Joined: Sun Jul 11 2010, 09:35AM
Location: Boerne,Tx
Posts: 411
To my knowledge all 440 source parts are made off shore very poor quality materials, and workmanship. The old saying remains true you get what you pay for!! I had a guy come out here a few months back for a water pump pulley. His was a reproduction one. It tore the center mounting point right off. All you saw was the outline of where the belt rode. It was like somebody cut it out with a plasma cutter. very thin metal.
Uncle Joe wrote ...
Dont want to worry anyone here, but the fact that 440 Source tell the purchaser to lightly hone the rods suggest (to me at least) poor quality. I'll explain my reasoning.
Way back in the early 1900's, an american by the name of Henry Leland came up with the idea of using tolerances in car manufacture. The idea being that a part could be made, and it guaranteed to fit. In (I think) 1909 he won something called the Dewar Trophy. To do this, they took three identical cars, disassembled them, put all the parts in a big heap, and then reassembled them without problem. Previous to tolerances, the parts would not have fitted without the help of a blacksmith....
If, a similar thing cant be done with 440 Source parts today, then the parts are not manufactured to the correct tolerances. Which to me suggests poor quality. Are their parts made outside of the US, by any chance?
Joined: Wed Feb 24 2010, 03:46PM
Location: Moline, IL
Posts: 95
I fired the engine for the first time today. I hoping to start fab work on mounting the radiator as soon as the new fans arrive. After that I have to figure out how to get the headers in and get the exhaust installed. I'm guessing I will have to remove the torsion bars to get the headers in.....
Joined: Sat Aug 19 2006, 05:03PM
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 2919
Regarding fitment issues and quality of parts, you really should inspect all new engine parts before installation to ensure that they are manufactured correctly. These aftermarket parts companies, even the big name brands, are not infallible.
For a 383 build I was doing, I bought Keith Black hypereutectic pistons. These come with press-in pins. I took them to a shop to have the pistons installed on the rods. They said that they felt the clearances were too tight, so they honed the rods before installing the pins.
I bought an Edelbrock AVS 650 carb. Before installing it on the engine, I took it apart to check the float level settings. One of the floats was not set correctly.
I bought a cam from Comp. When I installed the cam, the alignment dowel pin stuck out too far and interfered with the washer under the bolt that holds the timing gear on. I had to grind the end of the pin down to provide clearance.
I've had even worse luck with "off-brand" parts like CAT Performance and 440Source though. My CAT cast rockers (knock-offs of the Comp ones) galled and bound on the shaft, holding valves open and damaging my engine on the dyno. I also replaced my CAT water pump with a Milodon one because the CAT pump didn't flow enough water below 2500 RPM. Poor impeller design. The Milodon pump solved my overheating problems.
I have also had problems with 440Source parts. I sent back a distributor drive shaft because the hex on the end that drives the oil pump was not even close to being made properly, and would not fit into the oil pump. I sent back a set of retainers because they would not fit in the valve springs that their website advertised that they worked with.
Joined: Sat Aug 25 2007, 11:47AM
Location: new jersey
Posts: 367
the reason they instruct you to hone fit the small end of the rod is if you decide to float the wrist pin and use locks as opposed to pressed retention. it has no relation to the quality of the part
Joined: Thu Mar 22 2007, 08:13AM
Location: In the workshop
Posts: 1063
If the small end of the rod is honed to give the pin a floating fit, and no other changes to the rod are made, then engine failure will occur even if the pin is located in the piston with locks.
Joined: Sat Aug 19 2006, 05:03PM
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 2919
Uncle Joe wrote ...
If the small end of the rod is honed to give the pin a floating fit, and no other changes to the rod are made, then engine failure will occur even if the pin is located in the piston with locks.
Agreed. You need to press in a bronze bushing and drill an oil hole in the end of the rod.
I think I read about somebody just drilling the oil hole and running the pin on the steel rod successfully. Your mileage (before failure) may vary.
Joined: Thu Oct 13 2005, 08:23PM
Location: Beautiful Down Town Roebuck Ontario
Posts: 227
Uncle Joe wrote ...
Dont want to worry anyone here, but the fact that 440 Source tell the purchaser to lightly hone the rods suggest (to me at least) poor quality. I'll explain my reasoning.
Way back in the early 1900's, an american by the name of Henry Leland came up with the idea of using tolerances in car manufacture. The idea being that a part could be made, and it guaranteed to fit. In (I think) 1909 he won something called the Dewar Trophy. To do this, they took three identical cars, disassembled them, put all the parts in a big heap, and then reassembled them without problem. Previous to tolerances, the parts would not have fitted without the help of a blacksmith....
If, a similar thing cant be done with 440 Source parts today, then the parts are not manufactured to the correct tolerances. Which to me suggests poor quality. Are their parts made outside of the US, by any chance?
The reason they tell you to fit the pins is because there are several different mfg of .990 pins and NONE of them are actually .990. The rods are mfg'd to the smallest known pin size so the rod can fit ANY brand piston and pin. You can always remove material, it's hard to put it back.
You tolerance reference will only work if 440Source has control over every other part of the supply chain.
I used one of their early kits to build my stroker and other than opening up the pin bores a few tenths of a thou, nothing else needed correcting after being checked. Can't say the same for the Edelbrock heads, M1 intake, Milodon oil pan, March pulleys etc.