on neoprene side seals. Hold side seals in position with thumbs while sliding cap into place. Light RTV on cap parting surface. Install rear mail seal cap 3/8 12-point short socket, electric ratchet, 3/8 TW@25’lbs.
Connecting Rods and Pistons are up next
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1970FuryConv
Old Man with a Hat
Connecting Rods and Pistons
· Connecting Rods: Ben has a Nugier hydraulic press, which exerts 7 tons of downward force on the press fit pins, to press them out of the rod and pistons. We hung the small ends of the connecting rods on a piece of coathanger wire.
· Connecting Rods: went through two wash cycles on the same hot wash machine used for block & heads. Wipe down with rags to prevent rust.
· Connecting rods, Little end: these measured OK within 1.0923-1.0928"
· The inside diameter should be .002 less than the outside diameter of the piston pins. This gives adequate press fit. All 8 connecting rods checked out okay versus KB237 pins
Measuring pin diameter
Sunnen honing machine
Prep for big end work. Connecting rod, big end: chamfer inner edges at parting surface, where bearings meet. Ben used a small belt driven emery cloth belt to do this minimal chamfer and take away the sharpness of these edges
Prep: ARP rod bolts installed. Ben used Nugier press
ARP instructions. Note 50'lbs torque, not factory 45 foot pounds
Connecting Rods, caps: Ben Tillman used machine to slightly grind down the parting surface of all 8 rod bearing caps. I then installed the caps on connecting rods with the ARP torque spec of 50 foot-pounds, 9/16 ls, 3/8 TW@50’lbs. (FSM is 45’lbs). Ben is doing 2 at a time. Go Ben!
· Rod Bearings, Clevite CB-527 P Made in USA. wall height (thickness) spec is .062 inch. Ben miked them at .062 inch. Bearing ID is 2.376", giving .001 over standard journal size.
· Sunnen connecting rod honing machine, big end: Ben Tillman used the belt dressing that I procured from Advance Auto on the wide belt for his honing machine. With the belt dressing applied the honing machine was able to turn the hone at a regular rate. Ben Tillman honed the remaining 7 connecting rods. Essentially, connecting rods can go out of round with use. The way to compensate, is to cut down on the Parting Surface of each rod bearing cap to reduce the big end to an undersized journal. Then you use oil spraying on the hone as it turns. Two honing stones within the big end bring it back out to a factory size journal. The process is to hone a little, then use the measuring tool to the upper right to see how much you widened journal ID. Then hone a little more, then measure again, repeating this process until each big end is honed out to factory spec 2.375+bearing thickness/depth .062 inches+clearance .001-.002 inches ID and round. Roundness is checked by measuring diameter when rod held at different clock positions on measuring tool.
· Connecting Rods: Ben has a Nugier hydraulic press, which exerts 7 tons of downward force on the press fit pins, to press them out of the rod and pistons. We hung the small ends of the connecting rods on a piece of coathanger wire.
· Connecting Rods: went through two wash cycles on the same hot wash machine used for block & heads. Wipe down with rags to prevent rust.
· Connecting rods, Little end: these measured OK within 1.0923-1.0928"
· The inside diameter should be .002 less than the outside diameter of the piston pins. This gives adequate press fit. All 8 connecting rods checked out okay versus KB237 pins
Measuring pin diameter
Sunnen honing machine
Prep for big end work. Connecting rod, big end: chamfer inner edges at parting surface, where bearings meet. Ben used a small belt driven emery cloth belt to do this minimal chamfer and take away the sharpness of these edges
Prep: ARP rod bolts installed. Ben used Nugier press
ARP instructions. Note 50'lbs torque, not factory 45 foot pounds
Connecting Rods, caps: Ben Tillman used machine to slightly grind down the parting surface of all 8 rod bearing caps. I then installed the caps on connecting rods with the ARP torque spec of 50 foot-pounds, 9/16 ls, 3/8 TW@50’lbs. (FSM is 45’lbs). Ben is doing 2 at a time. Go Ben!
· Rod Bearings, Clevite CB-527 P Made in USA. wall height (thickness) spec is .062 inch. Ben miked them at .062 inch. Bearing ID is 2.376", giving .001 over standard journal size.
· Sunnen connecting rod honing machine, big end: Ben Tillman used the belt dressing that I procured from Advance Auto on the wide belt for his honing machine. With the belt dressing applied the honing machine was able to turn the hone at a regular rate. Ben Tillman honed the remaining 7 connecting rods. Essentially, connecting rods can go out of round with use. The way to compensate, is to cut down on the Parting Surface of each rod bearing cap to reduce the big end to an undersized journal. Then you use oil spraying on the hone as it turns. Two honing stones within the big end bring it back out to a factory size journal. The process is to hone a little, then use the measuring tool to the upper right to see how much you widened journal ID. Then hone a little more, then measure again, repeating this process until each big end is honed out to factory spec 2.375+bearing thickness/depth .062 inches+clearance .001-.002 inches ID and round. Roundness is checked by measuring diameter when rod held at different clock positions on measuring tool.
1970FuryConv
Old Man with a Hat
Connecting Rods & Pistons
Ben Tillman, checking big end ID
KB Piston Label
· Pistons: Ben Tillman says he only uses hypereutectic on street motors. Forged pistons require too much clearance and have too much rattle. Hypereutectic are better than OEM style cast aluminum in that they are better at dissipating heat. Between better heat dissipation and closer clearances Ben uses them strictly for street engines.
· Pistons: Ben used a caliper to measure the pistons at 4.347 inch: this is good because he needs minimum 0.002” clearance to the cylinder bore, so with boring the cylinder bores out to 4.350 inch we should just have the right clearance for passenger car use. Ben likes the quality of the Keith Black pistons and noted that they have a Teflon coating on the skirts.
· Connecting Rods, heat in vise: Ben Tillman placed each rod in the vise. He heated the little end with acetylene torch to expand beyond .002” of press. On observing the metal, Ben knew when the connecting rod little end was expanded enough to receive the wrist pin/piston pin for the pistons. He held the piston such that the pin holes were in line with the little end of the connecting rod. He pushed the wrist pin through by hand. Then I used Royal Purple synthetic assembly lube to oil each of the wrist pins between the connecting rod and the piston pin ports on either side of the piston. I slid the connecting rod side to side and rotated it back and forth to make sure that the assembly lube went all the way through to the outside of both ports. The assembly lube is red, and you can see it come through. It may take several applications to the inside before it comes all the way through to the outside, but that way you know it’s completely lubricated.
Note. Ben did not want to put the pistons in the press, because he was afraid that he would bend them at the piston pin area. However, a couple of times, he didn’t get a full insert of the piston pin so pin was off-center in the connecting rod. He had to use the press to make adjustment.
Pistons and pins waiting in line
Installed on rods. Looking Good!!!
LY rod casting number. Not same as six-pack rods. LY are lighter and great for street work.
· Connecting rod, straightness: sometimes the connecting rod will bend along the axis of the piston pin/wrist pin, .001 inch or .002 inch. Ben placed the connecting rods in a holding tool, the vise, and used a vertical straight edge and adapter cup that he held against the side of the piston, to see if the piston was true to vertical. If not, he used a long rod through the piston pin, to bend the connecting rod just slightly and bring the piston to vertical. Some connecting rods did not need this procedure, but Ben Tillman checked all of them.
Pistons
· Stock piston and piston pin: 1086 g. on Ben Tillman’s paint mixing scale
· Keith Black piston and piston pin: 1003 g. All weights within one gram of the others. Range 1002.7g to 1003.7g
· Ben called Chris at NAPA Chamberlayne Avenue Richmond, VA, to determine whether we need to balance the assembly. NAPA Chamberlayne has equipment to balance, while Ben Tillman does not.
· Chris at NAPA said that generally, if no problem with crank and rods and pistons lighter than stock, do not need to balance. He’s a mopar man like Ben and he was firm that since the engine had no balance issues when I ran and drove it before tear down and pistons lighter than stock with only 1 gram difference in weight, no need for balance on street motor. I left the $ in my pocket
Ben Tillman, checking big end ID
KB Piston Label
· Pistons: Ben Tillman says he only uses hypereutectic on street motors. Forged pistons require too much clearance and have too much rattle. Hypereutectic are better than OEM style cast aluminum in that they are better at dissipating heat. Between better heat dissipation and closer clearances Ben uses them strictly for street engines.
· Pistons: Ben used a caliper to measure the pistons at 4.347 inch: this is good because he needs minimum 0.002” clearance to the cylinder bore, so with boring the cylinder bores out to 4.350 inch we should just have the right clearance for passenger car use. Ben likes the quality of the Keith Black pistons and noted that they have a Teflon coating on the skirts.
· Connecting Rods, heat in vise: Ben Tillman placed each rod in the vise. He heated the little end with acetylene torch to expand beyond .002” of press. On observing the metal, Ben knew when the connecting rod little end was expanded enough to receive the wrist pin/piston pin for the pistons. He held the piston such that the pin holes were in line with the little end of the connecting rod. He pushed the wrist pin through by hand. Then I used Royal Purple synthetic assembly lube to oil each of the wrist pins between the connecting rod and the piston pin ports on either side of the piston. I slid the connecting rod side to side and rotated it back and forth to make sure that the assembly lube went all the way through to the outside of both ports. The assembly lube is red, and you can see it come through. It may take several applications to the inside before it comes all the way through to the outside, but that way you know it’s completely lubricated.
Note. Ben did not want to put the pistons in the press, because he was afraid that he would bend them at the piston pin area. However, a couple of times, he didn’t get a full insert of the piston pin so pin was off-center in the connecting rod. He had to use the press to make adjustment.
Pistons and pins waiting in line
Installed on rods. Looking Good!!!
LY rod casting number. Not same as six-pack rods. LY are lighter and great for street work.
· Connecting rod, straightness: sometimes the connecting rod will bend along the axis of the piston pin/wrist pin, .001 inch or .002 inch. Ben placed the connecting rods in a holding tool, the vise, and used a vertical straight edge and adapter cup that he held against the side of the piston, to see if the piston was true to vertical. If not, he used a long rod through the piston pin, to bend the connecting rod just slightly and bring the piston to vertical. Some connecting rods did not need this procedure, but Ben Tillman checked all of them.
Pistons
· Stock piston and piston pin: 1086 g. on Ben Tillman’s paint mixing scale
· Keith Black piston and piston pin: 1003 g. All weights within one gram of the others. Range 1002.7g to 1003.7g
· Ben called Chris at NAPA Chamberlayne Avenue Richmond, VA, to determine whether we need to balance the assembly. NAPA Chamberlayne has equipment to balance, while Ben Tillman does not.
· Chris at NAPA said that generally, if no problem with crank and rods and pistons lighter than stock, do not need to balance. He’s a mopar man like Ben and he was firm that since the engine had no balance issues when I ran and drove it before tear down and pistons lighter than stock with only 1 gram difference in weight, no need for balance on street motor. I left the $ in my pocket
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Wow! Impressive. I've never had the opportunity to see any of this. How do you remember all these numbers?
1970FuryConv
Old Man with a Hat
Hastings Label, comes with KB 237 as Keith Black kit
· The top rings have the Chrome Moly coating and look shiny. The lower rings are darker in color and do not have a coating.
· Ring End Gap: we agreed to check all before installing rings on pistons. We agreed to do this in order to avoid ring bind.
· Cylinder bores: Ben told me that he had miked each of them. They were all within .00025 inch of 4.350 inch. Carlos did his job well
· Piston ring and gap: checked all with .016 feeler gage. Both lower compression rings and top compression rings were within spec - slightly wider than minimum spec .013". Check using a piston head to push ring down into cylinder. Check at depth of first ring land.
Ring Compressor
· Piston ring install: Ben installed the oil rings such that the gaps match the ends of the piston pins and were 180° apart. The gap in the spacer between the 2 oil rings faces to the outside of engine, compression side of the cylinder. This matches what the 1970 factory shop manual says. Compression rings: the lower ring is gapped at the compression side of the cylinder, the outside. The top ring is gapped 180° opposite towards the inside of the engine. The rings have a small dot near the gap to tell you which side is up. The side with the dot faces up.
· Piston and connecting rod install: the valve reliefs on the pistons face towards the inside half of the engine. The cylinder numbers stamped on the connecting rods and rod bearing caps face towards the outside of the engine. Ben squirted a little oil on the upward facing part of the rings. Ben used Hastings tool 1670 to compress the piston rings. The tool has a locking gear such that as you squeeze the handles together, the gear locks the compression loop around the rings at the tightest point on the gear. Ben used a wooden hammer handle to gently tap the pistons into the cylinders. Once the top of the piston was clear of the deck of the block, the Hastings tool has a release lever to unlock the gear.
· I asked Ben to let me install one of the pistons, so I could see how the tool worked in my hands. The tool is definitely worth buying. It’s better than any ring compressor I’ve ever used.
Piston heads, valve reliefs correctly oriented
Crankshaft and connecting rods: I put Clevite boots over the rod bolts so they would not damage the rod journals on the crankshaft. I had also wiped the bearing journal on the connecting rod and the connecting rod, clean with rags. I had done the same for the bearings and I installed them the rods and caps. I guided the connecting rod and bearing on to the crank’s rod journal, which we had previously lubed with Royal purple synthetic assembly lube. I made sure to lubricate each rod bolt’s threads with ARP assembly lube. I torqued each nut to 50 foot-pounds, then recheck torque. The ARP spec is 50 foot-pounds, not the factory spec of 45 foot-pounds. Connecting Rod brgs: tabs to outside of block. Cylinder bore number stamped on rod and cap also faces outside of block. Clevite rod bearings have no port for the lube passage at edge of rod. Ben said they did away with this and the oil just squirts out to the side.
Picture #7, after I removed boots and placed cap in position
Lube threads with ARP assembly lube (comes with bolts)
Rod nuts installed at 50 foot pounds, per ARP instructions
· Procedure: We had the cylinder bores for the right side horizontal. We then turned the block 90° on the engine stand, so that the left side was up and horizontal. We installed the connecting rods sequentially in numerical order from front to back. We turned the crankshaft after installing each connecting rod to make sure we had no binding.
· Once we had installed the connecting rods/pistons, we moved the connecting rods at the crankshaft journals towards the front and rear of the engine to make sure that there was a slight amount of play between the 2 rods on the crankshaft rod journal.
All rods installed on crank. Marked with white paint to show torqued 50-50'lbs.
· The top rings have the Chrome Moly coating and look shiny. The lower rings are darker in color and do not have a coating.
· Ring End Gap: we agreed to check all before installing rings on pistons. We agreed to do this in order to avoid ring bind.
· Cylinder bores: Ben told me that he had miked each of them. They were all within .00025 inch of 4.350 inch. Carlos did his job well
· Piston ring and gap: checked all with .016 feeler gage. Both lower compression rings and top compression rings were within spec - slightly wider than minimum spec .013". Check using a piston head to push ring down into cylinder. Check at depth of first ring land.
Ring Compressor
· Piston ring install: Ben installed the oil rings such that the gaps match the ends of the piston pins and were 180° apart. The gap in the spacer between the 2 oil rings faces to the outside of engine, compression side of the cylinder. This matches what the 1970 factory shop manual says. Compression rings: the lower ring is gapped at the compression side of the cylinder, the outside. The top ring is gapped 180° opposite towards the inside of the engine. The rings have a small dot near the gap to tell you which side is up. The side with the dot faces up.
· Piston and connecting rod install: the valve reliefs on the pistons face towards the inside half of the engine. The cylinder numbers stamped on the connecting rods and rod bearing caps face towards the outside of the engine. Ben squirted a little oil on the upward facing part of the rings. Ben used Hastings tool 1670 to compress the piston rings. The tool has a locking gear such that as you squeeze the handles together, the gear locks the compression loop around the rings at the tightest point on the gear. Ben used a wooden hammer handle to gently tap the pistons into the cylinders. Once the top of the piston was clear of the deck of the block, the Hastings tool has a release lever to unlock the gear.
· I asked Ben to let me install one of the pistons, so I could see how the tool worked in my hands. The tool is definitely worth buying. It’s better than any ring compressor I’ve ever used.
Piston heads, valve reliefs correctly oriented
Crankshaft and connecting rods: I put Clevite boots over the rod bolts so they would not damage the rod journals on the crankshaft. I had also wiped the bearing journal on the connecting rod and the connecting rod, clean with rags. I had done the same for the bearings and I installed them the rods and caps. I guided the connecting rod and bearing on to the crank’s rod journal, which we had previously lubed with Royal purple synthetic assembly lube. I made sure to lubricate each rod bolt’s threads with ARP assembly lube. I torqued each nut to 50 foot-pounds, then recheck torque. The ARP spec is 50 foot-pounds, not the factory spec of 45 foot-pounds. Connecting Rod brgs: tabs to outside of block. Cylinder bore number stamped on rod and cap also faces outside of block. Clevite rod bearings have no port for the lube passage at edge of rod. Ben said they did away with this and the oil just squirts out to the side.
Picture #7, after I removed boots and placed cap in position
Lube threads with ARP assembly lube (comes with bolts)
Rod nuts installed at 50 foot pounds, per ARP instructions
· Procedure: We had the cylinder bores for the right side horizontal. We then turned the block 90° on the engine stand, so that the left side was up and horizontal. We installed the connecting rods sequentially in numerical order from front to back. We turned the crankshaft after installing each connecting rod to make sure we had no binding.
· Once we had installed the connecting rods/pistons, we moved the connecting rods at the crankshaft journals towards the front and rear of the engine to make sure that there was a slight amount of play between the 2 rods on the crankshaft rod journal.
All rods installed on crank. Marked with white paint to show torqued 50-50'lbs.
1970FuryConv
Old Man with a Hat
I made notes every day
1970FuryConv
Old Man with a Hat
HEADS
I went with stock 906 iron heads that were on the engine when it was running in my parts car. Reasons
· Freeze Plugs: remove with hammer, punch, needle nose vise grip. Recycle. The 4 freeze plugs that go along the exhaust manifold mounts on the side of the heads are 1.25 inch. The 4 freeze plugs for the end of the heads are 1.00 inch.
88cc open chamber heads
· Pneumatic spring compressor: I removed retainers, keepers, and springs. Cake compared to a manual spring compressor. Nice tool! Recycled springs. Placed retainers and keepers in a box. For the 4 keepers that were sticking, used ball peen hammer and spark plug socket with a sharp rap on each retainer to break the keepers loose from the retainers. Move valves up and down in guides. Felt good. Put back in Ben Tillman’s car.
Back at Ben Tillman's shop
Valves: intake valves removed without difficulty. The stems of several of the exhaust valves were widened at the keeper area. Ben Tillman used a flat file on the keeper grooves, to file them down enough that the exhaust valves would slide out of the head. This was the first sign that the exhaust valves need to be replaced. Ben measured the exhaust valves at the top just below the keeper grooves, which is a low wear area. He generally got .372 inch for this area for the intake and exhaust valves. Then he measured roughly an inch above the valve head. On the intakes, the measurement was still approximately .372. However, for the exhaust, the measurement was .371. The spec is if there is more than .001 inch difference, the valve is too warn to not rattle in the valve guide. We found difference of approximately .00125 inch across all the exhaust valves. We decided to replace all of the exhaust valves.
· Valve keepers: because the exhaust valves were damaged at the valve keepers, we felt that the keepers had also worn. We decided to order a new set of keepers.
· Valve Seals: Ben decided to order a set of the positive valve seals which fit around the top of the valve guide at the top of the head. He does not like the umbrella seals, poor sealing and lack of durability
Umbrella Seals
Positive Valve Seals, Ben Tillman ordered from Liberty Performance
Valve Keepers
Hardened Exhaust Valve seats: Ben Tillman says that these are a must with modern no-lead gas, no matter how few miles you put on your car. He added that the 346 and 452 heads need hardened seats too. He says the factory flame hardened the exhaust seat area for these later heads. Very thin area of hardness.
After I wire wheeled the intakes, they looked almost new. New exhaust valves also pictured.
· Exhaust Valves: SBI 01156
· Cleaning, wire wheel on drill: I cleaned the exterior of the heads. Also used narrow wire wheel in the bowls to clean up the valve seats and the area above the valve seats. I used sandpaper folded around the large metal file to clean up the mounting surfaces for intake and exhaust manifolds. CRC to clean out the valve bowls. Really should have removed the valves at Citizen's and run the heads back thru the cleaning machine.
I went with stock 906 iron heads that were on the engine when it was running in my parts car. Reasons
- Stan @commando1 and others advised in an old thread that there's no proof aluminum heads resist knock any better than properly prepped iron heads and iron costs a lot less
- Gary @Wollfen and I talked on the phone while I was putting together a plan for this engine. He also advised against spending the extra $ for aluminum heads on a street motor.
- Got a kid in college and another about to start, so $ are limited
- These particular 906 heads are incredible, since this pair has original guides and no valve guide wear.
· Freeze Plugs: remove with hammer, punch, needle nose vise grip. Recycle. The 4 freeze plugs that go along the exhaust manifold mounts on the side of the heads are 1.25 inch. The 4 freeze plugs for the end of the heads are 1.00 inch.
88cc open chamber heads
· Pneumatic spring compressor: I removed retainers, keepers, and springs. Cake compared to a manual spring compressor. Nice tool! Recycled springs. Placed retainers and keepers in a box. For the 4 keepers that were sticking, used ball peen hammer and spark plug socket with a sharp rap on each retainer to break the keepers loose from the retainers. Move valves up and down in guides. Felt good. Put back in Ben Tillman’s car.
Back at Ben Tillman's shop
Valves: intake valves removed without difficulty. The stems of several of the exhaust valves were widened at the keeper area. Ben Tillman used a flat file on the keeper grooves, to file them down enough that the exhaust valves would slide out of the head. This was the first sign that the exhaust valves need to be replaced. Ben measured the exhaust valves at the top just below the keeper grooves, which is a low wear area. He generally got .372 inch for this area for the intake and exhaust valves. Then he measured roughly an inch above the valve head. On the intakes, the measurement was still approximately .372. However, for the exhaust, the measurement was .371. The spec is if there is more than .001 inch difference, the valve is too warn to not rattle in the valve guide. We found difference of approximately .00125 inch across all the exhaust valves. We decided to replace all of the exhaust valves.
· Valve keepers: because the exhaust valves were damaged at the valve keepers, we felt that the keepers had also worn. We decided to order a new set of keepers.
· Valve Seals: Ben decided to order a set of the positive valve seals which fit around the top of the valve guide at the top of the head. He does not like the umbrella seals, poor sealing and lack of durability
Umbrella Seals
Positive Valve Seals, Ben Tillman ordered from Liberty Performance
Valve Keepers
Hardened Exhaust Valve seats: Ben Tillman says that these are a must with modern no-lead gas, no matter how few miles you put on your car. He added that the 346 and 452 heads need hardened seats too. He says the factory flame hardened the exhaust seat area for these later heads. Very thin area of hardness.
After I wire wheeled the intakes, they looked almost new. New exhaust valves also pictured.
· Exhaust Valves: SBI 01156
· Cleaning, wire wheel on drill: I cleaned the exterior of the heads. Also used narrow wire wheel in the bowls to clean up the valve seats and the area above the valve seats. I used sandpaper folded around the large metal file to clean up the mounting surfaces for intake and exhaust manifolds. CRC to clean out the valve bowls. Really should have removed the valves at Citizen's and run the heads back thru the cleaning machine.
1970FuryConv
Old Man with a Hat
Head stands are nice for cleaning
Bowls look OK
· Seat and Guide Machine: Rogers Machine Company, Bay City, Michigan
· Valve Guides, cut for positive valve seals: Ben Tillman used a level mounted in the valve guides and then swiveled the cradle on the seat and guide machine to assure that each valve guide was vertical. He installed chuck in the machine to hold the cutter. Ben Tillman used a cutter that would cut down the exterior of the valve guides to .530 inch outer diameter. The cutter also had a built-in piece that allowed him to take .200 inch off the top of each valve guide and create more valve lift clearance.
Cradle adjuster
Cut on the RMC Seat and Guide Machine
Seat and Guide Machine
Valve seats: Rogers Machine Company, Bay City Michigan, seat and guide machine. Flip the heads over such that the valve seats could be accessed. Ben used a level to make sure that the valve guides were vertical.
Bowls look OK
· Seat and Guide Machine: Rogers Machine Company, Bay City, Michigan
· Valve Guides, cut for positive valve seals: Ben Tillman used a level mounted in the valve guides and then swiveled the cradle on the seat and guide machine to assure that each valve guide was vertical. He installed chuck in the machine to hold the cutter. Ben Tillman used a cutter that would cut down the exterior of the valve guides to .530 inch outer diameter. The cutter also had a built-in piece that allowed him to take .200 inch off the top of each valve guide and create more valve lift clearance.
Cradle adjuster
Cut on the RMC Seat and Guide Machine
Seat and Guide Machine
Valve seats: Rogers Machine Company, Bay City Michigan, seat and guide machine. Flip the heads over such that the valve seats could be accessed. Ben used a level to make sure that the valve guides were vertical.
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