Engine rebuild toolkit. What's in yours?

[Plymouth71]

I am rebuilding a 360, for my satellite. This is my first engine overhaul. I am planning on sending the heads and the block for hot tanking. I'm looking for what tools you recommend I source to put it back together. I'm toying with the idea of having a machine shop do the bottom end. I realize there are a lot of different important tools, some of which I can borrow, but others I will have to purchase. I have no issue with buying what I need, and selling it afterwards. From your experience what do you recommend, are there brands to keep in mind, or avoid? please let me know.

 

[pnora]

Back in 1970 when I first started the only special tools I had were a homemade balancer puller, and a borrowed torque wrench. Now I have more tools that the cost exceeded a rebuilt engine. So much depends on what you intend to do.
1-Torque wrenches.
2-Micrometers.
3-Snap gauges.
4-Dial indicators.
5-Degree wheel.
6-Feeler Gauges.
7-Ring filer.
8-Cylinder hones.
9-Ridge cutter
10-Cam bearing installer.
11-Cam bearing scrapers.
12-Ring compressors.
13-Valve spring compressors.
14-Spring height micrometer.
15-Hand tools.
16-Cleaning brushes.
17- Drivers.
18-Misc.
The list goes on. Lot of stuff gets done in a machine shop so some tools are not needed. Lot of tools can be bought cheap and lots can be bought used if you plan things.

 

[dadsbee]

One ball hone that I've had since I was 15 and "rebuilt" a 440 to put in our family 69 Fury II.

Since then I've lived with the moto "be an expert at what you know and farm the rest out".

 

[1967coronet]

pnora gave you a good list, along with a good set of hand tools.
I have to double stress the cleaning brush set.
Never take anyone's word that it's done.
Clean all oil passages your self then do it again.

 

[Black_Sheep]

To pnora’s list I would add a harmonic balancer installation tool, machinist’s straightedge and feeler gauges…

 

[rickseeman]

China and youtube. Those are the 2 game changers. 50 years ago when I started there's no way you could afford a set of Starrett micrometers. They cost as much as the car you are driving. Now we have Harbor Freight and 100 Chinese companies making special tools that a hobbyist can afford. (People knock Chinese tools but they are good enough and you can afford them.) Back then we didn't have the MP engine book. Learning was really tough. Now there's youtube. Every night you can lay on the sofa and watch people rebuild engines like yours and learn. And learn. And learn. Probably the only thing that's harder now is there aren't as many machine shops. Study, take your time and do a good job. As far as tools, the people above gave you a pretty good list. I opened my Snap-On account in 1972 and have been buying tools ever since. I'm certain at my funeral the UPS and the Snap-On man are going to pull up and tell my executor, "Rick ordered this stuff."

 

[Jeff K]

Black_Sheep mentioned a harmonic balancer installer. You will need a puller as well to remove the balancer from the crank.

I would remove all plugs from the block and heads before the machine work is done. Freeze plugs as well as any oil passage plugs. Some of these will be a press fit that tap in with a hammer. Others will screw in, they are NPT aka pipe threads. Take them all out.

Someone mentioned cleaning brushes earlier, you should invest in some long brushes designed to clean oil passages. These can be bought individually or in sets. I used the brushes from a gun cleaning kit, they work well. Run the brushes through any oil passages you see in both the crank and the block to remove any sludge or debris. Again, do this before machining to remove any nasty stuff.

I like the gun cleaning kit brushes, the length is easily changed, and the bristles are brass and not steel.

Re-clean the oil passages thoroughly after any machine work to remove any metal shavings or abrasive grit that got in there from the machining process.


Here's a couple of kits. If you know what sizes you need, you can buy individual brushes and save some money.

 

[eldubb440]

I've used a white shoe lace to "floss" the oil passages

 

[ckessel]

Try to find a well detailed manual for the small blocks. There are a few galley plugs lurking in areas that some don't know about. For thorough block cleaning, they need to be removed. And after it's cleaned you need to make sure they're replaced. Otherwise you'll end up with no oil pressure. Also on the tool list: tap and die set. Or at the minimum, taps in the sizes needed for all of the threaded holes. Either before its tanked, preferable, or for sure after its tanked, run taps through those holes and get the grundge knocked loose so you can blast it out at wash time.

 

[69Bee]

Try to find a well detailed manual for the small blocks. There are a few galley plugs lurking in areas that some don't know about. For thorough block cleaning, they need to be removed. And after it's cleaned you need to make sure they're replaced. Otherwise you'll end up with no oil pressure. Also on the tool list: tap and die set. Or at the minimum, taps in the sizes needed for all of the threaded holes. Either before its tanked, preferable, or for sure after its tanked, run taps through those holes and get the grundge knocked loose so you can blast it out at wash time.

There is just one, under the rear main cap (SBC also has one). It is usually a 9/16" freeze plug, measure it to be sure.

 

[ckessel]

If memory serves me, near the distributor/pump drive bushing on the inside of the block, there is a threaded pug with a knock in galley plug behind it. There are a couple more? lurking in the block in other locations too. Specific sizes and at least one has to go in to a certain depth. Looks like your diagram illustrates at least one of the little rascals.

 

[1KoolBee]

Back in 1970 when I first started the only special tools I had were a homemade balancer puller, and a borrowed torque wrench. Now I have more tools that the cost exceeded a rebuilt engine. So much depends on what you intend to do.
1-Torque wrenches.
2-Micrometers.
3-Snap gauges.
4-Dial indicators.
5-Degree wheel.
6-Feeler Gauges.
7-Ring filer.
8-Cylinder hones.
9-Ridge cutter
10-Cam bearing installer.
11-Cam bearing scrapers.
12-Ring compressors.
13-Valve spring compressors.
14-Spring height micrometer.
15-Hand tools.
16-Cleaning brushes.
17- Drivers.
18-Misc.
The list goes on. Lot of stuff gets done in a machine shop so some tools are not needed. Lot of tools can be bought cheap and lots can be bought used if you plan things.

All those tools plus an anvil point micrometer for checking rod-bolt stretch. I no longer trust OEM torque specs on rod bolts because torque alone won’t catch a defective rod bolt. You can hire a machine shop to the assembly. The only time I did that, I wound up tearing the motor apart again and re-doing the whole thing because I wasn’t happy with the results, so it was money wasted. Proper tooks are an investment.

 

[moparx]

do NOT use standard taps in the bolt holes as they will have a tendency to cut the threads oversize !
use thread CHASERS instead. these will make sure your threads are clean and correct in thread size and pitch.
i can't emphasize this enough !
just some friendly advice from a 50 year working career machinist, still practicing my craft today. [i have probably tapped close to 1 million holes in my lifetime, including removing broken taps and restoring female threads in items ranging in size from 0-80 to 5"-8 thread sizes.]

 

[dadsbee]

Thanks for that advise!

To think ....I've just been tapping the same hole for 46 years...

 

[moparx]

Thanks for that advise!

To think ....I've just been tapping the same hole for 46 years...

ahh.......er.......well.........don't really know what to say about that...........