Okay. Here goes. After months of scraping and saving, overtime and deliberating, back orders and phone calls, I think I have enough parts and equipment to actually assemble the 5.9 I am putting into the Dakota. I will be putting the crankshaft bearings then the crankshaft in tonight after work. I'm fairly nervous about it since I have read all about the perils and pitfalls of dust and dirt and everything else that can go wrong with bearings. Excited but apprehensive. I'll get back probably tomorrow.

 

Make sure to clean the block with lots of brake cleaner then spray it with wd-40 to keep it from rusting and make sure to keep the block covered. That is what we have done with my dads 5.9 that he is building, it has only taken him 6 years. Once he is done I get his 5.2

 

I sprayed it down with WD-40 the day I got the block back from the machine shop, about a month ago. I've been working overtime, researching every little question I have thought of and buying parts, one-at-a-time, since then. Still need a few parts but I think I have enough to completely assemble at least the bottom end. I did use brake cleaner and clean, lint-free clothes to clean everything before, during and after each bearing was placed, plastigaged, and torqued down. I got all whole crankshaft in without (hopefully) any complications. it does turn easily with no catches of any kind. The bearing clearances were between 2 and 3 thousandths on all the bearings. I started assembling the pistons, pins, rods and associated bearings and spiro-locks tonight. maybe tomorrow I'll put the piston assemblies into the block. Whew! still kinda nervous about the whole thing.

 

Got the pistons in and I'm wondering how difficult it should be to turn the whole rotating assembly, because it takes about 55lbs of torque (measured with my torque wrench). I did use Lucas' assembly lube, which has a honey-like consistency. Still. no catches or hang-ups. Just hard to turn. Does anyone think it may be the new rings?

 

Getting ready to assemble the heads now. Got the Harland Sharp 1.7 pedestal mount roller rockers and the new RHS 2.02 heads. I have dry fitted the heads onto the block but havent torqued them down with clay in the combustion chamber to ascertain the valve-to-piston clearance. Are there any significant concerns I should know about as I'm installing the rocker assembly onto the heads?The whole process seems simple but I've been fooled before. By the way, I had a sprint car builder-friend of mine come over the other night as he seemed to think the "tightness" of the rotating assembly was perfectly normal. Whew!