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Re-Rebuilding the 440-493 in a 1970 Charger

I ordered a new 15/16” aluminum master cylinder from Dr Diff. It is similar to this one.

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Can that be right ? Three pounds?
That is a 15 lb loss. Nice!
Regarding the cam lobes...
When I measured the ‘528, most of the worn lobes were visible to the eye but a couple were not. I measured that cam the same way I did the Lunati. I just put the calipers across the base circle then across the highest point of the lobe. I know that with my instruments it is far from NASA grade precision but I was looking for a notable variance.
Dwayne Porter suggested that I put the cam in the block and measure off of the lifter. That would compensate for my imprecise method of measuring by hand.
Hey....I am a wood framer where 1/8” is acceptable! I’m just fumbling through here using what I know and taking advice when i can.
 
This is not intended to be one of those "price is no object" type of builds but there are some things I wanted to do differently this time.
One of those things is engine paint.
Every engine that I have painted has been with spray cans. Some of the time I first sprayed the bare block with metal etch primer.
No matter what though, I'll see some paint flaking eventually.
Am I spraying it on too thick? Is it a matter of surface contamination or poor adhesion?
I may never know.
For this rebuild, I first sprayed a timing cover with some Duplicolor.

View attachment 1296732View attachment 1296733

The color is a bit darker than the Hemi orange that I recall. I wanted something a bit more vibrant so I went to the paint store I frequent and had them mix up some color you might be familiar with....

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Yeah! Go Mango !
Look at the contrast compared to the Chrysler orange from the spray can....

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This is in no way a factory correct rebuild here but I do like these engines painted orange. The Go Mango will only be on the block, timing cover and oil pan since I have aluminum heads.

The engine bay doesn't look too terrible but there are a few areas to refinish.

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Mostly on the arch of the shock and UCA support section and from the frame rails and down.View attachment 1296740

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The dreaded brake fluid wreaks havoc on paint. It may be time to switch to synthetic, right?

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Thanks for sharing the journey Greg :thumbsup:
I'm planning on pulling my engine out for the requisite 2-year rehab during the miserable part of summer.
I haven't had much luck with rattle can engine jobs. Prep, clean, clean, prep, etching primer or not...looks good for a bit but then chips off and gets crappy after awhile so I think I'm gonna spray gun it this time too, and I'm thinking I want something other than the usual hemi orange for a change. I like your idea of the Mango paint. The Chrysler turquoise has grown on me too, so we'll see!
 
Then I'm confused as to what exactly you measured on the thing?
The 1.20 is the diameter of the base circle, and the 1.55 is the measurement from the base to the nose, so a lobe lift of .350". Multiply by the rocker ratio to get the valve lift.
At least I think that's what you're talking about Ed?:p
 
I ordered a new 15/16” aluminum master cylinder from Dr Diff. It is similar to this one.

View attachment 1297078
Can that be right ? Three pounds?
That is a 15 lb loss. Nice!
Regarding the cam lobes...
When I measured the ‘528, most of the worn lobes were visible to the eye but a couple were not. I measured that cam the same way I did the Lunati. I just put the calipers across the base circle then across the highest point of the lobe. I know that with my instruments it is far from NASA grade precision but I was looking for a notable variance.
Dwayne Porter suggested that I put the cam in the block and measure off of the lifter. That would compensate for my imprecise method of measuring by hand.
Hey....I am a wood framer where 1/8” is acceptable! I’m just fumbling through here using what I know and taking advice when i can.
I just see where all the lobes of that cam measured damn near identical, then look at the spec sheet where there's
noticeable difference in lift between intake and exhaust lobes and go...
Wut.jpg
 
On your paint issue, most of what's available in spray cans does not like to adhere/bond to the surface being painted even after its prepped. I had some self etch weld thru material that I sprayed onto my SFC's, let it dry for a day, then went to touch up what got missed. I happened to bump an area with my fingernail and it came off without any problem. Tried a larger area and it scraped right off. I'm not sure if its the PRC CFC regulations but I have a sneaking suspicion it is. When you were working, did you notice all the adhesives, caulking, paint etc that had to be Cal compliant? This f'd up feature has removed the adhesive properties of paints and caused issues with other things. On the car end, if you are painting plastics like bumper covers, moldings etc, you had to use an adhesion promoter on the item before paint was applied otherwise the paint just peeled off. Anyway, I would suggest you use gun applied materials for your paint needs. Get an epoxy primer/sealer down then put your color on. To cut down on waste, have a bunch of items blasted/cleaned ready to go so you can use up an entire pot of material. If you can swing it, same on the brackets/pullies etc. I've used catalyzed acrylic enamel on engines, after the epoxy was put on, without any heat burning/flaking/peeling or otherwise. On your epoxy, you can apply your color straight on after you wait an hour after laying down the epoxy. Some of them have like a 12 hour window for top coating which gets you out of having to sand. Big bonus on the engine and engine bay.
 
I just see where all the lobes of that cam measured damn near identical, then look at the spec sheet where there's
noticeable difference in lift between intake and exhaust lobes and go...
View attachment 1297095
I see..that does warrant a re-check IMO.

...paint etc that had to be Cal compliant? This f'd up feature has removed the adhesive properties of paints and caused issues with other things...
th-3600256142.jpg
 
That's the same master cyl I have on my BB Dart. Works well, but.... I am struggling with the header heat when running it hard causing some brake loss. Working on heat shield, wrapping headers etc. Not sure if the aluminum body master cyl or the A body/header proximity is the issue.

With you going to all this work and spending, don't forget to buy the Rev limiter of your choice, it might run even better than you are hoping.
 
The motor mounts from CKessel came today. Brandy new with hardware too!
I sanded on the areas to be repainted and masked off the car.....

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The engine bay looked good for the most part but the bulged areas for the shocks and UCA mounts were scratched up.

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I have some single stage red urethane enamel I'll use. There are some areas that are tight to reach so I'll be using one of these:



Preval.jpg


This will keep overspray down while allowing me to get the nozzle in the tight places.
 
The engine bay areas are painted....





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Yeah...before anyone mentions it, I do intend to pull the alignment cams to clean the paint off. The car will need an alignment anyway. The Borgeson steering box and switch back to factory length Pitman and Idler arms surely affected the toe settings. The removal and reinstallation of the engine, transmission and K member may have affected the camber or caster. The areas that didn't need to be repainted will get cleaned up before the engine goes back in.
I ordered a 15/16" aluminum master cylinder from Dr Diff on Friday and it was here today.....What great service. I'll need to make new brake lines to the distribution block.
 
I think its great how you do stuff yourself, and get it done; that's why I like to read your posts. I like to do stuff myself also, sometimes for the good and sometimes just good enough. Though I'm more of an engine builder guy than some of the other stuff, as that's closer to background as a maintenance machinist working in factories for my career.
 
Soooo.... framing is the way to go.
 
View attachment 1298553View attachment 1298554View attachment 1298555View attachment 1298556


Yeah...before anyone mentions it, I do intend to pull the alignment cams to clean the paint off. The car will need an alignment anyway. The Borgeson steering box and switch back to factory length Pitman and Idler arms surely affected the toe settings. The removal and reinstallation of the engine, transmission and K member may have affected the camber or caster. The areas that didn't need to be repainted will get cleaned up before the engine goes back in.
I ordered a 15/16" aluminum master cylinder from Dr Diff on Friday and it was here today.....What great service. I'll need to make new brake lines to the distribution block.
You need to clean the paint off the alignment cams :lol:
 
With some of the prices that I am seeing, I feel like I stepped into a Hemi Zone.
$840 for pistons and rings. $103 for main bearings. $144 for rod bearings. $102 for a standard volume oil pump. $137 for valve springs.
I built a 383 for my Jigsaw Charger in 2020. The prices for everything have really shot up.
Getting parts that fast and a having a machinist that isn't six months behind is a win right there.
 
That's a pretty heavy duty cam!
You're probably missing out on a 1000 rpm of fun if you're only shifting at 6.

On the measurement, it would be good to have more exact #s. Down to the thousandths. Micrometer.
That is a stout cam, should be a lot of fun above 3,000 rpm. I agree that cubic inches will "absorb" the duration; its the 108 LSA that gives the choppy idle.
 
With some of the prices that I am seeing, I feel like I stepped into a Hemi Zone.
$840 for pistons and rings. $103 for main bearings. $144 for rod bearings. $102 for a standard volume oil pump. $137 for valve springs.
I built a 383 for my Jigsaw Charger in 2020. The prices for everything have really shot up.

Nah you're still doing good!

I was at 1,384 for pistons/rings. Springs/locks/retainers 1,158. I think bearings were about the same.
 
That is a stout cam, should be a lot of fun above 3,000 rpm. I agree that cubic inches will "absorb" the duration; its the 108 LSA that gives the choppy idle.
The car ran pretty strong with the Lunati. Even with the long duration numbers, it still didn't feel soft on the bottom end.
I really do need a rev limiter though.
 
The car ran pretty strong with the Lunati. Even with the long duration numbers, it still didn't feel soft on the bottom end.
I really do need a rev limiter though.
If you trust 50 year old electronics, you could try to find an old Mallory “engine safety controller”

D0CEF4C8-9354-4315-89EE-58806F637DF6.jpeg
 
Thanks....
I'm still casually looking for some type of Mopar electronic "ECM" that has a built in rev limiter and uses the standard electrical plug like so.....

Ign zzz.jpg
 
Thanks. I had one, didn't like it so I sold it.
I'm not a hypermiler but I do like the idea of maximizing fuel economy for road trips. The Rev-N-Nator doesn't work with vacuum advance.
Vacuum advance made a 2 mpg difference in fuel economy for me on a road trip.
 
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