Bout now you must feel like you made it out of Billet .....the non CNC way.

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Yeah....Im the one who destroyed this rare, vintage automobile.....

9:1 and a stroker makes me think aluminum head and a power adder ....

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Yeah....Im the one who destroyed this rare, vintage automobile.....

The "add-in" top deck was cast at 1 inch thickness but after all the welding & machining, it is now closer to 7/8" thick. We also poured some "block rock" into the the bottom 1 inch of the water jacket, just to smooth-over all the "dips & bumps" that do nothing but collect sludge & sediment. This should also help stabilize the cylinders at the lower end. Even with all the filling, there is still some pretty good water flow.... I've tested it with a hose as I was cleaning everything for assembly. All this block filling is a mild concern. I sure hope this engine cools well enough to be a street driver because that is what I'm building it to do.

In hind site, I don't think I will ever do the cast aluminum and welded, deck sealing process again. Instead, I will use the Race Engineering block filler I've been using for other "partial fill" on the floor of the water jacket. That product expands as it cures and is really hard & dense when cured, I think it can be used successfully to close the top deck of an Alm. Block SL6 without getting all the warpage I had with this block.
DD

Thanks for the info, Doug. Is this the filler?

http://www.raceeng.com/p-7677-ultimate- ... er-25.aspx

Why is this better than other brands? Is it an epoxy (2-part)? Or, what is it made of, it's consistency?

Thanks,

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

Yes, that is the block filler I am using.
I bought a 25 lb. pail in 2002 and have done 5 engine "half fills", I still have about 1/3 of the pail left. It took me a while to gauge how much to mix to fill the needed area. It takes less than you think.

This product is a "water base" material (cement) but a much finer powder and lighter in color, more like a plaster. It mixes into a liquid that is free flowing, that makes it easy to get it into all those tight places and to get all the air bubbles out. (An orbital sander make a good vibrator as you pour in the material.)
DD

Doug,

Can this block filler be drilled? I was wondering if one was to use the filler to close off the deck if you'd be able to drill the coolant passages or if you'd have to make other arrangements.

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Joshua

This material drills and grinds easily.
There is a time during the cure (after 2 hours but not more than 8 hours) where the set material is semi-hard and really nice to work with, still somewhat moist so it does not kick up dust or wear out the drill bit.
DD

Looks like a pretty cool project Doug.

Makes my nitrous junk look kinda boring, doesn't it?

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

Looking good Doug! She is going to end up more of a Raquel Welch than a Twiggy. So, will it have a turbo?????
Thanks for doing this project on the site. I know we will see this one to the finish and my guess with great results.

Ahhhh... Raquel Welch. Raquel will be a good name for the next engine that is coming up, a well built, high compression, race prepped, super tough cast iron block SL6... Yup, that engine has just been named Raquel.

Twiggy, on the other hand, is more frail and fussy. I really don't think she will take as much action...
DD

Doug,is Twiggy the engine you wanted the intake for?I assume so for the light weight as the factory ebeam mainfolds are lighter than the aftermarket alum. intakes.
HyperValiant

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1960 Hyper-Pac Valiant(rolling test-bed)
1963 Valiant V2OO(Son's summer project,- he just turned 15 )
1972 Valiant 4dr(Daughter Kelly's repair in progress)
1974 Valiant (v8) daughter Kelly's work in progress

Here is a picture of the partial fill done to Twiggy. The block was sand blasted clean before we cast in the top deck. It was filled with about 1 inch of material after the top deck sealing was completed.

http://www.dutra.org/pictures/engine/al ... ll-alm.jpg

Seeing that there is some interest around the block filling process, I will include some photos of a cast iron block (Raquel) which I am getting ready for machining.
The water jackets on this block were acid etched clean and had a little over an inch of filler material installed, with the block tilted about 10 degrees to the right. The tilt puts a bit more filler thickness on the passenger side of the block. (major thrust side)
Always do block filling before doing any machine work to the block. Be sure to have the main caps installed and torqued down before adding the block filler.



A cut open container with a long neck and large cap is a good tool. Mix the material, remove the cap and pour the slurry right into the block.
I use a lump of clay to block the water pump opening. Here is how that area looks on Raquel:




As noted, the main reason I do the small amount of block filling is to smooth out the convoluted floor of the block's water jacket. The block's new 'cement floor' is real smooth and flat if the filler is added correctly.
DD

Yes, the ebeam intake manifold you sent me will be used on Twiggy.
DD

Here is one of those "how much activity can you capture in a single photo" kind of pictures:


Basically I measured, polished, deburred and chamfered the oil passages on this forged crank. After all that, I gave it a good cleaning and now it is ready to install.
DD

While preparing the crank, check the fit of the rear main seal to the crank's main seal journal. Also inspect the quality of the crank's sealing surface.
If you are using a rubber "lip seal" type main seal, it is a good idea to sand the cross-hatched journal surface smooth. The seal should have noticeable lip compression as you push it onto the journal.


The other main seal check to do is to make sure the seal's receiver groove is in alignment with the crankshaft. I have some 2 inch ABS sewer pipe and couplers that make up a good checking tool. Install the seal into the groove backwards, so the tall part of the lip faces outward, then install the checking tool and the caps. (In this photo, I left the main caps off for a better view.)


With the checking tool installed, you can see any uneven lip compression or air gaps.


Twiggy's main seal area was way out of alignment because of all the block welding and main line bore re-machining work. After one look, I gave up hope on using a rubber lip main seal and went back to the OEM "rope" seal. The rope seal is self forming and will center itself to the crank's sealing surface. This design has a better chance of sealing, even if the receiver groove is out of alignment.
DD