Kirkham Assembly Manual - Questions Thread...

rwall49 · #1 (**permalink**) 07-03-2007, 05:01 PM

Gentlemen from Kirkham,
When dialing in the bell housing with the dial indicator, can a person take a reading at 0 degrees, then 45 degrees, then at 90 degrees and so on until you have made a complete revolution. And then look at the readings to see where to move the bell housing to get centered to .005? I've personally not done this yet but would like to know if my idea is all wet.

Regards,
Ron
P.S. your threads on all these subjects help out alot. It's better then searching for hours on the web.

David Kirkham · #2 (**permalink**) 07-03-2007, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rwall49

Gentlemen from Kirkham,
When dialing in the bell housing with the dial indicator, can a person take a reading at 0 degrees, then 45 degrees, then at 90 degrees and so on until you have made a complete revolution. And then look at the readings to see where to move the bell housing to get centered to .005? I've personally not done this yet but would like to know if my idea is all wet.

Regards,
Ron
P.S. your threads on all these subjects help out alot. It's better then searching for hours on the web.

Ron,

Yes, you can do that, but it will take a lot longer to do because you have to keep turning the engine over and over and over. Speaking of that, I forgot to mention you need to pull the plugs out to make turning the engine over easier.

Back to the 45 degree question.

There is really no reason to do it. I would just take the readings every 90 degrees. We have been doing that for 12 years now with NO problems.

David

rwall49 · #3 (**permalink**) 07-03-2007, 05:10 PM

David,
Thank you for the reply. Also, I would like to know what sandwich used to drill out the dowel pin holes with, since I believe they need to be accurate holes. Did he use a drill press or just a hand drill. Are these holes real critical. And do you weld the dowel pin bushings in after your final centering of the bell housing. I assume that once this has been done the first time that removing the bell housing to replace clutch etc. will be centered the next time it is put back on the engine.

Ron

Gatorac · #4 (**permalink**) 07-03-2007, 05:28 PM

Aaaaagghhh it's car guy porn. There needs to be a disclaimer on the thread......

****Warning, the following images are graphic in nature. They may cause severe drooling, coveting and aluminum envy. Repeated viewing could cause a large debit in your bank account followed by sensations of euphoria.*****

rwall49 · #5 (**permalink**) 10-12-2007, 03:16 PM

Guys from Kirkham,
I would like to know when putting the drive shaft into the transmission does the rubber bushing on the end of the transmission stay put. Is that standard procedure for a TKO 600 by greasing the input shaft and the rubber bushing. Wont the rubber bushing wear if the grease diminishes after a period of time?
A little info on this would let me sleep better at night.

Thanks,
Ron

David Kirkham · #6 (**permalink**) 07-03-2007, 05:28 PM

We just used an standard 1 1/16 drill. The bushings are 1 inch in diameter. They do not need to be that accurate because they have 0.030 inches (1/32 inch) of clearance around the hole anyway. You will weld in the slight gap.

I should mention here, there are offset dowel pins that are available from Lakewood. We have found that very few engines are within the adjustability of the pins, so we just drill holes and use the weld bushings. I must say, however, that lately the engines have been better than they ever have been before. So, there is a very good possibility you could just use the pins and not have to weld. I know that would be a better option for many of you guys.

That said, the dowels in the engine block can be almost impossible to remove. When they are particular pigs, we cut them off flush with the block, drill a 1/4 inch hole in them (the dowels are 1/2 inch in diameter) and then weld the hole up. The combination of heat and shrinkage allows you to pull the pin out. (Welding creates heat which expands the metal. When you weld it up, the metal cools off and shrinks--way more than you think it would.) Usually, the dowel will just fall out. If it is still stuck, we weld a bolt on to the cut off dowel and then pull it out. Some can really try your patience (and vocabulary).

David

rwall49 · #7 (**permalink**) 07-03-2007, 05:35 PM

David thanks for the info

Ron

David Kirkham · #8 (**permalink**) 07-03-2007, 06:08 PM

No problem. Glad to help.

Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you.

David

David Kirkham · #9 (**permalink**) 07-03-2007, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rwall49

David,
Thank you for the reply. Also, I would like to know what sandwich used to drill out the dowel pin holes with, since I believe they need to be accurate holes. Did he use a drill press or just a hand drill. Are these holes real critical. And do you weld the dowel pin bushings in after your final centering of the bell housing. I assume that once this has been done the first time that removing the bell housing to replace clutch etc. will be centered the next time it is put back on the engine.

Ron

Ron,

I can see you edited your post a little and I hit the reply button in the interim. No problem! Keep the questions coming.

We actually used a mill, but a drill press (or even by hand) would be fine as they do not need to be too accruate.

Yes, you must weld the dowel pin bushings AFTER the final centering. It can get very tricky as the bell housing will move around while you are tightening it. It can really try your patience. Yes, the bell housing will stay aligned forever...well, at least until someone line bores the crank journals which is what screws up the alignment in the first place--especially watch out for original blocks.

David