Technical Small Block Chevy 350 Rebuild

I see there is supposed to be one, but I do not see it in the kit. Can I make one out of ultra black? I can try to make one out of gasket material.
Then there is this stud. I thought I would put it in the hole and tighten by putting the top nut on. Then I got the nut stuck. Finally got it off after putting the stud in the vice. How do I tighten the stud into the block?

 

Really only need the stud to have enough threads ti match the stud diameter Torquing the nut will lock it down.
I guess the stud is from it having a windage trey.
If I were missing an oil pump gasket and needed to make one I’d prefer the paper gasket material.

 

I made one out of gasket paper, it’s not pretty, but I think it will work. Might put a little smear of rtv on as well.

 

Stuff like this is what I use on paper gaskets.

 

No oil pump gasket in kit because no gasket is needed/used.

 

It has been a while for me but I believe your flex plate in on backwards. Could cause issues with starter motor engagement.

 

Well I be.
I used one on the last build I guess cause the gasket kit had one.
still going. I guess this is what happens when a ford guy builds a Chevy
Used em on fords and caddy engines.

 

I can't see in the pics but if that pump doesn't have a pickup tube on it yet, the tube needs to be installed on the pump when the pump is NOT bolted to the engine. Snug up the pump, determine and mark correct tube position, remove both from engine, install tube (not an easy job usually), then install pump/tube and torque.

 

You DO NOT want to tighten the stud into the rear main cap, it just needs to be screwed in with finger pressure only. Head studs and main cap studs are the same way, you do not tighten them into the block.

One thing you must be very sure is that the stud doesn't contact the backside of the main bearing, which you can see at the bottom of the stud hole.....if the stud contacts the bearing, the it will push on the bearing and change the main bearing clearance.....if it is actually tightened down against the back of the main bearing then the bearing will soon fail once it is running.
So when you tighten the nut to retain the oil pump, you must make sure the stud doesn't also rotate and foul that bearing.

SBC from the factory never had an oil pump mounting gasket....it was just two flat machined surfaces bolted together at the main cap and the pump base.
Some kits will come with a flat copper gasket, but I've never used it....just another place to squish, lose torque, and come loose.

Yes, your flexplate is on backwards....

 

Yes, pickup is welded onto the pump.

 

40 ft lbs seems awfully loose for main caps .??

 

And 44 ft. lbs. seems awfully tight for rods.

 

Ordered an alternator. It is not what was described. It should look like this:

but it actually looks like this:

should I send it back or use it? If I keep it, does anyone know how I should wire it? Obviously B to batter or + on solenoid, g to ground but I’m unsure of the other connections do (STA and FLD) and the connection at the 11:00 position that’s not marked.

 

I think first as mentioned before, get those main bolts to 60/65 ft/lbs.

 

I will send it back.

 

Torque specs from Summit:
7/16 in. Outer Main Cap Bolt 65 ft.-lbs.
7/16 in. Inner Main Cap Bolt 70 ft.-lbs.
3/8 in. Outer Main Cap Bolt 40 ft.-lbs.
11/32 in. Connecting Rod Bolt 38-44 ft.-lbs.
3/8 in. Connecting Rod Bolt 40-45 ft,-lbs.
Cylinder Head Bolts 65 ft.-lbs.
Screw-In Rocker Arm Studs 50 ft.-lbs.
Intake Manifold Bolts (Cast Iron Heads) 30 ft.-lbs.
Oil Pump Bolt 60-70 ft.-lbs.
Cam Sprocket Bolts 18-20 ft.-lbs.
Harmonic Damper Bolt 60 ft.-lbs.
Flywheel/Flexplate Bolts 65 ft.-lbs.
Pressure Plate Bolts 35 ft.-lbs.
Bellhousing Bolts 25 ft.-lbs.
Exhaust Manifold Bolts 25 ft.-lbs.

Torque specs from Jegs:
2 - Bolt Main Caps: 7/16" bolts, with engine oil - 70 ft-lbs.
4 - Bolt Main Caps: 7/16" inner (OEM grade) bolts, with engine oil - 70 ft-lbs.
4 - Bolt Main Caps: 7/16" outer (OEM grade) bolts, with engine oil - 65 ft-lbs.
4 - Bolt Main Caps: 3/8" outer (OEM grade) bolts, with engine oil - 40 ft-lbs.
Bellhousing (transmission to block) Bolts: with engine oil - 25 ft-lbs.
Cam Sprocket (upper gear) Bolt: use thread locker - 20 ft-lbs.
Clutch Pressure Plate Bolts: with thread locker - 35 ft-lbs.
Connecting Rod Bolts: 3/8", with engine oil - 45 ft-lbs.
Connecting Rod Bolts: 11/32", with engine oil - 35 ft-lbs.
Cylinder Head Bolts: use engine oil for blind holes and thread sealer for water jacket holes - 65 ft-lbs.
Exhaust Manifold Bolts: with anti-seize lubricant - 25 ft-lbs.
Flexplate / Flywheel Bolts: with thread locker - 60 ft-lbs.
Harmonic Balancer / Damper (Center) Bolt: with engine oil - 60 ft-lbs.
Intake Manifold (with cast iron cylinder heads) Bolts: with non-hardening sealer - 30 ft-lbs.
Oil Pump Bolt: use engine oil - 65 ft-lbs.
Oil Pan Bolts: use engine oil - 12 ft-lbs.
Rocker Arm Studs (screw-in): with engine oil - 50 ft-lbs.
Spark Plugs: without lubricant or sealer - 20 ft-lbs.
Timing Cover Bolts: use engine oil - 6 ft-lbs.
Valve Cover Bolts: with engine oil - 3 ft-lbs

 

There are two styles of main bearing caps for SBC (Small Block Chevy) ... "Two bolt main caps" and "four bolt main caps". Pictured below is an example of four bolt main caps. Two bolts on either side of crank for a total of four bolts per cap. You have two bolt caps ... one bolt on either side of crank for a total of two bolts per main cap.

Taken from the Jegs chart above .... 2 - Bolt Main Caps: 7/16" bolts, with engine oil - 70 ft-lbs.

 

I retorqued the mains to 50 then 70ft#. I loosened all rod caps then retorqued to 25 then 35 ft#. I need to flip the flex plate. Sending alternator back and getting a different one. Ordered an HEI distributor. I have a lead on a carb.

 

Good deal. I think you confused the rods with the mains based on your specs you listed.

 

I have the short water pump. I have this alternator bracket. I know the weird shaped piece mounts around the exhaust header. then the F shaped clip bolts on to that and the curved piece uses one of the water pump bolts. Can this be installed on the passenger side? Online, I have only seen it installed on the driver side.

 

I'm not sure if there is anyone making a passenger side header bracket.
Maybe somebody on the board knows of a source?
Seems like it would exist, with all the hot rods and race cars out there.

The bracket with the square slot and the two half-moon holes one either side of the slot is the part that straddles the exhaust port, those half-moon holes are for longer exhaust header bolts. It bolts up tight to the header flange. As you can see, the other half of that bracket is angled to one side only. It sticks out board and forward over the driver side #1 cylinder exhaust port.

The other two pieces would be reversable.

 

Manifold ready to be installed

 

Can that bracket be used with shorty/hugger style headers? I have these but want to get the huggers

 

Almost positive that the bracket will work with block huggers.

 

I have a brand new engine gasket set. There are two intake manifold gaskets. There are also four rectangular metal plates that I think I am suppose to use for what looks like water passages on the heads. I would like to get some****embly done. It looks like they might go on each side of the gasket for each side of the engine where the blocked water passage is on the head.

 

The rear coolant passages on the intake you are using are completely blocked due to the design of the casting so there should be no reason to further restrict coolant flow through a blocked passage

 

This is a pic of a later intake. You can see it has rear passages (round holes) ... yours doesn't. Take note that the intake below shows the distributor hole to the left and the upper pic, the intake is laying with the distributor hole to the right. Both SBC intakes, just laying 180 degrees out from each other.

 

I wonder how many million how to build a SBC articles have been written?