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[Tirebiter]

I'm rebuilding the 617 engine I bought complete for $76 in the Recycler. No compression on number three. Turns out that the valves were too tight. Never adjusted in 120,000 miles

The block now has new liners honed to fit each piston. New guides, rings, bearings, valves, camshaft, tensioner, guides, chains, oil pump and springs. Rebuilt MFI pump too. I will weigh each assembly and post it here.

I will tap my freeze plug holes and use screw in plugs like we do on hot rod American engines. I hate leaking freeze plugs and eventually they will leak. Personally I never saw a so called "freeze plug" save a block from cracking. The foundry uses those holes to clean out the sand from the casting process. Then again, what do I know. I grew up in Texas and then moved to SoCal and Hawaii. Water never freezes here.

My next gripe is that rear main rope seal. They sucketh aplenty compared with a rubber spring seal. There is a possibility of using both the rope seal and the easier to replace rubber seal. Again, I will post pictures and procedure here for anyone interested.

Then it will be time for a baseline dyno test. My other intentions are to first use an intercooler off a 3.3 liter Porsche and then install a propane fumigation system to see if either is worthwhile. Fuel ecomony records will be interesting too, eh?

Pictures are promised.

[boneheaddoctor]

Cool, please do that. been a LOT of talk like this in the time I have been here and NOBODY has followed up on soemthing like this with DYNO tests. You will be the first.

Originally Posted by Tirebiter

The block now has new liners honed to fit each piston. New guides, rings, bearings, valves, camshaft, tensioner, guides, chains, oil pump and springs. Rebuilt MFI pump too.
...
Then it will be time for a baseline dyno test. My other intentions are to first use an intercooler off a 3.3 liter Porsche and then install a propane fumigation system to see if either is worthwhile. Fuel ecomony records will be interesting too, eh?

Pictures are promised.

PLEASE be kind to it, give it at least 2K miles before you really flog it for power. Those first few thousand miles are CRITICAL to the overall life and wear patterns of the engine.

[The Warden]

Originally Posted by Tirebiter

I will tap my freeze plug holes and use screw in plugs like we do on hot rod American engines. I hate leaking freeze plugs and eventually they will leak.

Where can screw-in freeze plugs be acquired?

I need to replace one freeze plug in my truck, and especially given that I can't get a "standard" freeze plug to fit (have a rubber plug in there right now), this sounds like the perfect answer... The plug I'm dealing with is just a hair smaller than 1 1/2".

Thanks!