Assembling engine question

[shipwrecked]

Guys, I've gotten about 90% of my machined 223 back and want to start putting it together to keep it all safe and well-together. As this project has progressed, I have parts everywhere! Upstairs, downstairs, outside(just cab and frame) and stuff coming in the mail weekly.

Was reading the shop manual and it states to use lubriplate on the engine during assembly. Isn't assembly lube (found at autoparts places) okay for the bearings or should I go find the lubriplate? What about using on the cam?


The engine is going to sit empty in the garage until later this summer when I can get it on the frame.

What say the guys who have done this before?

I'm my engine building experience, we just lubed everything with engine oil and then once it was assembled it was test run immediately. I don't really have that luxury here.

I do know I need to use a zinc adaptive for oil when the time comes. Stated that on the cam box, as well as my machine shop guy said it.

Thanks. Will post the pictures as I go in my build thread.

[ICEMAN6166]

i have always used stp
not sure if you can get it in the can anymore or not
a friend of mine let a 390 sit 7 years after assembly with stp before installing and starting it up and had no issues at all.

looked it up guess they have plastic bottles like everyone else but they do list the zinc additive in it

http://www.stp.com/products/oil-additives/oil-treatment

[Hunter's 64]

http://zddplus.com/products/zddplus-build-paste/ If you can find it .



Danny

[orangeRcode]

i have always used stp
not sure if you can get it in the can anymore or not
a friend of mine let a 390 sit 7 years after assembly with stp before installing and starting it up and had no issues at all.

looked it up guess they have plastic bottles like everyone else but they do list the zinc additive in it

http://www.stp.com/products/oil-additives/oil-treatment

Been a while since I bought STP (since my high school years back in the early 80s). That stuff has gone up but I guess it's tied to cost of crude to produce it. Hey wait a minute, crude is going for less than $44/bbl. STP was $8.68 per quart. Guess that is a little cheaper than assembly lube.

[BarnieTrk]

I've used Lubriplate (a white grease in a tube) and it is good enough stuff. My opinion of Lubriplate is that it is just another brand of assembly lube. If you have it - I'd use it. Like motor oils, most are very close to the same as the other. Problems quickly arise fast when you don't use ENOUGH or ANY motor oil, now that's a problem.

But if don't have it already, then I'd suggest you instead get a bottle of STP Oil Treatment and a small bottle of LUCAS assembly lube for your engine assembly process.

BarnieTrk

P.S.
My last rebuild, I covered the timing chain with 10W/30 motor oil working it around to get the air out and the oil into all the joints. Then I let the chain soak in the motor oil over night in a coffee can.

I used STP oil treatment for coating the cylinder walls, pistons and rings as each was slipped into it's respective bore. Then I smeared some LUCAS assembly lube on the camshaft lobes, cam journals & bearings, lifters and their bores, and a dab on the rockier arm contact points and on the tip of each valve, as well as on the crankshaft and rod journals & their bearing shells.

Once the engine was basically assembled - less the carburetor, distributor and rocker arm covers - I added the oil filter and motor oil, then primed the oil pump and turned it until I got oil drizzling out at each rocker arm. I snugged down the rocker arm covers and sealed/covered the carb flange, cylinder head exhaust ports, water pump hose nipples and distributor hole with duct tape.

The engine was parked in the corner while still on the engine stand until it came time to set it in between the fenders. The engine sat in the corner for about two months, then I pulled it out, re-primed the oil system again (which didn't take nearly as much time & effort), then re-secured the rocker arm covers and hoisted the engine into it's resting place. Once in, I removed the sealing tape and started the installation process.

[bird55]

The shop manual you may be reading is from 1964. Ford had no need to endorse STP or the like back then and we didn't have crappy gas then either.
I bet the assembly lube you have is good stuff. Lubriplate is good too but like you said don't have.
If it is just sitting jus make sure all is lubed up. Oil on the cam and then wrap with wax paper and put it bacck in the box. When you get back to assembly then find yourself some CAM LUBE. IMO.

[castruck_1964]

Yes for the cam use moly based cam assembly lube on all the lobes and also put some on the bottom of the lifters. And yes you need zinc additive for your oil to be cam friendly. Zinc was removed from over the counter oils today because it is not required for modern engines as all cams now use roller lifters to reduce internal friction and also the Zinc shortens the life of catalytic Convertors. Hoof beat put mobil one in his original 460 and he wiped the lobes off the cam due to the lack of zinc in the oil.

[64 f100]

Cam break in is tricky these days, as stated lack of zinc in todays oils is a major problem with our engines. Since, your not building a high performance engine, it may not be as critical as some builds but still a good idea to either get some high performance oil for break in or an additive. A 223 is a good engine but seldom built for performance, but can be done. In my opinion , it would be kinda like spitting into the wind. Rather expensive for the end result, although it has been done. Saw a nitrous setup for a 223 on Evilbay one time. Might be fun to play with a turbo or a supercharger on one though. The one thing I would really worry about is the setting time after the engine is built. New engines will lock up from moisture rusting cylinder walls because the engines are tight and a little rust goes a long way in locking one up. A new cam is supposed to be ran for roughly a half hour on initial fire up in most instructions I've read. You can start the engine and break it in with a little ingenuity without actually having the body on the truck. Mount a radiator and do a little wiring and your in business.

Rich

[ICEMAN6166]

P.S.
My last rebuild, I covered the timing chain with 10W/30 motor oil working it around to get the air out and the oil into all the joints. Then I let the chain soak in the motor oil over night in a coffee can.

i have always done timing chains in a can of atf, a little thinner it gets into the joints a bit faster but i have always left them several hours if not overnight soaking

[BarnieTrk]

P.S.
My last rebuild, I covered the timing chain with 10W/30 motor oil working it around to get the air out and the oil into all the joints. Then I let the chain soak in the motor oil over night in a coffee can.

i have always done timing chains in a can of atf, a little thinner it gets into the joints a bit faster but i have always left them several hours if not overnight soaking

Yep, I'm sure ATF would work well too. I'd say the important thing is to work the chain some in the oil/ATF to work the air out and the lube in; just dropping it into the lube without working the chain may likely not accomplish the lubricating task.

BarnieTrk

[matt1451]

Use a good assembly lube. Make sure you coat all bearing surfaces,cylinders,lifters and any machined surfaces that you don't want to rust. For break in use a good break in oil,which is high in zinc.You must use a high pressure cam assembly lube on the cam and lifter faces.If your engine has hydraulic lifters you want to soak them over night in the break-oil. Assemble the motor and cover it with a trash bag and throw a couple desicant bags in the bag and seal it up to reduce moisture while it sits.

[bruceandersson]

Since its going to be a while before firing, make sure whatever you use is pretty thick so it doesn't just drain off. I think most of the assembly products would work fine.

[LM14]

I've used LubriPlate and I've used most of the red, purple or green little bottles of engine assembly lube. They all work fine. I think the red, purple or green little bottles (color changes depending on the manufacturer) work thru he filer better on that first fire up than the white grease does. The fancy little bottles of assembly lube didn't exist when the book was written and white grease was the norm.

The assembly lube we settled on was half STP and half Brad Penn 20-50 Racing Oil. We assembled 4 to 6 engines every spring so we made a large batch and went to work. Worked great and was loaded with ZDDP to help everything wear in correctly. Used it on bearings, rockers, lifter bores, push rods.....anything that moved except the cam lobes and lifter faces. For a single engine we used the red or green small bottles of lube.

For the cam, the best 2 items I have found is Isky Rev Lube (available at Speedway Motors (http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Isky-Raci ... -,428.html) or Comp Cams cam installation moly lube. Paint it on all the lobes and the base of the lifters. Use your other assembly lube on the sides of the lifters and in the lifter bores. We never lost a cam lobe with the Isky lube and proper break in. The first 15-20 minutes will literally make the life of your cam.

Try the Speedway link and at the bottom there are other items "you may be interested in". There you will find the other assembly lubes available, the Comp Cams break in additive (full of ZDDP and other vitamins to make your motor strong) is also there.

For pistons, do NOT dunk them in a can of oil to get them oiled before assembly. You can actually get too much oil behind the rings and it can make them hard to install and break rings. It's rare but I have seen it happen. What I prefer to do is use a plews type oil can filled with a good oil I plan to run in the engine (I prefer Brad Penn for flat tappet engines). Plews cans have a pump lever that disperses the oil. I give each side of the piston a squirt where the pin passes thru and work the piston back and forth a few minutes to make sure it gets into the joint. You will feel the piston move more freely as you do it. I give the outside diameter of the piston 4 or 5 good squirts and work the oil into the sides, skirts and ring area by hand then install it. I do each piston as it's installed so it doesn't sit outside the bore and collect dust and dirt. This way you don't have excess oil behind the rings, don't have oil on the top of the piston and things go together with the proper amount of lubrication.

I also use my plews can full of oil to give the front and rear main seals a little lubrication before assembly.

For cylinder bores I wipe them down several times with ATF soaked rags (lint free shop towels). I will go from front to back on half the cylinders then change ATF soaked rags. I continue to do this, alternating the first bore for a new rag each time. I stop this process when the rag comes out the bore looking clean. The ATF not only lubricates but cleans and will remove all the fine iron dust created from boring and honing that is left behind after normal cleanings. After doing all of the cylinders, I get my piston ready to go in. Right before I put each piston in, I run that cylinder again with a new ATF soaked rag just to remove any dust in the air that was caught in the cylinder while I prepped the piston.

I also soak my timing chain in a coffee can or shallow pan of oil. I put enough oil in the pan I have to cover the chain and work it around under the oil. Once I think it's all coated I cover the pan and leave it to soak over night. I work it around again the next day to be sure. Let it drip dry for 2 or 3 minutes before installation. Oil will run everywhere but that just means you are doing it right! I coat my gears with my normal assembly lube before installing them. After it's all together, I actually run a few more plews can squirts over the whole assembly. Looks like a glazed doughnut by then.

Don't forget assembly lube on the sides of the thrust bearing before the crank goes in and all the crank journals and thrust surfaces.

Good luck and keep plenty of clean towels on hand when messing with any of these products. You will find that after a few minutes you won't be bale to pick anything up!

That's my method of doing engine assembly lubes. You will find everyone does it differently and that most work just fine. The main thing is the cam lobes will see the highest loads in the engine and that NOTHING goes together dry. I have a little table that I set beside my assembly area with all my lubes, sealers, silicons and odd little tools before I start. I also have a table that has all the parts cleaned and laid out before assembly starts. Once I start assembly, my feet don't move from about a 3 foot radius until it's all together. I keep it all at my fingertips.

Have fun!
SPark

[orangeRcode]

Great info. I will be starting the process soon but will not be doing the rotating assembly. Still important to lube the top end parts and use quality oil with the right stuff.

[tomrooster]

Lubriplate 105 Motor Assembly Grease - 293-L0034-094

http://www.amazon.com/Lubriplate-Assemb ... B0021YMID0

[Truckrat]

Steve, you should put that tutorial in ''Hints and Tricks!''
That is excellent advice for everyone's benefit! TR