Probably, the rocker arm geometry because there is not alot you can change easy. Not sure how many people use the lifter burnishing ball through the lifter bores? I think it is a good idea if running a flat tappet cam.
Some more common stuff, is mostly valve train related. Not checking valve spring pressures and coil bind when changing cams. Not measuring for correct length pushrods. Not degreeing the cam. Not using sealer or loctite on bolts that need it. Not pre-fitting the intake manifold and trying to make it fit when it needs to be milled. Not checking bolts for correct length, either too short where only a few threads grab, or too long where the bolt bottoms out. This is normally the issue with changing to a HV oil pump on a big block, the aftermarket bolts will bottom out right as the pump starts to tighten down. Also, on the big block oil pump, making sure the "O" ring that goes around the housing shaft is installed and lubed. Missing the "O" ring or tearing it on install can allow the pump to suck air.
When I freshed up the 500" stroker, I forgot the oil galley plug behind the cam gear. Good thing I tried to pre-oil the engine while it was still on the stand.
Distractions are a real issue when putting an engine together.
On my old 360, I was installing the pistons, and I got interrupted and had to do something for maybe 5-minutes. Went back and started installing the next piston, and I forgot the rotate the crank first, and ended up nicking a crank journal with the rod bolt.

This. And AndyF.'s comment on writing everything down as you're making sure everything is right.

Great tips! Keep 'em coming!

Engine is a 440 based stroker (4.25)




What's the reason for the no interruption during assembly? I intend to do it in stages in order to stay concentrated..

Torque it and whack it!

I do not claim to be an engine builder of any kind but one thing that I avoid if at all possible is to rely upon sealers of any kind,,,particularly silicone to prevent leaks.

Clean up and tear downs the next time around can dramatically increase the time to do the job. I once spent 5 hours removing the oil pan from my BB engine, that after all bolts were removed and idler arm had been dropped because the guy who built the engine had chosen to slather the pan and windage screen with what appeared to be a whole tube of grey silicone.

Always wondered the wisdom of using same on your beautifully ported and port matched intake manifold, to have it squoshed out into ports when torqued down.

Ma Mopar I believe did not find it necessary.

Also no rope rear main seals. If you ever wish to remove a top half of one that does not want to come out,,,,well you know.

Make certain that new crank you just installed in your engine has a pilot hole if running a std transmission before installing engine.

Checking valve springs for coil bind already mentioned.

Check oil pickup distance from floor of oil pan.

Make certain that oil pan bolts are correct length, not stainless and are torqued to proper 15 pounds. If damages oil pan flange, either get a new oil pan supplier or use a girdle.

Make certain on number 5 rear main if using studs instead of bolts that oil pan itself does not get hung up on the tip of of one of the studs. Do not assume that Milidon and ARP have ever spoken to each other.

Do not assume that rear main retainer pan bolt holes will handle the same length bolts as do the remaining pan bolts that attach to the block itself. Chrysler has a service bulletin put out over 40 years ago on this.

Is this to keep the bearings/cap/rod square to the journal and arrive at a more precise torque value, and obviously less of a chance to distort the bearings?

Stages is fine. You don't need to have somebody talking to you while torquing rod bolts, degreeing the cam, etc.
Doug

engine assembly is like brain surgery, it is absolutely impossible to keep it to clean

New Yorker ran an article decades ago "how do sponges, retractors, forceps wind up inside surgical patients?".

The answer: the king-of-all-medicine brain surgeon makes the same mistakes as the nurse just over from Manila, just slightly less frequently.

Make a pre-flight checkout list, and stick to it. Should have a check box in the left margin for "done", but put in the date too.
Trust nothing.

When cleaning the 40 year old block ,flush out the water passages with high water pressure.

I agree with all that has been said. One of the things I see lacking is checking clearances of moving parts, like piston to valve, spark plug to piston, rods to cylinder block, etc. Always do a mock up and check the clearances with clay and feeler gauges. I have seen a lot of so called high dollar engines that failed due to the lack of checking these simple clearances. If you are going to advance or retard a camshaft, you have to know how much piston to valve you have, advancing a cam reduces intake valve clearance for example. Also when checking piston to valve clearance make sure the pockets in the pistons are large enough in diameter not just deep enough. Just because it rolls over on the engine stand does not mean it will not hit under power when everything warms up.

I couldn't agree more. Mock up,mock up, and mock up. There almost always WILL be something to adjust. Then clean, clean and once it's clean, clean it again. Also, I think most people aren't honest to themselves about their own abilities. You have to know when to hire out, call in the cavalry etc. Many engines fail immediately, ( trust me, you don't read about them all on here,but they happen...lol) because pride gets in the way. As Dirty Harry said, " a man's got to know his limitations". That goes for all of us. Lastly, build the best bottom end you can afford. People are infatuated with heads, flow numbers, shiny carbs and camshafts. It's all useless if the bottom end scatters. Be patient, be wise, and build the best shortblock you can.The rest will come when ready.Its always better to be going rounds, than standing, leaning on the fence after E1.

1. Removing ALL of the nasty casting flash from the inside and outside of the block.

2. radius all sharp edges on the block left from the machining process when the block was manufactured. That goes for aftermarket as well.

3. Clean, clean, clean, clean, clean, clean and clean. Then, clean everything 2 more times.

4. Mock up everything at lease once, sometimes twice or three times.

5. Pay very close attention to alignment of rear main seal. Customers HATE leakers.

6. No short cuts $$$$$$. You get what you pay for...

7. Do NOT be in a rush to complete assembly. You will forget something.

8. If you can't figure out why something does not fit or is not measuring out correctly, swallow your "I'm the KING Mopar Master Engine Builder and not one person on gods green earth knows more than me" pride and ask for help.

9. Have beer when job is done.

Don't spend 1000.00 getting your heads ported and pull an intake manifold out of the box and bolt it on

^^^^^^^^YUP^^^^^^^

It happens all the time and I'd why there are too many underachieving engines out there.

Cleanliness

I have a 2" binder with everything I did to my engine when I built my Hemi. I included all my pieces of papers from when I was checking bearing clearances, stretching the rod bolts, etc. I also included all my back of the napkin work when cc'ing the heads, cylinders, etc. If I wrote something down, I threw the paper in the binder. I also cut off every tab and bar code off all the parts I used. From the rods to the temperature sender. I have the balancing sheets, machine shop sheets and all the receipts, I don't want to review that pile!

Torque it and WHACK it!

If I've had a late night in the shop when I start out the next day I may repeat my last step. Ex (torquing heads, main studs, rods if I used a torque number). It only usually takes 10 minutes and is well worth the peace of mind. When setting valve I mark each rocker with a magic marker as I set them. After spending hours getting my rocker geometry set exactly how I want it I take an engraving tool and mark each rocker so it goes in that exact spot EVERY-TIME they are removed and replaced. This really helps at the track when rushing around.

If something doesn't feel right it probably isn't. A picture is worth a thousand words. If you get frustrated take a step back and relax.

Like Andy said, documentation, documentation, documentation.

Having to go back and change one thing to accommodate another in final assembly, and not recording it can cause real headaches.


I am personally too often guilty of it. Mostly because of the overwhelming amount of time it take to finish an assembly. Together, and apart countless times, even when there really aren't huge obstacles. Do a combo with lots of interference issues and it's even harder to take the time to record it all.