Finally started to assemble 2.0L
Hi All,

Just finished removing the old main bearings and installed new ARP rod bolts and rod bearings onto the crankshaft of the 1975 2.0L engine being rebuilt from complete strip down and cleaning.

Question 1. instructions say torque bolts with assembly lube 3X at 40ft-lbs. Measure stretch at 0.048-0.052". I didn't notice any stretch remained at 6.00cm before and after torqueing. Can one over-torque these ARP bolts?

Question 2. I have new Euro 2.0 pistons and cylinders to install and intend to weigh each piston/rings and balance them to the rods (which weigh 788.2 gm, 788.3gm, 789.4gm and 787.7gm).
How would the expert builder match the piston weights to these rods? Heaviest pistons to lightest rods so all combinations are as equal along the crank as possible?

Question 3. Forgot to make a checklist for what items needed to go back into case before sealing halves together with locktite 574.
should I disturb the original case plugs or leave them alone?

I remember to insert new cam with new standard cam bearings, oil sump baffle, time the cam to crank, new main bearings, what else am I forgetting?

Just weighed the pistons and wrist pins and their weights are 723.10grams, 723.33 gm, 723.84 gm, and 722.96gm. Pretty close grouping (I'm impressed by Mahle for having such tight tolerances)!.

Do you have my video?? It;ll get the engine together 100% easier than any book step by step.

What are the weights of all your rods/ pistons??

If the rotating assembly wasn't dynamically balanced don't worry too much about the rods/pistons being perfect because there is a very good chance that it won't matter very much- the dynamic assemblies are generally horrid to balance, especially if you have a new pressure plate.

Loctite 574 is not the best case sealant. It hardens after a few thousand miles and leaks will occur. I use Curil K2 for sealing case halves and it remains flexible for years with no leaks.

As for the case plugs:
You are playing Russian Roulette if they are not removed! If you saw the gunk I find behind those plugs it would blow your mind, and this is all gunk that can't be cleaned without the plugs being removed.

Also these days it's not uncommon to start removing a plug and have it spin under the drill bit- a quick flip of the case lets the plug fall out with literally zero effort...... Now think about a nice fresh engine with tight clearances and hefty oil pressure and think of the nightmares that happen when that plug pops out and the oil pumps out of the case- ALWAYS drill and tap the galley plugs! ( i sale a galley plug kit and even the tools to do the job)

Also, were your rods rebuilt with the ARP bolts installed and torqued??? If they were not you cannot install them as you will alter the dimension of the big end of the rod and you will have imminent rod bearing failure. It's imperative that when changing rod bolts the new bolts are installed, and torqued prior to finish honng of the big end- even if its a 100% stock engine, there are zero exceptions to this rule!

It's at least once monthly that I get a call from someone who has spun a rod bearing after installing the ARP bolts without proper sizing of the rod. One guy spent 7K bucks in parts redoing the engine FOUR times before he finally listened to me and had the rods resized.

Hi Jake,
Appreciate your inputs.

How much is your video? Where can I get the Curil K2? How much is your plug kit (does it do all plugs?).

Please describe what it means to resize the bigends of the rods after torquing them with new rod bearings and ARP bolts installed. I just replaced the the old rod bearings with new standard size ones. Do you then mic the crank and use plastic gauge to determine the fit for the rod going in that position?

All the items can be found on my store www.type4store.com- I sell the Curil and the video there as well as the galley plug kit and about 1,00 more TIV engine parts.

The resizing of the rods is done by a machinist and requires a special machine and hone to ensure the work is done straight and true.

During resizing the mating surfaces of the cap are ground down for a new, true surface. This process then ovals out the bore of the big end of the rod, which requires that bore to be honed to a known dimension within a range of tolerances that the machinist will be responsible for. When the honing is done the rod cap must be installed with the bolts you will use as this dictates the "crush" the bearing will see and the overall size of the rod bore which is crucial to proper bearing/journal running clearances.

This cannot be done with plastigage, or even checked with plastigage. It requires precision measuring devices.

Now, you should ALWAYS rebuild the connecting rods at rebuild to ensure they are straight and the small end bushings are good to go as they do wear.

You need to stop in your tracks, find a machinist and grab my video, before you cost yourself some extra money....

Jake's store sells the all the sealant goodies

resizing of the big end means honing out to the desired spec and if you are changing bolts you must do this do to the "crush" of torqueing the bolts down.

Curil K2 is good stuff i have it all over my "work pants" has a nice tangy sort of smell to it......