Engine build

[mike diesel]

Figured I would start a motor build thread...can't guarantee this thread will actually go anywhere tho. I've got a shat load of cash burning my pocket but the GF wants a ring and a house so the build is kind of on the back burner. The plan right now would be to gather odds and ends and whatever small/cheap parts I would need. The overall goal is to have a built engine back in the truck and running by next spring. Long ways away but atleast it gives me plenty of time to research and gather parts.

Obviously like everyone else I'm planning on doing it as cheap as possibly without spending unnecessary cash.

Parts I already have...
Dual fuelers
30% injectors
S472 turbo kit
Arp head studs
And thats about it :rofl:

First question I have is...how are those manly rods holding up out there in high horsepower builds (900 hp average)? Saw some pictures and they look pretty nice and from what I have seen they are about $450 cheaper than a set of carillos. Carillos would be ideal but if manlys get the job done...why not??

Here are some pics of them.









Basically here are my plans for the motor...

Most likely stock lb7/lly delipped pistons
Carillos or manly rods
valve springs
Arp main, head and whatever else studs
Have my injectors redone to 60's or 100's
And ultimately build a twin setup using my s472 as the small charger and an s488 as the large charger.

That's about it for now and will keep this updated if/when things start happening.

Suggestions and criticism are welcome!

 

[dman777]

AF cam. It would suck to spend all of that time and money to be forced to take it back apart for a broken crank. This will be one of my next items.

 

[mike diesel]

Also forgot to ask...what is everyone's opinions on using my stock pistons in this build? They would obviously be delipped and looked over to ensure they are still sound. Engine currently has 161,000 miles on it.

Idealy I would like to keep my stock short block rotating assembly untouched so in the event i ever decide to sell my truck I can spend a weekend or 2 pulling out the built short block and swapping the stock block back in. I will be picking up a spare block hopefully next week. But if i can use the pistons out of my stocker..I may change my mind.

 

[mike diesel]

AF cam. It would suck to spend all of that time and money to be forced to take it back apart for a broken crank. This will be one of my next items.

Ah yes i knew i forgot something. AF cam is top on the list! Definitely will have one in my engine.

 

[DIESELMAFIAPER.LB7]

Fwiw I reused my pistons with 200k on them and ran them hard for another 60k and they still look great even after seeing 1600+ egts countless times at the track I'll have to snap some pics.

That being said I think a .020 piston is a good choice. I'd do a min of mahle cast or fingers cast if you want to run 900 and not worry. Stock have gone 1k and lived for awhile as well but just so much cooler to say you have cool kid pistons :rofl:

 

[mike diesel]

Fwiw I reused my pistons with 200k on them and ran them hard for another 60k and they still look great even after seeing 1600+ egts countless times at the track I'll have to snap some pics.

That being said I think a .020 piston is a good choice. I'd do a min of mahle cast or fingers cast if you want to run 900 and not worry. Stock have gone 1k and lived for awhile as well but just so much cooler to say you have cool kid pistons :rofl:

Guess i need to weigh my options some more. See if i want to run stock or choke up the 2200+ price tag on some oval bowl.

 

[mike diesel]

Well sold my 4 wheeler just barely. Got a nice chunk of change to put towards the build. $3560

 

[Slowmax]

Set of rods and some machine work? :woott:

 

[Muff]

Guess i need to weigh my options some more. See if i want to run stock or choke up the 2200+ price tag on some oval bowl.

Oval :nanawrench: oval :nanawrench:

 

[mike diesel]

Set of rods and some machine work? :woott:

So with that being said...

Would it be stupid to have the block machined and all ready to go before I really even have rods, bearings, piston rings and stuff like that? After machining, the machine shop could tell me if I needed oversized bearings right? Then I could just buy stuff and assemble it at my own pace.

only time I've ever dealt with a machine shop was when I had the cylinder head reworked on my cummins. Never have had a block machined so I'm not sure exactly what to expect.

 

[Chevy1925]

You can certainly do that, you just need to make sure you spray the block down well with wd40 and keep the cyl oiled to keep rust off. Make sure you give then the main studs if your not using stock. Don't think they need the headstuds for torque plate hone

 

[mike diesel]

You can certainly do that, you just need to make sure you spray the block down well with wd40 and keep the cyl oiled to keep rust off. Make sure you give then the main studs if your not using stock. Don't think they need the headstuds for torque plate hone

How much does machining typically cost? The block i will potentially be getting will need to be done .020" over on the cylinders. So basically a good use able core block that needs boared...turned into a ready to build block. I had $900 of parts and labor into that stupid cummins cylinder head...it needed a good bit of work tho.

 

[TROJAN366]

I went with stock delipped pistons and so far so good. Looking back on the build I went with a set of fingers pistons just for the extra sense of security they give you. When you look at the cost of a built motor it really doesn't add a ton to the cost. Its sucks knowing that every time the truck sees the big tune I could potentially wind up on the side of the road. Just my $.02

 

[mike diesel]

I went with stock delipped pistons and so far so good. Looking back on the build I went with a set of fingers pistons just for the extra sense of security they give you. When you look at the cost of a built motor it really doesn't add a ton to the cost. Its sucks knowing that every time the truck sees the big tune I could potentially wind up on the side of the road. Just my $.02

Very valid point, which also tells me to spend the extra couple hundred on a proven set of carillos. So far I have only found 1 person who used the manly rods but they haven't updated there build thread since last october. Would hate to find out the hard way that the manly rods are less expensive for a reason.

 

[Chevy1925]

How much does machining typically cost? The block i will potentially be getting will need to be done .020" over on the cylinders. So basically a good use able core block that needs boared...turned into a ready to build block. I had $900 of parts and labor into that stupid cummins cylinder head...it needed a good bit of work tho.

That will all depend on your shop. Mine was all done at SoCal diesel as Guy was all I trusted at the time and I wanted it done right. I know of places that have done the machine work for half as much as his place but that's where I wanted my big chunk of cash spent after keeping my pennies from the savings on other parts I got.

For just a block alone I have no clue the price but if you have a crank you want to use, I'd take it down with the block to have it magifluxed

 

[Slowmax]

Very valid point, which also tells me to spend the extra couple hundred on a proven set of carillos. So far I have only found 1 person who used the manly rods but they haven't updated there build thread since last october. Would hate to find out the hard way that the manly rods are less expensive for a reason.

Have not ever seen any real feedback on those either, went with Carillos with that being said. I think last I checked decent machine shops were charging 1k-1,500. Also depends on how busy they are this time of year I suppose as well. The more money you want throw down the faster your going to get stuff done Fwiw.

 

[mike diesel]

Have not ever seen any real feedback on those either, went with Carillos with that being said. I think last I checked decent machine shops were charging 1k-1,500. Also depends on how busy they are this time of year I suppose as well. The more money you want throw down the faster your going to get stuff done Fwiw.

The only reputable shop that i can think of here in salt lake got bought out by industrial injection so he doesn't do outside stuff anymore. Have to go through industrial to get to him. There are a few other shops that i need to call and see what experience they have with a dmax block.

 

[wrcknkrw]

The only reputable shop that i can think of here in salt lake got bought out by industrial injection so he doesn't do outside stuff anymore. Have to go through industrial to get to him. There are a few other shops that i need to call and see what experience they have with a dmax block.

Have you checked with Randy's engine and machine in Richfield yet? Randy has done quite a bit of dmax stuff.

 

[Harbin_22]

I have really been thinking about putting fingers pistons in mine while it is apart. I feel like it would be damn near built proof then, but I am tired of spending money on it. If you got the cash, I would do an alt cam and fingers pistons and all the regular stuff. Should be a great setup

 

[Anthony@SunCoast]

Fwiw I have had Manley rods in my truck for about a year/ 7,000 miles, and they seem to be just fine! I put down 956hp and 1638ftlbs. On Ryan Millikens dyno.
I'm not easy on her by any means!