Built Z Motors: block machining part I
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Built Z Motors: block machining part I-Detailed Process
Hey everyone!
I have wanted to do this for a long time; so I'm finally doing it (I'm going to have this up on my site in greater detail as well)...you guys will love it!!!..."Okay, okay, what are you doing"
Built Z Motors Productions presents: The Birth of the built VQ35DE!!!
First off, I'd like to thank Bryan @ Empire Engines for taking his time to walk me through the process, in detail, answering all of my questions. He is one of the most experienced machinists in town and has several years of experience under his belt! I'm excited that he is part of the builtZmotor team, as these motors will be meticulously machined to meet and exceed some of the highest standards in the industry.
I will document, in detail, the entire engine machining process, the assembly process (major steps), and show you the steps in takes from square one to a builtZmotor strapped to a crate ready to ship out to a very lucky 350z/G35 owner
*Initial Cleaning of the block:
The block is the heart of the motor, the lower part of the engine that contains the crank, rods, and pistons. This is the foundation of the motor. When we start with a block, it will have some old gasket on some of the surfaces, dirt, and oil on the outside, overall it doesn’t look pretty. We clean up the block by hand and it is then placed in a large washing machine that pressure and heat washes the block with a soapy water mixture.
*Re-decking the block
A key ingredient in building a great engine that is going to produce tons of power and provide reliable performance for thousands of miles is precision. The clearances in the fitment of the bearings must be precise, the torque figures must be accurate, the components used must be of the perfect quality for the specific demands given to the motor, and the surfaces of the adjoining parts must be perfect!
A key part of the block that needs to have a perfect straightedge surface for a perfect builtZmotor is the surface that mates with the cylinder head. This surface will be mated up with the valve side of the cylinder head, with a head gasket squeezed in-between. To ensure proper mating surfaces, the block will go through a process known as “re-decking” or “re-surfacing” the block. The re-decking of the block (and the heads- stay tuned) will provide a better seal between these two crucial surfaces. This process will also ensure that each cylinder is the exact same height (variations do exist in a core motor).
This block is bolted precisely into place and mounted on a platform that slowly feeds the block into a cutting machine. The machine takes off material in extremely small increments, starting at ½ thousandth to ensure the setup is correct.
After the perfect setup is confirmed, the block is run through until a perfect straightedge surface is created- this can take up to 3 thousandths of removed material to obtain. (Note: upwards of 10 thousandths of removed material is when compression ratios will be affected and the risk of timing adjustments come into play-3 thousandths doesn’t pose any adverse functioning of the compression ratio or the timing mechanism).
The blade is made up of several cutters. For the aluminum block, only one single cutter actually touches the block surface, this cutter is called a PDC cutter (this cutter costs approximately $400 ).
*Torque plate installation:
The use of torque plates serve several purposes when honing the cylinders. The torque plate is a thick piece of aluminum that has been custom CNC’d to match up perfectly with the vq35 cylinder spacing- 96mm setup to allow for .020 overbore). The purpose of the torque plates is to simulate the stress on the block that is applied when the heads are normally torqued on. This will prevent the cylinder from distorting under normal usage (if one hones without a torque plate and then torques on the heads, the cylinder will distort ever so slightly- and we are perfectionists- so we don’t want any unpleasant surprises!) The main bearing caps are also toques on to further create a real world situation when honing the cylinders.
The torque plates must all be torqued on in the same pattern as a cylinder head I fastened. We torque the plates down to 80+ft lbs of torque with ARP head studs.
*Measuring the pistons:
Our Arias Extreme Duty pistons are precision manufactured from the beginning. We always measure the diameter of the piston before honing the cylinders to ensure that the piston to wall clearances will all be exact and constant between all 6 cylinders. The pistons are matched to each cylinder. We allow for another ½ thousands of clearance, taking into consideration that all of our measurements are being done in our cold weather, when the pistons heat up slightly, the diameter will increase approximately ½ thousands in size.
*Honing the Cylinders:
Many are familiar with the terms “boring & honing”. They go together like peanut butter and jelly, right? Not necessarily. When we build a motor utilizing the stock block (unsleeved), we are using a .020 oversized piston. This equates to a piston that is about 1/2mm oversize from the stock piston. This is an extremely small amount of material and is best removed with a honing machine. (A boring machine is better when removing large amounts of material, and is then followed up by a honing machine to further finish the cylinder surface).
We use a very precise piece of equipment; the Sunnen Vertical Honing Machine:
The vertical honing machine is just that, a machine that consists of a honing cutter that perfectly cuts material from the inside of the cylinder to produce a cylinder that is perfectly machined to the exact size throughout all areas of the cylinder body. The machine pumps honing oil into the cylinder to keep the material as cool as possible throughout the machining process. The process goes through 3 steps, using a diamond cutting blade that takes off the majority of the material, a second sized blade to achieve the final .020 overbore, and then a third set of brushes that produce what’s called the Plateau Finish. This finish removes any peaks and valleys that are created in the previous honing steps. This is a critical step that makes piston ring seating a very predictable and exact process. The Plateau finished cylinders will typically seat the piston rings in less that 10 minutes during the initial break in process of a builtZmotor.
The cylinder is measured and the appropriate cutter is selected.
The controls inform you what area of the cylinder needs material removed to produce a consistent overbore.
This measuring tool is set to the exact cylinder size that you are aiming to achieve. This hand tool is placed inside of the cylinder periodically throughout the honing procedure to determine when the desired size is met. The tool zeros out when you achieve the preset cylinder size.
tool specs set via:
Plateau Finishing brushes:
The final cylinder finish:
*Cleaning:
The block is placed in the large washer a second time to remove the honing oil and any other debris. The final product is a perfectly machined, clean block ready to serve as the heart of a builtZmotor!
Stay tuned for our next section: balancing the crank and the rotating assembly.
.
I have wanted to do this for a long time; so I'm finally doing it (I'm going to have this up on my site in greater detail as well)...you guys will love it!!!..."Okay, okay, what are you doing"
Built Z Motors Productions presents: The Birth of the built VQ35DE!!!
First off, I'd like to thank Bryan @ Empire Engines for taking his time to walk me through the process, in detail, answering all of my questions. He is one of the most experienced machinists in town and has several years of experience under his belt! I'm excited that he is part of the builtZmotor team, as these motors will be meticulously machined to meet and exceed some of the highest standards in the industry.
I will document, in detail, the entire engine machining process, the assembly process (major steps), and show you the steps in takes from square one to a builtZmotor strapped to a crate ready to ship out to a very lucky 350z/G35 owner
*Initial Cleaning of the block:
The block is the heart of the motor, the lower part of the engine that contains the crank, rods, and pistons. This is the foundation of the motor. When we start with a block, it will have some old gasket on some of the surfaces, dirt, and oil on the outside, overall it doesn’t look pretty. We clean up the block by hand and it is then placed in a large washing machine that pressure and heat washes the block with a soapy water mixture.
*Re-decking the block
A key ingredient in building a great engine that is going to produce tons of power and provide reliable performance for thousands of miles is precision. The clearances in the fitment of the bearings must be precise, the torque figures must be accurate, the components used must be of the perfect quality for the specific demands given to the motor, and the surfaces of the adjoining parts must be perfect!
A key part of the block that needs to have a perfect straightedge surface for a perfect builtZmotor is the surface that mates with the cylinder head. This surface will be mated up with the valve side of the cylinder head, with a head gasket squeezed in-between. To ensure proper mating surfaces, the block will go through a process known as “re-decking” or “re-surfacing” the block. The re-decking of the block (and the heads- stay tuned) will provide a better seal between these two crucial surfaces. This process will also ensure that each cylinder is the exact same height (variations do exist in a core motor).
This block is bolted precisely into place and mounted on a platform that slowly feeds the block into a cutting machine. The machine takes off material in extremely small increments, starting at ½ thousandth to ensure the setup is correct.
After the perfect setup is confirmed, the block is run through until a perfect straightedge surface is created- this can take up to 3 thousandths of removed material to obtain. (Note: upwards of 10 thousandths of removed material is when compression ratios will be affected and the risk of timing adjustments come into play-3 thousandths doesn’t pose any adverse functioning of the compression ratio or the timing mechanism).
The blade is made up of several cutters. For the aluminum block, only one single cutter actually touches the block surface, this cutter is called a PDC cutter (this cutter costs approximately $400
).*Torque plate installation:
The use of torque plates serve several purposes when honing the cylinders. The torque plate is a thick piece of aluminum that has been custom CNC’d to match up perfectly with the vq35 cylinder spacing- 96mm setup to allow for .020 overbore). The purpose of the torque plates is to simulate the stress on the block that is applied when the heads are normally torqued on. This will prevent the cylinder from distorting under normal usage (if one hones without a torque plate and then torques on the heads, the cylinder will distort ever so slightly- and we are perfectionists- so we don’t want any unpleasant surprises!) The main bearing caps are also toques on to further create a real world situation when honing the cylinders.
The torque plates must all be torqued on in the same pattern as a cylinder head I fastened. We torque the plates down to 80+ft lbs of torque with ARP head studs.
*Measuring the pistons:
Our Arias Extreme Duty pistons are precision manufactured from the beginning. We always measure the diameter of the piston before honing the cylinders to ensure that the piston to wall clearances will all be exact and constant between all 6 cylinders. The pistons are matched to each cylinder. We allow for another ½ thousands of clearance, taking into consideration that all of our measurements are being done in our cold weather, when the pistons heat up slightly, the diameter will increase approximately ½ thousands in size.
*Honing the Cylinders:
Many are familiar with the terms “boring & honing”. They go together like peanut butter and jelly, right? Not necessarily. When we build a motor utilizing the stock block (unsleeved), we are using a .020 oversized piston. This equates to a piston that is about 1/2mm oversize from the stock piston. This is an extremely small amount of material and is best removed with a honing machine. (A boring machine is better when removing large amounts of material, and is then followed up by a honing machine to further finish the cylinder surface).
We use a very precise piece of equipment; the Sunnen Vertical Honing Machine:
The vertical honing machine is just that, a machine that consists of a honing cutter that perfectly cuts material from the inside of the cylinder to produce a cylinder that is perfectly machined to the exact size throughout all areas of the cylinder body. The machine pumps honing oil into the cylinder to keep the material as cool as possible throughout the machining process. The process goes through 3 steps, using a diamond cutting blade that takes off the majority of the material, a second sized blade to achieve the final .020 overbore, and then a third set of brushes that produce what’s called the Plateau Finish. This finish removes any peaks and valleys that are created in the previous honing steps. This is a critical step that makes piston ring seating a very predictable and exact process. The Plateau finished cylinders will typically seat the piston rings in less that 10 minutes during the initial break in process of a builtZmotor.
The cylinder is measured and the appropriate cutter is selected.
The controls inform you what area of the cylinder needs material removed to produce a consistent overbore.
This measuring tool is set to the exact cylinder size that you are aiming to achieve. This hand tool is placed inside of the cylinder periodically throughout the honing procedure to determine when the desired size is met. The tool zeros out when you achieve the preset cylinder size.
tool specs set via:
Plateau Finishing brushes:
The final cylinder finish:
*Cleaning:
The block is placed in the large washer a second time to remove the honing oil and any other debris. The final product is a perfectly machined, clean block ready to serve as the heart of a builtZmotor!
Stay tuned for our next section: balancing the crank and the rotating assembly.
.
Last edited by 350zDCalb; Mar 25, 2006 at 11:08 AM.
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Thanks! I wish someone would make like a two hour documentary on DVD that covers pulling out the old motor, building from the ground up, installing a turbo kit, and finally re-installing the motor. That would keep me glued for days, haha. Better yet, I wish I could just assist in one being built at a professional shop.
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Originally Posted by paranormal
nice!
Your motor will be done very soon. I realized that we were missing a few bearings (the saga continues). As an additional consideration of your time, I had one of the bearings overnighted from Texas and the other from another location so that they will be here first thing Monday morning. Your crank and rotating assembly will be done by 11am on Monday, and the assembly will begin at 12 noon!!! I'm making sure this motor gets out this coming week- pending no additional complications (We have EVERYTHING in stock- so I can't see this happening--"knocking on wood")
I'm excited to see what you do with this beast,
TODD
looks great, the write up is super, since most of us never get to see that part!
i have most of my new parts here, & teardown starts sunday.
pull the block wednesday or thursday,
exhaust, diff, extra cooling(oil&tranny), fuel return, sound deadening.
Then put new block in... Sending Sharif my valve body, so I'll get that back next week.
i have most of my new parts here, & teardown starts sunday.
pull the block wednesday or thursday,
exhaust, diff, extra cooling(oil&tranny), fuel return, sound deadening.
Then put new block in... Sending Sharif my valve body, so I'll get that back next week.
Sunnen is the sh%*! My engine was done on one too.
Overall, awesome setup, Todd. You are a baller!!!!!!!!!!! hehe You will definitely turn out some great engines... the machining equipment is as good as it gets. Right on!
Overall, awesome setup, Todd. You are a baller!!!!!!!!!!! hehe You will definitely turn out some great engines... the machining equipment is as good as it gets. Right on!
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From: Albuquerque, NM
Originally Posted by turismo
This is very impressive. Love the write up and the pics. Does Aries stock a 10:5:1 compression piston .20 over or is that a custom piston?
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From: Albuquerque, NM
Originally Posted by t32gzz
Todd, thanks for the pics. Your machine shop looks like they have their $**** together. We will talk soon.
