We (our oldest and I) have been working on the 455 for the truck. Got in my new double roller chain and gears, a friend is going to loan me his degree wheel so I can degree the cam in properly for optimal performance out of it, heads are off, valves are lapped, valve guides cut down, heads washed up & cleaned properly.
Next is to install the cam & lifters, install the new chain & gears, then degree the cam. After that we need to install the valves, springs, and new oil seals. Once that is complete I will probably run over the top of each valve stem with the dial indicator to verify all valves are opening the same amount.....or maybe I should just skip this because ignorance is bliss
And I found another NEW source for parts too called Competition Products located in Wisconsin, you guys doing any engine work should check them out, I got my gasket sets from them, and the cutter & arbor! Comp Cams was not going to have the arbor until the 21st of December and I did not want to wait that long. Competition Products had a ton of them on hand and for a bit cheaper too, same brand of tool too. I also got the oil seals from them, double roller chain & gears.
I am on Christmas break now, so I hope to have this engine back together again. Need to do some paint removal first! Gotta get rid of the red, I plan to paint the engine the original gold color it should be, and match the valve covers, oil pan and other misc. sheetmetal parts to the same color of the truck, metallic blue.
Natalie (10) helping me remove head bolts & heads.
You must be registered for see images attach
Valves and seats look dang good.
You must be registered for see images attach
Natalie helping remove valve springs.
You must be registered for see images attach
Cutting down of valve guides, here is the cutter & arbor. I was a bit worried about this at first, I have never done it before. Holy crap this cutter and arbor worked awesome!!! There is also another tiny cutter near the base of the tool that leave a beautiful chamfer on the top of the valve guide too just like factory had.
You must be registered for see images attach
New valve oil seal.
You must be registered for see images attach