I took one of the 4 fully machined and blueprinted Golen LT1 blocks from my inventory and am sending it to a local machine shop to double check align hone because my main caps were mixed up during shipping.  Also the Compstar crank will be balanced.

The Mahle flat top piston with rings, pin, locks = 570.6 grams.

Here is a photo of the Compstar H-beam rod which is standard in all Race ERE-383 bottom ends.

And the ACL main and rod bearings.

The Ai Trick Flow heads have been ordered as well as the custom Ai cam.  The crank should be ready for pickup 6-18-07 and so the bottom end can be assembled while waiting for the ported heads.

7-9-07: Primer before paint

Two thin coats

Final and thicker coat.

Another view.

Here is a little more grinding on the block at the bottom of the cylinders (near the cam) to clear the rods.

A closer view of the cylinder bottom area that needs a little Dremmel tool dye-grinder.

Block is washed and cam bearings are installed.  What looks like metal flakes in this photo is paper towel lint.  The camera makes the red paint look orange.

The motor uses the Callies Compstar rotating assembly which uses ACL "Race" bearings.  They are just like the Clevite H-series bearings and even have the same part number as the Clevites.

If you look close, the bearing oil hole matches the block oil hole.  That would not happen without a dye-grinder.  For some reason aftermarket bearing oil holes do not line up with the LT1 thrust bearing oil hole.

Main bearing clearance measured: 
1=.0027, 2,3,4=.0030, 5=.0033"

Camshaft from Advanced Induction. 
 Billet core cam with Everwear oil pump gear.

I made sure the crankshaft was clean prior to installation.

The Callies Compstar crankshaft is 4340 forged steel from China with heat treat and finish work at Callies in Ohio.

 The crankshaft is very high quality for the money.

Now filing the piston rings.  Cylinder bores need to be cleaner than clean, (and then lightly oiled).

File fitting the top Mahle ring.

Top ring at .022"

2nd ring at .026"

Now to the assembly of rod to piston.  That's a Compstar 6.000" H-beam rod and Mahle flat top piston #SBC125030F05.

Mahle uses what they call an "F-1 wire lock"

Rod bearing clearance = 0.0026"

All 8 piston/rod assemblies ready to go

Pistons/rods installed.

Insert .018" feeler gauge to keep the rods stable and torque to 75ft-lb.

All checked for block interference.

I forgot to take a photo of the crank end play, (thrust setting).  It is .006"

That's it for now.  Ai cylinder heads are in the mail and I'll install them later this week.

Special delivery from Advanced Induction:
TFS heads fully CNC ported and hand finished.

The intake was ported by Ai too.  I think the powder coating is from Bob Noble.  She looks great.

Manifold inside.

Another view.

Ai also supplies the top end components.  I use Ai due to their knowledge and use of premium components.

Stock style front oil galley plug

Brand new Cloyes stock timing set (no water pump gear).

Stock timing set measured 104 deg. intake lobe centerline.
(2 degrees advanced)

Let's try a Cloyes double roller. . . . .

105 intake lobe centerline. (1 deg advanced).  That's where I'll leave it.

Now I put the M99HVS oil pump on and trimmed the stock windage tray to fit.

This pump fits a stock pan like a glove.  It's high pressure and high volume.  The windage tray prevents aeration and oil starvation.

Oil pan is on.  Pan bolts tight.

Time for heads and valve train.  Cleaning and soaking.  The lifters are Morel #MOR4602-16

Lifters in before the heads.  That's a FelPro LT1 head gasket at .039" compressed thickness.  The pistons are at zero deck height.

The Ai Trick Flow heads

ARP head bolts torqued to 70ft-lb.

CV products 3/8" o.d. pushrods.

ISKY adjustable guide plates and ARP 7/16" rocker studs.  One pair of ProMagnum rocker arms were mocked up and the valve tip contact witness marks are pretty good.

Mostly assembled.  I'm having some difficulty with pushrod to head binding.  I may have to modify the ISKY guide plates or go to 5/16" pushrods and guide plates.

Here is Ai/ERE-383 #12 fully assembled.

Posing for photo.

We decided to ditch the Comp ProMagnum rockers and guide plates and go with Jesel shaft rockers.  The Jesels are on order from Ai.  For now I have installed a set of Yella-Terra pseudo-shaft rockers.  The 3/8" O.D. pushrods work very will with these rockers.  They also work well with Jesel.

A close up of the Yella-Terra rockers. These are truly "shaft" rockers but they don't give a leverage advantage because they keep the same fulcrum point as stud rockers.

The rotating assembly was rubbing with the oil pan ever so slightly.  After I pulled the oil pan it was easy to see where.   That scrape in the center of the photo is where rod bolts were coming in contact with the bottom of the oil pan.

I dimpled, (clearanced), that spot and put the pan back on and all is well.

Now it's time to look for odds & ends and little things.

Nice Vette valve covers and painted LT1 intake manifold.  That intake was ported by Advanced Induction.

Motor is tucked in and parked in an engine cradle.