308 V12 conversion begins

Not that I would be aloud to get more major engine parts, but I just found this pic on the Norwood sight. I believe it's a 365 or similar and the heads studs all appear to be equally space outside the bore with the exception of the 2 on each end. It looks like using an earlier block would make the TR head install easier because the 5 exhaust side center studs that I have to move 5mm are ok. The outer ones look like they are off the same 2.5mm that the 400 block studs are off. 1.5mm can be made up with a custom stud and 1mm would be safe to open the holes in the TR heads and the heads would go on.

Oh well, once I get done with the welder the heads will go on the 400 block too.
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no, I need them for the cylinder pulling it turns out. I hope to be pulling cylinders tomorrow or friday at the latest. Then the studs. Then weld the block.

I guess know that I think about it all the studs that actually need to come out will just fall out once I cut the hole open for welding. Where's that easy button

 

While working on the puller to press out the liners I had an epiphany….if I’m trying to press out anything, the right tool for the job is a press….ok, some times I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed, or basement in this case.

I slid the press over near the welding table so I could support the block and used the head of the puller I was working on to grab the liners. They popped right out. The hardest part of the job was putting the block up in the press, a second person would have come in very handy. The whole job, including moving the press and taking picture took less than an hour.

On the stud problem.
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I'll pass it on to her. I know she loves me but after I mentioned the TR engine she did spend a solid 15 minutes explaining the issues she had with my mental state.
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It's a big project, but almost tame by my younger year standards

She owes me big time anyway. I just spent 2 solid, hard 2 years building her the patio from h*ll. It was supposed to by a simple pool with a few hundred square feet of concrete, sign the contract and check when it was done. But she wasn’t sure , there were a couple details she didn’t quite like so we hired a landscape architect. It ended up 3000 sqft of cut turkish stone on 3 levels with 250 feet of retaining walls and a couple walkways thrown in for go measure, bar, built -in grill island thing.....so I fired the landscape architect. Oh, and we had to truck in 1.8 million pounds of stuff and move another 4-5 million pounds of the stuff we already had. Oh yeah, and “since it’s about 4 times over the budget that I didn’t actually have to begin with, "can you do it yourself ?” No matter that I'd never mixed a batch of cement or run a piece of heavy equipment (outside machine shop stuff) in my life. I lost almost 20 lbs, lost 2 inches on my waist and gained about 4 inched on my chest....I've never worked so hard in my life!

I think we’ll be about ½ way to even when this is done....now I need to figure out what the other 1/2 is
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Sometimes there is just no amount of begging that will save you......

 

Thanks. I still need to stucco all the block in the spring so I get one more change to screw things up

 

Thanks.

You're right about that!

I can't even stand the thought of looking at the shovel these days, but I just got done telling Lana that it’s like Christmas every time I see the v12 on the bench! I just love that engine and I’m just dying to get to the welding part because it means things are going back together. But 3 years ago when I was building the (now Verell’s) blower set-up just the thought of having to weld made me sick. Change is good sometimes.

 

It sounds like a crazy lot of work! Does it fly?