Got my 66 383 block back from the machine shop

Cartel

Active Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2023
Messages
226
Reaction score
71
Location
Chilliwack BC
Took a few quick pictures. I'm a bit worried anout this front cam bearing. Is it something to take it back for?
$2800 you'd think it would be perfect. I was there all summer. lifter bores look untouched. not sure it thats good or not



DSC02184.JPG
DSC02185.JPG
DSC02186.JPG
DSC02187.JPG
DSC02188.JPG
DSC02189.JPG
DSC02190.JPG
 
Took a few quick pictures. I'm a bit worried anout this front cam bearing. Is it something to take it back for?
$2800 you'd think it would be perfect. I was there all summer. lifter bores look untouched. not sure it thats good or not



View attachment 684640View attachment 684641View attachment 684642View attachment 684643View attachment 684644View attachment 684645View attachment 684646
Hey Cartel, I’ve talked to a few Engine builders and they said perfect cam bearing alignment is desirable but the 75% that is open like yours is totally acceptable and okay. There will be plenty of oil pressure and flow. As far as the lifter bores, did you pay to have them honed? If not, they should have at least checked to make sure a lifter slides in and rotates easily in each bore. Otherwise depending on which rings you’ll be running, the bores look good. Hope this helps.
 
#1 cam bearing looks bad but will work perfectly.
Check very closely the cam bearing further back with several holes is lined up properly.
Was a cam installed, and did it turn smoothly?
 
Hey Cartel, I’ve talked to a few Engine builders and they said perfect cam bearing alignment is desirable but the 75% that is open like yours is totally acceptable and okay. There will be plenty of oil pressure and flow. As far as the lifter bores, did you pay to have them honed? If not, they should have at least checked to make sure a lifter slides in and rotates easily in each bore. Otherwise depending on which rings you’ll be running, the bores look good. Hope this helps.
I got hastings 2m263 rings
 
#1 cam bearing looks bad but will work perfectly.
Check very closely the cam bearing further back with several holes is lined up properly.
Was a cam installed, and did it turn smoothly?
the stock cam did go in freely. the other bearings are dead on. maybe they do that to the front for some reason?

Hey Cartel, I’ve talked to a few Engine builders and they said perfect cam bearing alignment is desirable but the 75% that is open like yours is totally acceptable and okay. There will be plenty of oil pressure and flow. As far as the lifter bores, did you pay to have them honed? If not, they should have at least checked to make sure a lifter slides in and rotates easily in each bore. Otherwise depending on which rings you’ll be running, the bores look good. Hope this helps.
I paid IMO alot of money that should have covered all the bases.
I haven't got a new cam yet I been doing research to make sure I get the right one. The lifter and cam failures I see have me very worried
 
Last edited:
IMHO, the hole offset won't hurt a thing.

If it bothers you, you can open it up a couple ways, but you need to be careful and chances of things going sideways outweighs any possible gain.
 
If the front cam bearing bothers you, it will bother you. Is it bad enough to take back for a fix? Probably not. You'd have to buy another set of cam bearings as that's the way they are usually sold, possibly.

As long as normal pressure gets to that hole, LUBE will happen in sufficient amounts for good durability and such.

Just some thoughts,
CBODY67
 
I got hastings 2m263 rings
If you purchased the rings from your machine shop at the same time you had the machine work, they should have matched your final hone to the proper cross- hatch finish. Best thing to do is call and confirm.
 
the stock can dis go in freely. the other bearings are dead on. maybe they do that to the front for some reason?


I paid IMO alot of money that should have covered all the bases.
I haven't got a new cam yet I been doing research to make sure I get the right one. The lifter and cam failures I see have me very worried
Just my humble opinion, I’m no expert. Everyone says to go roller on the cam. I’m at the same place with my 440 build that you are. I’ve decided to go with an Isky hydraulic flat tappet with Isky lifters. Mild lift. .460 lift.Key Is I believe is seat pressure at break in. Will be using my old single valve springs for break in and take heads off and install the inner spring.It’s worth the extra effort IMO.Also get the timing as close as you can for initial start up to break cam in so it starts right away.
 
The lifter bores look fine, if it were my block I'd clean them up with some red scotch-brite and wd-40 to remove residual rust and dirt. Just make sure the lifters move freely in each bore.
 
If you purchased the rings from your machine shop at the same time you had the machine work, they should have matched your final hone to the proper cross- hatch finish. Best thing to do is call and confirm.
No I couldn't do that as parts here (Canada) cost a fortune and then he adds more (even though at first he said I would get everything at his discounted account price). Like the pistons I paid $600 off summit and he quoted me over $1200. I just cant do it, it drives me mad even contemplating it. This whole engine rebuild has been beating me up financially and companies that cant pack parts worth a spit, I had to return a set of pistons already and even summit didnt do much better, a big box with 2 airbags that were popped and the piston box flying around in it. They seemed ok but I wasnt impressed.

He did see the rings as I brought them for balancing and mentioned the moly top ring.
When I asked questions I kinda got an attitude and the "I've done lots of these" and I felt like I should shut up so I didnt upset him. After I said I was building the motor it was like he had no time for me. It hasnt been a pleasant experience so far, but the kind words and advice I've gotten here has been very welcome and I'm thankful I can double check some of these things here.

I'm not really trying to shame the shop I want to make sure I got all my ducks in a row because I do not want to mess this up. And I want to make sure I got what I spent money for and that its done right.
 
Last edited:
No I couldn't do that as parts here (Canada) cost a fortune and then he adds more (even though at first he said I would get everything at his discounted account price). Like the pistons I paid $600 off summit and he quoted me over $1200. I just cant do it, it drives me mad even contemplating it. This whole engine rebuild has been beating me up financially and companies that cant pack parts worth a spit, I had to return a set of pistons already and even summit didnt do much better, a big box with 2 airbags that were popped and the piston box flying around in it. They seemed ok but I wasnt impressed.

He did see the rings as I brought them for balancing and mentioned the moly top ring.
When I asked questions I kinda got an attitude and the "I've done lots of these" and I felt like I should shut up so I didnt upset him. After I said I was building the motor it was like he had no time for me. It hasnt been a pleasant experience so far, but the kind words and advice I've gotten here has been very welcome and I'm thankful I can double check some of these things here.

I'm not really trying to shame the shop I want to make sure I got all my ducks in a row because I do not want to mess this up. And I want to make sure I got what I spent money for and that its done right.
I think the #1 cam bearing will give plenty of oil for any street or street/strip cam.

I have done Hughes cams, which require matching Hughes high pressure valve springs installed on heads at time of break-in. Hughes requires those springs be in place or they will not guarantee the cam. I would leave the new springs installed on the heads during break-in.

Regardless of how much you know or don't know, the machine shop should be helpful to a paying customer. They should know and tell you whether they checked the lifter bores. You can find videos on you-tube for checking ring gap or engine assembly.
 
you don't want to hone the lifter bores just to hone them. too much clearance will cause low oil pressure at idle. the lifters should be checked to make sure they slide in before honing. they should have cleaned up the oil return slots a lot of rough metal that might break off.
 
My late machine shop associate used to laugh about "Mopar freaks carrying 'Their Bible' with them when they came in to ask about getting something done". "The Bible" was the old Direct Connection 1000+page Race Manual. He understood their concerns, but he also was a one-man machine shop and had to be busy getting things done to keep his customers happy. That orientation was one reason that he sometimes didn't answer the phone, too!

One of Tommy's good traits was that he remembered that at one time, he was "young and learning", too. Which is where the friendship orientation came into the mix. That it turned out that he went to school with Dad's younger sisters didn't hurt anything either, as it sped-up the friend process, it seemed. That I was into cars and worked in Chevy Parts helped, too.

Still, he had his days that were not as good as he might have wanted them to be. In those days, we were sharing a space where he'd moved into, so I knew enough by that time to stay out of his way in getting things done. Many other machine shop owners I've known have been a little eccentric in this way, too.

Unfortunately, being that way can give the impression that they have "an attitude", and SOME do. Don't question them about what they do or how they do it, just "comply", it seems. So, in order to "get answers", some care is needed on the customer's part. Talk calmly as a friend rather than "a paying customer with demands", can tend to work best. What might be considered to be a normal question to a customer can be taken as "Sure I do that, as that's how it should be done", as if it was some challenge to their abilities or otherwise. In some cases, if you might have a friend that has had work done there before and has been a customer, it might be good to get them to introduce you and start a conversation about your car and what you want to do. As if this is a pre-qualifier situation.

As Tommy passed away a few years ago, I'm now in the position of looking for somebody else to do my engine things. So I'll be shopping around too.

ONE word of caution, as you have the block in your possession, be VERY careful about doing any further de-burring or casting flash removal on the inside of the engine. Same on using any ScotchBrite pads, too! These things can introduce grit and abrasive items into the mix in a place they don't need to be, especially after the machine work has been done and the shop cleaned everything they did, delivering you a clean block to deal with. At this point in time, consider all of that "good enough" as it was like that from the factory. Don't be potentially causing future failures, no matter what.

I can't address the higher prices in Canada, as to machine work or parts, but some machinists that I've known have been a little cranky to deal with, until you get to know them and they know you better. I always respected the orientation that if they were not busy, they weren't paying their bills. This last part can get overshadowed when customers, they perceive, don't understand this, by observation.

Just some thoughts,
CBODY67
 
Just my humble opinion, I’m no expert. Everyone says to go roller on the cam. I’m at the same place with my 440 build that you are. I’ve decided to go with an Isky hydraulic flat tappet with Isky lifters. Mild lift. .460 lift.Key Is I believe is seat pressure at break in. Will be using my old single valve springs for break in and take heads off and install the inner spring.It’s worth the extra effort IMO.Also get the timing as close as you can for initial start up to break cam in so it starts right away.
I do the same thing, using old springs for cam break in, however you don't have to remove the heads to change springs. You can pressurize the cylinders with air and change the springs with the heads still on the engine. It will save you a bunch of work.
 
I do the same thing, using old springs for cam break in, however you don't have to remove the heads to change springs. You can pressurize the cylinders with air and change the springs with the heads still on the engine. It will save you a bunch of work.
You are correct, I did locate the tool to remove springs that are still on the head for Mopar shafts. Thank You
 
Took a few quick pictures. I'm a bit worried anout this front cam bearing. Is it something to take it back for? $2800 you'd think it would be perfect. I was there all summer. lifter bores look untouched. not sure it thats good or not View attachment 684640View attachment 684641View attachment 684642View attachment 684643View attachment 684644View attachment 684645View attachment 684646

No I couldn't do that as parts here (Canada) cost a fortune and then he adds more (even though at first he said I would get everything at his discounted account price). Like the pistons I paid $600 off summit and he quoted me over $1200. I just cant do it, it drives me mad even contemplating it. This whole engine rebuild has been beating me up financially and companies that cant pack parts worth a spit, I had to return a set of pistons already and even summit didnt do much better, a big box with 2 airbags that were popped and the piston box flying around in it. They seemed ok but I wasnt impressed.

He did see the rings as I brought them for balancing and mentioned the moly top ring.
When I asked questions I kinda got an attitude and the "I've done lots of these" and I felt like I should shut up so I didnt upset him. After I said I was building the motor it was like he had no time for me. It hasnt been a pleasant experience so far, but the kind words and advice I've gotten here has been very welcome and I'm thankful I can double check some of these things here.

I'm not really trying to shame the shop I want to make sure I got all my ducks in a row because I do not want to mess this up. And I want to make sure I got what I spent money for and that its done right.
That slight offset on the cam bearing oil hole is a non issue as far as oiling goes.

You said you paid a lot for machine work. What exactly did you ask for, and what did it cost.

The decks don't appear to have been cut, which unless you just asked for the block to be bored, should have been done as a matter of course for general block prep. The full treatment would include squaring and setting the piston deck height, usually to zero for a flat top piston.

Kevin
 
That slight offset on the cam bearing oil hole is a non issue as far as oiling goes.

You said you paid a lot for machine work. What exactly did you ask for, and what did it cost.

The decks don't appear to have been cut, which unless you just asked for the block to be bored, should have been done as a matter of course for general block prep. The full treatment would include squaring and setting the piston deck height, usually to zero for a flat top piston.

Kevin
The deck is -10, cylinders bored 30+ Crank was polished and checked good at std. block was cleaned magna-fluxed, cam bearing and frost plugs, galley plugs replaced. supplied cam bearings installed. The block was also final cleaned and prepped ready to go. old pistons off the rods, new pistons rods and crank were send in from the shop for balancing. For some reason they didnt need the rings but 1 set of rod bearings. rods put on new pistons, supplied rod bolts were put on before all that too.
New bronze shaft bearing installed and burnished also.

the lifter holes I'd guess they would just scuff with scotch bright but I guess they were ok.

I still need to order a cam and lifters, heads and the rest of the valve train.

The shop did a great job, the block was a pig sty when I took it in and its pretty spotless. He supplied the plugs and the bronze bushing
 
Back
Top