Hello to all on this great site. Maybe someone out there can point me in the right direction or to the proper place in the archives to find out an answer to a problem that I am having with the original 216 that I rebuilt. 1st of all let me start by saying that this is not the 1st engine that I have rebuilt. I have been doing this for more than 40 years, & this is the 1st one that has given me a problem like this, theres always one, & it seems to be the most simple, basic one at that. I pulled the original, 27,000 mile motor on this truck, as the oil pan had rotted out & you know what happened from there. I used all the best parts. Good aluminum cast pistons, moly rings,changed to inserts in the rods, stainless valves, hardened seats, new cam, not reground, new oil pump, not rebuilt, new oil distribution valve, matched aluminum cam gear & crank gear, the thrust plate has .0015 clearance & turned freely before installing, etc. etc. etc. Set the pistons up with .004 clearance, .002 on the rods, & .002 on the mains, using shims on only one side & the same side of the mains for proper clearance, had the block align honed & the whole assemly balanced, & made the oiling system a full flow instead of a by-pass system, with all the nec. mods to have plenty of volume. The truck starts & runs fine when cold, & really runs good for a 216, with plenty of power & torque. Oil pressure is around 18-20 pds. when cold & 14-15 when hot idling, after I played with the tension on the oil distribution valve. After you've had the engine running for awhile & it's fully warmed up it will not crank over, like it's seized, which I beleive it is. If I let it sit for an hour or so or turn the flywheel with a big screw driver it will crank right up, but it is really tight. I have now driven this truck over 250 miles, figuring that it was just a little tight from all the new parts & that I set it up kinda tight. I have gone thru the starter figuring since it was never gone thru it might be bad, but it was put on my friends truck & his car & it cranks right up. I even used the starter from his truck that he has no problems with & it works OK. The battery is a new Interstate VH1 heavy duty & the cables are 6 volt cables, at 1 gauge. The grounds are good & clean & the generator puts out 40+ amps. Has anyone ever had a problem like this?? Am I missing something?? I am at a loss at this point & any & all tips & suggestions would be appreciated. Eagerly awaiting any replys, THANKS, TOM TELESCO
