In a perfect world, yes. The block would be bored after measuring each piston. That almost never happens.
Piston manufacturing these days is spot on.
If a piston has a minimum clearance, (and they all do) the clearance is accounted for in the finished piston size.
For example, if a 4.030 piston has a minimum clearance requirement of .0015, the piston will measure 4.0285.
If the machinist determines that the engine needs more than the minimum clearance, he can overhone the cylinder accordingly.

 

Good stuff Floor Guy! Thanks for clearing that up for me..

 

Looks like my piston sat .024" in the bore.... as best that I could tell. (maybe .023")
I used a dial indicator to make sure that #1 piston was @TDC and a feeler gauge under the straight edge of a steel square to measure.

That's with SRP Forged Flat Top Pistons PN-138093
and Eagle 6" H-Beam Rods PN-CRS6000B3D
3.75" Eagle Crank

 

thats one of the issues i will have when building mine for proper quench, my engine will be boosted so i must account for proper ring gap and quench to insure the best overall combustion possible.

doing as you did is the absoulute best way to read tdc, once the dial starts going the opposite way you know you have passed tdc, as for feeler gauges straight edges, i have always been scared of straight edges for a long time, i mean how do we know they are absoulutly straight? what if they got damaged in shipping transit?

to me thats the only way to go, the dial indicator, thats how you setup a adjustible timing pointer also. i am shooting for a .040 to .045 quench so i have to measure then find the head gaskets with the exact thickness to achieve that quench.

good luck man the devil is in the details..

p.s congrats!

 

I am putting one of the summit 383 blocks together and all the clearances have been spot on. Ring end gap, mains, endplay, and cylinder bores all checked out good. I have attached a few pics of the block.
All I had to do was wipe a little surface rust out of the cylinders and assemble.

 

I need to get parts ordered for mine and get it assembled. It's been sitting in my garage for close to six months or more.

 

Might be ok for street use or a daily driver, but I sure wouldn't use a Summit block in a high performance engine.... Curious to see what piston to wall clearances are with these blocks. Maybe I'm just fussy or something, but I still have my blocks honed to final fit and 0 deck the block--hard to get CR's correct if it's not zero decked...

This summer will be the 4th season on a Dart Little M block, this winter's teardown was just like the last 3 years. Block is still in great condition. For a street/strip build the Dart SHP and SHP Pro blocks IMO are a cost effective solution.

 

How far down in the cylinder are the piston tops on your Sumitt block? What rings did you use, and what did you set the end gap at? Should be a nice unit for the street!!!!

 

I used Mahle moly rings that came with my eagle reciprocating kit. The rings all checked out right around .016-.018 end gap.

The pistons sat .022-.024 below the deck. For what I spent on the block (upper ends of my spending limit) I feel it was worth the money.

 

Yeah, not bad for the buck! Should be a good streeter! CR is a big concern for me, with a zero deck would be even better! Too bad you don't live a bit closer, got a guy that decks my blocks for $100.!!!! '


Do you recall the compression height on the pistons? I'd like to run it through the CR calculator and see where static and dynamic compression comes in at.. A nicely machined block like yours, even with an extra $100.00 or so for zero decking would have to be rated as one heck of a good deal!!!

Thanks for answering my questions!!!

Dave

 

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-150100/

Camshaft bearings line honed to standard: 1.8702” - 1.8710”
Mains, line honed: 2.6408” - 2.6418”
Cylinders finished honed: 4.0300” - 4.0308”

Minimum deck height: 9.013

 

I am not sure what my compression height is on the pistons. Here is a link to the assembly I bought.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ESP-B13405L03053/

All it really says about the pistons is :

Piston MaterialHypereutectic aluminumPiston StyleFlat top, with two valve reliefsPiston Head Volume (cc)+5.00cc

 

Alot of blocks were higher nickel 010 and 020 (10% more and 20% more nickel) and pick up a book or search online instead of just trying to sound smart...scientific proof is everywhere about how nickel makes metals we use each day stronger, less likely to rust, resist more heat.
just sayin

 

Thanks jersyboyy, couldn't have said it better myself. Another example where high nickel content makes a difference is with the Cadillac blocks - they wear extremely well and this has been documented many times that the reason is the high nickel content of the cast iron.

 

It's true, adding nickel to the alloy does make it wear resistant... but the part about blocks with the 010 or 020 casting mark having 10% or 20% more nickel is an often-repeated myth, according to people who worked at the foundry while the blocks were actually cast.

 

I wanted to add one more pic to show how they notch the block to accommodate the longer stroke. I outlined the notches.

 

The oil pan rail often requires notching as shown, but sometimes the bottoms of the cylinder bores do as well.

 

lol not to stoke this argument one way or the other but I currently have a 69 327 sitting in the garage that has both 010 and 020

 

BTW AC I didnt see anywhere in this thread if you have been driving it and/or if it has had any issues or still happy with it?

 

Thanks Riffy, if I get a bit more interested I'll just check with Mahle....though I guess I probably wouldn't be using a hypereutectic anyway.

 

Since were all rebuilding engines here, or at least thinking about it... I thought that I would post a question...

First off does anybody have John Lingenfelter's book on Modifying small block Chevy engines?
http://www.amazon.com/John-Lingenfel.../dp/155788238X

On page 145 (in the Engine Blueprinting section) he describes how to put a 1/2 plug in one of the oil passages under the rear main cap to prevent an internal oil leak...
It seems that they are original from the factory, but get taken out during the cleaning process. He states that without it you will lose as much as 20 lbs oil pressure...

I never knew about this with the first engine rebuild that I did (not the GTA).... and it always had lower oil pressure than it should have....

Is anyone else doing this?

 

Check out the picture here....
Didn't wanna hijack!!!
Maybe this will help all the backyard engine builders out there....

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tech...ml#post4896250

 

You don't lose pressure if you leave it out, you just bypass the filter.

 

So do the 383 Summit blocks have this plug missing or is it installed?

 

The Summit 383 blocks don't have them..., but neither did my first rebuild engine that I picked up from a machine shop...
They have frost plugs installed on the outside of the block and Cam bearings, dowels etc but no plugs on the rear main....
Box of TEN 1/2" plugs cost me $2.oo
Thought I would let ya know....

Quick question though,
if your bypassing the filter does anything get filtered at all?

 

Where could I buy a plug for mine then?

 

Sorry guys but I was totally mistaken!!!
Upon further inspection, The Summit 383 Block "DOES HAVE THE PLUG"
I took the crank out of the block today to plastiguage the bearings and saw the plug further into the bore than I initially expected it to be...

Anyone need a box of 10 plugs....?

 

lol I was holding my breath on that one. I installed my motor already and thought I left the plug out. Glad you were able to confirm it was in there!!
I didn't want to have to pull it back out when it only had 15 miles on it.