so i bought a 99 ta that had a knock in it i pull the oil pan to find out that the #7 & #2 bearing is trashed along with the rods from said cylinders. so i found a low mileage ls1 rotating assembly in mint condition. my question is other than installing new main bearings will the crank drop right in without issues like the old school v8,s or is there a special procedure to install them? id like to have the car back running soon.

 

Same storie just make sure you follow the book.

 

so they are no clearances that i need to worry about? and i plan on having all the bearings replaced and the crack polished unless i hear that its no necessary to do so? ^^what book are you talking about

 

All the clearances are important to check! You can use plasti-gauge to get a "semi-correct" reading.
The entire assembly should interchange but you really should have the block honed at a machine shop and replace the rings with fresh set. Using the original rings which "match" the bore in the replacement pistons is a better choice than using the rings that are on the replacement assembly if you have to re-use a set of rings. New or used rings, everything needs to be flawlessly clean before re-assembly. Pay special attention to the ring land area. Need to have absolutley NOTHING stuck in the lands behind the rings.

 

ok thanks thats what i was hoping to hear. i plan on replacing the rings and honing the block myself. would you think its absolutely necessary to polish the crank 11000 on the rotating assembly. what about balancer bolt i have heard it has to be replaced any truth to this.

 

No to polishing a crank if the journals are "clean". No serious radial marks, minor "ghosting" marks are OK. Very hard to make that determination without pictures. Need to measure the journals at multiple points with an accurate mic. The crank rides on a seriously strong "bed" of oil. The only time that it should have the slightest chance of metal on metal contact is on a cold start up after extended storage. This hydraulic bed stays in the journals for a long time.

I've been building engines for decades and I know enough now to know that even I cannot come close to the accuracy of a dedicated honing machine. Pay the extra $ and have it done properly. Ask to see the machine shops honing machine. it should be pretty big. The maching itself should control both hone RPM and speed of "stroke". The operator should set it up, turn it on and be able to step away. All the ones I have seen have timers on them as well to duplicate the amount honed in all cylinders.
The use of the longer machine shop stones in a rigid maching can remove some "out of round" in a cylinder. ALL cylinders are out of round! Some more so than others.
If you can, try to get a look at their stones. They should be smooth without chips or cracks.

You are "penny-wise and pound foolish" to not have this done on a good honing machine.

Different ring material requires different finishes as well. Are you sure your hones "grit" is correct for the replacement rings.......

Pretty much the only thing I use hones for now is to clean up the bore surfaces for a close inspection.

Probably the most important thing to check in your application is the rod's big end for concentricity. Best to let the machine shop at least measure the rods for "out of round". This is the single biggest "scew up" point in the job your doing.

Replace the balancer bolt along with the head bolts. They are "torque to yeild" style and are initially tightend until a specific amount of distortion is created in the bolt. Only works this way one time.

 

Repair manual. It will tell you all specs you need to be in... sorry tried to keep it simple.

 

oh ok i have it. also what spring do yall recommend for the vrx5 cam

 

IMO thats a big cam, Do you have stock heads?

 

no 243s

 

If you have stock springs I think they are only good till .550 and that cam goes past .600, any ways you'll need new springs and maching done on the head to take the springs that would be required by that cam, IMO get a tad smaller cam and run 918 springs that don't require machining. unless you're not conserned with money.