The project engine:

2-16-2004: There have been no updates for a long time because there simply hasn't been much to write about. I removed the freeze plugs and drilled out the oil gallery plugs. Now the next step is to get it cleaned and sonic checked. All that depends on is money, which of course I have none of. In the meantime however I have further refined my plans for this motor and my goals for it. I will write some articles on the more interesting specifics behind the new plans for this poor, unsuspecting block. To give you an idea what I mean - It will no longer be a 454 but rather a 428. Using a nonstandard bore size and an offset ground crank it will rev like crazy. To help it live at those rpms, and for other reasons, it will have light pistons and extra long connecting rods. It will use heads that the average enthusiast would consider boat anchors - ported, closed chamber, oval port, iron stockers. Along with many other little tricks. Most definitely not your average engine. 8-12-02: I finally got the balancer pulled off. I had to borrow a balancer puller from my friend's dad, thanks Doug. The rest was easy. I pulled off the timing chain cover, then the timing chain and gears. I pulled out the camshaft. I took out all the bolts holding in the main caps with my breaker bar. Then I pulled the caps off the connecting rods and tapped the end of the con rod with a hammer until the piston reached the end of the bore. Using my breaker bar as a ramrod I pushed the pistons out. There was so little wear on the cylinder walls that I didn't have to remove the ridge at the top of the piston bore to get the pistons out. The last step was lifting out the crankshaft, now all I have to do is save enough money to get it hot tanked to clean it off and magnaflux it to see if it's got any cracks. I would also like to get it sonic checked to find out what the maximum bore is, which I suspect is .060". Then the machine work can start. Anyway, here's the pictures: This is the balancer that gave me so much trouble, yet another heavy piece of trash. My garbage man will hate me next time he tries to lift our trashcan. All eight pistons. The connecting rods and pistons are destined for the landfill. A better view of a piston and connecting rod. I won't be reusing either of them. All the main caps off the motor in order. It's very important that the main caps go back on the motor in the same order. Here's the main caps compared to a tennessee quarter. Yes they are BIG, that crankshaft isn't going anywhere. Here's the underside of the block without the main caps. The five main bearings are split into two halves and you can see the top half of them here, the other half sits in the curved part of the main caps. Together they form a round bearing surface that the crankshaft journals ride on. The crankshaft journals are actually  never supposed to touch the bearings, there is supposed to be a thin film of oil pressure fed between them preventing contact.  The clearances between the bearings and crankshaft journal are critical for the life of an engine, if set properly an engine can live a very long time given that it has regular oil changes and tune-ups. Just a neat view of the bores with the pistons out. Here's the crankshaft and camshaft out of the engine. Here's the crankshaft with the tennessee quarter on the counterweight for reference. The main journals are the shiny surfaces in the middle in a straight line. The connecting rod journals are offset (holes visible in one). Both types of journals are very important, they must be machined to have proper bearing clearances and be well lubricated at all times, without this the engine can destroy itself quickly and become an expensive boat anchor. 8-1-02: I've had the engine for about a week now. I've pulled all the lifters, pushrods, oil pan, oil pump, water pump, and the heads. It is interesting that the lifters were solid flat tappet not hydraulic, which is the factory norm. The block has 4 bolt mains and is marked hi perf, it looks like a very strong foundation for my project. The heads however are a different story, they are thin castings and look like they'd crack the first chance they got. I'm looking at a couple of options. I could just go junkyard spelunking and find a good set of factory heads with the runner and chamber cc that I want, this would be the cheapest option. The junkyard heads would be good performers at low RPM, they'd give excellent throttle response and give good low end torque and midrange HP, however (depending on the casting I get) they would run out of breath at the topend, limiting the maximum high rpm HP. My second option would be to get an aftermarket set of heads. They would be made of aluminum which would save weight, and they would have larger runner volumes which would help the topend HP. The downside of aftermarket heads is that aluminum conducts heat away from the combustion chamber meaning that you must raise the compression ratio just to make the same power as an iron head. It is unlikely that I will get a set of aftermarket heads simply because that despite the advantages they are VERY expensive, I would have to save up for a long time. Anyway, on with the pictures: Oh yeah, look at all those cubic inches :) The lifter valley is where all the valve timing starts, the camshaft sits underneath which actuates all the valves at their proper time. The beefy bottom end of the Chevy big block is hard to beat, lots of strength there. Surpassed only by the Chrysler Hemi bottom end and certain Ford big blocks, it's good for lots of horsepower without significant modification. The main caps are what keep the crankshaft rigidly in place, they are also the surface that the bearings sit on. The more rigid the main caps are the less likely it is that the bearings will deform and cause damage to the crankshaft journals that ride on them. A better view of two main caps and the bottom of two connecting rods. These main caps have 4 bolts holding them in place, lower performance factory engines usually come with only 2 bolts holding them in place. These heads are too weak for use in my engine, I may however be able to pawn them off on someone who will be able to take advantage of them. 7-29-02: I just got my engine home. I have verified that the casting numbers are for an 88 dualie truck, which is what the junkyard pulled it out of. I got the whole thing for $550, which is everything minus the intake manifold, carb, distributor and accessories. The casting numbers indicate that it could be either a 2 or 4 bolt main, I hope it's a 4 bolt. It would be nice if the heads are good too, but I've heard bad things about these 80's castings. We will see.