I would be pretty sore with my machine shop if they gave me back rods of differing lengths after they were re-bushed and balanced.

Its not terribly hard to remove the rods with the case in tact....
Pull all the pistons and cylinders.
Use a socket wrench from the other side while you hole the rod.
Be careful not to drop anything...

BTDT at 2AM on one rod...got it done and won the next day...so I know it can be done.

Rich

Agreed, but the one thing I have taken to heart from Jake's rants is that, "Everything is guilty until proven innocent." You end up slightly insane at the end of a build, but that's a relative measurement. ;-)

I would agree that the MAIN journals would need to be straight. But they just put "bob weights" on the rod journals. They dont spin anything to make sure they are straight.
And the shop only balanced the rods, they did not rebush them as they looked perfect. I dont believe they have been measured to verify they all match in length.

Stu

ok, latest update.

I took all four rods off without splitting the case.

They all measured the same from rod journal bearing surface to wrist pin bearing surface to within 0.001.

So I measured the gap from the top of the crank-rod journal to the registers while the crank was at TDC.
I zeroed the depth gauge using yeahmag's plate on cyl #1 and read:
Cyl #2 - 0.000
Cyl #3 - +0.002
Cyl #4 - +0.007

So there is my ~8 thousandths on the deck height on cyl #4.
Now how do I know if it is the crank or the case's fault?

I guess it is time to send them both in for checks.

Who should i contact for a deck height check that could also fix my crank (if that is the problem)?

Stu

RIMCO or EMS can do it.

You should have measure the piston travel before taking it out in order to check the crank.

Ok, talked to a two local machine shops who claim to know all about vw & 914 engines and "sunken registers".
The first barely knew what I was talking about and at first said they could fix it, but then said I could just shim it (note to self....)

Second shop: http://racekraftdesign.com/ said they are aware of the "sunken register" problem but rarely see it on the Porsche engines ( I assume they dont work on old worn out engines very much).

Any way, they will measure all the register off of crank centerline and machine them all to match.

So some questions:
What cleans up brand new Curil engine case sealant the best.

Who has the best selection of cylinder shims of varying sizes?
I will probably need more than 0.010 as a minimum.

Where can I get some replacement stock head stud sets?

Stu

Remember that each case half must have matching registers (flat across the two), matching cylinder heights, and matching head registers for proper combustion and oil sealing.

I know you're already aware of that. But I thought I'd remention it just to be safe.

Thanks - he said that he would machine all four registers down to the worst case register, #4 is minus 8 thousandths.

However the opposite side seems to be perfect & flat.
If the #1 & 2 side is perfect, is there any reason to machine it down to match #4?

Also - Where can I get replacement head studs?
I cant seem to find any online without buying a full set of ARP studs.

Stu

You can use shims on the 3/4 side to match the 1/2 side instead of machining both case halves.

EMS has stroker head studs, they may also have studs in std length

DAvid

David - Sorry, but what is "EMS"?

I know of EMW (European Motor Works).
A quick google search didnt find it.

Stu

EBS, not EMS. Engine Builder's Supply in Sparks NV.

Any news or update?

Or better yet a video!

I had the cases decked and did another measurement. They are all close enough to proceed. Next I checked my valve train geometry for valve clearance and now I am sending the heads for some machining to do a valve job & set the CR. After that I will recheck everything when I put it back together. I will try to get some video of the process. I have another thread about figuring out my rocker ratios.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=200247

Stu