401 turbo motor build

[del]

cam bolt

Greg, did you just buy a bolt with a thicker head and grind it into the dome shape? I cant remember if the stock bolt is thinner than a usual bolt. And if so, did you mock up the housing to check the clearance?....Del

[Ghinmi]

I just bought a regular grade 8 bolt. I think the head might be a little thinner than stock. I used a washer as a shim to set the play. I held the cover on and checked play until I got what felt about right, knowing that I'd be adding play with the gasket. If all goes well it shouldn't ever touch the timing cover anyway. I would've used the factory bolt but it has a deep criss-cross pattern on the head so you can't grind it smooth. I chucked up the bolt in a cordless drill and ran it against the belt sander. Super easy way to do it.

[del]

washer

great idea, didn't think about using washer to shim bolt. So how far out are you from driving the beast? Need to start planning my fall road trip!

[Ghinmi]

I'm honestly hoping to have it installed, running, and racing this weekend. We'll see how it goes. I'll be sure to keep you and everyone else in the loop.

[04ltz400rider]

Can you still buy Indy intake manifolds like that?

[Ghinmi]

Sure can. Indy part number 401-I4-3, price is up to $399 now, ouch! The plenum and runner design is way wrong for all but the highest horsepower engines.

[Ristow]

looks good. like the main bearing oil modification. looks a lot better than the oil line.

[Ghinmi]

Yeah, the idea came up on the AMC forums once. It was generally frowned upon, people said oil under the bearing would make it spin, etc. News flash, it gets done to all 5 mains of pretty much every big block Buick that gets sent out of the shop and it's never been a problem.

I think I push this motor harder than most and have only had one bearing problem that was the transmission's fault. But you have to have the oil line or it'll fail...

[04ltz400rider]

Sure can. Indy part number 401-I4-3, price is up to $399 now, ouch! The plenum and runner design is way wrong for all but the highest horsepower engines.

Thanks, I'd like to build a twin turbo 401 in the near future it will work for that right?

[Ghinmi]

For most, the torker would work better and be a ton cheaper. Probably be better on this one too. I just had this one laying around in my parts collection and used it because it mounts the carb straight and not an angle like the torker.

[DarkMonohue]

For most, the torker would work better and be a ton cheaper. Probably be better on this one too. I just had this one laying around in my parts collection and used it because it mounts the carb straight and not an angle like the torker.

Oh, but the twisted carb orientation on the Torker looks so cool!

Well, I think it does, but maybe that's just because I saw so many of them in Hot Rod and Car Craft when I was an impressionable young kid. They also featured a lot of Candy Brandywine paint jobs and crushed velvet upholstery, but those haven't held up quite as well.

[Ghinmi]

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with the angled carb. It was just more convenient to have it straight in this application because of the carb hat that I run.

[del]

hat

you running a carb tux with that carb hat? Maybe that's why your engine looks so good!

[Ghinmi]

It needs shiny shoes to go along with it Del!

Motor is home and pretty much ready to be bolted onto the trans and dropped in. Getting close. The cam is 235/248 with a 113 lobe separation and .574/.534 lift.












Got to do a few things to the trans before I can bolt it to the motor.




Ugly empty engine bay.

[jeepin87]

Is that a stock bell housing? Looks different.