Engine block with pistons and connecting rods, plus a cylinder h…

With a 0.303 nch overture and 0.025 inch removed from the cylinder head snrtace. the deep-dish Silv-U-Litz pistons produce a stair: compression ratio at 9.45:1. them quickly without slamming the valve on the seat too hard. The Comp Cams XTreme Energy #268 camshaft employs new reduced overlap technolo- gy. which is just the ticket for a smooth idle. and maximum power/torque between 2.000 and 5.200r1nn. (See speer ieation comparison elsewhere in Lhis article.) The 268-degree camshaft lls the cylinders fast and lets them build pressure as if the engine had 11.511 Compression. if passing the smog test is important. this type of camshaft will also be clean when it comes to the fter. The Comp Cams kit comes complete with a timing set, lifters, springs. retainers. locks and the camshaft. Sheldust C ankshaft & Engine in Pacheco. California, took the clunker apart and checked its dimensions. They also cleaned and inspected the block and heads prior to machine work. 'lhen we got the damage report: The oil rings were locked solid in the piston grooves. live cam lobes were at. and several guides were worn to death. Reasons enough why the engine mustered only 65 wounded ponies on the dyno. 0n the positive side. the block was perfectly sound anrl would clean up with the 0.030 overbore. Sheldust measured the block from the center of Lhe main beating saddles to the outside corners of the deck and discovered a 0.015viuch difference between the largcst and smallest measurements. That required decking both sides of the block at the head- mounting surface. The main saddles were Straight. so the block wasn't alignrbored or ~honecl, savingv us $125. , icldusl bored the block 0.024 inch and nish-honed it to 0.030 inch using Very ne stones to assure a good ring seal Next, we got into the act with a die grinder. abrasive rolls, and a couple of carbide burrs to match the g shots to the intake and exhaust port well as the intake manifold. We also cleaned up At $125-$175. 3 standard threa-anale valve ion is money in the bank. It you lap the wives and assemble the heads yourself. you can save $50. the combustion chambers and relieved a little of the rough casting behind the ex7 haust valve. While none of this delivers a dumptrurk-toad of torque. t does help promote a broader torque curve. instead of using tube headers (that would have been too easy). we spent more than if) hours opening up the Stock exhaust manifolds. If we were going to use headers, we would have se lected a tri-Y design known for making torque. Sheltlust installed new eastriron valve Kuides because they don't wear the valve stem like bronze silicon guides do. Moreover. c ' iron guides are best for the street with unleaded fuel and are far less costly. A three~angle valve job is simple to implement and yields -xcel lent results. And at an average price of $125-$175. it's a good value. if you as- semble the heads yourself. you save about $50. You can also lap in the valves by hand before assembly and get a bet: tcr seat seal. We added stainless-steel valves to the recipe: they cost $150 but are lighter than the storkers and will hold a seal longer. To clean it up. the crankshaft was turned (mitt/0.010 inch undersize. leave ing the standard t'Illct radius on Lhe sides of each journal. We polished the jourr nals, and the grinder chamt'ered the oil hole. at no extra charge. Considering its prime function, we decided not to bale ance the re prncating assembly and saved another $175 We ke )t $150 more. in our pocket by using pro slit wristpins rather than the fullrlloatinjz type, Once the pins are pressed in (with the rod end redrlmt). they stay in place and never work themselves into the cylinder walls. The Media}: oil pump was a button af fair. Thi- pickup was adjusted 1 inch from the bottom ofa Canton 8rqurt oil pan. Puttin It All Tbgether Assembly was straightforward. We installed the camshaft rst to make sure it spun freely. (We prefer to turn the