Part 2 of building the bottom end was more interesting as it was starting to look, more like an engine. The reason I inserted the pistons in first is because you can’t secure the crank shaft from falling out without the main caps bolted on if the engine is right side up. And while the main cap girdle is bolted on it’s really hard to bolt up the rods caps.

I made sure all the bearing surfaces were clean before I added on the bearings to the rods and block.

I used the red assembly lube to lubricate all the bearings including the thrust washers. It really helps to get some grease on the thrust washers as it will make them stick to the block easier so they don’t fall off while inserting the crankshaft.

I also put a bit of grease on the crankshaft where the thrust washers sit so this is lubricated till the first startup. Once everything was ready I inserted the crankshaft into the block and put on the rod caps.

I used ARP Molly lube for the threads and under the head of the bolts for the rods to get the proper torque feel. I torqued the bolts to 25ft-lbs first,  then to 43ft-lbs.

Once the rods were done I put the main cap girdle on and used regular oil for the threads and under the washer of the main cap bolts. I torqued them down in the sequence as before and first started with 25ft-lbs and then finally 43ft-lbs

Once the main cap was secure I turned the block around and took some shots of the pistons in the block.