While it may seem like I've been hibernating for the past month, I've actually been up to my eye lids with misc projects clearing the deck for this particular engine build. Well now it's go time and the engine is on the stand and in the process of getting rebuilt.
This one is getting the full treatment, so here we go:
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| Headbolt hole chasing. |
Clean engine block back from the machine shop bored 0.50mm over. Head bolt holes being chased. Once all critical holes are chased the engine is blasted clean with compressed air and brake cleaner, taped up and painted with engine enamel high temp paint.
Then the oil squirters are cleaned and installed with loctite.
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| Main bearing bolt hole chasing. |
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| Nice shiny new K&S main bearings, #4 cap gets the slotted bearing shell for improved lubrication. |
Main bearing caps with bearings installed being checked for radial clearance with Plastigage. Once clearances are checked bearings/crank are cleaned and assembly lube applied and then the main bearing caps are bolted down with new bolts, 48ft/lbs + 90*.
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| Ring compressor tool at the ready to compress rings and slide these pistons into their new homes. |
Next up: Piston time! These sweet ASV pistons are mated to rods, Rosten H-beam rods in this case and then, and then installed in the engine block in pairs, cylinders 2 & 3 shown here before final installation.
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| Rod caps #2 and #3, plastigage check. |
Radial clearances of rod bearings are then checked with Plastigage, cleaned, lubed and installed with the provided ARP bolts.
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| Rod caps 4 and one, radial clearances all check out. |
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| Bottom end complete. |
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| Pistons 3 and 2 high and proud. |
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| Pistons 4 and 1 high and proud. |
Longblock assembly:
Febi oil pump being opened up. Oil pan baffle installed with A4 TDI oil pan sealant on both sides of gasket.
DV oil pan cleaned and ready to install.
DV oil pump installed, bolts torqued to 18 ft/lbs and pump shaft checked for unrestricted movement.
Piston projection being measured for head gasket size.
Rebuilt head with port n polish intake/exhaust runners.
1-notch head gasket and shiny sealing surface of head.
Head gasket installed and ARP head studs threaded in. The two corners have head gasket locating pins installed which will be removed once head is seated and tightened slightly.
Another angle of the studs--one of my favorite sights.....
Port and polish detail.
Head installed, head studs torqued to spec and valve cover loosely installed.
PD150 intake manifold with EGR delete race pipe installed.
Another angle on this sweet intake.
Valve cover installed to keep things clean.
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| Custom Colt Cam stage II to let this engine breath a little more freely. |
Cam line being prepped for cam install.
Cam bearing caps removed for cam install. Valve ends and bearings are lubed with assembly lube.
Colt cam installed and assembly lube copiously applied.
Timing belt installed and engine timed.
Exhaust manifold and turbo installed.
K03/04 hybrid turbo impeller.
K03/04 hybrid turbo.
Belted up and almost 100% finished.
Being lifted off engine stand. G60/VR6/TDI/Vanagon hybrid 228mm clutch setup installed.
Completed engine floating in space.
Crating up engine for shipment to Hawaii
What an adventure this was yesterday! I spent all day securing the engine/trans/diff to a pallet, building a crate and then racing up to the terminal in Salem. In the process I managed to put a T15 torx driver bit through my thumb. Skipping lunch and dinner due to a pressing deadline only to spend an hour at urgent care getting it cleaned and stitched up was a sad commentary on the day. Here's some pics I managed to take:
Trailer backed into shop and engine strapped to pallet.
Ad hoc work station for building the crate.
Syncro tranny in foreground, eng and front diff on pallet.
Front diff, trans and eng all strapped/screwed down and blocked in.
Crate magically sprouted up around the pallet. I was in such a frantic rush to put this together I didn't get any pics mid-process.
And there's my errant thumb dressed up after getting back from urgent care....
And there it is once that bandage came off as I raced to finish the crate.
And one more pic from this morning. T15 bit went in at the bottom and came out the other side. The doc had to slice the wound open in order to clean it and one stitch later I'm all put back together.
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