Neither the EPA, nor the Coast Guard showed up so I think we can pretend that little oil spill didn’t happen. I had been having thoughts of impending disaster, and second guessing myself about the way I put the lower end of my engine together. I decided to pull apart everything I had done and start over. I had numbered my main caps with a sharpie when I took them out, but then had moved a couple into different locations in an effort to get better clearance numbers. After thinking about it for a couple or three weeks, I realized that each of those caps would probably have a number stamped in it. I started taking apart my engine on Thursday, and sure enough I found some numbers stamped on the main caps. Three of them were completely legible, but 2 were only moderately visible and the last 2 were really questionable. With the aid of a really strong light, I was able to get five of my seven caps in order, then finally made out the 6th one, and the process of elimination identified the 7th. On Friday I started back in with torquing my main caps and checking clearances. They didn’t change much. My tightest one was 0.0015, and two were about 0.0018 and four were 0.002. I cleaned off the plastigauge schmutz, lubed the bearings and torqued my mains down. The connecting rods all measured 0.002 except one that was a tad tighter and I estimated it to be 0.0018. Now I can sleep peacefully. Do I feel a little foolish about mixing up my cap order? Sure, but I’ve never had an engine apart before and I’m learning as I go. With that bit of worry taken off my plate, I refastened the timing cover, set the harmonic balancer, and the oil pan in place and fastened them, then set my head in place and torqued it down. I slathered the lifters and slid them in place, and then put the push rods in their homes.The side covers are fastened in place temporarily until my cast aluminum ones arrive. They’ll keep dust and debris out while I continue to forge ahead.
