Black Sheep's 1969 Plymouth GTX

I managed to misplace one roll of film so unless I find it, I'll have to start with the assembled short block. What you won't see is how I cleaned all the bolt holes with a bottoming tap and test fit all the head and main cap fasteners. Then I installed the camshaft. (This may seem like the wrong time to put the cam in but prior experiences taught me that it's a good idea in case the cam bearings are improperly fitted.) Once everything was deemed ok, I installed the main bearings and caps, torqued them to spec and measured the bearing diameters. I also did the same thing with the rods.

The next step was to measure the crankshaft journals and subtracted those measurements from the bearing diameters to get the clearances. Once it's determined that the clearances are right, everything was cleaned, the bearings were lubed and the crank was "dropped" in. The main caps were torqued down and crankshaft end play was verified with a dial indicator. Next the rods and pistons were installed and torqued to specifications.

Once the crank and pistons were in, I attached the degree wheel to the crank and found top dead center (TDC) with a dial indicator. Next, The double roller timing chain and gears were installed. I then confirmed proper cam timing by checking the installed camshaft centerline. The Mopar Performance cam I selected called for a 108º installed centerline. The actual installed centerline was 107 ½º, well within tolerance. I then removed the camshaft sprocket bolt, applied some Loctite threadlocker and torqued it to spec.

The Fel Pro "Permatorque" headgaskets were installed, followed by the heads. The new head bolts were lightly lubed with 30 weight oil and torqued following the factory sequence in 15 ft/lb increments until appropriate torque specs were reached. It takes longer to do it this way but the head is pulled down evenly and the fasteners provide more clamping force.

"Six Pack" rocker arms were lubed and installed on a new pair of hard chromed rocker shafts, making sure the oiling holes were positioned towards the outside. New rocker shaft bolts were also included in the rocker arm kit so I used them to bolt the shafts in place.

After checking the torque on the bottom end fasteners one last time, It was time to button things up. This picture shows the Moroso 1/2 inch pickup tube being trial fit. A little thread sealant was applied to the threads to prevent cavitation and tightened it securely. It just clears the factory windage tray. Two gaskets are used to install the windage tray, one between the block and the tray, another between the tray and the oil pan. Silicone sealer helps prevent any leaks. The high volume oil pump was an easy bolt on, it mounts to the outside of the block on the left side.

I added 2" to the oil pan for extra oil capacity. It was a little tricky due to the compound curves in the pan contours. I found a reasonably flat area near the bottom of the pan and drew a line around the sump. With a steady hand and my trusty die grinder I cut the bottom from the oil pan. I clamped the gasket flange to a flat steel plate to keep it from warping and tack welded around the top and bottom. I followed up with a continuous weld to seal things up. After filling it with Stoddard Solvent I discovered several leaks. Once more around with the welder and it was leak free. I filled it up with solvent and let it sit overnight, just to be sure!

Before I bolted on the intake, I made some inserts to block off the heat crossover passage. They fit snugly but to make sure that they wouldn't come loose, I secured them with JB Weld . This modification may have an adverse effect on cold weather drivability but I don't think it is relevant since this is going to be a fair weather cruiser.

To help eliminate air pockets in the engine when filling it with coolant, I drilled a 1/8" hole in the flange of the 160º thermostat.

I reused the factory aluminum water outlet after using some heat and a press to get the warpage out of the flange. A new water pump was also installed. I don't want any trouble with overheating, so a new radiator core is also planned.

Here's how it looked prior to painting. I scrubbed the engine with electric contact cleaner to remove any oil residue in the pores of the cast iron. I then masked everything I didn't want painted. It took several cans of Mopar Street Hemi Orange engine enamel to cover everything evenly.

I was starting to worry about the way my engine stand was drooping under the weight of the massive "RB" engine. After the paint dried, I built an engine cradle out of some surplus steel I had laying around the shop.

Before it going in the car, most of the bolt on engine accessories were installed. ( alternator, power steering pump, fuel pump....etc)

In keeping with the the "sleeper" theme, the Edelbrock CH-4B intake was camouflaged by painting it orange. The M/T valve covers pictured won't be used, a good friend furnished a mint set of '69 valve covers. They were in the process of being refinished when this photo was taken.