both

 

You can use locktite on the head studs, we use ant-seize, in case you want to take the studs out with any ease in the future
A good plan for the head assembly on the shortblock: torque in steps as you stated, wait several hours (even a day), then check the torque again..very RARELY will it change, but at times, in the course of 12+hrs, the headgasket will compress/crush just a hair more, and you will lose some of the clamping force on one or more studs...

the timing is an important step- get the service manual, read through it 2 or 3 times, and go slowly...install the cams 3 cam caps and large end cam cap (on the front of the heads). Also, torquing in steps. Inspect all of your timig gear for wear, link by link on the chains, test the rebound of the tensioners, look for any wear on the guides..you can't be too careful- easier to replace now than later!

timing: there are marks to line up, make sure you have the circle and oval marks on the correct sides (per manual) for the cam gears. Stick a long socket extension in the spark plug hole to determine when piston is at top dead center so that you can corrdinate the crank position with the cam position before beginning the timing process.

The rest is outlined in the manual, those are just a few tips

oh yeah, don;t forget to put all the appropriate o-rings in before you close up the timing covers

Good luck

TODD

 

while arp recommends finger tight/snug...many engine builders recommend 10-15 ft lbs to make sure the stud doesnt turn into the threads in the block as you torque on the heads... I typically tighten with an allen snug, about 10ft lbs of so.

 

Great info. Keep it coming.

I was told, it might be a good idea to run the engine without coolant for 1-2 minutes to allow a little heat to help get the head gasket to set and conform. Is this a good idea?

 

arp defines hand tight as 4 ft lb ,i use a inch pound set to 48 ,on vq engine make sure the crank key is at about 11:00 before installing cams or you can bend a valve before you even get started!passenger lobes on #1 should almost point at each other when you lay the cams in and have a couple wrenches ready because it's a pain to get pass side secondary chain/gears on because you are right on a lobe and they have a tendency to jump.driver side usually gives no trouble so i recommend getting your feet wet on that side ,just make sure you have the little pin/hole in the right clock position.i agree that you should let the motor set over night then check final torque in sequence ,just finding one stud that needed a little more will make you happy that you waited and checked!

 

Thanks for the info. I had the help of a mechanic yesterday and he helped me make sure that the timing marks matched up accordingly. Its interesting how Nissan uses the circle marks and the oval marks opposite to each other. The right side you match up the timing marks to the small circle identification marks on the cam gear and on the left side you match them up to the oval marks. If you don't read the service manual it might be missed.

 

I noticed when dismantling that the engine held an awful lot of fluids, oil & coolant, tucked away in lots of pockets. How do I ensure that when I start the car for the first time, it gets "primed" properly. I know the timing chain, as 1 example, is pressure dependent on the amount of oil in the car. I do not want to hurt the new engine. I just basically want to make sure that oil and coolant is everywhere it needs to be when the car first starts up.

Any recommendations? Much appreciated.

 

Pull the fuel pump fuse and crank it over for about 5 or 6 seconds.

 

Is that fuse identified in the service manual? In the driver footrest?

 

Pull the trim around the battery (not just the cover, the entire trim piece) and there's a fuse box back there, and it's labled on that.

 

Awesome. I got a set of instructions with the short-block on break-in. If my memory serves me right, (stage 1)I am supposd to drive around for roughly 50 miles, drop the oil and filter and replace. (stage 2) Drive for 1000 miles, up & down in rpm range and then change once more and I should be good. No Boosting until stage 3. Any more words of wisdom?

Anything specific on breaking in a metallic OS giken clutch. I want to do it right the first time. What is recommended, driving in traffic? I hate traffic.

 

Oh and Sharif, I took your advice and picked up the HKS EVC VI.
Now I just have to figure out how to use it. DO Ineed to hook up the RPM line/sensor and speed line/sensor? Thanks.