Beginner questions on Assembly

[jn2630]

I am about ready to start assembly of my stroker, and I had a few questions. The pistons are marked which way is front, should that mean the front of the motor where the water pump is?

Also, I have no clue what order, or how to put on the piston rings. The two compression rings are are booth black, but one has a silver edge and is marked with green and white paint on the edges. Why are they marked, and how do they go on?

Is there a special way to put in freeze plugs? Or do I just tap them in? My old ones are removed.

Do I need a special tool to prime the oil pump before first startup?

Thank you so much, it will help me loads to know this information.

[IH 392]

Yes

There SHOULD! be instructions with the rings on how to install them, propaganda sheet or on the box it's self, the "silver" (moly) ring is the TOP ring, they may have a dimple on them, if they do that is the top, they will be marked some how.

I use a socket to drive them in, get as big a one in the plug as you can without it getting stuck! as the plug shrinks when driven in, put some kind of glue on them, anything is better than nothing, and be careful not to drive them right on thrue!

I made mine out of an old distributor, but a screwdriver in a drill will work, go slow it'll want to come out of the slot and it can cause damage at hyper velocity's!

[jn2630]

Ok, the box is marked (on the little flip open tabs that I didn't see.) There was also a dimple on one side of the rings so I asumed that this was the top. The rings are on.

The freeze plugs... I'm having a little trouble with. How hard do I need to hit them? I'm afraid to crack the block! My problem is that they go in lop sided.

[Alex22]

The dimple on the piston rings does face up [towards the head].

The freeze plugs are supposed to go in hard. Get the biggest piece of metal you can find that will still fit inside the plug; a wooden dowel may work as well and go for it. Your local parts store might have the official freeze plug install kit available to rent if you can't find or make your own. I put the retaining lock-tite [green] on the plugs before I install them.

Tip: The best way to clean the bores is to use laqure thinner and a white rag, keep wiping with a fresh rag until it comes out clean.

[5-90]

Make sure the ring gaps are /not/ lined up with each other - when the piston goes in, the compression ring gaps (top two) should be 180* apart, and the oil control ring (three-part ring - two rails and a spacer) usually works best when the gaps are 120* apart.

You can also use a SBChevvy oil pump priming rod for the AMC242 - it uses a "tang drive" like we have. And, it's less likely to jump out of the slot when you run it. I'll usually run it until I see oil pressure (I plug in a mechanical gage) and then start a two-minute count after that to make sure oil is circulating and bloody /everywhere/. Oil pressure should vary proportionately to drill speed - usually, I'll run about half of drill motor speed (my DeWalt maxes out somewhere around 2500rpm) and make sure oil pressure stays steady while the drill stays steady.

I'll usually drive in welch plugs using a deep socket that just fits inside the cup, and watch it to make sure you don't drive it too far past flush. RTV Black is my 'drug of choice' for sealing them in, I find it easier to break than heavy-duty LocTite when I need to change the thing later. I'll also tend to prefer brass over steel, I find they last rather longer. I'll also use brass plugs (they're usually a standard pipe thread anyhow) for the oil galley plugs and suchlike, with RTV or PTFE pipe dope to seal them.

[jn2630]

Ok, the plugs are in, I just needed more force.

There is treaded hole, however, under the timing cover that goes through the lifter bores all the way to the back, and then another threaded hole at the other end. I'm assuming this is an oil passage, and that this needs to be plugged right? Thanks for your help, this stroker is my first motor build! I really appreciate the info.

[dwg86]

Yes they need to be plugged with pipe thread plugs. Use ones that you have to use an allen wrench to install. I use permatex gasket sealer on the threads.