Building the 347 for the Granada.

[richpet]

Why would I mind? I love it!
That at least looks red. The VHT brand rattle can 'bright red' really was too orangy.

That motor looks great! Stroker?

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[85MUSTANGTGT]

Thanks! Yes, it's a 347 also. Probably not too much different that what you're building.

The blue is going to look great, too. How much of the rest of your engine do you plan to paint? Heads? Intake? Valve covers?

I only painted the block and timing cover red, valve covers are black crinkle, and everything else I left natural. Unfortunately, not much of the red gets seen once the engine is in the car and accessories are installed. A person has to really get up close to even notice I painted anything. I've debated repainting my valve covers and maybe intake red just to get a bit more color under the hood.

[richpet]

I painted the block, timing cover, oil pan, water pump. Plan to paint the intake and maybe the brackets. Planning on the black Motorsport valve covers with blue script. Accessories will stay natural as will the heads themselves.
Probably blue hoses too.

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[mmb617]

Since we're talking about painting engines I thought I'd throw in a few random thoughts of mine. Hope you guys don't mind.

While my son's car is not a four eye it is a Mustang. He had built his '67 from a stripped roller into a very nice car. He decided to paint the short block 347 with the same color base/clear that he used on the body. It seemed like a lot of additional work to me when you can hardly see the block when the engine is installed. He did the timing cover and water pump in black because he didn't want too much blue in the engine bay.

It turned out nice but you don't really notice that nice blue paint job on the shortblock. That's my car photobombing the first shot:







When I built my engine I wasn't concerned about it looking too pretty as my car is far from perfect and I was mainly building it for the Friday night drag races at Beaver Springs. I left my 408 shortblock in the black it had when I got it. This is actually a picture of the 393 I had in it at first. The 408 was painted the same way with the block left black and some rattle can blue I had on the shelf used for the timing cover and water pump.

That engine went kablooy crossing the stripe one night. The 408 I replaced it with survived 4 years of almost weekly racing and my car is now retired to putt-putting around town.

[richpet]

Yeah, I'm just kinda having fun with the color this time. That's why I hit the TC and water pump - they are visible.

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[richpet]

This is more gooder.
I know, I showed a pic earlier, but I took the tape off today.
Had to do something. Came back from camping and figured this is something. Lol

Hopefully my cam arrives in the next couple weeks and I can actually start BUILDING.

Update: camshaft shipped today (5/10) so I should be able to start building soon!

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[richpet]

Cam should be here Monday, so checking clearances.
Shop supposedly did this and it's a good shop, so I am just gonna check one journal. If you had your crank ground (mine is new) you might want to check more. Up to you.

Start with clean/dry journals. Snap in your crank bearings to the block, flush. There is a top and a bottom, but because of the notch they only fit one way.

Then GENTLY lay in your crank after being sure all the journals are clean/dry.

Lay a strip of plastigage across the bearing journal.

Install the bearing cap and tighten to full torque. I'm using ARP bolts so use a small bit of their lube on the threads, and both the top and bottom of the washer. ARP says 70 ft/lbs with their lube in 3 steps. I did it finger tight, then 40, 55, then 70. Remove the bearing cap and measure. Ideally between the two middle numbers is great (.0015 and .002). As you can see I am just barely above the .0015 so I am fine. Measure at a couple different places along the strip. Then clean it off.

Some say go larger (.002-.003) but that will also mean a loss of oil pressure. Racers do, but they also replace bearings often and run high pressure/volume pumps and mainly high rpm. I'm a street guy. At .0017 ish I am on the slightly tighter side, but fully within specs, especially since I'm using a standard pressure/volume oil pump. But this motor will probably get 5/30 synthetic for a while, eventually I may use 10/30. I need good pressure at idle and the bottom half of the tach where I spend much of my time.

Some never check the shops work and all goes well. But, I like to double check. For those first timers, just take your time, keep everything clean, and have a spot of confidence.

A couple notes:
Caps install 1-5 front to rear, arrow pointing forward.
Don't use the bolts to pull the cap down as you can crack/chip the block or cap. Gently tap/wiggle/work it down gently.
Thrust (fat) bearing goes in the middle on #3.
Check rod bearing clearance essentially the same way.

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[richpet]

Test fit the cam since it looked like some cam bearings looked askew.
Fit perfectly!

The build can officially commence!

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[85MUSTANGTGT]

Great news! Look forward to seeing how your 347 turns out.

[richpet]

Install the cam. Clean it with solvent then use the supplied HP lube to slather all the lobes and bearings.
When you install, go slow. Use one hand on the front end (install a bolt in the end for leverage if you want) and one in the block. Reach fingers through each bearing to stick one in the end and move it in being as gentle to the bearings as you can.

Install front plate, it is marked how to install it. Torque to 10ft/lb. You need to use the 'thin head' type bolts or you won't clear the timing sprocket! The bolts have criss/cross cuts on the head and are about 1/2 thickness of your standards 1/4-20 bolt.

For now it will move back and forth a bit. When you install the front bolt through the timing gear it will be solid.

Don't forget to use assembly lube and/or the supplied cam lube on the bearing races first.

Again, not a pro, but not my first build either.

Next is the crankshaft.

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[richpet]

Install crank. Snap in bearings being sure they are square and flush. Apply a liberal amount of assembly lube. It's a good idea to wipe them with a degreaser/paper towel first. Now that you have sticky crap in the block keeping dirt away is paramount as it will stick easy!

Install main caps with their bearing halves. Gently tap/nudge the caps in to the block.

I'm using ARP bolts/lube, so 70 ft/lb in 3 steps. I did finger tight, 30, 50, 70. Do cap #2, then #4, then #1, then #5.

Using a screwdriver pry the crank forward, backward and holding it forward again do the #3 bearing (thrust bearing).
Remember the arrows point forward in the main caps, #1 in front to #5 at the rear.


I'd install the timing set but I don't seem to have a crankshaft keyway for the damper.

Edit: Got a woodruff key! May get the timing set and cover on today (5/26)! If I do it's that much less exposed stickiness to attract dirt and that much closer to having a sealed up motor.

Fyi - when done for the day a nice clean trash bag goes over the motor and I do my best to 'seal' the bag opening around the back of the block where it's mounted on the stand. Knot tying, puncturing bag over a bolt end, whatever it takes to keep dirt out.
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[richpet]

Install timing set. Insert one of the metal dowels in the cam hole. Position it at the bottom of it's rotation (in my pic it's on top. Just rotate it to down under the cam hole). Keyway on crank facing up.

Install timing gears so that the marks on them line up. Torque down the cam bolt/washer. You will notice now that the cam has been pulled forward and the lobes align with the lifter bores.

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[richpet]

Install front seal into timing cover. Put a 2x4 or something directly under that part as you do not want to crack the cover when pounding in the seal!
Not part of the 'instructions', but I always run a thin bead of rtv around the seal. Just in case. When wet it helps as a lube to drive the seal in evenly and flush. When dry a touch of anti leak insurance.
Use a board across the seal to help hammer it in fully, flush, and even.

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[mmb617]

Thought I'd pop in to say that you are doing a great job explaining everything you're doing and taking really good pics of it all. I find it very interesting. Every engine I've built I started with an already assembled short block as I don't feel I have the tools or knowledge required to start from a bare block like you are doing.

Keep up the good work. I look forward to the next installment.

[richpet]

Thanks! I'm having fun and if someone is on the fence about trying, maybe it will help boost confidence a bit.
And if I do something super stupid maybe someone will stop me in time! Lol!
This is my 3rd or 4th complete build and all have been from a bare block.
I've done LOTS of maintenance and repair that got deep-in sometimes. Grew up on a farm with not a huge amount of family income so learned repair at a very young age. Then my dad was shop foreman at the Ford dealership here locally so learned a lot more there.
Not a pro, but I get it done most times

Small delay in the build now. My daughter and her family will be here from across the country this next week. Aaannnnd I don't have bolts for the TC or WP yet. They're ordered at least.

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