And it had been fine earlier? This is hand cranking btw...

had a stroker short-blcok assembled with cam installed/degreed. I finished the rest of the assembly.

clearences were checked, no issues noted. Engine also was rotated with no issues while installing rocker arms (this is a magnum style small block), again, no issues. Everything was going swimmingly.

Putting on the torque converter bolts and turned the engine over more than a couple times, again, no issues. Trying to crank it over to TDC for the last time, ran into a bit of an issue....it stopped.

Took off the one TC bolt I had gotten on thinking something might be going on there...so now the engine is free of the trans. Still won't turn over.

edit:only had one bolt on by that time...

What am I missing?


EDIT: found culprit!

Rotate it in the opposite direction and see if it stops again ?

Walked away for bit, now it turns over...weird. Lifters can't be pumping up, since there is no oil pressure...AND no spark plugs in so no compression.

Don't know what to make of this

Can you pull the spark plugs to see if the motor will spin?
If the motor has been filled with coolant and if there is a gasket failure or cracked head, a cylinder could have water in it. THAT would certainly make it hard to spin over. Pulling the plugs would remove compression from the equation.

answered above...no plugs in at all...nor oil pressure to pump lifters in case there was some piston valve intereference perhaps.

but as stated, now turning over....very weird.

Did you pump up all the lifters out side the engine before installing them? Some of them could still have residual oil holding them too far open, then when they bleed down it can turn. Could also be fluid in the cylinders, easy enough to pull a plug and see.

did not pump the lifters up (during the rocker arm adjustment, all were soft and spongy, no issues there), no spark plugs or coolant in the engine yet, and none in the cylinders....

keep spitballing...my brain isn't coming up with anything

Found the culprit...a TC bolt had not backed out per se...but was only started. So as the TC was bolted in, the head came closer to the block. For some reason, I thought I had all the bolts out.

Now though, I've got to find the bolt as it was only started...not really threaded in, the bolt hit the block, came out, and is now somehwere in the bellhousing

Oh well...that's a solveable prob. Worst case is take the engine apart from the trans and get it by hand. Going to try magnet though to retrieve it

any other suggestions, tricks, I'd appreciate!

Need to use thin headed bolts to hold the converter to the flex plate either ready made or grind the heads thinner on a bench grinder. Have done this many times with no adverse effects BUT they do have tobe thin headed or they will catch on the block webbing.

It ended up being on the horizontal ribbing going across the back of the engine block.

Here was the problem...COULD NOT SEE IT AT ALL. Tried using all manner of mirrors to look around the bellhousing and block but never could get enough light or a good enough angle.

Tried blindly sticking a bent coat hanger all over, and wasn't getting it....so with that, it was pull the engine back out.

As soon as the engine was away from the trans and could now clearly see where it was, got a good line on it and grabbed it with the magnet.

it took about 2 hours to get it right back from where I was and then some with all the torque converter bolts threaded in properly

I sure hope I learned something from this

I still put my shoes on the wrong feets...