Yes, fellow stovebolters, this is the momemt you have all been waiting for with baited breath......

After several false starts and cash deficient attempts, I have begun assembling my 261. A heated shop sure is nice, even though I am renting it from my mother-in-law whom I seem to get along with a lot better now (scary, ain't it). I had the block bored .030 and the piston fit is perfect. The standard crank miked very good, so standard bearings are going in (.0015-.002 rods and mains clearance).

One thing that still puzzles me a little. As I was tightening down the rear main bolts to 110 ft lbs with my 6 month old Snap On torque wrench, 3 of the 4 bolts began to stretch. The threads were perfect on the bolts and the block, and I ran a tap and die on both to make sure. Luckily I had an old junk 235 laying around with good rear main bolts, so I cleaned them up and use them in the 261. I have never had main bolts stretch before. The bolt holes did not have any liquid in them. Anyone run into this before?

All I have to do is put in the pistons in #1 and #6 holes, slap on the 848 head I redid last winter, install my split manifolds and prepare to drop the engine in my '42 1.5 ton. It seems like every week I get another 2 cylinder John Deere tractor to work on so the truck had better be ready to do some hauling/towing.

Also, how tight is the pinch bolt supposed to be for the wrist pin clamp on the rod. I tightened them to 35 ft.lbs. since it was a fine thread 3/8 bolt, but it sure didn't say the exact torque in the 1958 Chevy shop manual I was using.

Remember 9-11-01--God Bless the USA
JUSTICE, not REVENGE, will prevail

1951 Chevy 1/2-ton Pickup truck