Going to use this post as a list of what needs to be done to assemble the engine. There’s two reasons for this: one is to help others in the future and two is to provide myself a dry run of the assembly that will help me find anything I’ve forgot to consider or order/make my life easier when I do it for real.

Sanity checks/ Measurements

1. Measure piston to bore clearance
   1. this is more of a sanity check than anything else . To verify things are sized properly
2. Measure crank oil bearing clearance
   1. order the proper bearings if you don’t already have them

Component Balancing and Preparation

• For this, View the post on balancing the pistons and rods.
• The crank could be balanced, but we’re using the stock crank and left this out
• Pre torque the rod bolts several times to ensure things go well in final assembly. It’s important to torque it 4-5 times as read in this article: Blueprint Series: Measuring Rod Bolt Stretch vs. Torque with ARP.
• Piston Rings: File the rings and set the end gap for them. Also install on the piston
• Assemble the Piston Rod Assembly
• Tap all threaded holes in the engine to ensure proper torque is achieved and not hindered due to debris (do this before cleaning engine)
• bevel any sharp edges i.e. coolant to head galleys, where the pan attaches, etc
•  

Engine Assembly

1. Assemble the Piston Rod Assembly after balancing
   1. use moly based assembly lube when installing wrist pin
   2. make sure all are assembled in the same orientation on the piston and in the correct orientation if there are oiling spray holes
   3. when installing oil control ring make sure the two ends face down
   4. make sure top and second ring have correct orientation (look for a mark on the ring)
2. Install crank bearings
   1. note that there are upper and lower shells and can be identified based on holes
   2. oil the shells after install
3. Place crankshaft in place
4. Install main studs
5. and main caps in order with oil
6. Install thrust bearings
   1. use moly based assembly lube
7. Install ARP washers and nuts
   1. Use ARP lubricant on both sides of the washers, underside of nut, and the threads
8. Torque main caps using factory pattern and ARP specs
9. Spin crankshaft to ensure there aren’t any issues
10. Measure thrust clearance and verify within spec

Install Pistons and Rods

1. Apply oil to bearing shells and ring pack and piston skirts
2. Rotate engine and using an 81mm ring compressor(make sure it’s clean and oiled), insert pistons into the engine and attach rod cap
3. Torque rod bolts(don’t forget ARP grease) and use stretch gauge when possible.
   1. note that you should do this based on stretch on the bench to figure out what the equivalent torque value should be
   2. do in two stages (i.e. 20, 60)

Cylinder Head Assembly