x2 on flexplate and other noises. I rebuilt a v8 recently, took half the engine back apart (oil pan & 1 cylinder head) just to find that the "rod knock" was the TIMING POINTER banging against a high spot on the damper. UGH!
My engine stand is just one of those car-tire-dollies (they hold >1000lb and roll easy) with 2x4's to build a cradle. Cheep. Then, I leave the crane bolted to the engine so its ready to lift into the car IF things go well.....this is plenty stable even with a big cam. FLexplate, starter, muffler (so you can hear noises), radiator & hoses and youre ready to start. I added an alternator/regulator setup but that's optional.
And LOTS of gages:
* Oil Press
* Vacuum
* Tach
* Water Temp
* Timing Light
Then I record the what-what every couple minutes for reference later.
While building, what were your clearances, mains/rods/pistons/ring gaps/side-clearance/crank-end-play? Gotta know that stuff.
What torq did it take to spin the crank over (hopefully about zero)?
How bout with the pistons/rings in?
How bout with the cam in too?
I record all that stuff. If something is REALLY hard to turn over its a message.
You can pull the plugs out now and check that tho its harder to read the steady-state torq on a beam wrench when its in the car.
Will the pan come off in the car without major surgery?
If so youre lucky again, not so bad to pull that & check in there.
Good luck it is always a tense time with a new engine, doesn't seem to get any easier, I've done many.
