The Engine Building Fundamentals course will give you the knowledge, skills, and confidence to correctly assemble engines while avoiding costly mistakes.
You will learn about the critical tolerances and clearances in the engine, how to how to decide on the correct clearances for your application, and see how to use specialised measuring equipment to confirm the clearances are correct. You’ll learn about the common machining operations that will be required for an engine assembly and this will allow you to speak the same language as the engine machinist when you’re specifying the work required.
The concepts presented in this course are the fundamental core principles that are applicable to any engine assembly job. Regardless whether you’re assembling a Mitsubishi 4G63, a Toyota 2JZ, or a GM LS3, the lessons learned in this course will be 100% applicable to you.
This course is theory-based, and contains the knowledge and techniques we believe are essential foundations to anyone interested in assembling engines. Once you’ve completed this course we recommend our Practical Engine Building course which takes these principles and applies them in real engine assembly worked examples that you can follow along.
This course assumes that you will be working with an automotive machine shop in order to perform the raw machining of your engine ready for assembly. This course doesn’t cover in detail the process of machining an engine block or engine components - This work is beyond the realm of the home enthusiast and general performance workshop as it requires potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of specialty equipment as well as extensive experience in how to correctly operate it.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
- What engine blueprinting is
- Essential engine machining processes
- How to use precision measuring equipment
- How to select the correct clearances for your application
- How to file piston ring end gaps
- How to check bearing oil clearances
Course Curriculum
INTRODUCTION
Introduction
How To Use This Course
Disclaimer
Engine Building And Engine Blueprinting
Documentation
Imperial And Metric Units
ENGINE ANATOMY
The 4 Stroke Process
Engine Block
Rotating Assembly
Cylinder Head
Valve Timing
Compression Ratio
Rod To Stroke Ratio
ENGINE MACHINING BASICS
Boring/Honing & Torque Plate Honing
Line Boring / Line Honing
Deck Preparation
Crack Testing
Component Balancing
Crankshaft Polishing
Crankshaft Grinding
Checking For Size And Straightness
Cylinder Head Machining
FASTENER 101
Bolt Clamping Force
Studs VS Bolts
Fastener Lubrication
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
Precision And Accuracy
Micrometer
How To Use A Micrometer
Bore Gauge
How To Use A Bore Gauge
Feeler Blades
How To Use Feeler Blades
Stretch Gauge
How To Use A Stretch Gauge
Ring File
How To Use A Ring File
Ring Compressor
How To Use A Ring Compressor
Dial Gauge And Magnetic Base
How To Use A Dial Gauge & Mag Base
Torque Wrench
How To Use A Torque Wrench
Angle Gauge
How To Use An Angle Gauge
Valve Spring Compressor
Engine Stand
Head Stand
CLEARANCES AND TOLERANCES
Engine Bearing Clearances
Measuring Bearing Clearances
Using Plastigauge
How To Use Plastigauge
Piston Ring End Gaps
Filing Piston Ring End Gaps
Piston To Bore Clearance
Measuring Piston To Bore Clearance
Piston To Head Clearance
Measuring Piston To Head Clearance
Piston To Valve Clearance
Measuring Piston To Valve Clearance
Thrust Clearance
Measuring Thrust Clearance
ENGINE LONG BLOCK ASSEMBLY
Introduction
Engine Block Preparation
Preparing Threaded Holes
Engine Component Cleaning
Crankshaft Installation
Installing Rings On Pistons
Installing Pistons On Conrods
Installing Piston Assembly
Head Installation
ENGINE BREAK IN
Engine Break In