[Verdoro 68]

I've been documenting this build on another site for quite a while. Now that it's together and running, I figured I'd write up a synopsis of the experience over the last year and a half here.

This build originally started as a reseal and head/cam swap. The rear main and oil pan was leaking badly on my 10 year old build so I knew the engine had to come out. I was running the standard factory setup with a Lunati HFT cam and it was fine, but I just kind of got bored with it. I wanted to do something different, but factory-ish, and decided to hunt down a set of Ram Air II heads and convert to a roller setup. I took a gamble on a reproduction Ram Air IV intake as well with the intention of porting and modifying it.

So, I ordered a bunch of stuff from Kauffmann for the build. 224HR cam, Lunati/Morel roller lifters, pushrods, poly distributor gear, PRW 1.5 roller rockers. This was totally jumping the gun on a couple of different fronts.

The plan changed when I pulled the engine and got a look at the bearings and crank. Soon after the engine was rebuilt in 2010, I had an issue where the valve spring retainers hammered the valve seals due to sloppy machine work. It sent pieces of spring and Viton all over the engine. At the time I fixed the heads, cleaned everything up the best I could and buttoned it back up. I ran it that way for almost 10 years, but it turns out the damage was done.

The bearings were completely roached. My factory crank had already been turned a few times and wasn't in great condition due to the trash in the oil among other things. The old build also used factory rods which I never felt great about, so that's when this turned into a stroker build.

I considered a 4" and a 4.25" stroke but after talking with Butler, they convinced me to go with a 4.25 due to availability. Due to the odd bore size (4.17) and the dish needed to lower the compression to be pump gas-safe around 9.5:1, I opted to order a custom piston. With a 3-4 month wait, I took the time to tidy up the engine compartment and rebuild the suspension.

Since I decided on bigger cubes, the 224 cam I originally purchased was going to be too small. I opted to swap to Butler's 230/236, .510/.521 114. During that time I also did some more research on parts and found the Lunati/Morel lifters were known to be noisy, so I swapped those out for Johnson lifters. Along with that, the PRW 1.5 roller rockers went away in favor of Harland Sharp 1.5 Diamond Series rockers. Additionally, I picked up one of Butler's blueprinted oil pumps and a Sims-modified Rollmaster timing chain. Getting all these parts rounded up took months due to delays.

Finally, the kit arrived and the machine shop was able to complete my block! On to the assembly...

 

[Verdoro 68]

The first thing I had to do when I got the block back was clearance it for the bigger crank. Fairly easy job that's been covered a bunch of times.

After a thorough cleaning, the fun began fitting the crank. The Clevite bearings Butler provided didn't provide nearly enough clearance at around .0010. I tried a few oversize bearing brands and ended up with King XP .001 oversize on bearings to give me an average of .0025 clearance across the mains. The exception is the #5 saddle which measured .0035. I primarily relied on a mic and a dial bore for measurements, but double checked with plastigauge.

I considered my options and ended up using a Speed Pro 113M on #5 to give me a clearance of .0025. I would have preferred using the same brand across the mains, but this seemed to be the most practical option considering the others were spot on. At this point, I also opted to install a BOP one piece seal. More on that later.

Once I felt good about the crank, I moved on to the rods and pistons. The rod bearing clearances as they came from Butler were all .0020 which was perfect. No need to change anything there. The rings were Total Seal file fit. I took my time on each cylinder to give a top and bottom ring clearance of .023.

I actually mated the pistons to the rods prior to doing the rings. The spiro locks weren't a lot of fun at first, but once I got the hang of it they went in pretty easy.

A reminder to thoroughly clean all your new parts...

Comparison of my old stock rod/Ross piston setup from the 2010 build vs. the new Eagle rod/custom Butler-Ross piston setup. The new pistons are quite a bit shorter and lighter. The dish on the new pistons is 29.32cc to accommodate for the 72cc RAII heads. Final compression ratio is a little under 9.5:1.

And so, I proceeded to load the block with the pistons. Used a fixed size ring compressor for a 4.17 bore which worked great. I primarily used Red Line assembly lube with some Comp Cams assembly lube as I put things together and lubed the cylinders with 30wt.

 

[Verdoro 68]

I installed the drilled oil galley plug to ensure the distributor gear stays well oiled.

During this time, I got some input that I should consider a step up to a bigger cam. Enter cam number 3: 236/242 .520/.540 114. Fortunately, I caught Butler at a time when they had these in stock so there was no wait. I installed it in the block and it degreed right on the money. Considering the number of cams that need to be advanced, I checked my math a number of times to make sure was I was seeing was correct

The cool thing about the Sims timing chain is that he machines them to accept a torrington bearing rather than the bronze bushing that they come with.

Once I confirmed the cam position and installed the timing chain, I moved back to the bottom end. I had originally intended on using the factory full length windage tray, but the "might as wells" got me again. Factory pans are prone to cracking, so I picked up a 3/4 length Tomahawk tray and the associated spacers. I also decided to use a crank scraper with the windage tray. Maybe it's overkill, but I figured it couldn't hurt.

The oil pump and hardened drive shaft installed without issue. Since I'm using a stock-style Canton pan, the pick up clearance was easy to set. The pickup screen on the Butler pro pump is way more open than the factory replacement. I assume this aids in the flow. I did disassemble the pump and clean it before installing.

At this point, I was still waiting for the heads to be completed so I opted to install the BOP pan gasket and front cover. I I'd usually put the oil pan and front cover on last, but I wanted to double check to ensure the rear main seal was not going to leak by performing the "tip test" with the engine full of oil. It's not 100% reliable, but I do feel like it will give you a good signal on whether you're in for a leaky rear main. The first test was a complete failure. Both the pan and the seal leaked so apart it went...

For the second test, I tried a BOP two piece seal. I carefully followed the instructions. Wade from BOP was gracious enough to provide some support over email. But alas, while I was able to seal the pan the second time around, the seal still leaked. I got really good at disassembling/reassembling the bottom end and pulling the crank.

I knew the serrations on the Eagle crank could be an issue with the Viton seals. Apparently it's common knowledge that the BOP seals are preferred for stock cranks and smooth cranks. It seems the Best Gasket graphtite rope seal is best with the Eagle cranks and their heavy serrations. I suspect the additional clearance I was seeing with the #5 bearing was playing a factor in the seal leaks.

Permatex "Great Stuff" black sealer on the corners and over the rear main did the trick to seal the pan. I used the pan corner reinforcement plates as well.

Folks were right, the rope seal kept the oil inside the crankcase during the tip test. I had plenty of time to test too as it would be another couple months before I would get the heads back. So the short block sat...

 

[armyadarkness]

Yeah, your first cam was smaller than my stockish 400

 

[armyadarkness]

Love the cam retainer.

 

[Verdoro 68]

Flash forward to February of this year and the heads are finally getting some attention at the machine shop. We opted to keep a relatively light touch and install hardened exhaust seats and new guides. The Comp 996 springs, keepers, retainers and Ferrea valves were the last remaining items from the original Kauffmann order.

The heads were already gasket matched to RAIV in the intake side and gasket matched on the exhaust. He ended up bowl blending the seats. He had to slightly machine the spring seats to get the right installed height. Recommended spring pressures were right on the money. Although it took a long time, I was impressed with the level of detail he put into these heads.

Finally, reunited! Rather than the trusty blue FelPro head gaskets I've been using for years, I opted for Butler's head gaskets which offer more surface area around the cooling jackets and are based off the original GM design. I believe the crushed size on them is a bit thicker than the FelPros. They require a coat of copper spray on the metal side facing the block before installation.

Another detail that I found in research - round port heads require a different set of head bolts. I purchased a new set of reproduction head bolts from the Parts Place. I oiled the threads and the underside of the head with 30wt and torqued them to factory specs. No issues other than making sure I had the studded bolts in the right place.

Once the heads were on for good, I measured for pushrods. The method outlined by Straub worked really well. Since I changed pretty much everything about the valve train, the set Kauffmann provided weren't long enough. I ended up needing a 8.85 vs. the 8.7 originally provided. I ordered the Butler .116 5/16 pushrods which fit perfect. However, it turns out the recommend using a restricted pushrod with the Johnson lifters which I did not realize until I had them installed. The regular push rods will work, there's apparently a risk of bottom end starvation at high RPMs because the Johnson lifters pump so much oil.

For the exhaust manifolds, I used Remflex gaskets. These are pretty unique compared to others I've used and a thicker graphite-based material. I've only heard good things about them.

There's been a lot of criticism on the reproduction Ram Air IV intakes. I have to say this one fit great. I would highly recommend gasket matching the ports though. I also modified and opened up the carb plenum but left the divider. Pretty common mod you'll see on ported intakes.

And here it is all together about two and a half years after I conceived of the project! I had the '68 QuadraJet gone through by Ray Klemm so it was ready to bolt on.

 

[Verdoro 68]

Which brings us to installation time! The new Ames "TorqLok" engine mounts fought me a little bit at the chassis mounts, but eventually I got it to settle where it needed to be with some persuasion.

I failed to check that the converter was seated all the way which also prevented the engine from seating during the first attempt, so I had to pull it back out to fix that. Once that was solved, it dropped right in.

I went a little overboard on the detail items with hoses from Pacecarjeff, tower clamps and date coded plug wires. Anyone in the know will realize this isn't a legit Ram Air car due the A/C, but I wanted it to look like it could be factory.

And here we are after the break in. Idles smooth, good vacuum (12-13"), solid oil pressure (~70psi) and cool temps. The 114 cam is fairly mellow with a hint that there's something more. Just changed the oil after the break in and things are looking good.

Video:

Once I get it on the road I'll make a decision on the torque converter. I reinstalled my old 13" Continental to see how it does behind a setup with more cubes.

Much thanks to the Pontiac community for all the help getting this together. Folks were generous with their time, direction and information. This was my first end to end build and I learned a ton. Most importantly that patience and attention to detail is key!

 

[Baaad65]

I've been documenting this build on another site for quite a while. Now that it's together and running, I figured I'd write up a synopsis of the experience over the last year and a half here.

This build originally started as a reseal and head/cam swap. The rear main and oil pan was leaking badly on my 10 year old build so I knew the engine had to come out. I was running the standard factory setup with a Lunati HFT cam and it was fine, but I just kind of got bored with it. I wanted to do something different, but factory-ish, and decided to hunt down a set of Ram Air II heads and convert to a roller setup. I took a gamble on a reproduction Ram Air IV intake as well with the intention of porting and modifying it.

View attachment 163304

So, I ordered a bunch of stuff from Kauffmann for the build. 224HR cam, Lunati/Morel roller lifters, pushrods, poly distributor gear, PRW 1.5 roller rockers. This was totally jumping the gun on a couple of different fronts.

View attachment 163295

The plan changed when I pulled the engine and got a look at the bearings and crank. Soon after the engine was rebuilt in 2010, I had an issue where the valve spring retainers hammered the valve seals due to sloppy machine work. It sent pieces of spring and Viton all over the engine. At the time I fixed the heads, cleaned everything up the best I could and buttoned it back up. I ran it that way for almost 10 years, but it turns out the damage was done.

View attachment 163296

The bearings were completely roached. My factory crank had already been turned a few times and wasn't in great condition due to the trash in the oil among other things. The old build also used factory rods which I never felt great about, so that's when this turned into a stroker build.

View attachment 163297

I considered a 4" and a 4.25" stroke but after talking with Butler, they convinced me to go with a 4.25 due to availability. Due to the odd bore size (4.17) and the dish needed to lower the compression to be pump gas-safe around 9.5:1, I opted to order a custom piston. With a 3-4 month wait, I took the time to tidy up the engine compartment and rebuild the suspension.

View attachment 163300

Since I decided on bigger cubes, the 224 cam I originally purchased was going to be too small. I opted to swap to Butler's 230/236, .510/.521 114. During that time I also did some more research on parts and found the Lunati/Morel lifters were known to be noisy, so I swapped those out for Johnson lifters. Along with that, the PRW 1.5 roller rockers went away in favor of Harland Sharp 1.5 Diamond Series rockers. Additionally, I picked up one of Butler's blueprinted oil pumps and a Sims-modified Rollmaster timing chain. Getting all these parts rounded up took months due to delays.

View attachment 163303
View attachment 163301

Finally, the kit arrived and the machine shop was able to complete my block! On to the assembly...

View attachment 163302

I have that same cam but 1.65 rockers in my Butler 461, has plenty of vacuum for brakes...you'll love it 👍

 

[Verdoro 68]

I have that same cam but 1.65 rockers in my Butler 461, has plenty of vacuum for brakes...you'll love it 👍

The 236/242 cam I ended up with or the 230/236 I was going to use? I went pretty conservative on the LSA with a 114 to make sure I'd have enough vacuum.

I considered having this setup dynoed, but couldn't find a local shop to do it and honestly I was kind of antsy to get it in the car.

 

[Jared]

Nice write up for a super clean build and install. I used the same head gaskets you did. They are a couple thousandths thicker but I suspect you would only see the difference on a full blown race engine.

 

[armyadarkness]

However, it turns out the recommend using a restricted pushrod with the Johnson lifters which I did not realize until I had them installed. The regular push rods will work, there's apparently a risk of bottom end starvation at high RPMs because the Johnson lifters pump so much oil.

This is the same issue with Morel, and I use the restricted PR's. They make valve adjustments a joy

 

[Verdoro 68]

This is the same issue with Morel, and I use the restricted PR's. They make valve adjustments a joy

I ended up ordering a set of .020 restricted pushrods on Butler's advice. With the amount of time and money I have into this build, I figured I might as well eliminate a potential risk.

Last night I took the valve covers off to retorque the heads and noticed a couple rockers looking a little cockeyed. I forgot that Ram Air II (and IV) cars used 11/32" pushrods with bigger guide plates. I reused those plates when I put the top end together which created some play for the smaller 5/16" pushrods. When I get the new pushrods next week, I'll swap out the guide plates to the standard ones. Glad I caught this early.