Building my engine

[wachuko]

What is re-shim the head??

Just making sure the clearances are at spec. ie around 17 thou intake and I believe 18-19 exhaust with stock cams.
With the duel carbs, ever entertain re camming the head? Perhaps Randy could offer some insight there as I'm still kinda new to this compared to others and have delt with FI engines only so far.
Regardless sounds/looks like you'll have a great car when all sorted.
Chris

Cool. I have a box full of new shims

[wachuko]

Don't want these questions to be forgotten:

1. What do they mean by balancing the engine? What is the typical cost of doing that for this engine? Does it means making sure all piston and connecting rods weight the same? Any changes to the crankshaft? Unsure what it means or the cost. Do I just take the block to the machine shop and they will know?

2. Looks like I should also add to the list an aluminum flywheel or lightened and balance the stock unit. I need to see what would be less expensive. I have a new clutch kit, stock unit, that I will install to this. Great articleFlywheel Lightening – Doing It Right

3. I have seen a few photos with the oil filler cap on the front instead of the back. Is that just a swap of the valve covers (left to right, right to left)?

4. If I take the engine apart, can I reuse the head bolts/nuts? Or those are one time use bolts/nuts?

[mdrburchette]

I would definitely go through the entire engine. If you don't kno how long it sat without being properly maintained, you will want to make sure the oiling ports in the crankshaft are free and clear of gunk. I'm pretty sure that's why I'm sitting on a 1608 with spun bearings after 4 laps on the racetrack.
When the balance an engine, the machine shop makes sure each piece (pullies, flywheel, crankshaft, etc) is balanced as a whole unit so it cuts down on vibration and excessive wear. It helps performance since parts aren't wobbling around and throwing everything off balance. Lightening the flywheel will help with revving quickly, but remember, the weight also aids in coasting or driving down the highway. I have a custom flywheel on my 72 and it's a rev happy little bugger, but I have to keep the gas pedal depressed cause the sucker doesn't have the inertia it used to to keep the engine turning.
It would ba a good thing to have the cylinders honed, jut to make sure they are clean and true. You can reuse the pistons and rods if you like, unless your block needs bored, but definitely get new rings and bearings. Also buy new rod bolts. These things have to be torqued and they will stretch! Head bolts should be good, just make sure you clean them up real nice and chase the threads in the head and block. Decking the block a little will give you a better compression ratio with little money. check the other thread talking about squish. You can rework the head and knock some of the casting marks off. It will help with flow. A valve regrind would also be nice, along with new valve seals. If you wanted a little more umph out of those carbs, you can go with bigger cams, such as 40/80s or 42/82s.

[wachuko]

I would definitely go through the entire engine.

When the balance an engine, the machine shop makes sure each piece (pullies, flywheel, crankshaft, etc) is balanced as a whole unit so it cuts down on vibration and excessive wear. It helps performance since parts aren't wobbling around and throwing everything off balance.

Lightening the flywheel will help with revving quickly, but remember, the weight also aids in coasting or driving down the highway. I have a custom flywheel on my 72 and it's a rev happy little bugger, but I have to keep the gas pedal depressed cause the sucker doesn't have the inertia it used to to keep the engine turning.

It would be a good thing to have the cylinders honed, jut to make sure they are clean and true. You can reuse the pistons and rods if you like, unless your block needs bored, but definitely get new rings and bearings. Also buy new rod bolts. These things have to be torqued and they will stretch!

Decking the block a little will give you a better compression ratio with little money. check the other thread talking about squish.

You can rework the head and knock some of the casting marks off. It will help with flow.

A valve regrind would also be nice, along with new valve seals.

If you wanted a little more umph out of those carbs, you can go with bigger cams, such as 40/80s or 42/82s.

OK. Based on the feedback this puppy is coming apart completely. Thank you.

Zero decking the block is machining the surface of the block ( where the head meets the block ) to have zero clearance with the piston at top dead center. Or in common terms...... the piston is the exact same height as the block when the piston is all the way up. Got it.

Squish thread - Head gasket squish?

[wachuko]

Do I disassemble the pistons from the connecting rods? Trying to determine if I also need new piston pin bushings, pins, and pin keepers?

So far I have:

Main Bearing Set - (SKU 56-2662.std) - 38.05
Piston Ring Set - (SKU 56-7645.std) - 55.50
Rod Bearing Set - (SKU 56-2661.std) - 24.50
Rod Bolt - (SKU 56-8697) - 14.85 * 8 = 118.80
Rod Nut - (SKU 56-8622) - 7.95 * 4 = 63.60
Gasket Set Complete - (SKU 40-4356) - 57.95 (Have it)
Water Pump - (SKU 11-9389) - 43.80 (Have it)
Timing Belt - (SKU 03-6639) - 17.85 (Have it)
Tensioner Bearing - (SKU 02-4303) - 37.95 (Have it)
Freeze Plug Kit - (SKU 11-1600) - $12.00

Valve Guide - (SKU 14-4608) - 4.55 * 8 = 36.40
Stem Seals Valve - (SKU 14-7615) - 1.50 * 8 = 12.00

Machine shop work for honing the cylinders, balance engine, lightening and balancing the flywheel - $$??

Exhaust System - 1,500.00
Dual Carburetor Setup (intake/Empi carb/air cleaner/sync adapter) - 1,100.00
Distributorless Ignition - 550.00

[majicwrench]

If all you are really after is a cool sound and good looks, I would skip the balancing. THe engine is balanced from the factory. And I am not a Fiat expert, but I rebuild a LOT of engines and see no point in changing the rod bolts. Lightened flywheel?? For what you want I do not see the point. Deck the block...ya you could, lots of things you could do, the list just goes on and on. I wouldn't bother cutting the deck. I would put in rings and bearing, take head to a good shop and get valve grind. Put it together and have fun with it.
Get a ridge reamer and cut the ridge out of cylinder COMPLETELY before removing pistons.

[maytag]

Squish thread - Head gasket squish?

Squish is about the area around the perimeter of the piston that comes closest to the head at TDC. it is vital in keeping volumetric efficiency high. ideally, the "squished" area will be as close to being in contact as possible, without actually smacking. This is a place to not make mistakes....

the "squished" thickness of your head gasket certainly places a key part in this, but it is only 1 of several factors. Others being the CH of your piston, the shape of the chamber, and the profile of any dome / dish you may have.

Also: balancing the rotating mass should cost you very little at any good machine shop. (less than $100) You can match-balance your rod / piston assemblies yourself, and then take one set to them so they know what to balance the crank to. This motor is internally balanced, so assuming your flywheel and front hub are "zero-balanced" (they should be) you don't need to take those to your machinist. But you may have them check it for you anyway.

[mdrburchette]

but I rebuild a LOT of engines and see no point in changing the rod bolts. .

Majicwrench, believe me, buying new rod bolts is good insurance, especially when you're torqueing them down and find one of them giving way. We didn't see a need in them either, but found out the hard way.

[wachuko]

...You can match-balance your rod / piston assemblies yourself, and then take one set to them so they know what to balance the crank to...

Thank you for your comments.

When it gets to that... where do I remove material from? Since I will not be disassembling the connecting rods from the piston heads I am guessing it will all come from the rods... but where to take any material away from them to do the balance?

[spiderrey]

Id have to agree with doing the little extras. They pay off in the long run. My engine was built to Guy Crofts fast road specs. That involved balancing everything including the clutch. Everyone has an opinion, I try and follow opinions from people who are tops in thier field with years of experience. I dont see the point in cutting corners when chances are Im gonna end up paying later. I also turn flywheels everytime I replace a clutch. What is taken off is insignificant.

[wachuko]

If all you are really after is a cool sound and good looks, I would skip the balancing. THe engine is balanced from the factory. And I am not a Fiat expert, but I rebuild a LOT of engines and see no point in changing the rod bolts. Lightened flywheel?? For what you want I do not see the point. Deck the block...ya you could, lots of things you could do, the list just goes on and on. I wouldn't bother cutting the deck. I would put in rings and bearing, take head to a good shop and get valve grind. Put it together and have fun with it.
Get a ridge reamer and cut the ridge out of cylinder COMPLETELY before removing pistons.

You reminded me to add the valve guides and seals. Good point, I will check for any ridge in the cylinders before removing the pistons. Thank you!

[wachuko]

Id have to agree with doing the little extras. They pay off in the long run. My engine was built to Guy Crofts fast road specs. That involved balancing everything including the clutch. Everyone has an opinion, I try and follow opinions from people who are tops in their field with years of experience. I don't see the point in cutting corners when chances are I'm gonna end up paying later. I also turn flywheels every time I replace a clutch. What is taken off is insignificant.

Also, part is just having fun doing all this.

I will have the machine shop balance the flywheel and resurface it. I will take the doc from Miller's Mule and see if they can shave a few pounds from it as well. Do the head (replace valve guides and seals). Hone the cylinders, etc. If balancing is less than 100.00 I might just close my eyes and have them do that as well.

I need to ask around for recommendations of a good machine shop here in Orlando, FL.

[maytag]

When it gets to that... where do I remove material from? Since I will not be disassembling the connecting rods from the piston heads I am guessing it will all come from the rods... but where to take any material away from them to do the balance?

Rod / piston assemblies have weight in two categories: Reciprocating = piston and small-end of rod, and rotating = big end of rod.
Both are important in getting the balance correct.
I have never tried (nor heard of anyone else doing so) to balance the small end, complete with the piston. Normal practice is to get the rods as close to each other as they can be, and the pistons as well, and then assembling "matched" pairs.

Having said that, I see no reason you couldn't get reasonable results by balancing them assembled. The issue may be finding a place to remove material to wich access is not blocked by the rod / pin. (Typically, material is removed from the "landing" at the top of the rod, and from the fat bosses on the underside of the pistons.)

The DIY method is to create a freely-rotating fixture with a fixed height between the mounting and a digital scale. I've always tried to get the top of my mounting fixture level with the top of the unweighted scale, but I'm not sure that matters, as long as each rod is measured at the exact same mounting vs height relationship. Allow the free end of the rod to lay on the scale, not the weight. Do the same with ALL of them, and then balace to the lightest one.
then turn it around and weigh the other end of the rod the same way.
theorhetically, you'll come up with assemblies that not only weigh the same (in total) but which carry their weight in the same places.

[BEEK]

My humble recommendation for you:

1. Disassemble and clean everything.
2. head: big valve, port and polish, replace springs, 42/ 82 billet cams
3. 9.8-1 pistons, 0 deck height the block, balance the rotating assy, aluminum flywheel, crank pulley and cam gears from Jason. Total seal rings.
4. (2) 40 idf Weber’s. My personal recommendation is Weber’s not empi
5. Marks header, a 2 ½ “exhaust out the rear with muffler of your choice.
6. Ignition of your choice, myself I use the stock marelli dist and an msd box, but that’s me.
7. And all of the normal rebuild parts, rod and main bearings, oil pump, water pump ect..

And the next time you see my spider that’s what will be under the hood of it for the most part. I’m using the ansa header, because I’m cheap, and have it, and a plex distributor and a hotter cam.

[mdrburchette]

hey Beek, you're close to Wachuka. Do you have any machine shop recommendations for him?