Torque plate
Posted: July 15th, 2016, 7:02 pm
Hi.
In last years I read a lot of publications about race engines. Many of authors, especially from US suggest to use a torque plate when we are reboring our engine block. A careful reader know that GC wrote in his 2010/2013 book, that using a torque plate is not a necessary.
This type of plate should "simulate" an assembled block with a head.
I am a person who like to know why solution is the best, and if I can do it personally I do it. So today I made a some test.
I assembled a 2L TC block with a cylinder head. Of corse, I used a new cylinderhead gasket too. I torqued bolts to OE spec (old type hexagonal bolts). All should works as normal engine when assembling it to work in a car.
I made a lot of measurements of bores, record it, I made this the same way as we should to do it when we inspecting an engine block. I measured it across and inline of block. I done a really lot of measurements to avoid any error with it (unfortunely I done this test on an used block, a quite more
requiring attention especially if we want do it really precisely.
I used for it my Mitutoyo Bore Gauge with digital indicator, in my opinion this is the best tool for it.
I checked my measurements before and after assembly block with head and I get this conclusion.
As GC wrote, we musn't use a torque plate. A dimensions that I get before and after are quite similar, about 0,002-0,004mm difference which is a certainly a measurement slip (I don't know how I should called in english but I think everybody know what I mean).
I will use only a really thin plate to avoid a fluid in engine block ports (it take a lot of time to clean it properly), but a real torque plate is not a necessary in our stiff TC blocks.
I think that in US this type of boring is popular because an US engine builders works often with V8. In my opinion, this type of block are a less stiffer that our cast iron inline Fiat blocks. If I get in future an V8 block I will do a simillar test that today Fiat test and share with results here.
Sorry for poor quality of photos, I have today only my mobile phone, if somebody want I will make some better photos after weekend.
Thanks for reading.
Piotrek.
In last years I read a lot of publications about race engines. Many of authors, especially from US suggest to use a torque plate when we are reboring our engine block. A careful reader know that GC wrote in his 2010/2013 book, that using a torque plate is not a necessary.
This type of plate should "simulate" an assembled block with a head.
I am a person who like to know why solution is the best, and if I can do it personally I do it. So today I made a some test.
I assembled a 2L TC block with a cylinder head. Of corse, I used a new cylinderhead gasket too. I torqued bolts to OE spec (old type hexagonal bolts). All should works as normal engine when assembling it to work in a car.
I made a lot of measurements of bores, record it, I made this the same way as we should to do it when we inspecting an engine block. I measured it across and inline of block. I done a really lot of measurements to avoid any error with it (unfortunely I done this test on an used block, a quite more
requiring attention especially if we want do it really precisely.
I used for it my Mitutoyo Bore Gauge with digital indicator, in my opinion this is the best tool for it.
I checked my measurements before and after assembly block with head and I get this conclusion.
As GC wrote, we musn't use a torque plate. A dimensions that I get before and after are quite similar, about 0,002-0,004mm difference which is a certainly a measurement slip (I don't know how I should called in english but I think everybody know what I mean).
I will use only a really thin plate to avoid a fluid in engine block ports (it take a lot of time to clean it properly), but a real torque plate is not a necessary in our stiff TC blocks.
I think that in US this type of boring is popular because an US engine builders works often with V8. In my opinion, this type of block are a less stiffer that our cast iron inline Fiat blocks. If I get in future an V8 block I will do a simillar test that today Fiat test and share with results here.
Sorry for poor quality of photos, I have today only my mobile phone, if somebody want I will make some better photos after weekend.
Thanks for reading.
Piotrek.