kmsbryans2018
Junior Member
I'm hoping that I can get some professionals to weigh in on this thread.
Years ago I had a 5.9 Magnum machined and I assembled it then stored it incorrectly. It was never fired up. The work that was requested was to have the stock heads rebuilt, the block reworked to include line bore/ honing with torque plates installed (whatever was necessary based on the state of the block), bore oversize to clean up the ridge in the cylinder walls, honing with torque plates installed, install new cam bearings, rework the crankshaft. As I recall the cylinders cleaned up at 4.020". I do not recall if line boring and line honing the main journals of the block were both required and performed or if they told me that line honing was all that was required. At that point in time stock bolts were used during the machining process.
Fast forward 15 years to today, I forgot to put the harmonic balancer in place to seal the timing cover and to tape off the fuel injector ports. Bugs and dirt have entered the engine. So at minimum it needs to be disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled before getting fired up. My financial state is a little better than it was 15 years ago and I'm now considering a 408 stroker kit with ARP main journal studs, ARP head studs, and ARP connecting rod bolts. I know that the studs are supposed to create a lot more clamping force and thus will cause the block to distort differently than it does with the stock bolts.
I spoke with someone from the machine shop that originally machined my engine. I was told something that I'd like some input on. I asked if I would need to have the line bore/honing redone with the ARP studs in place? He responded by first confirming the engine has never been run. Then told me that he doesn't think it would be necessary since the engine has never been run.
Am I being a paranoid scaredy cat or is this guy right? (The 408 kits I see come with 4.030" pistons so I know that the bore would need to be opened up and rehoned with the torque plates in place via the ARP head studs to make this assembly a 408 engine.) Wouldn't the main journals also need to be reworked due to the extra clamping force that the ARP studs generate which causes a difference in the engine block? Is reworking the main journals twice even a thing that's ok to do? I know that it changes the distance between the crank and cam centerline which causes slack in the timing chain would I be able to get away with rhaving the mains reworked by using a timing chain tensioner? The engine didn't originally have one but they are available.
I'm hoping to get some feedback from a professional engine machinist/builder that can give me some peace of mind and guidance. Thanks in advance.
Years ago I had a 5.9 Magnum machined and I assembled it then stored it incorrectly. It was never fired up. The work that was requested was to have the stock heads rebuilt, the block reworked to include line bore/ honing with torque plates installed (whatever was necessary based on the state of the block), bore oversize to clean up the ridge in the cylinder walls, honing with torque plates installed, install new cam bearings, rework the crankshaft. As I recall the cylinders cleaned up at 4.020". I do not recall if line boring and line honing the main journals of the block were both required and performed or if they told me that line honing was all that was required. At that point in time stock bolts were used during the machining process.
Fast forward 15 years to today, I forgot to put the harmonic balancer in place to seal the timing cover and to tape off the fuel injector ports. Bugs and dirt have entered the engine. So at minimum it needs to be disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled before getting fired up. My financial state is a little better than it was 15 years ago and I'm now considering a 408 stroker kit with ARP main journal studs, ARP head studs, and ARP connecting rod bolts. I know that the studs are supposed to create a lot more clamping force and thus will cause the block to distort differently than it does with the stock bolts.
I spoke with someone from the machine shop that originally machined my engine. I was told something that I'd like some input on. I asked if I would need to have the line bore/honing redone with the ARP studs in place? He responded by first confirming the engine has never been run. Then told me that he doesn't think it would be necessary since the engine has never been run.
Am I being a paranoid scaredy cat or is this guy right? (The 408 kits I see come with 4.030" pistons so I know that the bore would need to be opened up and rehoned with the torque plates in place via the ARP head studs to make this assembly a 408 engine.) Wouldn't the main journals also need to be reworked due to the extra clamping force that the ARP studs generate which causes a difference in the engine block? Is reworking the main journals twice even a thing that's ok to do? I know that it changes the distance between the crank and cam centerline which causes slack in the timing chain would I be able to get away with rhaving the mains reworked by using a timing chain tensioner? The engine didn't originally have one but they are available.
I'm hoping to get some feedback from a professional engine machinist/builder that can give me some peace of mind and guidance. Thanks in advance.
