489 BBC Build Thread

[Nashville Cat]

I'm starting the assembly of my 489. Here are the major parts :

1) #445 4 bolt main block
2) Forged 4.250 stroke crank with center counter-weights
3) Scat 6.385" I beam rods
4) SRP forged pistons with small 18cc domes
5) Brodix 270cc oval port Race Rite Heads; with hyd roller springs max .600" lift
6) GM ZZ502 cam : 224/234 duration ; .530/.540 lift , 110 lobe center
7) Intake setup #1 : Perf RPM with 850 Holley. #2 setup : cast iron 427/390 hp intake with model 1910 edelbrock 850 quadrajet
8) Headers - Hedman elites 1-3/4 primaries with 3" exhaust

Tomorrow I'm planning on removing all allen plugs and cleaning the block with soap/water and brushing out interior passageways.
Blow it dry with air and primer the block. I have rustoleum engine primer, paint and clear ; 2 spray cans each


#445 4 bolt block

Workbench ready to go

 

[cage2592]

Cant wait to follow. Who did the machining? Any head work? I ask because I don't know anyone at this point that bought a set of heads new that didn't need disassembled, reworked and reassembled.

What do you think the budget is going to come in at?

Will there be a dyno run?

Are you keeping the rest of the drivetrain you are currently running?

 

[Shovelrick]

Has the block been decked? Vortecpro asked me if my block had been drilled (after I got it back from Muscle Machining in Largo Fl. with the short block assb.) IIRC it's for modern coolant flow like the Gen VI, has that been done to yours? mine wasn't and it's fine, my block wasn't square so that was fixed along with aligning the main tunnel and torque plate hone or bore, and oil passages camphor

 

[Nashville Cat]

Cant wait to follow. Who did the machining? Any head work? I ask because I don't know anyone at this point that bought a set of heads new that didn't need disassembled, reworked and reassembled.

What do you think the budget is going to come in at?

Will there be a dyno run?

Are you keeping the rest of the drivetrain you are currently running?

The block is bored .030 over and it was sitting in a "high-performance" garage where tons of parts were being stored along with cars, transmissions, etc.
I don't have any history on it.
I'll check the deck height and squareness at mock-up.
The main bearing alignment , I check that by setting the crank in bearings #1 and #5 and spin it,
check the runout at bearing #3. Should be less than 1 mil.

The rotating assembly is from Wolfplace and it's internally balanced.

I'll be keeping the current drivetrain : TKX 5 speed with Strange S60 rear with 3:73 Strac locker (like a true-trac).

The Brodix Race Rite 270 heads may come pocket-ported ? I'm not sure so I plan to take one set of valves out and check the radius under the valves.
I bought these heads from Matt Polidoro (Matt 69) on Team Chevelle. He had them on a 540 and wanted to try something with bigger ports.
They were about one year old and they look in very good shape. They have hyd roller springs with .600 max lift.

I don't plan on a dyno run. But will be doing some form of timing from maybe 25 to 100 mph ?

Cost of the biggest items so far :
Rotating assembly $2600
Brodix heads $1750
Machined Block $500
Roller cam $700
Champ 207 pan $225
Misc parts ? $1000

Total so far $6775

 

[Nashville Cat]

Started cleaning the block ; removed all the pipe plugs and washed it down good. Sprayed all the passages in it.
Blew it off with compressed air and it didn't take long to dry.
It hit 96 degrees here today ! Which helped the paint not to run
I primered it, then hit it with hi-gloss engine paint and then topped that with ceramic clear.
It turned out pretty good. I'm happy with it.

Spent the next few hours going through lots of boxes, searching for parts I have bought over the years.
Found two sets of head gaskets (LOL) and my mag base w/dial indicator setup. Couldn't find my ring expander so I ordered one.

 

[Shovelrick]

Started cleaning the block ; removed all the pipe plugs and washed it down good. Sprayed all the passages in it.
Blew it off with compressed air and it didn't take long to dry.
It hit 96 degrees here today ! Which helped the paint not to run
I primered it, then hit it with hi-gloss engine paint and then topped that with ceramic clear.
It turned out pretty good. I'm happy with it.

Spent the next few hours going through lots of boxes, searching for parts I have bought over the years.
Found two sets of head gaskets (LOL) and my mag base w/dial indicator setup. Couldn't find my ring expander so I ordered one.

View attachment 13270

Don't forget the adapter to screw on an oil filter, I used a Moroso adapter W/O bypass

 

[Nashville Cat]

Has the block been decked?

I just looked at the area where the VIN would be stamped and it looks like it has been decked ! Hope it works out that i can get a quench of .040" to .045".

Don't forget the adapter to screw on an oil filter, I used a Moroso adapter W/O bypass

I just bought a Melling adapter and you can remove the bypass spring and assembly, tap it with a 1/4" pipe tap and insert a pipe plug and the bypass is disabled !

 

[Shovelrick]

I just looked at the area where the VIN would be stamped and it looks like it has been decked ! Hope it works out that i can get a quench of .040" to .045".

View attachment 13304




I just bought a Melling adapter and you can remove the bypass spring and assembly, tap it with a 1/4" pipe tap and insert a pipe plug and the bypass is disabled !

Deck looks Great the Moroso adapter I bought doesn't have a bypass so no need to thread & cap anything, I'd use Red Loctite on the threaded plug

 

[cheveslakr]

Did you get a work sheet when you purchased the block?

 

[Nashville Cat]

Did you get a work sheet when you purchased the block?

No, it was sitting in a huge workshop in a bunch of blocks against a wall. It belonged to a guy who had received it on a trade for building a transmission.
I bought it because it had already been machined to the size i needed (+.030) and it was a 4 bolt block.
He didn't even know the bore size so I brought a piston with me and stuck it in the bores to verify.
I offered $500 and he took it after a couple of weeks of me asking.

 

[cheveslakr]

That's a great price as you already know. Out of necessity, I bought a set of starett inside and outside mics to build my last 2 motors. Not sure just how much a cylinder distorts before and during head torque down, but I'd be really curious as to whether it'd been torque plate honed. I'd guess it has, if it's been decked, but since I hate not having accurate rings seal, now's the time to verify. I'd also want to mock up 4 corner reciprocating assemblies to very deck height. That's critical when choosing a head gasket.

 

[Nashville Cat]

That's a great price as you already know. Out of necessity, I bought a set of starett inside and outside mics to build my last 2 motors. Not sure just how much a cylinder distorts before and during head torque down, but I'd be really curious as to whether it'd been torque plate honed. I'd guess it has, if it's been decked, but since I hate not having accurate rings seal, now's the time to verify. I'd also want to mock up 4 corner reciprocating assemblies to very deck height. That's critical when choosing a head gasket.

Yes, I'll definitely be checking deck height at the 4 corners. I doubt there's a way to verify if it's been torque-plate honed ?
I'll start doing some checks today (piston-to-wall , crank runout)

 

[77cruiser]

Yes, I'll definitely be checking deck height at the 4 corners. I doubt there's a way to verify if it's been torque-plate honed ?
I'll start doing some checks today (piston-to-wall , crank runout)

You would have to bolt a torque plate on it & measure it.

 

[cheveslakr]

Never done it before, but my thinking was if you measure 3 places up the bore and 2 directions and you get anything out of spec than you're probably good. It's reverse logic, so without a torque plate, in theory, the cylinder would be distorted. Run this by a machinist.

 

[Shovelrick]

I guess the reason these older factory type engines started using oil and lost power after 80K+ miles was they were never square etc to begin with from the factory? I remember some same engines and 1 would run like a scalded dog and another supposed same factory engine didn’t run worth a crap, reminds me of an old Harley saying “ Never buy a Harley that was built on a Monday or Friday, Monday everyone’s Hung Over, Friday everyone wants to start on a Hangover”

 

[Nashville Cat]

I guess the reason these older factory type engines started using oil and lost power after 80K+ miles was they were never square etc to begin with from the factory? I remember some same engines and 1 would run like a scalded dog and another supposed same factory engine didn’t run worth a crap, reminds me of an old Harley saying “ Never buy a Harley that was built on a Monday or Friday, Monday everyone’s Hung Over, Friday everyone wants to start on a Hangover”

I think modern fuel injection has extended the life of engines compared to carburetors, which tend to wash oil off the cylinder walls when starting.

You would have to bolt a torque plate on it & measure it.

I'm not going there. Too much work and $$$ for maybe 5 hp.
The engine was probably honed with a plate, but if not, neither has any GM production engine.
I'm sure GM has tested using a torque plate and they know exactly how much it helps. And they obviously don't think it's worth the time.

 

[Nashville Cat]

Interesting article about honing of modern engines. Seems surface finish is the #1 concern.
Strangely, it never mentions any need for torque-plate honing.

Honing the LS - Engine Builder Magazine

Modern honing techniques are as much a performance concern as they are part of engine design, and that’s thanks to the much tighter tolerances and specifications engines need these days.

www.enginebuildermag.com

 

[cheveslakr]

Ls blocks don't distort, that's one of their many advantages.

 

[Shovelrick]

Ls blocks don't distort, that's one of their many advantages.

I have 170K on my 4.8 in my 05 Express 2500 and it runs great, other than a strange oil psi high pres reading since switching to Mobile1 5w30 but still runs great…now I’m going to go Knock Wood

 

[Nashville Cat]

Well I have a problem with piston-to-wall clearance. The spec sheet says 3 to 3.5 mils clearance and I can't get a 1.5 (.0015") feeler gauge in.
So now I may have to take it in and have it "torque-plate honed" to remove .002" ! I hope they can do that; I'm pretty sure they can.