Project Mudslinger: Block Damage

Here's our new block. It's a Ford 2.3-liter four-cylinder and has already been bored and honed to 0.030 over. The deck is being cut down so that at TDC the top of the piston will be even with the deck of the block to maximize compression.

Johnson's Machine Shop's lead engine builder Tim Yates spends as much time hand-prepping the block as he does on any other stage in the process. Every oil gallery, water passage, and threaded hole must be chased to make sure no stray particles or casting slag is left to do damage later on. Also, all the passages are chamfered at the deck to make sure they do not interfere with the gasket's ability to seal between the block and head.

Yates also took a sanding roll to the dish where the oil filter connects to the block. Yates says it is a small difference, but it does help improve oil flow through the engine.

Yates disassembles the damaged engine slowly, inspecting every piece as it came off the engine to spot any signs of trouble.

One rod bearing had a small scuff. Yates suspected it was a dry spot when the engine was cranked the first time. Other than generous amounts of assembly lube and making sure you bring the oil pressure up with a hand drill before cranking the engine for the first time, there isn't too much else you can do.

Larry Teal inspected and rebuilt the head for us. Here, he is using a twisted wire wheel on an air-powered grinder to clean the carbon deposits from the combustion chambers.