Started assembling my 350 Chevy.

The past few nights I have been assembling the 350 Chevy engine that I have had sitting in the shop for a while. I had my machinist go through it all and do the normal stuff like line boring, decking, honing, etc. I also had the heads done.

Tonight I slipped in the cam and when I went to put the timing set on it had slack in it, even though it is brand new. The reason is, I had the engine line bored and that sometimes changes the distance between the crank and cam, so you need a shorter timing chain to compensate.

I called Summit and ordered a set that is .005 shorter and a set that is .010 shorter.........one of those should work and I will return the one I don't need. I had to do that one time on a 302 Ford I had line bored, so it is a common problem.

Just thought I would pass this along in case someone else ever runs into this. Most companies, like Cloyes, make sets that are shorter just for this reason.

Don

Here is where I am right now on the engine:



And in this picture you can see the slop in the timing chain:

Which build gets this one Don? [S

choppinczech said:

Which build gets this one Don? [S

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Well, the original intent was to use it in my 46, which I plan on doing as a daily driver sort of car, but the more I look at this motor the more I keep thinking "lets go racing." I really got the bug to build a little drag altered when I ran my 27 at the Billetproof Drags a couple of years ago, and I have a lot of the needed parts to build one, so , call me crazy, but I think I will buy a basic crate 350 for the 46 and use this one for the drag car.

Too many good race parts came with this motor when I bought it, like forged pistons, World Product heads, an air gap intake with 750 DP carb, SFI approved flexplate, MSD Distributor and box, and Fluid Damper balancer, plus an electric water pump and 7 quart pan, to not use it for what it was originally intended.

While my Olds engine is being machined I need something to keep me occupied, and I have started setting aside some parts I have already, like a 4 inch dropped tube axle, 40 spindles, a brand new Moon tank, a B &M TH350 transmission, and lots of little parts. All I would have to do is buy a fiberglass T body at Turkey Run in November, build a simple ladder frame, and then let my Son Dan build me a proper cage for it. I figure with a little work I could get it into the 10's (maybe, hopefully )

I know the worst thing a person can do is to start one project before another one is done, but I have A.D.D when it comes to cars.

This is what I sort of have in mind to build:




Don

Yesterday my two shorter timing chains arrived from Summit and I first put the one on that was .005 shorter. There was still a lot of slop in the setup, so I then installed the one that is .010 shorter. There was STILL a lot of slop in the chain !

So I ran out to Advance Auto and picked up a brand new Comp Cam timing set and right out of the package it fit perfectly ! Evidently, the problem was NOT that my engine was line bored it was that my brand new timing setup had something wrong with it that even short timing chains couldn't fix. All those parts will be going back to Summit for credit.

I ran into this many years ago, putting a 302 Ford together. I put on a brand new timing set and there was a lot of slop in the chain. I ordered another new one, but a better brand, and it fit great. There seems to be a lot of differences in timing sets and you have to be careful. Something that should be so simple turned out to not be so easy.

My schedule at work has changed the last two weeks and I have had Saturday off, so today I am going to get the heads put on and maybe the intake too.

Don

I can't imagine how they determine 0.005" or 0.010" operational difference in length on a chain that long. If everything is held that close then the sprockets would have to compensate for the differences as well.

Interesting Don.
The last SBC that I rebuilt was lined bored and I had no problem with timing chain slack.
Sometimes I think that auto parts are like buying T-shirts. The cheaper the t-shirt the worse it fits. [S
Engine is looking good and it sounds like you need to scratch that itch I call the "need for speed".
Torchie.

klink said:

I can't imagine how they determine 0.005" or 0.010" operational difference in length on a chain that long. If everything is held that close then the sprockets would have to compensate for the differences as well.

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Yeah, not sure how they do it, but Cloyes, and others, sell undersize chains for just that purpose. On the 302 Ford I had it really made a difference, but on this 350 I saw no difference at all.

Torchie, I got it all buttoned up the other night. I left the roller rockers loose so I don't weaken the valve springs while it sits, and I am going to prelube it then cover it up until I get the car built. I agree about the cheap parts vs good ones, the Comp Cam timing set fit like it should vs the old one that was really sloppy.

Don

I've gone as far in assembling the 350 as I can for now, so it is all wrapped in plastic and waiting for me to build a chassis for the car. Today I put the preluber on it and circulated oil and Lucas Break in Additive throughout the block, and up to the rockers, and got 40 psi with a slow turning drill. I have my Holley 750 boxed up and will ship it to All American Carburetor Monday to have them rework it.

Nothing more will happen until I get back from Turkey Run at Thanksgiving, because I plan to buy a fiberglass body and some of the other pieces I need to build the altered. I would love to find a Bantam roadster body, but I will probably have to settle for a T bucket body, but that is ok. They are a little roomier anyway for the cage and all.

Here is where the engine ended up tonight before I stored it away.

Don

Looks real nice, Don. Looking forward to the build of the Attered.

bob w said:

Looks real nice, Don. Looking forward to the build of the Attered.

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What he said x2[cl

bob w said:

Looks real nice, Don. Looking forward to the build of the Attered.

Click to expand...

soltz said:

What he said x2[cl

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X's 3 [P
Torchie.