1974 Camaro Z28
Discussion
Called in at the works on my way home from the studio and the boys have really cracked on in my absence!
The bottom end looks in really good nick, no unusual marks or scoring and with the bits of adhesive in there I'd say either the block has never been apart, or if it has then the builder did a very tidy job.
A bit rough balancing the crank but apparently Chevy are notorious for it!
The main reason for this being apart though is to replace the rear main seal which was a really straightforward job at this stage.
The bottom end looks in really good nick, no unusual marks or scoring and with the bits of adhesive in there I'd say either the block has never been apart, or if it has then the builder did a very tidy job.
A bit rough balancing the crank but apparently Chevy are notorious for it!
The main reason for this being apart though is to replace the rear main seal which was a really straightforward job at this stage.
Really good progress made on the engine today, starting off with getting it buttoned back up.
Fancy FelPro one-piece gasket for the sump.
With the sump back on, it was time to turn the engine and remove the intake.
Unfortunately we had to stop after a quick inspection as we're waiting on a pair of head gaskets.
So with everything back on, it was time to degrease the block.
With that done, into the paint room and start masking.
All ready for paint:
Rick putting on the first coat:
Me putting on the second coat:
Really happy with where it's at:
Fancy FelPro one-piece gasket for the sump.
With the sump back on, it was time to turn the engine and remove the intake.
Unfortunately we had to stop after a quick inspection as we're waiting on a pair of head gaskets.
So with everything back on, it was time to degrease the block.
With that done, into the paint room and start masking.
All ready for paint:
Rick putting on the first coat:
Me putting on the second coat:
Really happy with where it's at:
Jhonno said:
2 piece rear main seal?
I saw Derek at Vice Grip say the best way to do those is not to line the joins up with the join in the sump iirc.. He turns them slightly to prevent leaking if that makes sense?
Yeah - the seal that came off was in good nick and we actually think the reason it was leaking is because they were lined up, so we've done exactly that when putting it back together. I saw Derek at Vice Grip say the best way to do those is not to line the joins up with the join in the sump iirc.. He turns them slightly to prevent leaking if that makes sense?
Well, a couple of days curing and the engine is out of the paint booth:
With the head gaskets arriving, it was time to whip the heads off and inspect the block. I actually couldnt be around for this bit so these are photos from Ricks phone:
The result was a lot of carbon build-up and a bent rod. The carbon build-up makes sense; the car was running so rich when I bought it that you couldn't even stand near it at idle. The rod is a little more confusing, there's a witness mark about half way up that shows an impact. First job was to clean some of the carbon off the pistons, they came up really nicely!
This also revealed two interesting things. Firstly, there are some small impact marks on the top of piston 5. Secondly, the serials on the pistons suggest (on initial googling) they are forged, although I'll do some more digging.
Ben at EDA kindly supplied a replacement rod too.
The ancillaries have all been powder-coated now too:
Time to throw in some new plugs and oil, then the engine is off to EDA for the dyno tuning. While that's being fettled, the headers are in for ceramic coating too.
With the head gaskets arriving, it was time to whip the heads off and inspect the block. I actually couldnt be around for this bit so these are photos from Ricks phone:
The result was a lot of carbon build-up and a bent rod. The carbon build-up makes sense; the car was running so rich when I bought it that you couldn't even stand near it at idle. The rod is a little more confusing, there's a witness mark about half way up that shows an impact. First job was to clean some of the carbon off the pistons, they came up really nicely!
This also revealed two interesting things. Firstly, there are some small impact marks on the top of piston 5. Secondly, the serials on the pistons suggest (on initial googling) they are forged, although I'll do some more digging.
Ben at EDA kindly supplied a replacement rod too.
The ancillaries have all been powder-coated now too:
Time to throw in some new plugs and oil, then the engine is off to EDA for the dyno tuning. While that's being fettled, the headers are in for ceramic coating too.
An early start for Rick getting the engine over to Engine Data Analysis (EDA) in Castleford.
If you haven't heard of EDA before, they're a pretty big deal. They've built race V8s for all sorts of cars over the last 20 years, from balls-out drag cars (Bens own 'pop runs in the 8s) to heritage GT40s. Their unassuming unit is an Aladdins cave for petrol-heads:
It seems like every room has a race-built V8 tucked away.
By comparison, my 350 is very much a run-of-the mill job, so I really appreciated the time they took to fit me in.
They were also very accommodating in letting us feel as involved as we could in the process.
Unfortunately, I couldn't stay for the tuning as I had another job so left the engine in Bens very capable hands.
If you haven't heard of EDA before, they're a pretty big deal. They've built race V8s for all sorts of cars over the last 20 years, from balls-out drag cars (Bens own 'pop runs in the 8s) to heritage GT40s. Their unassuming unit is an Aladdins cave for petrol-heads:
It seems like every room has a race-built V8 tucked away.
By comparison, my 350 is very much a run-of-the mill job, so I really appreciated the time they took to fit me in.
They were also very accommodating in letting us feel as involved as we could in the process.
Unfortunately, I couldn't stay for the tuning as I had another job so left the engine in Bens very capable hands.
I'd been getting fairly regular updates throughout the day. When it was making oil pressure, when it was starting to make power, what adjustments they were making. It was very difficult to concentrate on work! I headed over to the unit as soon as I could. When I opened the door, there was a lot of commotion and a room full of sullen faces. There had obviously been some sort of incident and a few of the guys who worked there were huddled over in the dyno cell. It never even occurred to me that this could be related to my engine, but eventually the crowd parted and Ben walked out with this wrapped in a towel:
I was absolutely heart-broken. I was gutted for Rick as much as myself, with all the work he's put in to get the block ready for his deadline. I was dreading breaking the news to my other half and then I turned round to look at Mule who couldn't hide his smirk any longer and the whole room erupted laughing. Absolute b***ards.
They knew I wouldn't know the difference between a BBC piston and my own and they had me hooked like a kipper. With the laughing (slowly) subsiding and lots of profanities exchanged, the guys were kind enough to open the dyno cell and let me have a proper look.
With everything ready to rock, Ben opened up the throttle and let her rip.
The sound was glorious and like a proud father, Ben walked over with a dyno sheet and handed it over. With 245bhp from factory (in 1974) and with only an intake, carb and cam upgrade I didn't really know what to expect. Our own little club pool ranged from 190bhp to 260bhp and I think I hoped for somewhere in the middle. So I was very happy to see 318bhp and 352lb-ft @4200rpm.
We accidentally threw that dyno sheet away so you'll have to settle for this one at 316bhp and trust me that there is an extra 2bhp in there
Unfortunately we were all on a deadline tonight so could only spare the hour, so the engine came out and went back in the van with a lot of relieved and happy faces all round.
I was absolutely heart-broken. I was gutted for Rick as much as myself, with all the work he's put in to get the block ready for his deadline. I was dreading breaking the news to my other half and then I turned round to look at Mule who couldn't hide his smirk any longer and the whole room erupted laughing. Absolute b***ards.
They knew I wouldn't know the difference between a BBC piston and my own and they had me hooked like a kipper. With the laughing (slowly) subsiding and lots of profanities exchanged, the guys were kind enough to open the dyno cell and let me have a proper look.With everything ready to rock, Ben opened up the throttle and let her rip.
The sound was glorious and like a proud father, Ben walked over with a dyno sheet and handed it over. With 245bhp from factory (in 1974) and with only an intake, carb and cam upgrade I didn't really know what to expect. Our own little club pool ranged from 190bhp to 260bhp and I think I hoped for somewhere in the middle. So I was very happy to see 318bhp and 352lb-ft @4200rpm.
We accidentally threw that dyno sheet away so you'll have to settle for this one at 316bhp and trust me that there is an extra 2bhp in there
Unfortunately we were all on a deadline tonight so could only spare the hour, so the engine came out and went back in the van with a lot of relieved and happy faces all round.
Rogue86 said:
When I opened the door, there was a lot of commotion and a room full of sullen faces. There had obviously been some sort of incident and a few of the guys who worked there were huddled over in the dyno cell. It never even occurred to me that this could be related to my engine, but eventually the crowd parted and Ben walked out with this wrapped in a towel:
I was absolutely heart-broken. I was gutted for Rick as much as myself, with all the work he's put in to get the block ready for his deadline. I was dreading breaking the news to my other half and then I turned round to look at Mule who couldn't hide his smirk any longer and the whole room erupted laughing. Absolute b***ards. They knew I wouldn't know the difference between a BBC piston and my own and they had me hooked like a kipper.
Surely they do that to all their customers who they think can take it? It's a great prank! I was absolutely heart-broken. I was gutted for Rick as much as myself, with all the work he's put in to get the block ready for his deadline. I was dreading breaking the news to my other half and then I turned round to look at Mule who couldn't hide his smirk any longer and the whole room erupted laughing. Absolute b***ards.
They knew I wouldn't know the difference between a BBC piston and my own and they had me hooked like a kipper.
Would be knocking on 400bhp with heads. 
ds! The prank was definitely well rehearsed, I imagine he's done that hundreds of times
Jhonno said:
Reminds you how under-tuned these things are as well.. 70bhp from a carb/inlet/mild cam..
Yeah exactly, these engines are so under-stressed. I have a lot of mates who always joke sarcastically about 'how do the Yanks manage to squeeze that power out of an engine that big' but the reality is that it doesn't take much to unleash that power and the things will go on forever if you don't.dinkel said:
Is 6k a safe redline?
On my particular setup there is no rev limiter. I think that 5200rpm is about the safe limit for the engine as it stands. Eventually I'd like to change that but for an immediate plan I want to put on an MSD and have a rev limiter. I once let a little kid sit in the car and rev the engine at a show. The first thing he did was plant his foot to the floor. With the engine screaming, 3 of us were shouting at him to let off but we obviously made him panic so he kept his foot on it. Ben was actually parked next to it at the time and was so convinced the kid would pop the engine that he started to frantically wind his window up. That's the closest I've come to knocking a child out in what would have been a desperate move to get him off the accelerator. Ben Lowden said:
Wow I didn't even realise that cars having no rev limiter was a thing. Every day is a school day!
It's arguably the most terrifying thing about the car. When you're really cracking on, it's almost like you can feel the engine lifting out of the car.Turn7 said:
is that Ben Rushforth at EDA ?
It is 
Final check over tonight and an excuse to grab a couple of photos. The engine is ready to go back in. Not bad for a weeks worth of work!
As you can see, the headers are mocked up and have been ceramic coated (all done in-house by Ravenworks):
For those of you who remember the (rusty!) coolant explosion from when I first bought the car, Rick has gone to great lengths to tidy the bay and undo the staining it caused. I think it looks fantastic.
Even taking off the tag and cleaning it up:
Ready to go!
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