I bought a Hemi - Project Lit'lphant

[oldeskewltoy]

The gaskets have arrived, I'll be laying them up on the block and intake manifold in the next day or 2 to make sure it all lines up.  Still don't have timing cover, or water pump gaskets - I'll be concerned about that later if I need too.  



In the mean time I've been thinking about the ignition system since the shipping company busted the distributor, which may be(is likely) a blessing in disguise.



So my plan for the ignition is a crank sensor, and cam sensor.  



For the crank sensor, I'll take an existing crank sensor and mount it to the crank pulley, making sure to get it re-balanced. 



For the cam sensor.....



 



The plan is to use the existing pick up @ the very base of the distributor - remove all but one of the spokes, and then use that  spoke as the cam sensor.   The remaining cast housing will be machined away at the base/mounting flange, and a small cap placed over the pick up and single spoke to keep dirt, and debris out of the way.



This should allow me to run the ignition, and if I want sequential injection.  As of now, I'm thinking of running GM type wasted spark coils  so I can retain the hemi look with individual wires going to each plug. 




More to come..... 

[Ivan141]

Not a bad idea, just be sure to pick the most common pattern crank wheel you can find.
Did the one tooth cam sensor on my volvo engine too (still a work in progress), I welded a tooth to the back of the cam pulley on that one.
LS coil-near-plugs are also a neat solution for spark, and not prohibitively expensive either.

[oldeskewltoy]

(08-14-2019 08:34 AM)Ivan141 Wrote:  Not a bad idea, just be sure to pick the most common pattern crank wheel you can find.
Did the one tooth cam sensor on my volvo engine too (still a work in progress), I welded a tooth to the back of the cam pulley on that one.
LS coil-near-plugs are also a neat solution for spark, and not prohibitively expensive either.

All still undetermined... but it makes sense to use common bits - less prone to failure. Also nothing special needed for a V8, as the rpm shouldn't be exceeding 6500.



Now this is a development.....

About the time the engine arrived, I was still working on a transmission solution. The easy answer appeared again on Yahoo Japan... https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/m54403331



It is an A340E for an early 90s Century, it comes with the bell housing, unique to Century, and torque converter, also unique to Century. So I bought it.


While it does provide me a transmission solution, at the time I wasn't aware of THIS:




I've spoken with the adapter's manufacturer, and he believes the 5V-EU bell housing can also be adapted!!! Since the bellhousing doesn't get modified, I'm left now with a "2 in 1" option. I can use the manual trans set up while I'm still able, and if need be, I can swap the auto back in at a future point in time IF I can no longer drive a shift, or I'd want to for some other reason...???


DEFINITELY more to come.......

[oldeskewltoy]

I has been a while....... the engine has finally been torn down to the last nut and bolt. The good news is all the bearings show little or no sign of wear (YEAH!), the oil pump, and housing also show no sign of wear(YEAH!), and the final bit of good news is the timing chain, and tensioners show only minimal wear (YEAH!)



The "bad news".... the rubber "O" ring that seals each cylinder into the block will need some kind of replacement, and the bigger bad news is there is wear in the pushrod end of the rocker arms(most of them) a solution is now undecided..... and still to be determined... the lifters also show some cupping (wear). The cam and lifters are going out to Oregon Cam to get "read", so that we learn the duration, lift, and since it is a single cam - lobe separation angle....




The block has some nifty features... the main caps are all dowelled, and all the mains use studs. Additionally the oil gally plug acts as a timing chain squirter/oiler.


the crank, and main caps





more to come......

[Power_uP]

The engine looks awesome, I wish I still got to do that type of engine work but nobody seems to want that where I live.
Is that V8 based on another engine? I know that Toyota built a few engines back in the day that were based on other manufacturer's designs of the time.

[oldeskewltoy]

(10-05-2019 01:36 PM)Power_uP Wrote:  The engine looks awesome, I wish I still got to do that type of engine work but nobody seems to want that where I live.
Is that V8 based on another engine? I know that Toyota built a few engines back in the day that were based on other manufacturer's designs of the time.

It's alleged to be a scaled version of a Chrysler hemi... but there are some differences...

[Dave W]

Dan
"there is wear in the pushrod end of the rocker arms, most of them"
Is it a metallurgical or an oiling issue?
Dave W

[oldeskewltoy]

(10-06-2019 12:52 PM)Dave W Wrote:  Dan
"there is wear in the pushrod end of the rocker arms, most of them"
Is it a metallurgical or an oiling issue?
Dave W

Still not 100% sure... but we think the pushrods may be getting oil at both ends (bottom from lifter, top from rocker arm via rocker arm support rod), if that is the case, it likely is a metallurgical issue... which Portland Engine may have a solution ($$).

There does also appear to be some issue with the cam and lifters, and lack of lifter rotation - another reason Oregon cam is inspecting the cam/lifters.

[oldeskewltoy]

OST-059, and OST-060

[oldeskewltoy]

I can't be sure.... but there are not many hemi owners who can carry both heads at the same time.... 





A bit of discovery....





and a bit more discovery





btw, that is one of the new Cometic head gaskets.





More to come.....