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A Stroke of Genius: Part I

Hye Tech Performance builds a "Stroker" from a different point of view.
By Mike Petralia
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1. Roland Marquez, engine... 
   
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1. Roland Marquez, engine assembly technician for Hye Tech Performance, starts off his day by thoroughly cleaning the already spotless 350-ci.d. block. A tip for keeping flash rust off of your engine block is: immediately after rinsing it with water the final time, wipe motor oil on all bare metal surfaces. Don't try to blow it off with air first.
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2. Although difficult to... 
   
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2. Although difficult to spot in this photo, Marquez checks his main bearing clearances with Plastigauge. He verified that each main had between an 0.002- and 0.003-inch clearance.
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3. With clearance confirmed,... 
   
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3. With clearance confirmed, Marquez installs the top half of each Clevite "H" series main bearing with 30W motor oil on the block saddles and a film of Valco engine assembly lube on the bearing face. The Valco lube is slick while still being very sticky and ensures that even if this block sits for months, the bearings will never go dry before start up.
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4. The C.A.T. 3.832-stroke... 
   
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4. The C.A.T. 3.832-stroke forged crank features lightening holes in its rod journals and uses the old-fashioned two-piece rear main seal.
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5. To make sure that this... 
   
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5. To make sure that this engine will accelerate like a much smaller displacement screamer, Hye Tech specifies that certain crankshaft counterweights be reduced. This means that this counterweight has had 0.020-inch removed from its diameter. Bogosian knew that he'd be running lightweight SRP pistons, so he didn't need the extra weight for counterbalance anyway.
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6. The factory four-bolt... 
   
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6. The factory four-bolt main caps are strengthened with ARP main studs. Marquez likes to use thread-cutting oil to lubricate the end of the stud that goes in the block because it spreads very evenly. Motor oil can be substituted on this end of the threads as well. Always install any stud in the block finger-tight only.
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7. To lubricate the nut... 
   
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7. To lubricate the nut end of any stud before torquing, we always recommend using ARP's thread assembly lubricant. A packet of the lube is included with all ARP bolts that require its use, and ARP sells it by the tube for future rebuilds.
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8. The rear seal can be... 
   
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8. The rear seal can be a nuisance if not installed correctly. Marquez brushes on Permatex gasket sealant to the entire area behind the seal's surface as well as on the corners of the cap. He says that by sealing it this way he's never had to offset the seal joints to keep a motor leak-free.
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9. This block uses more... 
   
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9. This block uses more than just studs on its mains and before threading ARP's main cap bolts in, Marquez applies ARP lube to both sides of the washer and under the bolt head. Whenever using high-performance bolts, be careful to place the washer correctly under the bolt head with the chamfered side of the washer meeting the bolt head's underside radius.
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10. Marquez carefully torques... 
   
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10. Marquez carefully torques the main studs and bolts working from the center out and alternating front to rear caps. ARP supplies the torque specs for its fasteners which, when combined with its assembly lube, are typically lower than factory specs. So beware not to over-torque the fasteners.
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11. It's always necessary... 
   
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11. It's always necessary to set the new crank and seat the rear main thrust bearing. This is easy to accomplish with a heavy hammer and a block of wood to insulate the crank. Just whack the snout a few times to set the thrust bearing. Even though running the engine would automatically set it, this will give you an accurate crank endplay measurement.
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12. Marquez prefers to... 
   
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12. Marquez prefers to measure crank endplay at the back with a feeler gauge. He first pushes the crank all of the way back and measures clearance at the rear of the thrust bearing. Then he pushes the crank forward and measures clearance at the front of the bearing. The front and back measurements should be close, but won't necessarily be equal.
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13. You can clearly see... 
   
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13. You can clearly see the grinding that Marquez had to perform on this block for stroke clearance around the No. 8 rod. Be careful to test fit each connecting rod individually before ever turning the crank over completely.
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14. After wiping the cylinders... 
   
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14. After wiping the cylinders clean a second time, Marquez spreads a thin film of cutting oil on the cylinder walls. He doesn't use a rag for this procedure because rags leave lint behind, which leads to clogged oil filters during engine break-in.
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15. It's important to lubricate... 
   
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15. It's important to lubricate behind, as well as on top, of each bearing and, since the connecting rods are constantly moving during engine assembly, Marquez applies Valco assembly lube to the front and back of the Clevite "H" series rod bearings.
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16. Truly a skill to master,... 
   
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16. Truly a skill to master, Marquez "rolls" each JE moly piston ring on without using any tools. He says that this method should be practiced first on some old pistons and rings, but when you get it right, there's no chance of spreading a ring too far and snapping it in two. There is, however, a greater chance of ruining the ring groove in the piston if you don't do this correctly, so be careful and practice first!
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17. With the aid of an... 
   
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17. With the aid of an adjustable ring compressor and plastic piston "hammer" from Powerhouse, Marquez installs the custom-made JE slugs. Note that each piston only has two valve reliefs, meaning these are bore-specific pistons and cannot be swapped side-to-side.
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18. Marquez also checks side... 
   
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18. Marquez also checks side clearance between the C.A.T. H-beam connecting rods. Quality machine work pays off here, and he runs them tight at around 0.015-inch.

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