You've worn a groove in the information highway, but the parts research is complete. In fact, the parts have been prepped, machined, balanced and blessed-it's assembly time. Engine assembly is all about patience and precision at this juncture, as skill will not only impact power, but reliability as well. With the Turbo 6, there a few down and dirty tricks that can further the success of a quality assembly.
It's all about identifying shortcomings and making strides to improve that area. The Turbo 6 oiling system is adequate for stock performance, but turn up the wick and it's a good idea to improve the oiling system. Lou Czarnota of Lou's Auto Service customized the stock timing cover to increase oil volume (see side bar). There are booster plates that also address oiling. Melling makes a good high-flow pump that we will use in conjunction with the previously mentioned timing cover mod. Czarnota also recommends tapping out the oil passage to lifter galleries, installing pipe plugs (instead of the press-in plugs) and painting the lifter valley to expedite oil flow. Above all, use synthetic oil religiously. However, during the break-in period, Czarnota went with conventional oil and after 500 miles switched to synthetic and changed the oil filter, thus ensuring any particles present during break-in will not enter the engine. Another trick, outlined in Part 1 of this engine buildup series (Turbo, Oct. 2000) are the Clevite bearings (MS 960-V10) that Czarnota custom-etches an oil passage groove into. A point of some contention is oil pans. Czarnota said to not get too carried away with trick oil pans. He found that some designs have so much baffling that flow to the pickup is hindered, placing the engine in jeopardy. Czarnota said the stock oil pan is good for 90 percent of the cars out there, only real wheel standers need an upgraded pan. Czarnota recommended dropping the stock pan for added capacity. As we mentioned earlier, the original rope-style main seal is barely adequate and is the leading cause of oil leaks in Buicks. The stock oil pan gasket is also a prime suspect when it comes to oil leaks. To remedy this situation, Czarnota recommended Fel Pro's neoprene main seal (PN BS 40613). For the pan, Czarnota used a cork-style gasket offered by Duttweiler Performance.
With the short block already together, the BPE Racing Heads-prepped cylinder heads (Turbo, Nov. 2000) were secured to the block. BPE's Steve Bronston performed a Stage III porting and the company's Competition valve job prior to assembly. The heads were fitted with Manley stainless-steel valves. Manley 1.775-inch valves on the intake side and 1.500-inchers on the exhaust side. BPE installed the valves using Manley springs, Manley chome-moly retainers, heat-treated Manley valve locks and Manley valve seals. For more insider information on Turbo 6 cylinder heads, check out the November 2000 issue. The heads were topped with chromed valve covers from Bowling Green Customs.
Next, the BPE-ported lower intake manifold was bolted on and topped with the same AccuFab throttle body from our bolt-on article (Turbo, August 2000). The manifold was fitted with Bowling Green show-chromed fuel rails that play host to six 42 lb/hr Lucas fuel injectors.