[Pops @ Tri-5.com]

Been building the L31-R engine up...Have had some questions along the way....One was on the intake manifold gaskets:http://www.trifive.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142985, one on the distributor:http://www.trifive.com/forums/showthread.php?t=143176 and another on the pulley alignment:http://www.trifive.com/forums/showthread.php?t=143240

Also, I've spent a ton of time looking for the parts that I knew I had....First it was the distributor, then the Stewart HP waterpump, and then it was the Edelbrock Q-jet RPM intake manifold....I'll start looking for the carburetor tonight...So. I don't waste time tomorrow.

After finding some brass plugs at the hardware store, I was able to get the waterpump on today....However, I then had to find a machine shop to enlarge the pulley hole from 5/8" to 3/4" for the special HP pomp, so it would fit....While the pulley was at the machine shop, I located the intake manifold and got it bolted down.....Had a bunch of little goodies to find and bolt on to it.

Doesn't sound like much....But, things are progressing inch by inch.

 

[Rustaddict]

It's looking good :tu

 

[zbad55]

I like I Pop's, looking good, slow and steady

 

[Pops @ Tri-5.com]

Got my water pump pulley back from the machinist this morning....Asked him how much.....He said five or ten bucks....It was my first tine there, so I gave him ten....He has a regular customer now....The pulley's fit was perfect and so was the alignment with the crank pulley :tu

One thing I didn't like was how close the water pump was to the timing chain cover....Even with two gaskets there was a slight pressure there....Hopefully, it won't be a problem....I could shim it out a little.....However, then I would have to deal with pulley mis-alignment problems.....So, will turn it over by hand and make sure nothing is going on there, before start-up.

 

[fifties-forever]

Lookin really good Pops!

 

[Lloyd's 55 R.I.P 7-10-2016]

SLICK. :tu:bowtier:

 

[Hafrod]

Looks like you got some big work done. Your probably good now but in case you need them, Speedway sells shims for water pump and crank pulleys. Gotta love Chevy engine orange :tu

 

[ETriggs]

+1 on the shims from Speedway. I bought one of the triangular ones from them to better align the crank pulley as it was a touch off.


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[Pops @ Tri-5.com]

Probably too late now, but I'm thinking of revisiting the water pump to timing cover clearance issue.....Kinda' nags on me a bit, knowing it ain't perfect....We'll see....Maybe I should leave well enough alone and not create another snowball.

In the mean time, I scrounged-up a set of rams horn exhaust manifolds....At first, I had a functional heat riser on the right manifold.....Then I remembered about the intake gaskets with the heat passage block-off.....So, I found a heat riser that I had taken the guts out of....Also, I will be putting some mufflers on this one since it will be the first time it has been fired-up....Found some old exhaust pipes around that I'll be using.....The reason I say old is because these exhaust pipes have been with me, since the 60's, when I had one of my first V-8 TriFives.

Sometimes being a hoarder like I am is a blessing, and sometimes it is a curse.

 

[Pops @ Tri-5.com]

Looks like you got some big work done. Your probably good now but in case you need them, Speedway sells shims for water pump and crank pulleys.

The shimming I need to do is between the water pump and the block.....So, it won't be squashing my timing chain cover......Thinking back on what caused the problem, I have to blame the Edelbrock two-piece timing chain cover for causing the problem....It has a spacer piece between it and the block.

As far as I can tell, they don't make any shims for what I need.....Only thing I can find is spacers that are 3/8" http://www.summitracing.com/parts/a...rBRCl-aa97pKX_t8BEiQAbrs_9BAcVBueNj0F6Qj979_2zNcxT7-gVdqryJ95kEaTxSUaAv9t8P8HAQ and pulley shims http://www.summitracing.com/parts/a...rBRCl-aa97pKX_t8BEiQAbrs_9MISCYotpcHpow7dpK1DIHy2c6hEUZNBzMPrvvnnU8saApYC8P8HAQ So, I would have to make my own.

 

[nad427]

The shimming I need to do is between the water pump and the block.....So, it won't be squashing my timing chain cover......

That's one of the reasons I like the long pumps so much. Another is that I like the look of a cool timing cover, the short pumps on both the SB's and BB's don't allow the cover to be seen much.

 

[Pops @ Tri-5.com]

Probably too late now, but I'm thinking of revisiting the water pump to timing cover clearance issue.....Kinda' nags on me a bit, knowing it ain't perfect....We'll see....Maybe I should leave well enough alone and not create another snowball.

I believe that I have found the source of my problem....The two-piece Elbrock timing cover (#4242) uses a shim between the block and the cover....The shim is just enough to cause an interferance problem with the Stewart short water pump.

Way back, when I was ordering parts for this motor, I missed this note:

INSTALLATION NOTE: #4242 (timing chain cover) will fit with Edelbrock short water pump.

Shame on me....However, a WARNINING saying that this this timing chain cover would not fit with other water pumps would have got my attention better....Oh well, live and learn

Here's their water pump:http://www.summitracing.com/parts/EDL-8810

 

[Big Bob]

Hey Pops,that hi-rise aluminum intake looks good and lets the carb sit up high. Is that a Weiand intake? Anyways,after you install the air cleaner atop,will it have enough clearance so the carb lid cover doesn't rub to the hood after its closed? The engine build up is looking good,press on. :tu :tu :shakehands: :bowtieb:

 

[Pops @ Tri-5.com]

Hey Pops,that hi-rise aluminum intake looks good and lets the carb sit up high. Is that a Weiand intake? Anyways,after you install the air cleaner atop,will it have enough clearance so the carb lid cover doesn't rub to the hood after its closed?

That's an Eldebrock Q-Jet RPM...Thanks for watching out for me Bob....However, I have the hood to air cleaner problem solved already :sign0020:

 

[nad427]

That's an Eldebrock Q-Jet RPM...Thanks for watching out for me Bob....However, I have the hood to air cleaner problem solved already :sign0020:

Right, HA!

 

[Pops @ Tri-5.com]

Well, its been a while since I updated tis thread....So, here goes:

Found my nice, professionally rebuilt Quadrajet carburetor and got it bolted on.....Then I had to deal with some choke linkage problems, due to the Q-Jet RPM manifold differences...See link:http://www.trifive.com/forums/showthread.php?t=143594

Then I got the exhaust manifolds and exhaust bolted on....The mufflers were some that came off my 55 that were too loud.....The exhaust pipes, believe it or not were off from one of my first trifives in the 60's

The next area of concern was my pushrod length....I had never done this before, because all I had ever built before were bone stock engines....This one was an L31-R block, Lunati cam, and old school fuelie heads....I started a thread http://www.trifive.com/forums/showthread.php?t=144132 on the subject and received some great input from our members

 

[nad427]

Rocker scrub mark looks about as perfect as a guy could wish for. It's good you checked though, just so you know where it stood. There's a ton of variables that can affect the alignment.

 

[Don Thompson]

Nice job!

 

[mickeywestsr]

that is really cool looking ... :congrats:
Cowboy :flag6:
:gba:
bowtie-trifive

 

[Pops @ Tri-5.com]

Primed the oil system with this nice tool that was recommended on the site http://www.summitracing.com/parts/pro-66896/overview/ It has They a bushing to pressurize the valve train....Worked like a champ....However, I never realized it took so long....First two push rods to get oil were those for #7....From there the oil pressure progressed right down the line: #5, #3, #1....Then around to #2, #4, #6. and finally #8.....I didn't clock it, however, seemed to take a good five minutes of spinning....Now I understand how important pre-oiling is.

Next, it was time to drop in the distributor....Spun the engine over till it blew my finger off the #1 spark plug hole.....Just like my dad taught me 50 years ago....Took the rotor and aligned it with where #1 would be on the distributor cap and aligned the oil pump rod to mate with the distributor....After some fiddling with it, the distributor finally dropped into where I wanted it to.

Got the coil and spark plug wiring done, electric fuel pump installed, and the fluids topped off....I'm using Valvoline VR-1, 10W-30 organic plus a 1/2 quart of Lucas break-in lube.