Might be a better hone, but seems the factory didn't deem it necessary. Cost savings maybe. The sbb bore doesn't move adding the fastners. Blind holes.
What does the torque plate actually do? Or how is it used and what does using it achieve? I've read about them but I don't know much about them and their purpose since I've never rebuilt an engine before and I'm embarking on my first rebuild.
I think it's more important on a rebuild of a seasoned block. A new virgin block is going to move around through all the heat cycles so it's kinda pointless. The seasoned block has stabilized. At least that's how I understand it
That isn’t the way I understand it. It has nothing to do with seasoning. Anytime you torque a head onto a block, it can distort the bore. https://www.enginebasics.com/Advanced%20Engine%20Tuning/Torque_Plate_Basics.html
It's all about bore distortion.... Seasoning a block is basically straightening out the molecules or grain..
Without plate the block is relaxed.. With plate the block is tightened up... you can actually measure just where the head bolts are in the block..When you start honing the block with plate you can feel the blots in the vibration in the cutter after a about a minute or so the vibes stop.. So if you were to hone the block without the plate it will be round .. Now when you bolt down the head you will be stressing the block and the 4 bolts will appear in the what is now a not round cylinder hole.. Thats just the stuff the average Joe can see and feel.. Their is much more. That I cant really explain for the AJ to see and feel.. You can get by But... Its just a half ass rebuild. Honestly I cant see spending a bunch off hard earned money and being cheap on a Plate.. Personally If I was to rebuild my lawn mower I would use a honing plate..
Quick Buick. I agree. After spending all this money, probably $2500 in parts just sitting around, plus however much it costs for all the machining, I reckon I will have a solid $5000-7000 into this stupid motor by the time it is running. After 6 years of part collections, and thousands of dollars, I can cheap out on using a plate and it would probably be just fine. Probably. But to do it right? I took me about 8 hours to make that plate myself including the programming and all. I looked at it like this. I have a pretty good timing chain cover that I cleaned up. Repaired the oil pump etc. Then I figured, again, do I want to risk everything for a $500 part. Answer: no. As I get older, I tend to have more money than time so it's worth it. It's just the "right way" of doing it.
Perfect answers guys makes total sense! When I send my block to the machine shop the very first question I'll ask is if they have torque plates for buick 455 then all the questions of tolerances and buick specific specs to follow. If they have buick knowledge and no plates well I'll get some and go from there but if the answer is no and they have no knowledge of buick engines I'm finding another shop!
I would think your bolts should be exactly the same length, or go to the same depth as the head bolts or studs are that you are going to use. That will duplicate the distortion from head bolt or stud torque.
Don't forget the gasket that goes with the torque plate. A downside to an aluminum torque plate is that you're going to need an aluminum-compatible head gasket so you don't brinnell the torque plate. And the downside to that is that you want to use the same head gasket with the torque plate as you're using with the heads you're going to install. My torque plates are iron. The "Factory" also told customers that burning a quart of oil in 700 miles was "normal", and not subject to warranty repair, too. Simple fact is, they didn't care enough about their product to bother using a torque plate no matter how much better the results were.
I didn't think about the head gasket. Once you torque down a head gasket, you can't reuse them right? So I would need one set for use with TP and one new set for the build? Once TA gets the head bolts in stock and ships then I can figure out if I'm using spacer washers or what have you.
Yes, my dad had a new70 SS396 Chevelle that we did an oil consumption test on while driving to FL from MI. They ended up replaceing the short block. And yes again, you should use a compressed head gasket that you intend on using on your build to torque the torque plate down. In my sbb case, checking bore with .0001 bore gage, no difference detected from bare block to torqued down heads, with gasket too, in the size variance.
You need one head gasket to use with the torque plate, and then one for each cylinder head. If this was me, I'd head back to the machine shop, and carve out some steel tubular spacers that, combined with the thickness of the torque plate itself, allow the use of a full set of head bolts while allowing exactly the same amount of thread engagement in the block as you'd have with the cylinder heads you're using. That way the bolts stretch the same amount, and stress the block the same way that the bolts will when the head is installed. Are you using aluminum heads?
Very good,, on finding a good a shop.. Check out his tools. there are shop in my area the tools are so old I believe they were used on building Noahs ark. And the mayflower.. My guy is very picky with his work. I know many his customers with some very wicked Caddy, Pontiac, Ford side oilers.. Infact today I saw and held my first set of real 427 lemans headers. WoW. he's also working on Daves Carrol Shelby aluminum 427 block.. https://www.shelbyengines.com/collections/complete-engines. I'll admit He did not have a HP for a BBB so I bought one he did offer to go halfsies on.. I told no thats my present to you.. He lets me have access to tools that I have. Use of his shop the lift welder ETC.
