| RE:Engine is done, now it runs, what next? |
Subject: RE:Engine is done, now it runs, what next? by JAKE266 on 2008/2/21 21:16:21 I'm running ARPs head bolts on the 388 I built last spring and didn't retorque them. I did go over them all several times before buttoning up the engine for installation. I waited about 24 hours before I went through them for the last time. That allows the head gaskets to take any "set", just as with the intake manifold gaskets. I used a stretch gauge on the rod bolts rather than relying on torque; stretch is much more accurate. Be careful about over-torquing the head bolts! Use the procedure and spec ARP recommends to prevent distorting the cylinder walls with too much torque. If you measure the bore diameter both before and with the heads are bolted on you'll see the walls move due to the head bolt torque, That's why blocks are bored and honed with torque plates in place. They'll measure out of round with no head bolted on, but round with the heads in place. I use Permatex #2 thread sealant- that dark brown really gooey stuff - and because of how it works, I wasn't concerned about breaking any seal it provides. I built the engine in Park Forest, Illinois and after a 100 miles or so of both street and shorts stints on the Interstate, I headed for Dallas. The only problem I've had since the build was a stuck closed thermostat a month or so after I arrived in TX. I went with a Fail-Safe model to prevent that problem in the future. When the stat failed in the closed position, the engine got as hot at 260F before I was able to make it home. Even at that temp, no damage resulted. Even after a year from the stat failure, engine is still as tight as Dick's Hat Band. Jake |
