Well, I have my motor mostly assembled, but I need to decide a few things (with your help, of course):

I have a 9.2:1 ratio, Edel heads, the 941, Ersons, and other misc. items. Should I run the Performer 390 manifold I have now until I get some of my debt paid off or should I get the RPM now and save myself the trouble?
I think I am best off getting the RPM, but I would like some input.

Secondly, I overcame my first obstacle of installing the heads (that was scary time for me ). Now, I need to adjust the lifter preload and etc. With hydraulic lifters and the adjustable ersons, is this the proper setup technique?
-Torque down rocker assembly
-install pushrods and adjust nuts on rockers
-tighten adjuster nuts until they contact the pushrod without compressing the lifter
-Mark with straight edge
-Tighten adjuster nut until desired compression is achieved

Is that correct?

Finally, this is for those of you with aluminum heads and intake. How did you go about getting the engine from the stand to the chrerry picker to the frame? I have my heads on and torqued down and have not yet installed a manifold. Would it be a bad idea to use my 4-point balancer and bolt into the heads at the intake holes?

Sorry to lump everything in one post, it just seems easier. Thanks in advance guys - this beast is coming along nicely so far.

-Patrick

 

id get the RPM intake now sense its still apart,it would save headaches in the long run of takeing the performer off and installing the RPM while in the truck and then risk it leaking, it would also perform better with the RPM.

 

Go with the RPM. Valve adjustment is as you said only it is 1/2 turn after contacting the pushrod. I have the Edel heds and have used the intake bolts *4 of them one at each corner) just make sure you have as much thread as possible. I used longer pbolts so that they bottomed out in the head.

 

I believe the instructions that came with Crane lifters said to tighten until the pushrod stops spinning freely, then tighten 1/2 turn more.

I'm not sure you can install all of the pushrods after torquing down the rockers. You might install the one with valves open whil torquing down the rockers, make sure the adjusters are all the way in.

I'm about at the same stage in my assembly. I'm waiting on my custom pushrods. They should be here tomorrow morning.


hopefully, the gurus will correct me if I've said something erroneous..

 

Do your Edelbrock heads have the two bolt holes at one end like the stock heads (left front fwd of #5 cylinder, and right rear aft of #4 cylinder? If so, then you could make a plate that fastens to both bolts so you'd have 4 bolts total as Randyb12 suggests. The benefit of using the end bolts is the fasteners are in shear which won't pull on the bolt hole threads in the heads. Using the intake manifold bolts sounds like it must work, but the bolts are in tension which is trying to tear the threads out of the bolt holes in the aluminum.
Aircraft components are designed to have bolts in shear rather than tension. Shear is much stronger.

 

You can also rent a engine sling. They go under the heads by the block. Never used one. Just a thought.

 

i know you dont have an intake on it yet, but if you put one on before you put it in the truck i always use a plate that bolts onto the carb studs that have a hook on it, id think youd be ok bolting bolting it to the heads, where the intake goes, if you hook it in 4 places, i dought your going to damage anything.