jggiedeman
09-21-2012, 19:00
Hello all,
I'm building rather than buying an AMG motor. At this point I'm considering why I went this route. Started out simple enough with a convincing system of cap and trade. I should be able to build an engine for 2K less than and Optimzier. Cost was the biggest factor. I now realize that a complete US made engine would have been the best route. The dang truck would have been on the road already.
SCAT crankshaft - you read a bunch about them. Very stout, etc. Bought my crank, tried to get one with the bearings but they don't retail it that way anymore. The crank did not come with a flexplate locating pin. Bought one from GM - actually bought five to get one. GM packing rules here in my town. Interestinly enough it is just a "C" clip pin now. Anyway, took it to my trusty machine shop where I've had excellent balancing completed in the past. The machinist looked at me and groaned. He said beware young man - SCAT cranks have gone south in pre-balancing factory preparation in the last few years. He said they may need to add some Mallory metal and the $$ figure for my rebuild just rose. I lucked out and they ONLY had to remove 48 grams of metal. They did state that a previous Ford crank they recently worked required 112 grams of removal. I did check with a few other reputable balancing shops and they all said the same about the SCAT cranks. So if you buy then better plan on a balance because 48 grams is a lot of weight to throw around at 3000 rpms.
Mahle - very reputable product. I went with top and side coated pistons with premium rings. Not a cheap product altogether. I bought a set of 8 pistons w/pins. All great for 7 of the pistons. They weighed within 2 grams of each other. Number 8 weighed 15 grams less. So I went back to my piston dealer who called Mahle. What's up he asked. Mahle asked, What's the problem - Our tolerance is 30 grams, so what. So the piston seller bought another set of 8 which Mahle had to assemble out of 13 pistons on the shelf (only 13 standard bore pistons in US stock system). The seller weighed them and we finally got a set close all around.
My balance job is complete but sure nerve wracking. 4 weeks from start to finish.
Anybody for 130 lbs of Chinese paper weights? That was the set of heads that I had bought originally. Anything I believe they state as Canada is straight from China. Vancouver is a very inexpensive point of shipping entry. Any block vendor can slap Canada stickers on it and state cast in Canada. The block I purchased came straight from Canada, not the US vendor. I believe if the US vendor received and prepped the block properly I wouldn't have sent it back so quickly.
More soon,
Jerry
I'm building rather than buying an AMG motor. At this point I'm considering why I went this route. Started out simple enough with a convincing system of cap and trade. I should be able to build an engine for 2K less than and Optimzier. Cost was the biggest factor. I now realize that a complete US made engine would have been the best route. The dang truck would have been on the road already.
SCAT crankshaft - you read a bunch about them. Very stout, etc. Bought my crank, tried to get one with the bearings but they don't retail it that way anymore. The crank did not come with a flexplate locating pin. Bought one from GM - actually bought five to get one. GM packing rules here in my town. Interestinly enough it is just a "C" clip pin now. Anyway, took it to my trusty machine shop where I've had excellent balancing completed in the past. The machinist looked at me and groaned. He said beware young man - SCAT cranks have gone south in pre-balancing factory preparation in the last few years. He said they may need to add some Mallory metal and the $$ figure for my rebuild just rose. I lucked out and they ONLY had to remove 48 grams of metal. They did state that a previous Ford crank they recently worked required 112 grams of removal. I did check with a few other reputable balancing shops and they all said the same about the SCAT cranks. So if you buy then better plan on a balance because 48 grams is a lot of weight to throw around at 3000 rpms.
Mahle - very reputable product. I went with top and side coated pistons with premium rings. Not a cheap product altogether. I bought a set of 8 pistons w/pins. All great for 7 of the pistons. They weighed within 2 grams of each other. Number 8 weighed 15 grams less. So I went back to my piston dealer who called Mahle. What's up he asked. Mahle asked, What's the problem - Our tolerance is 30 grams, so what. So the piston seller bought another set of 8 which Mahle had to assemble out of 13 pistons on the shelf (only 13 standard bore pistons in US stock system). The seller weighed them and we finally got a set close all around.
My balance job is complete but sure nerve wracking. 4 weeks from start to finish.
Anybody for 130 lbs of Chinese paper weights? That was the set of heads that I had bought originally. Anything I believe they state as Canada is straight from China. Vancouver is a very inexpensive point of shipping entry. Any block vendor can slap Canada stickers on it and state cast in Canada. The block I purchased came straight from Canada, not the US vendor. I believe if the US vendor received and prepped the block properly I wouldn't have sent it back so quickly.
More soon,
Jerry