Rebuild kit @ alot o ?'s

[smcghan]

I picked up my heads today. Now I need a reiring kit. I think I remember reading that I should only use Fel pro gaskets. I need thicker since my heads were shaved. I also think there is a difference in rings? but not sure? Should I just use the ol spring loaded hone or pay to use a ridged hone? any recomendation on grit? Any thing else I missed? Thank you all in advance

Steven

[john8662]

You won't need any thicker head gasket to compensate for the heads being shaved. The machine shop should have adjusted the valve height into the heads during this time, to keep them in specification. They usually have to shave the stem of the valve too on the end.

The thicker gasket is for when the block is decked, thus leaving the piston coming out of the hole further.

I don't get much of a choice on stone on the hone. I just picked up a three finger hone at Sears, has three stones, that expand when rotated. You just need a quick hone to knock the glaze off the walls. Then clean the cylinder walls thourally before assembly. I'd recommend some VIVA paper towels and some brake parts cleaner, followed by some Carb cleaner on the towel wiping the walls. Then follow up right before assembly with another Viva with engine oil on it to lightly coat the cylinder wall.

I also strongly recommend the Fel-Pro gaskets, accept no substitude.

J

[Robyn]

Good tech
Be sure to get a ring set that has at least a Molly top ring.
also be sure to check the ring end gap on all compression rings. They are not always correct from the box. I had to file all my second groove rings a bit with a ring filer to open them a few thousands to get the proper gap. The gap can be a tad large and really do no harm but if too close it can result in terrible destruction when the rings break.
The bottle brush hones that you can get from the parts house work real well to do the deglazing work.
If the block is out of the rig get it tanked and be sure to have it magnafluxed for cracks. Install new soft plugs (freeze plugs) and a rear cam plug too.
I like to do my honeing then follow up with a dutch scrub with hot soapy water and a toilet brush on the cylinders then wash with clean water and blow dry quickly. Wipe the cylinders with a clean oily rage so then dont rust.
Keep clean untill assembly.
I prefer to oil each cylinder as I am ready to install the piston and rod assembly.
Use lubriplate 104 on the bearings. Install the inserts and then smear them with the grease and install the crank, grease the cap inserts ( bearing face only) and install.
use the 104 on the rods too.
The reason for this is that the grease will not run out of the bearings and leave them dry.
Always pre prime the engine with oil by running the oil pump with a drill motor prior to start up.
I fashioned a primer from an old vacuum pump and welded a nut onto the shaft to drive it. Connect the cooler passages and be sure to install an oil filter. Run the pump with a drill and trun the crank from time to time untill you have oil at all the rockers. Now install the valve covers and button it up
You can now fire the engine and rest assured that the sucker had oil to everything when it started.
Starting a new engine up dry is an inforgivable sin. Doing it as I described takes time and is a PITA but well worth the time.
Once you have done the prime the engine can sit for some time and still be ready to start up and have oil where its needed.
A note here, without a device in the pump drive hole you wont get oil to flow properly. The vacuum pump (oil pump drive) forms part of the oil passage in the block and without it the oil will flow right back to the sump without doing much.
The 6.2/6.5 are top oilers and the crank is oiled from the top down rather than first off the oil gallery and then to the cam.
Keep us posted
Robyn