"Plain Jane" 1970 Nova Build

[Arrowsmith]

I'm back L-O-L

The original plan was to build a 540, so a block with a 4.50-inch bore was what I was looking for. I have a lot of friends and connections in the biz (including heavyweights like David Reher), and none of them could come up with or give up a block. I was on the phone almost every day for six months trying to find a block. I was pretty much convinced there was little hope of finding one because of the supply chain issues we were all facing. One day I tried Borrowski Race Engines in Rockdale, Illinois. Much to my surprise, they had one (1!) 4.6-inch bore block available. I asked him to hold it while I called my piston manufacturer of choice (Mahle Motorsports). Mahle told me they had one (1!) set of 4032 alloy, low dome pistons for a 4.6-inch bore block available, so it all fell together. Borrowski has a Rottler machining center setup for blocks, so I asked them to run my block through to my specs. Fed Ex managed to lose the block in transit, but eventually I took delivery. Here's the bare block before final cleaning:



I cleaned it several times (Borrowski also cleans it) and then started the assembly, beginning with prep work like plugs, block drains, dowels, etc. You can see I use rad petcocks on the block drains:



This is my crankshaft of choice: It's a fully counterweighted forged job from Molnar. Tom's a friend and honestly, he does fabulous work. Stroke is 4.250-inches.



I miked the crank, and it was pretty much dead nuts accurate:



Tom Molnar suggested I use bearings from King Bearings (they're out of Israel). Rods and Mains (shown here) are coated. There was another wait because the bearings I needed (standard, standard, narrow rod) were backordered:



Crank is in it here, but as you can see, only the front main and the rear main are in place. I was checking crankshaft end clearance. Look closely and you can see I'm using a billet oil filter adapter, without a by pass. This thing will never see use in cold weather and I don't use super heavy oil, so....



These are the Mahle Motorsports pistons I'm using. They have a 1.270-inch compression height, a 10-cc mini dome, and they're machined for relatively skinny metric rings (1.5-mm top and second; 3.0-mm oil). The pistons are dry phosphate coated to prevent ring micro-welding and pin galling during initial startup. Mahle includes proprietary Grafal anti-friction coating to the piston skirts:




Pins are conventional 0.990-inch jobs. Retainers are round wire (which are slightly less painful to assemble than Spirolocks). The pistons are setup so that you can get a little screwdriver in place to work the retainer.



Rods also came from Tom Molnar. They're 6.385-inches center to center and obviously set up for a floating pin:



Tom designed his own thread configuration for the rod bolts and has ARP build the rod bolts for him:



I file-fit all of the rings by hand to set the end gap for each cylinder. I don't have (and cannot justify) one of the super fancy, super expensive electric ring filing tools out there so I use this tool from Summit Racing. Compared to other hand ring filers, this one works fabulously:



A big part of the process is "sneaking up" on the gap. In other words, file a little bit and check the gap, repeat, repeat, repeat for eight top rings and eight second rings...it takes awhile...L-O-L:



During the pre-assembly phase, I don't install the rings on the pistons or the pin retainers. I do that after the engine is balanced. In the pre-assembly phase, I tape the ring lands with a couple of wraps of painter tape to protect the various bits and to keep the pins in place. Nothing new here. Lot's of race engine builders do the same thing:



It was time to degree the camshaft. Here I'm using a piston stop to establish true top dead center:



Here's the timing chain setup I'm using. It's an Australian Rollmaster. As you can see on the crank gear, there are a ton of timing options, and my timing set was pretty old (but not used). It came from the old Crane Cams and instructions weren't plentiful. It took some messing around to get it dialed in. Once the engine was final assembled, I used a roller cam button and cam bolt lock on the nose:



I'm using a large diameter degree wheel from B&B Performance. My old acquaintance Joe Stef (Stef's Oil Pans) owns B&B. Joe is a member here, and his company products are stellar. By the way, the camshaft is a mechanical roller from Bullet Racing Cams. I've known John Partridge (owner of Bullet) ever since his days at Lunati and me working on NHRA Stockers. The cam has a lift of...a wee bit more than 0.750-inches on both the intake and exhaust and the duration and lobe center are...I'm not telling...L-O-L. Seriously the roller cam is a big pussy cat in this engine. It now idles at 1100 RPM or so in gear



Just a look at the dial indicator as I'm going through the process...



For the most part I use Mahle gaskets in the engine. The head gaskets are MLS (Multi Layer Steel) configuration. They don't require a hot retorque (which is an absolute pain without a test stand). I like them a lot (a Lot!). The gasket shown is one I had for the 4.50-inch bore 540, and obviously, I couldn't use it here:




At this point, I disassembled everything and took the respective parts in to be balanced. I'll show you more of the build next time around...

[big gear head]

I've got those "Made For You" spark plug wire looms on my 427. The valve covers always leaked because I couldn't tighten the bolts enough because of the plastic posts. I made new ones from aluminum and no more leaks.

[Arrowsmith]

Originally Posted by big gear head

I've got those "Made For You" spark plug wire looms on my 427. The valve covers always leaked because I couldn't tighten the bolts enough because of the plastic posts. I made new ones from aluminum and no more leaks.

Very nice job of machining! Mine don’t seem to leak though. Could be a difference in valve covers, valve cover rails on the heads, and/or gaskets. The Brodix heads I use have a taller rail. I use Mahle or Fel Pro vc gaskets (I don’t have a preference) and glue them to the valve cover.

[Arrowsmith]

I've had some "distractions", but back to the engine build...

This is the almost complete short block assembly. I like to use ATI dampers (balancers), simply because they flat out work. Yes, there are cheaper options...The timing pointer is a billet job while the timing chain cover is from Milodon. Just about every fastener is from ARP. The truth is, the only OEM Chevy parts in this entire engine are the distributor body and the thermostat housing.



This is a side view. Originally, I assembled the engine with a discontinued Holley off-shore Marine fuel pump (driven by way of a composite fuel pushrod). Since then, I've replaced the engine fuel system with a Weldon pump and regulator (-10AN to the front and then -8 AN at the carb and return). The water pump is from Edelbrock.



Here's another look at the damper/timing pointer and a bit of the pump. Pulleys are basic 396-375 jobs.



Inside, I had the block machined to accept a large Hemi diameter roller lifter (0.903-inch) from Jesel. They're considerably larger than a stock Chevy lifter @ 0.842. The increase in size allows for a larger roller wheel which in turn helps with reliability (and Jesel recommends it if possible). The cam was ground with the Hemi size lifter taken into consideration. The Jesel roller lifters are probably the most robust (and finest) tie-bar examples you can buy.



Years ago, I used to paint everything inside the block with electric motor case paint. Then a couple of folks, including the late John Lingenfelter asked me "why". I really couldn't come up with a valid reason other than "sealing the block surface". So....I quit painting them..L-O-L. Here's another look at the Jesel rollers:



Upstairs, I'm using Jesel steel roller rockers. Like everything else Jesel builds, these pieces are fabulous. You can probably guess, I went out of my way to use reliable pieces. As you can see, I'm using a 1.625-inch diameter spring (its from PAC) with titanium retainers.



Here's a comparison of the Jesel steel rocker versus a Jesel Sportsman rocker. There's not that much difference in weight, but the steel rocker is ultimately stronger and more compact. With a Jesel shaft, there's zero need for any sort of stud girdle (if you've ever used a stud girdle, you'll know what a pain in the ass it is). The Jesel shaft rocker is a great setup.



Heads are from Brodix. I've been a regular "user" of Brodix products for years and I'm a believer...L-O-L. Some of the nicest castings in the biz and flow numbers versus port volume are fabulous (they don't play games like some companies). I'm particularly fond of the BB-3Xtra lineup. The heads I'm using for Jane are 345-cc jobs. For more info, check out this video on my You Tube Channel:

https://youtu.be/I7PclURsmO4

Here's one head:



Obviously, pushrods are needed. I wanted a double tapered setup because of the strength. The Jesel shaft setup doesn't need conventional rocker studs and it doesn't need pushrod guide plates. But to get there, I had to measure the pushrod length. I have a few different checking tools, but this one from Trick Flow is easy to use (you need two for a BBC because the pushrods are different lengths). I double check it with a dial caliper:



With the length determined, I could order pushrods. These came from Trend. They taper from 3/8-inch to 7/16-inch back to 3/8-inch. It took a long time to get them, but I think it was worth the wait. They're also awesome pieces....



Here's a look at the tip (FYI, I double checked the clearance in the head with these pushrods. Sometimes they mandate a bit of grinding in the head):



On the bottom end, I used a Melling billet pump with a bottom pickup. Years ago, I had a brazed pickup fall off a race engine. The braze job failed. It cost me an engine. That's why I really appreciate these Melling pieces. It's a standard volume example (but adjustable with a spring swap). By the way, that's a Melling pump drive.



Here's a look at the bottom pickup:



The oil pan is another work of art from Stef's. They make a special "Camaro Notch" pan, which obviously fits the Nova subframe. The way it's built, you gain max possible room under the crank at the stock engine cradle. Installed with the correct mix of mounts and frame stands, you can slide a piece of paper under the pan and the front crossmember...



The pan is incredibly well baffled too. Note the screen on the passenger side. That helps to strip oil off the crank and force it back into the sump. Joe and company know their way around oiling systems. I'm a huge fan of the company. It's just a stellar piece of fabrication...and it fits!
In case you're wondering, Jane has wonderful, stable oil pressure!



Here are a couple of pix of the finished engine. I broke it in with Wix filters, but for regular use, I'm switching it to Baldwin filters (Moroso sells them). It's my understanding Baldwin made the original (way back when) AC PF35's. I might get some disagreement over this, but....If you cut a bunch of filters apart, you'll understand why..... There are Huge differences in oil filters and the only way to see it is to slice and dice them.





Down the road, I'll show you the intake swap I did and I'll also show you the distributor I built to trigger the MSD 7. Stay tuned....

[Xplantdad]

Thanks Wayne....it's Engine jewelry!

[Arrowsmith]

Originally Posted by Xplantdad

Thanks Wayne....it's Engine jewelry!

Thanks Bruce...

There's a huge number of hidden "things" in this build that would otherwise go unnoticed. Happy I get to share some of it...

[Arrowsmith]

Originally Posted by jer

Impressive, yes! And thanx for your journalistic efforts, fun to ride along. Are you adding screens in the lifter valley?

Thank you!

A long time ago, I would screen the lifter valley in engines I built, but I discovered (and I’m certainly not the only one), they bring their own set of problems (oil drain back issues is just one example).

Cheers!

[Arrowsmith]

Originally Posted by Stihl

You do amazing work! What a sleeper that would be on the street.

Thank you!

[Arrowsmith]

Originally Posted by BJCHEV396

Damn keeps getting better Wayne!

Thank you. I appreciate it.

[realzed]

www.baldwinfilters.com

As an example - http://www.baldwinfilters.com/us/en/...T&engine=66863