First things first. Beck Racing...
First things first. Beck Racing Engines uses Sunnen machines for most of its machining processes. The cool part about these machines is that the dial gauges all read to 0.0001-inchthats ten times (and one extra zero) more accurate than most machine shops will even bother with. This ensures the accuracy of all tolerances within the engine.
The engine starts in the capable...
The engine starts in the capable hands of BREs block machinist Mike Sobecki. He begins by installing the Dart 4B engine block in the line-honing machine. After torquing the main caps in place (BRE uses ARP fasteners exclusively), he line-hones the mains to proper specs.
One of the tricks that BRE...
One of the tricks that BRE employs is this oil-pump torque plate. Adding this piece for the line-honing operation allows for the small amount of torque stress that the oil pump adds to the cap and ensures that the mains are dead-on straight.
The block is mounted in the...
The block is mounted in the BHJ jig for deck surfacing. A mandrel is installed through the main journals with an alignment bar that indexes into the cam bore. The jig is then leveled and the block surfaced. The jig ensures that the deck surfaces of each cylinder bank are 90 degrees from each other in relation to the crankshaft location.
BRE improves cooling to the...
BRE improves cooling to the heads by drilling a passage into the water jacket on the exhaust side of the block, which increases cool-ant flow to that side of the head. It also uses Fel-Pro performance head gaskets that already have a passage for coolant flow as well as a restricted passage on the intake side to divert more water from the cool intake side of the head to the hotter exhaust side.
Once the deck surface has...
Once the deck surface has been machined, Sobecki moves to the cylinder-boring machine. He aligns the block so that the boring bar is perpendicular to the deck surface. Since the deck surfaces are already in alignment with the crankshaft bore, the cylinders end up perfectly centered over the crank centerline. This corrects any production variation in factory engine blocks.
With block machining complete,...
With block machining complete, Sobecki moves on to the connecting-rod machine operations. First, he clamps a Scat H-beam connecting rod into a clamping device and torques the rod bolts to spec.
After measuring the rod journal,...
After measuring the rod journal, Sobecki hones the bearing surface in the big end of the connecting rods to fit the rod bearings.
With the bottom end machining...
With the bottom end machining complete, we moved on to Rich Moffett, BREs cylinder head expert. The 496 will receive a set of Edelbrock Performer polished-aluminum heads. BREs specs call for a 118cc combustion chamber for this application, so Moffett will need to work some of his magic. He starts with the valve seat cutter. The cutting head opens up the area around the valves, improving flow. The operation is called unshrouding and goes a long way toward improving airflow through the valves.
Porting and polishing can...
Porting and polishing can improve airflow characteristics in any performance engine20-30hp gains are not uncommon. Moffett machines the intake ports of the casting by using a die grinder loaded with a carbide cutting tip; he only takes off enough material to make the surface inside the port smooth.
Moffett follows the carbide...
Moffett follows the carbide cutter with a sanding drum for a finer finish. The intake runners are also port-matched with the intake gasket. This operation is repeated on the intake manifold to ensure uniform port dimensions throughout.
With the port work complete,...
With the port work complete, Moffett moves on to measuring the volume of, or ccing, the combustion chambers. He knows that the Edelbrock heads come from the factory with 110cc chambers, so he re-moves material to increase the volume. He drops in a couple of used valves to protect the seats and goes about removing material to his satisfaction. His experience tells him when to stop grinding and polishing and start measuring the chambers for accuracy. This set of heads will receive 118cc chambers.
To measure the volume in the...
To measure the volume in the combustion chambers, Moffett slips in a pair of new valves with a bit of lithium grease around the seats and caps the chamber with a Lexan plate, also coated with grease, to enclose the combustion chamber. He fills a beaker with a measured amount of solvent and lets it drain into the chamber through a hole bored in the Lexan. Once the combustion chamber is full, he reads the amount left in the beaker, does some simple subtraction, and knows his chamber volume. He measures each chamber, following up with grinding and polishing until he arrives at the desired volume.
Moffett utilizes a number...
Moffett utilizes a number of measuring devices to measure clearances within the valvetrain. Here, hes measuring the installed height of the valve stem. With a separate set of gauges, he also measures the diameter of the valve stems and the bore diameter of the guides to ensure proper clearances.
The valvespring tester determines...
The valvespring tester determines spring pressure at a given height. Moffett uses the reading from this gauge with the reading from the gauge in the previous photo to determine whether hell need to shim the springs.
With machining and headwork...
With machining and headwork complete, we move on to Pete Milek, BREs engine assembler. First, he gave us a peek into the underside of the block and showed us where the block was clearanced so the connecting rods would clear the bottoms of the cylinders with the Scat 4.250-inch stroker crankshaft.
Milek checks the main bearing...
Milek checks the main bearing clearances by installing the bearings and main caps and torquing them to specs. The torque wrench hes using doesnt measure lb-ft of torque. Instead, this wrench performs what is called torque to yield. It actually measures the clamping force of the bolt rather than the rotational torque applied to the bolt. Once the mains are sufficiently torqued, Milek measures the bearing bores and compares the measurement with the main journal diameter on the crankshaft.
After flipping the block over,...
After flipping the block over, Milek installs the rings and measures the ring end gap. This is an important step, especially when planning for the use of a blower or nitrous, as the tolerances change for these applications over naturally aspirated induction.
Milek uses this ring filer...
Milek uses this ring filer to adjust the ring end gap. The ring clamps into the machine, and Milek can remove as much or as little as needed for a perfect fit.
Milek is responsible for...
Milek is responsible for balancing the engine rotating assemblies as well. After weighing pistons and rods and matching each respective set of parts to within one gram of each other (a dollar bill weighs one gram), Milek uses a mathematical formula to determine the amount of weight he needs to add to the rod journals to simulate the pistons and rods for the crank balancing operation. Just so you know, factory-assembled internals have been known to vary in weight up to 40 grams.
After balancing, Milek spins...
After balancing, Milek spins the crankshaft on a lathe and polishes the journals with his motorized belt polisher. A few swipes with the special polishing belt and hes ready for final assembly.
When RBs Obsolete decided to build its 47 Chevy panel truck to drive on Americruise 02, Ray Doe decided he needed some real power to motivate his new hauler over the 1,000-plus miles that the cruise would cover. He turned to Beck Racing Engines for one of its 496ci Max Velocity Plus big-block Chevy-based engines. We say Chevy-based because this engine is built mostly from aftermarket performance parts and with very few actual GM pieces. This stump puller makes 564 hp and 563 lb-ft on 91-octane gasolinethats carbureted, kids; need we say more?
Were sure youve seen plenty of engine buildups over the years, so were just going to hit the high points and show you the things that set Beck Racing Engines apart from the rest of the engine-building herd.
Beck Racing Engines is fast becoming the builder of choice for rodders, racers, and boaters alike. It builds 79 different dyno-proven engine packages, all designed for maximum output and all designed to run on 91-octane pump gas. BRE also offers everything from shortblocks to complete turnkey engine packages ranging anywhere from a mild 350 small-block to a blown 540-inch street thumper. Enough talklets take a look.