Building Block - Tech Project

We were over at Ace Machine in Riverside, California, and Jerry Stettler was telling us about the advantages of a new engine block. We started sharing stories about used blocks and how you need to watch out for them. Sometimes they crack or have been bored out to the max and are no longer useable. On the last engine we tried building, we went through six cores before finding something that was halfway decent.

Jerry told us about building your engine on a strong foundation, which can be compared to building a home on a strong foundation. The benefits are several and will make life easier on your lowrider. If your budget allows it, as it did with this build, don't waste your time on a questionable junkyard block or on machining a "semi-finished" factory casting. The Little M from Dart Heads is brand-new, and ready to be machined to your specs. This type of block can be virtually ready to assemble with off-the-shelf small-block components.

Dart's Little M block 350 engine is the affordable alternative for serious small-block builders. Their castings are set up for precision machining that eliminates the time and expense of "blueprinting" a stock block. The extra-thick cylinder walls or semi-cylinders improve sealing and resist cracking. The cylinders on this block are 4-inch equivalent to a standard 350, 4.185 equivalent to a 400 block bored .060-over.

As long as the block's not cracked or ruined, eight different cuts or rebuilds are possible. The priority main oiling system directs oil to the main bearings first and then to the cam bearings, making sure that the internals are lubed when first fired up. Scalloped water jacket walls improve coolant flow around the cylinders so more fluid flows easier through the engine.

These block are set up with four-bolt main bearing caps and a competition oiling system. The main bolts are set in at an angle to keep them from pulling out and the bearing caps are thicker to help keep the crank in place. This helps the Little M to be the perfect starting point for a powerful and reliable engine for the street, the race or just to cruise the strip.

Now follow along as Jerry of Ace Machine shows us the benefits of using a Dart engine, as well as how they come together using Lunati components and upgrades like the Milodon dual rolling timing chain.

The Dart Little M 350 engine block was machined .040 over to ensure that all of the walls were true when it's time to be assembled. The engine was cleaned up and ready for assembly.	Starting off the assembly is the installation of the freeze plugs. Jerry likes to dab a little bit of high-temp silicone to have a true seal between the brass freeze plug and the wall of the engine.	Installation of these cam bearings is a little primitive as a special tool is used to hammer them into position.
An oversized socket was also used to push in the rear cam seal. As with most of the freeze plugs installed on this block, you need to make sure that they're flush with the block.	Using a socket and a sledge hammer the 1 5/8-inch brass freeze plug was banged into position. The plug should not go deeper than the engine and should sit flush to the engine.	The mild cam was lubed with assembly lube to keep it from blowing up when the engine gets fired up for the first time.
Jerry took the time to show us the advantages on the crank bearing caps as the ones on the Dart block are at an angle and straight to allow for maximum grip.	The cam bearings were ready to be installed. These wide cam bearings are grooved to allow oil to keep them lubed.	Here's a view of the cam going in. Jerry was careful not to bang it up on the bearings. You need to be careful that the cam does not pass the back of the block as it can indent the lobe if it falls from the bearing.
Here's a look at a four-bolt main cap. As you can see, the bolts are set straight on a factory OEM block, which is still stronger than the more common two-bolt main block.	The micrometer reading was then measured to double check and know the actual measurement on the crank.	Jerry dropped in the heavy duty forged Lunati crank. Note: As with most engine parts that are shipped, they need to be cleaned of the protective coating that improves their shelf-life.