Inliners International Forums General Discussion Builds Return of the 153 build

I?ve been out of the forum and off my feet for the last couple of years, so I figured I?d catch up and report in too!

I had collected most of what I needed to build a spicy little four cylinder with some more modern hardware and a considerable boost in performance. My 153 block has been bored 0.030? and the deck trued, all of it cleaned and magnafluxed, new expansion plugs, cam bearings, and oil galley plugs installed.

The head has been similarly cleaned and checked with ported and polished intake and exhaust runners, fresh valve job with all new valves, larger intakes, three angle valve seats, perfect circle seals, new valves springs with enlarged spring pockets, hardened shims to set the correct spring height, 7/16? rocker arm studs, port lumps, and guide plates installed.

After an extensive search, I recently found a used roller camshaft that needed some repair. I sent it to Oregon Cam Grinder and they repaired a damaged lobe, checked it for straightness, and reground it to a hot, streetable, hydraulic profile. With it back in hand, I picked up a Cloyes straight cut timing gear set, a set of Comp Cams Ultra Pro Magnum roller rockers, and a stud girdle and poly locks all for support of the new cam grind.

NOW! Just in the last month, I have recovered from an extended series of surgeries to repair a badly damaged left foot along with a big fight with infection that sidelined me, allowing me to finally get back into the shop. With help from my son, I?m working on mocking everything up and doing final assemblies of the various subassemblies.

The reciprocating assembly has been static and dynamic balanced using an offset ground 181 crank, new ?H-beam? 6? rods, forged Racetech pistons, and Total Seal rings.

Over the weekend, I got the camshaft, lifters, and assembled head mocked up to determine the pushrod length and check the rocker geometry. Wonder of wonders, the pushrod length is standard, so I ordered new chrome moly pushrods and since I?ve gone this far, I ordered a new set of ARP head studs.

I have all of the gaskets, bearings, pumps, seals, and sealers to begin assembly and as soon as the pushrods and head studs arrive, I will be doing the final cleaning, finish cylinder honing, ring filing and fitting, and final assembly.

I?m reasonably certain that there will be questions that will come up and I?d appreciate any suggestions or advice as I go along. Those final pieces are scheduled to arrive next Monday and I?ll get started then.

Y?ALL STAY TUNED!!

I am surprised that the pushrod length will be standard.
Glad to hear you are back doing what you want to do.
What distributor do you plan to use?

I promise you, you?re no more surprised than I am!! I figured that the required length would be shorter, given that I?m using the roller lifters I got from you. I suspect that the base circle on the camshaft is smaller than stock, although I don?t have a stock one to compare it with.

I?m using a fully preped single point distributor. I had a local machinist friend set it up for me. He has one of the SUN distributor machines and does many of the distributors for the local racers. We put new bushings in it and redid the weights, springs, and vacuum advance. You sent me a new gear for it when I bought the lifters.

It?s been a tough stretch with the health issues. This is good therapy! I spent a lot of time sitting around, searching for all the little things that you end up scrambling around for at the last minute to get a build like this completed. I?d bet a whole betcha? that there?s STILL something that I?ll not have when the time comes for it!!

Any more progress? Pictures?

Got the lifter galley squared away early last week, but I came down with a nasty cold the middle of the week and I haven?t done much since. I DID track down the last piece I needed for the valve train and the pushrods and head studs came in. All I need to get now are a few random fasteners!

I have appointments with doctors three days this week, so I?m only going to be able to do some prep work ?til Friday!

I ran into something new to me today while assembling my new rod and piston combination. I?m using RaceTech forged pistons with floating pins. I have used spirolock pin retainers and Tru arc retainers, but I had never encountered the spring wire clips that RaceTech supplied and recommended.

It took a bit of a learning curve to get them assembled and the limited dexterity in my neuropathic hands didn?t help, but by the time I got to the third piston, I had it figured out.

That?s one more subassembly preped and ready. Progress!!!

Teaching old hands new tricks can be tough. I'm re-teaching mine to play the guitar again. Better than a couple of years ago when I couldn't do it at all.

Keep at it! That 4 will be fun.

One of the problems with installing a high performance valve train in the 153 head is clearance for roller rockers and stud girdles. Even the Mercruiser aluminum rocker cover doesn?t offer enough room!

I?m using Comp Cams 175:1 roller rocker arms and a small block Chevy stud girdle. An aluminum small block valve cover will accommodate the extra width and length of the rockers and the girdle, but it?s not tall enough.

My solution was to take a second Mercruiser cover that had been damaged on the top and an inexpensive cast aluminum small block Chevy
valve cover and cut the gasket rails off of them. I grafted the two rail sections together with the aid of a TiG welder and a guy who really knows how to use it. I took the two pieces and set them up on my head with the rockers and girdle installed and made sure that there was clearance and proper alignment and marked the positions and stuck them together with Gorilla Tape. Then I placed the other small block cover on the upturned rail of mocked up assembly and checked everything again! It can all be removed or installed without any other parts requiring movement.

I can access the girdle and rockers for adjustment as well as the pushrods and valve springs by simply removing the small block cover. It?s clean and neat and looks great!

If I can figure out how to post photos, I?ll try to put up a few shots of the process.

I hope you can figure out how to post pictures. There are instructions here somewhere. I'd like to see your valve cover and other parts of your engine. I just bought one of 12 Bolt Tom's valve covers and side covers. I think it has enough room.

I had another setback with the damaged foot and I?ve been sidelined for a couple of months again! After I got the rod/piston assemblies done, I haven?t accomplished much of anything.

I got discharged from treatment last Friday and I aim to get back into the shop this morning. I?ve decided to take the camshaft to my local machinist to have the fuel pump lobe turned down so that it will clear the #2 rod since it will now interfere with the lengthened stroke of the crank. I could grind it down myself, but I want it to be clean and symmetrical and I want it polished so that any stress risers are removed.

With that done, I can start on the final cleanup and when I finish hone the cylinders and gap the rings, I can get started on the assembly!

I?m going to be taking it slowly because it?s miserable hot and I have no reason to hurry. I have several fans and I will stay cool and comfortable!

Sounds good, any progress is good. I'm making a lot of progress but none of it is on my roadster.

I've been cutting back willows & brush so I can repair one of my 2,500 gallon water tanks & cleaning out springs to the water running int o the tanks. Hooking up hoses she the water in the tanks can be used to fight fire if needed. Also filling a 35,000 gallon pond for fun & fire fighting. Working on a broken Kubota and finally working on getting the stuck Ford tractor off a side hill without rolling it. All the time working on the needed defensible space so the rest will work. It never ends and rarely leaves roadster time.

I took the camshaft to the machine shop this week to have the fuel pump lobe turned down to it?s base circle. He was busy, so it may be a week before he gets to it.

I have my grandson and one of my friends coming over tomorrow to help shuffle things around in the shop. My Model T project is spread out over three stalls and there are a number of items that need to be disposed of. When that?s done, I?ll have room to move the rat rod out and start preparing for the new engine installation.

Got my camshaft back from the machine shop yesterday. Done better than I could have done! I got the new retainer plate, bolts, and ring a week or so ago, so I am now ready to assemble that part of the build.

I borrowed a ring gap grinder to set the gaps on the rings. I have always done this with a fine file in the past, so this will be a new experience!

Outside of a few fasteners, I think I have everything I need to put it all together. I just have to harness the energy to do it and get on with the program!!

You have energy to harness? I have been working on a broken steering box on my tractor where it broke in a field for a couple of weeks. I finally got it back together today. I have no energy left.

I wish you would post some pictures of your engine build. Mine is ready to assemble too if I can find it in the mess.

I?m trying to figure out how to put my photos on this forum. The prompts take me to my photos, but when I try to download them, it tells me that it can?t post them.

I found a new Rat Rod forum/website that welcomes all my stuff and I CAN post my pics there. I?ll send you a personal message tomorrow with that info.

I can't remember how to post pictures here anymore. There is a thread that explains how to do it. It seems like you have to be given permission by someone.

OK, To do that I moved a picture from my photos to my desk top. I then clicked the box "Use Full Editor" Below the Icons under "Post Options" choose "Attachment Manager" Then you can slide your pictures into the box. You won't see it in your post until you post it But you will see how many you have in the (Total Files)

Oh, I checked out the rat rod site. I'm not really interested in another distraction but I''ll spend some more time there before I decide.

Test

I kinda got it to work. I?ll figure it out a little better, later.

Tap the link and it?ll give you the other view of the adapter I made to put the small block valve cover on the 153 head.

Here?s some pics of the head and related parts.

I'm only seeing one picture? I was able to load 4 but I deleted them because it had nothing to do with your post. I just kept dragging them to the spot from my desktop.

The first post has the one picture showing and a link above that picture gives another view. The next post just has the one picture showing.

When I get back to the house tomorrow, I?ll try to send some more.

Just a few of the parts I bought and some that I made.

Some basic assemblies.

That is going to ne a nice package when it is all done.
I had to download each one to see them.