How to increase BBB engine longevity!

Discussion in 'Race 400/430/455' started by Staged70Lark, Aug 31, 2005.

  1. GRIMM

    GRIMM Well-Known Member

    :gp: :gp: :gp: :kodak:

    :TU: :laugh:
     
  2. nitrousfish

    nitrousfish Dave Fisher

    Hey guys,I missed the Nats this year because I had a problem with water getting in my oil when I primed my oil pump.

    It's got a -12 fitting in the side of the block for external oil pickup that was drilled out and tapped from the old oil pressure sender hole. I hit a water passage in the block so now I will have to epoxy the hole shut.

    So be careful if you do this procedure and if you see a hole that shouldn't be there,check it out. It took me 2 days before the Nats and a day after the Nats trying to figure it out.

    Fish
     
  3. 455elky

    455elky 455elky

    One thing I haven't seen mentioned in this AWESOME thread is thrust bearing clearance (end play). What clearance are some of you running?
     
  4. standup 69

    standup 69 standup69

    i just keep that within the factory tolerence
     
  5. flynbuick

    flynbuick Guest

  6. BrunoD

    BrunoD Looking for Fast Eddie

    Nitrousfish,it happened to me.Drill the hole a little deeper and put in a pipe a little longer with silicone all around.That stopped my leak.BrunoD.
     
  7. nitrousfish

    nitrousfish Dave Fisher

    Bruno,what I ended up doing was cramming epoxy down in the crack...I could see in the hole with a shop light shining down in the top...looked like 2 threads had broken thru just slightly...so far it has held up great...Fish
     
  8. DR.RAD

    DR.RAD New Member

    Can't see the extra holes at the 10 and 2 O'clock positions in the main saddles well. Are these just pockets for redirecting oil to the extra bearing holes:puzzled: ?
     
  9. Buicks4Speed

    Buicks4Speed Advanced Member

    The oil flows thru the groove in the block. There isn't enough oil volume thru the groove in the main bearing so the holes are added.
     
  10. td99

    td99 Well-Known Member

    i was thinking would it not be even better to groove the block and put the extra holes in the bearings but also fully groove the bearing? that way the crank has 360 degrees of oil but the 2 holes also allow extra oil to the journal???

    Cody
     
  11. gmcgruther

    gmcgruther Well-Known Member

    Mike @ T/A, did you address this problem of the weak webs and made them thicker? I curious on what you did to the new block. I have said some bad things but I want that left in the past please, I did contact Chad Speier of Speier racing cylinder heads and he would love to talk to you about port volume,velocity and other goodies if you are interested, he does port work only. Yes he does every make except buick and he is interested. I would like to here your in put on the web breakage of the old 455! I heard someone say they made 1200hp on a stock block! That to me is very impressive. I like to think everyone for the information they have submitted. I have a question on the oil line runnin next the block! I would figure that would get hot! I seen some route there's on top of engine. I see where there is a need for a air gap manifold to route all the lines under the runners so there isn't such a hose miss.
     
  12. td99

    td99 Well-Known Member

    good idea, stupid idea :confused: ?
     
  13. DaWildcat

    DaWildcat Platinum Level Contributor

    Fully grooved main bearings have been sold in the past, but the consensus has pretty much been that the bottom bearing shell (the one in the main cap) needs all the bearing surface it can get due to the fact that they're very narrow to begin with.

    Devon
     
  14. online170

    online170 Well-Known Member

    gonna guess that it was due to a thread the very clearly showed the mods in this thread are bad practice.

    since the block split directly at the feed holes added in this thread to the main webbing area.
     
  15. Staged70Lark

    Staged70Lark Well-Known Member

    Azeem,

    I would not build ANY engine, wether it be a street engine or a race engine without that oil mod. Yes, that block cracked but I will take my chances.
     
  16. 462 Chevelle

    462 Chevelle 462 chevelle

    my motor is apart for inspection right now and everything looked perfect except the thrust bearing (operater error) and number 7 rod bearing. i wasnt having any indication of a problem, oil pressure was perfect, no weird sounds. on the thrust bearing deal, i ran it for a while with a too long of a driveshaft.. and the number 7 rod bearing is down to the copper on about a 1/2 inch of it. crank still looks the same as when i picked it up from the machine shop. im going to guess it is from my constant overrevving in the burnout box. my valvetrain wakes me up sometimes at 6500 again, operater error. should i just measure my clearances and clean the crank up with some steel wool and put it back together or run the balance line and crossdrill the crank?? maybe a rev limiter like many on here have recommended will solve my problems. motor has well over 10000 miles on it since last spring and plenty of passes on it (i drive it like i stole it a lot)
     
  17. td99

    td99 Well-Known Member

    Lonnie, if you wore down a bearing id have the crank polished. i think the guy i use, charged me like 20 bucks to polish all the rod journals. def find out whats going on with number 7 before you put it back together.

    Cody
     
  18. 462 Chevelle

    462 Chevelle 462 chevelle

    ran some steel wool on it and checked it, .0026 clearance on the number 7 rod. already have the shortblock assembled except the cam, waiting on it. i wasnt ignoring your advice, i just had it assembled before i got on today, we will see how it does after breakin. the only clearance on my shorblock that scared me is number 5 main .0031 and thrust clearance is .0015. the thrust clearance was checked with assembly grease all over the bearing. maybe thats why its so tight.

    ---------- Post added at 11:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:29 PM ----------

    and im guessing the problem is that the number 5 main hole isnt perfectly lined up and i overrev the heck out of this thing a lot. not on purpose though. with the new converter and the nitrous and the way my tranny is shifting i was floating the valves every 1-2 shift because the tranny was moaning for a few seconds on the shift. not slipping just not shifting... no shift kit with a 3200 stall with nitrous...
    http://www.youtube.com/user/mr462chevelle?feature=guide
    there is some videos there. you can get what im saying by listening to when it shifts.

    ---------- Post added at 11:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:33 PM ----------

    and im guessing the problem is that the number 5 main hole isnt perfectly lined up and i overrev the heck out of this thing a lot. not on purpose though. with the new converter and the nitrous and the way my tranny is shifting i was floating the valves every 1-2 shift because the tranny was moaning for a few seconds on the shift. not slipping just not shifting... no shift kit with a 3200 stall with nitrous...
    http://www.youtube.com/user/mr462chevelle?feature=guide
    there is some videos there. you can get what im saying by listening to when it shifts.
     
  19. Staged70Lark

    Staged70Lark Well-Known Member

    Lonnie,

    Thrust bearing problem is not from the driveshaft being too long! It may be more from your torque converter ballooning! When you put the crank back in the block check the thrust clearance with a feelers gauge. Hold the crankshaft forward. The crank should fit flush against the thrust bearing with no gaps. Use a .001 feelers gauge and see if it will fit in between the crank and the bearing. It should NOT go in! If it does the thrust is not perpendicular to the crank. I have seen this a few times and the possibility increases if the block has been line honed. Thrust clearance of .0015 is wayyy tight!

    If you are seeing copper on a bearing, especially #7 or #8, you have an oil starvation problem!!! Make the correct oil mods or you will be taking it apart again! Open up the holes in the bearings to the holes in the block!

    The crank should be polished... NEVER USE steel wool on a crankshaft. The crankshaft should be polished. Once metal transfer starts, it doesn't stop and the only way to stop it is to have the crank polished!

    Good Luck!
     
  20. 462 Chevelle

    462 Chevelle 462 chevelle

    well crap, i already have the shortblock together and 1 head on it. do you not think that the assembly grease could have an effect on the thrust clearance? the converter i took out looked fine and the converter in the trans right now only has about 15 passes on it and looks to be ok. the center hub looked a little scratched but it didnt look balooned. do you think steel wool will hurt the crank, the stuff i used was very very fine, or do you just not think it is an effective way to polish it. the stuff wouldnt even scratch your skin. an old circle track guy told me thats what he used to do to his crank when he tore his motors down in the winter. sucks, that the closest machine shop is 45 miles away and their hours are the same as my hours. so it usually takes a month at a minimum for me to get around to being able to pick my stuff up after its done.
     

Share This Page