DIY SHORTBLOCK assembly
#1
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quick question my350z, ive been searching many forums and looking at some ford/muscle car engine building tech forums for shortblock assembly. it seems pretty straight forward and kinda make me wanna learn how to build motors, (you gotta start some where right?) Furthermore i have my spare motor fully machined already with the rotating assembly balanced and rings installed on my pistons. Do you think someone such as i with no mechanic skills can build/assembly the shortblock by myself if i follow the nissan manual and these muscle car tech articles??? (i know not to attempt the longblock yet as installation of the heads, cams and timing can MAKE OR BREAK MY MOTOR.lol)
#6
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i feel as if i can learn from this primarily and also save $$ vs me paying some engine builder with mininum expericence building the VQ to build my motor when all they gonna do is just follwo the nissan manual. lol
Last edited by Tsukuba-Z33; 01-31-2010 at 02:00 PM.
#9
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edit:
I forgot that you are just putting it together, disregard the oil pan part.
Last edited by INTIMAZY; 01-31-2010 at 06:02 PM. Reason: brain fart
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Do it, its very easy. There is a build up thread somewhere in here. I think DIY section. If everything is already machined, balanced, etc. You've gotten the hard part out of the way.
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there are things that mechanics know to do and not to do... which is your downfall. So you will have to carefully rely on others words and readings. Find a FSM and follow it to a T. If you mess up than you learn from your mistakes.
#12
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i say GO FOR IT! you'll need some precision measurement tools for checking journals and bores....and for all sorts of clearances. Your best bet will be to use the tolerances listed in the FSM. Professional engine builders end up with their own set of tolerances and clearances that they prefer, but you'll be hard pressed to get "their" numbers.
other tools you should have are a very good (accurate) torque wrench. also a rod bolt stretch gauge is preferred, but alot of people don't use them. feeler gauges....you'll definately need those and some plastigage as a backup.
Go for it. take it slowly , and you'll learn ALOT.
other tools you should have are a very good (accurate) torque wrench. also a rod bolt stretch gauge is preferred, but alot of people don't use them. feeler gauges....you'll definately need those and some plastigage as a backup.
Go for it. take it slowly , and you'll learn ALOT.
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Your best bet would be to have a good machine shop assemble the bottom end. They will know how to cage the bearings and set the ring gaps. From there you should be able to finish the rest of the assembly. Besides the tools that quadcam said don't forget the service manual for all the torque specs. Good luck!
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I did it with two rebuilds under my belt (Honda/Acura). However I'm going to have to go back in and fix something ring or block clearence related (consuming oil). It wasn't hard but mistakes are easily missed and the time it takes to fix is extensive. So be warned. Aside from that, if you can follow directions and you're detail oriented you should be able to do it.
#18
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Your best bet would be to have a good machine shop assemble the bottom end. They will know how to cage the bearings and set the ring gaps. From there you should be able to finish the rest of the assembly. Besides the tools that quadcam said don't forget the service manual for all the torque specs. Good luck!
#19
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thanks guys for all your help. i downloaded the FSM, and im going 1 step at a time.lol its seems like from asking you guys about 50% say do it! and the other 50% are like let the machinst do the bottom end. Im most definately probably gonna do a mixture of both. i having my machinst measure ALL CRITICAL MEASUREMENTS like the bearing clearances, ring gap, etc. i really just want to do the whole wrenching thing and get a feel for where everything goes. like me i know theres over 50% of members on this forum who actually want to know how their 500+ whp daily driven car actually works vs them going to forged/gtm/aam(insert your favorite shop here. lol) and just paying high prices for work that they have no idea on.
#20
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With minimal mechanical experience. I vote no. There is generally too much at stake and it can get VERY expensive if you suffer a failure. Get the short block assembled. The rest you CAN DO by following the manual. Just my .02
and over $12K in rebuilds...(probably more)...
and over $12K in rebuilds...(probably more)...