When you don't trust your local engine shops..

[427dart]

Have a friend who wants to rebuild his original 1970 426 Street Hemi and he is good at doing the assembly work.

After getting burned by a shop that ruined the original rods from installing the new rod bolts in crooked 12 years ago, he purchased a set of Mopar Hemi rods that are improved over the originals but a bit lighter in weight.

Problem is he doesn't trust any shop with his Hemi and did make his own rod balancing jig and got the new rods all the same to lightest rod.

Now the crank needs to be checked for balance and he is starting construction of his own crank balancing machine and looks like I will be doing some machine work on the parts needed.

He did check out a supposed good shop on doing the crank work but didn't like the fact of his original Hemi crank laying around there for 2 weeks plus he noticed the guy's scale is off a few grams compared to his. I had my crank balanced there 8 years ago with no problem.

The Hemi only has 10,000 miles on it since 1970 and he had the cylinder bores lightly honed for new rings about 12 years ago but the blocked was oiled up and wrapped and stored.

This beast may be a while in rebuilding!

Back in 1971 he had a good local speed shop swap out the original Dana 60 4.10 ring and pinion for a 4.56. They did a great job but somehow "lost" the 4.10 OEM ring gear so you can see how he hasn't had great luck with speed/performance shops!

[BillK]

Now the crank needs to be checked for balance and he is starting construction of his own crank balancing machine and looks like I will be doing some machine work on the parts needed.

So is he going to buy a set of bobweights or try to make them too ? What is he going to use for electronics ?

He did check out a supposed good shop on doing the crank work but didn't like the fact of his original Hemi crank laying around there for 2 weeks

Shoot, just about any decent shop that I know is backed up that long. I know I am for sure

plus he noticed the guy's scale is off a few grams compared to his. I had my crank balanced there 8 years ago with no problem.

Does he have calibration weights to know for certain that his scale is correct ?

Seems like he just doesn't want someone else doing it.

[houser45]

His scale is off 2 grams from his? And he is worried? Mabie he should go purchase his own used balancer for 15k?

[SupStk]

Sorry for your friend's bad luck.
Still trying to figure out how rod bolts could be installed crooked.
Concerning scales being off, probably not a big deal in balancing if all the parts are being weighed on the same scale that's used to assemble the bobweights. I'd be more worried the homemade balance machine was accurate. But hats off to you both for trying.

[427dart]

Don't know if that 2 grams was correct. Yes he is making his own bob weights and has calibrated his rod scale to a known weight.

As far as other shops doing the work...he doesn't want to chance "loosing" the original crank!

Will see how it all turns out next year as progress is slow.

[427dart]

Sorry for your friend's bad luck.
Still trying to figure out how rod bolts could be installed crooked.

Well on most of the rods you could see they were crooked and the caps would not go on.

[DJ58]

Normally you have to fit the caps to new rod bolts.


Dan
S.W.
Mi.

[Walter R. Malik]

Sorry for your friend's bad luck.
Still trying to figure out how rod bolts could be installed crooked.

Well on most of the rods you could see they were crooked and the caps would not go on.

So, you're actually saying that somebody changed the angle of the rod bolt holes which were already manufactured there with the rod ?
Unless they were installing a larger diameter rod bolt ... I don't think so.

Sounds as though he is looking for any reasoning to not allow anyone else to touch his stuff. Good luck to him.

[SixHemis]

Well on most of the rods you could see they were crooked and the caps would not go on.

Are you sure the bolts aren't bent? Years ago a guy brought me a reconditioned rod for the SBM I was doing for him. The cap and rod mating surfaces had been angle-milled so much that the bolts bent when they were torqued before the big end was honed. The cap wouldn't budge and the bend of the bolts was obvious with the nuts off.

Too bad he has already bought Mopar rods. I've been running Hemis for 47 years and I ditched the boat anchor rotating parts long ago. Lots of good, lighter aftermarket stuff out there. No one can see what's inside that original block.

[cgarb]

Nobody can be trusted with the sacred original hemi crankshaft...it's like the magical sword excaliber. The scales are off 2 grams...nothing is good enough for excaliber. Even if the shop owner just got done balancing an 8000 dollar rotating assembly out of a 410 Sprint engine.

[Frankshaft]

Guy must be a bit OCD? Maybe it's his scale that's off 2 grams. He ever think that is a possibility? I would tell a guy like that to pound sand anyhow. He do his own bypass surgery too?

He going to buy all the balancing hardware, all the software, Bob weights, etc? Then figure out how to build the thing, then actually trust the results? Sounds a bit rediculous no?

[BOOT]

I wouldn't touch anything of his, you'll regret it down the road. I understand bout shops always screwing stuff up, I have that luck but this sounds a bit more.

[427dart]

Just telling you facts as I know them. The rods were screwed up and sent to another shop which couldn't do much to fix the problem.

The factory Hemi parts may have been heavy but got the job done at that time....we not turning 9000 RPM here just hot street stuff.

Back in 71 we ran it up to 7000 many times with the stock crank rods but TRW 12 to 1 pistons. 11.30's at 126 back then.

Who knows how this all turns out,but if there was a good shop,around here, that knew their way around the 426 Hemi....that's where it would be!

Last place I knew of was John Arruza down in NC,but I think he has closed shop.

[Frankshaft]

An engine is an engine. It doesn't matter what name is on the valve covers. Seriously. They all function EXACTLY the same. The same procedure to balance a 440, or a sbc, or Oldsmobile is used to balance a hemi. The Block is bored and honed the same way also. Mains are done the same way. It doesn't matter. Obviously each engine has it's own sizes for mains, bores, etc, but they are all done the same way. Last I checked, I didn't see specific machining equipment for hemi's only. Now, I understand the concern with rare and valuable parts, and not trusting just anyone with them. For the record, I am not attacking you here, I just shake my head when people think this way.

[BigBlocksOnTop2]

Lloyd L. at Springfield Custom Auto Machine in Springfield , Virginia. He was the blower man for Budweiser Top Fuel team about 25-30
yrs ago. He can hook you up.