I need your advice!!!

[Bandit]

In case anybody was wondering about the status of getting the car going, well we started it up on Saturday! It started immediately, and ran smooth with over 50 lbs of oil pressure right away.

Now for the bad news: A rhythmic clunking noise from deep in the lower end accompanied the sweet sound of the engine. We determined it to be a connecting rod contacting the inside of the oil pan toward the front. Not sure whether it was because of the aftermarket chrome oil pan I used, or the connecting rod bolts sticking out farther than stock, or whatever. My engine builder said he turned the motor over dozens of times by hand and didn't notice any interference. Well it's one of those things that happens I guess. At least I know the engine runs good and all we have to fix is the oil pan issue. Hopefully all they will have to do is raise the engine slightly and pull the oil pan, and clearance it for that one rod (we are 90% sure it is only interfering at one point.) Should only take a day or two, then hopefully I can get this pig back on the road and get it ready to ship back to the States!



Oh yeah, I will post pics soon of the engine installed in the engine bay.

[WS6]

congrats Bandit. I sure hope it's only something simple like oil pan contact

[Young Gun]

i offer my condolences...having lived in italy i can understand your frustration...thats the problem with the bella figura...its always domani domani... gotta love the country...but when they take a 3 hour siesta in the afternoon its hard to have much work getting done...

[Bandit]

One of the connecting rods was indeed contacting the oil pan. We didn't run the engine long enough to cause any problems. We were able to pull the oil pan and clearance that spot in the oil pan. There was only one rod hitting so it wasn't a big deal to just dimple the pan a few thousandths in that area. I don't know why we had this problem with a stock-size (supposedly) pan and a standard 4.00" BB stroke. So for future reference if you are building a motor with aftermarket parts, make sure to bolt the pan all the way down with the gasket while the engine is still on the stand, and turn the motor over several times, then take the pan off again and check for scrapes or denting on the pan from the rotating assembly. It could save you a whole day of additional work!

The good news is, the engine runs smooth and all seems fine now. We ran it for about an hour the other day and got it tuned pretty well. This motor with the bigger cam and cubes sounds a lot meaner than the old 402...it really thumps! I can't wait to take it out and cut loose! Then I have to turn right around and ship it, and I won't see it again for a month. Dang it. :(

[WS6]

congrats and enjoy that test drive. Just don't get too crazy we don't want to read an "I need your advice on how to get my car out of Italian impound" thread