WD45 rebuild progress

I got the full Felpro oil pan gasket set last night. I includes the 2 long gaskets, the 2 short gaskets you stick in a can to curve, the main seals and the small F gaskets for a 45. $17 part# FPG OS30130C

I already had Felpro main gasket set part# FPG BS40010. It included the rear main seals, upper main carrier to block gasket, and the F gaskets. $12

I bought a new set of head studs, when I got looking at my old head bolts, someone mixed a set because 4 were grade 2's in there! They should be grade 5's or better. Like Don says make sure all the threads are good and the bolts don't have any pitting.

Brian,
All the wrist pin bolts face toward the cam side. cylinders 1,3 and 2,4 are the same I believe. Depending on which cylinder you're going in, you slide the pin to one side of the piston or the other and slide the rod over until it touches the piston on that side. Then the wrist pin can't get over far enough to gouge the sleeve. The crank/rod position pulls the pin opposite direction a little to center the pin. The service manual spells it all out with pictures. I wouldn't install the pins without staring at the book.

Oil Pan Installation
First off, if you haven't watched DonMO's oil pan gasket video. Watch it! Even if you're not rebuilding and are just bored one night, watch it.
http://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=93356&title=oil-pan-gasket-video

I won 't try to re-explain everything in the video, but here's the quick run down, of what I did.

Clean up the pan and block with my trusty die grinder and scotch bright pad. The pan was straight and the corners measured in spec so pretty simple preparation. I ran a tap through all the holes.
There was one spot on the pan between 2 bolt holes that I could feel a small dip, so later I put a little extra sealer in that spot.


After sitting for a couple months in a pear can, previously full of delicious pears, the main end gaskets held their share very well. I never knew the gasket clips existed before. They make holding the gaskets in place a breeze.


I made 4 alignedment studs by butting the head off of a few bolts which made installation much easier also. I laid out the gaskets on the block and made a few lines with a marker where I wanted the gaskets to sit. After removing the gaskets, I put a thin layer of #2 permatex on the block to stick the gaskets to. I laid the gaskets back in their place. Then I put another thin layer of permatex on top of the gasket to seal and pan imperfections. I put a little extra in that spot where the small dip was on the pan gasket area. I probably didn't need the extra sealer, but I know it won't leak.


I put a good dab of sealer in the 4 corners where the gaskets meet. If you don't put a little sealer in these corners, I don't see how the gaskets would ever seal well. You can see I didn't put globs on. Just enough to seal the corners and any surface imperfections. Hopefully NO LEAKS


It takes quite a bit of tightening to get the end gaskets drawn down good. I went around the pan about 4 times tightening a little at a time with a 1/4 ratchet, because I have a tendency to over tighten. I imagine you could twist the pan by initially tightening down in only a few places. I ending up with the torque wrench and tightened down to 10ft lbs. In Don's video he said 18lbs, but just 10lbs felt like a good amount on these little grade 2 5/16 bolts. Everything looked like it was squeezed down good, so I stopped there. The manual doesn't even give a torque spec and I imagine over-tightening is worse here than under-tightening here.

All of the previous posts were work already completed that I hadn't got time to post. Now I'm up to current where the motor sits now. Today I'll talk about some of my mistakes that I'd rather leave unsaid, but sometimes we learn more from what we do wrong than from what we do right. Hopefully some other green people like me can learn from my mistakes and not repeat them.

Lessons Learned
I've really been going about this rebuild the wrong way. I've been treating it as a bunch of "stages" as I've gotten time to work on it over the last few months instead of one large project.

For example, I waited to clean up and disassemble the oil pump until the day I was going to install. I found the broken spring and had to pay shipping and wait for just one spring. Had I checked all my parts before starting assembly, I could've had less part orders and a quicker assembly.

I'll say now that preparation is the key!

When Don says start with a clean block, START WITH A CLEAN BLOCK.
don't do like I have and wait to tap out the oil pan boles holes until you install the oil pan or the head holes when you install the head. This makes it a lot harder to keep the block clean when you are always introducing dirt. Also clean ALL of the gasket surfaces first. If you are worried they will rust, apply some oil after they are clean and clean off with a rag soaked in breakclean later. Don't introduce all that dirt into your block when parts are already in it. Same is true even if your block was hot tanked like mine was.

Now I'm just stalling...
Since I didn't prep well, I waited to clean up my head bolts until I was going to install the head. When cleaning, I quickly noticed that 3 or 4 of the head bolts were only grade 2! Maybe that's partly why I was having some head gaskets issues... I'd been on the fence about new head bolts before, but now I knew I should just remove the existing studs and buy ALL new matching studs/bolts.
I went and borrowed a stud remover and pulled the 3 3/8's studs. One came out pretty hard but didn't break. Moved on to the 2 1/2 studs where the thermostat sits. The first one turned HARD. I walked back with a pipe to put on the 1/2 ratchet, and hope I didn't break the stud, when I realized I was tightening the stud instead of loosening. I went the correct way and the stud came out, only to let me see that while I was tightening the stud, the stud remover was drawing down on my block and sleeve making a nice gouge in my nice new sleeve!


Had I cleaned and inspected the bolts BEFORE I wouldn't have had this problem even if I did tighten the stud.
Luckily FredPA was able to find me another one of these rare 4" sleeves. Everything will be made right, but all completely avoidable...
I will save the sleeve and maybe have a couple thousandths turned off of it and pack it away as a spare. I'm sure someone will need one someday.

When I have the oil pan off again, I'll also use this time to pull out the rod bolts again and tighten up any of the nut "locks" that are a little looser than I'd like and add a drop of red Loctite before tightening.

The last thing I would've done differently is to have the block decked and recut the counterbores to make a perfect block. I bought a straight edge and some spots I only have .001 standout when I get farther to the edge of the block. Generally I'm at .0015-.003. I'll probably be fine, but I'd feel better knowing it was perfect.

So I guess, don't cut corners, prep, and plan well!

Well the motor goes back into the bag for the night. The dog was excited, I let her in the shed for a couple minutes. She tends to cause more harm than help if she's in there too long.

Experience is a great teacher....sometimes it teaches hard lessons.Worst part for me is by the time I do it again,I've forgotten some of the pit falls and learn the hard way ....AGAIN!

I didn't get(make) much time to work on this thing over the weekend. Still waiting for parts to be delivered too.

Head work
I put the head together about a month ago. I had the bottom and manifold side of the head milled. Manifold was also milled to true it up. All new valve train was installed, so new valves, guides, springs, and retainers. They weren't too bad, but I also had new hardened seats installed. The only thing I didn't think to do was to have the top of the head milled. I had no leaks there before so I should be fine, but it would've been a nice extra.

I spent about 10 minutes with the air nozzle blowing any junk out of the passages that I could break loose.

I got some valve grinding compound and lapped each valve into it's new home. As expected with new valves and seats, they lapped in perfect. I carefully cleaned up all the grinding compound and lubed the valve stems. I also cleaned up the spring seats good and oiled them up. I used my free spring compressor that an old tenant left behind to install the spring, spring seat, cap and retainer. This head had the valve rotating caps for the exhaust valves.





I did take the thermostat and front water jacket block cover to work and sanded them back flat on the granite block. They were pretty off!




Edited by Allis dave - 14 Sep 2016 at 8:21am

Thanks Don, I'll make sure to test fit that.
Do you have any tips to get the manifold lined up? There's a lot of room to slide it around on those 3/8's studs.

Sorry, I meant, when you install the manifold, there is a lot of room to shift the manifold, up & down, or left to right on the studs. Is there a way and is it beneficial to try to get the manifold centered so the ports transition correctly, or should I just put the nuts on and not worry about it. This is all IF there are no clearance issues.

Thanks, that's how I've done it in the past, but I thought maybe there was a better way.

My new ARP head studs came yesterday. The ARP studs are overkill compared to the original grade 5 head bolts, but I decided that it's worth it to me to have a high quality fastener that will torque down as a perfectly matched set. I think it's even more important with the higher compression that I'll be running.

I put them all in the block last night for a test fit. a few of them are too short so I'll have get a few different ones. Now I know the correct and incorrect way to measure for studs before buying... I'll post the correct sizes once I get everything correct. The 1/2 studs go a lot deeper into the head which should give some extra thread strength

They are beautiful studs.


I cut a strip of cardboard and laid it on the block over the cylinders for a layer of protection and set the head on for a test fit. I put in two manifold studs and put on the manifold and carburetor. The carburetor and choke rod didn't hit the block, so the head and manifold weren't milled too much.

When I set the rocker assembly on the head, I found that the stud nuts and washers are the little thicker than the bolt heads were so the end of the rockers assembly sat on top the nut and was help up about .100. If I use the nut with no washer It just barely clears. I should've taken a picture...

I think I'm going to pull the valves back out of the head and have the valve cover surface milled a little and have the machinist take a about .200 off the 2 separate head stud bosses under the ends of the rocker arms.
I looked and can't find the gaskets that go under the thermostat housing or front water jacket block cover so I'll be doing like Dr. Allis suggests and just putting some sealer there. Having the top surfaced should make sure I can make a good seal there.


Edited by Allis dave - 14 Sep 2016 at 8:20am

I for got to say change the two head bolts at the end of the rocker arm shaft too.Studs,washers and nuts will hit the shaft too.

Allis dave wrote: Thanks, that's how I've done it in the past, but I thought maybe there was a better way.

If have the time and just looking for right as rain (as Dad used to say) set a manifold gasket on all the ports and center them to the port draw a line around them , use the lines to center the manifold to head.

Be sure to mark the flywheel for 25 degrees BTDC instead of the 30 degrees it is now, if you are using D-17 pistons/sleeves.

Finally got the rest of the parts and head work done and now back to work. I'm not sure which takes longer, the actual work, or the posting.

Head Studs
The final head stud sizes I used are as follows:
4- 1/2 x 6.120
5- 1/2 x 5.750
3- 1/2 x 5.250
3- 3/8 x 5.150

The ARP studs seems to be very high quality fasteners. Beautiful studs with nice flanged nuts, and good washers.

I borrowed and re-ran a bottom tap through all the holes in the block to get a couple extra threads holding onto the studs. I had to cut a little off the 2 studs under the end of the rocker arm to clear. I also cut a little off the center stud under the rocker arm. I almost touched the rocker arm spring and I was worried maybe they touch and wear the spring through over time.

The 6.120 studs went under the thermostat and water jacket blocking cover. They were just barely long enough under the thermostat. I didn't use a gasket there. If I had, 6.120 wouldn't have been long enough. Next size longer was on backorder.



I lightly oiled the threads and official installed the studs finger tight into the block.


I took the head back to the machine shop and they took .010 off the top valve cover surface. That should make sure it's trued up good and the thermostat housing and front water jacket cover seal good.

Then he threw the head into the mill and touched up the center stud bosses to make sure they were perfect. Most importantly, he cut a little down into the two stud bosses under the end of the rocker arms to make room for the stud and nuts. Still not enough room for a nut and washer so I'll just use the nut. With a good flat surface and some special ARP lube it should be ok.




Edited by Allis dave - 14 Sep 2016 at 8:58am

Dave,
 Nice documentation on the 45 engine rebuild. I would like to build one some day. May need your help!
Regards,
 Chris

Dave - I have not seen RTV red silicone used like that on a head gasket.   Where is that excess going to go when you torque the head down?  I would be afraid excess would squish out where you don't want it or it wouldn't have anywhere to go and you'd have a high spot were it wouldn't seal?  Not an expert at this by any means.   Mike