ok, putting my buick 455 back together.. Already having problems.. Put crank back in, put all but 1 piston back in, .030 over... broke a ring on one and had to replace ring.. Why cant i turn the engine over by hand with breaker bar... .001 rod bearings. Caps and Rods have remained together since dismantaling engine. that shouldn't be the problem. This is What I've done... a. Caps go on with top dimple facing in twords other cap, both dimples together in middle. b. Bearings have grooves on same side. c. Rods taper slightly out, Taper is facing crank walls. d. Notch on face of pistons faces front of engine. Note.. Am using rope seals, combined with .030 over bore, could this make it so hard to move?? I tried pouring oil on rope seals, nothin,? With one piston missing right now, could this cause it to be so hard to turn.... I'm just a bit FRUSTRATED....
try this Don't know how long this stuff has been sitting but try cracking the 3 middle mains loose and see what happens. Buddy of mine freshened up a 350 olds and left the crank laying on the garage floor for about 2-3 months and it bowed. If it''s sagging in the middle you need to see about straightening it or having it straightened... best of luck!!!
When I put mine together, it wouldn't turn over and it was the rope seal. It was too long and was binding up. If that's not it, try plastigaging the rod bearings. You may need standard bearings instead of .001's. I'm no expert, but I hope this helps.
Are you re-using your original crank & rods? If so, did you have the crank re-finished or the rods rebuilt? If not, you will need to be sure the original number one rod cap is on the original number one rod facing the right way and in the number one cylinder. Do the same for each cylinder. I did the 350 in my 70 GS 350 and ended up having to purchase two sets of bearings. One to screw up because I mixed up two rod caps and one to actually use in the engine. :rant: I suspected there was a problem immediately after installing the first incorrect one as the crank suddenly got very hard to turn over. After installing the second one, it was all but impossible to turn over. Once I figured out which was which and corrected it, everything went fine.
I had the same problem about a month ago. 3 things helped 1. got rid of the rope seal and used a rubber seal. 2. scotchbrited the backs of the bearings and the saddles 3. checked clearances with plastigauge, making sure to torque adjacent main bearings when checking each journal. I did not store my crank correctly, so having it sit overnight in the block seemed to help a bit. Good luck, Sean
With regards to the crank, they must be stored standing up. If it was laid down for an extended period of time, it may have bowed and would need to be straightened out. Also, the rods do have to be put on a certain way to be right for oiling purposes.
BEWARE OF CHEAP RING COMPRESSORS! Been there, done that.......Get a good one.........money well spent. :bglasses:
That's what I did to mine, it turned easily. .030" over and rope seals is not an issue The thing that catches my eye is this: "engine is bored 0.030" over and "broke a ring" Are you positive your rings are gapped correctly? Did you have the block bored out after giving the machinist the pistons and rings? Are the arrows on your main caps all facing forward? Are they in the correct order (mine at least are numbered) Is your #3 main in the right way?
Update Well, update.... It now turns over. Initial turn is pretty hard, then it gets easier. Yes mains are on correctly. Ring broke because it poped out under the ring compressor. oops.. $25 mistake.. Oh well, ring is replaced and installed... (rings are not easy to install with your hands.) 2 caps got mismatched, but all is well I hope... Rechecked all bearings, and retorqed everything.. Making sure it all stays oiled until further install.
