Chapter 4 Clean is the Scene

  Even with the choice to run in engine class C a lot of latitude existed.  The displacement of the engine could be anywhere between 306.00 and 372.99 cubic inches.  The block from the woods had started life in 1959 as a 259 cid engine.  The score of the stroker crank certainly provided extra displacement, but now the decision of how close to get to the class maximum had to be made.  If I went all the way to the brink of 372.99 inches and had to bore the engine more at some point I would find myself at the bottom of B class.  We would certainly be the little duck in the big pond then.  So, I backed off a bit and aimed for a size that would allow at least one teardown and rebore without going over the C class max.  Since the R3 engines were bored out 0.093" I arbitrarily chose 0.030" over that.  So the target displacement ended up at 362.8 cid.

  We last saw the block at DeepNHock acres, where Jeff and I had tried to clean up the worst of the mess.  Now it was time to start making the modifications that would bring the little 259 back to life as a bigger, better, faster, stronger genuine race engine.

  The first stop had to be a machine shop where the block could be cleaned up in a hot tank before going any further.  Precision Engine II in Sylvania, GA was just a stone's throw away, so we loaded the block and headed over there.  After exchanging pleasantries, Bill had the block unloaded by a helper who took it back to begin cleanup while we discussed the work we wanted Bill to do.

  First on the list had to be a general inspection for cracks or other problems followed by sonic testing the cylinder walls to be certain we could safely bore the cylinders to 3.686".

  The block was difficult to get readings on because of the rust, but after cutting some light passes Bill was able to declare we were on solid ground.  The block was bored and finish honed to it's final dimensions.

  Running that kind of stroke plus the extra stress from supercharging requires more support for the crankshaft.  Bill installed Ken Evans 4 bolt splayed main caps and align honed the block.  We discussed other modifications I would be making and ordered a set of ARP studs for the mains and heads.  Talk about service !  Bill found out I wanted the work done, did the job and had the block ready for me to bring back to Illinois in 3 days over a weekend.

  The first order of business was a careful documentation of the wall thickness of each cylinder.  The picture above shows the system Jeff and I developed to test and record several areas in each cylinder in a repeatable method.  Hopefully, as we accumulate data on many blocks, we can predict which blocks will be most suited for large bores.  Of course, each block is an individual and will always require checking before investing lots of hard earned cash to build it.

  The system we came up with assigns positions around the cylinder like a clock.  Readings are taken at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 o'clock at depths of 1", 3" and 5" from the block deck.  Each reading is recorded for every cylinder.  It takes a little time, but reveals a lot of information about how Studebaker cast its blocks and routed oil galleys and water passages.

  We also developed a chart to graphically visualize how the wall thickness vary and transfer cylinder to cylinder.

  There are always a bunch of little things that add up to a big job on a race engine.  The flash from the casting process had to be ground down.  The water jackets were full of debris.  The accumulated oil sludge now baked dry had to be removed.  The block was certainly better than where it started, but there was a long way to go.

 

I began with general grinding and smoothing of the exterior casting flash using a small hand grinder, sanding rolls, and carbide burrs.  Then move inside.

The level of miscellaneous parting lines and slag was surprising.  The lifter valley, once it was cleaned up, required a lot of attention.  There is a big difference before and after.

Each threaded hole was cleaned out followed by chasing the threads, more cleaning and inspection for damaged threads and shavings.