Dodge Dakota 408 Stroker V8 Engine

The pistons were weighed and ground down as needed to make them equal. A record of measurement of each part was taken before the crankshaft was sent out for balancing.

The rings were checked for proper clearance by placing one in the bore and checking the amount of gap with a feeler gauge. Each ring was checked and ground down to the correct clearance.

The Clevite 77 main bearings were installed in the block. A small notch has been made in the block to ensure that the bearing sits properly in place. The bearings also needed to be installed in the main caps.

After the caps had been bolted up to the block and torqued to proper specification, they were measured. The inside bearing diameter was measured at 90 degrees to the parting line.

Also, the crankshaft bearing journals needed to be measured and each diameter recorded. The difference between the crankshaft journal and the bearing measurement provided the clearance for each. The clearance needed to be between 0.002 inch and 0.0025 inch, while the crankshaft was checked for end play.

After the crankshaft had been installed and torqued to proper specs, it was time to turn the attention to the rods. Each rod needed to be measured to check for clearance, using a dial bore gauge.

The rods were fitted to the pistons and rings, so these units were ready to go into the block.

The ring compressor was placed on the cylinder, and the crank was rotated so the connecting rod journal would be centered in the cylinder. The piston and rod unit were placed in the same-numbered cylinder.

The piston was tapped into the cylinder, and the rod was guided down into place on the crankshaft journal. They had to work very carefully, because if the rod happened to damage the journal, a damaged crank would be very expensive to repair. These aluminum Ross rods were a little easier to install, because the rod bolts were threaded into the rod body after the cap was in place. Most rods have bolts pressed in, and the bolts can easily damage a journal unless the bolts are covered as they are set into place.

The piston needed to be pointed toward the front of the motor. After the block was turned over, the cap was installed. (It doesn't hurt to make sure the cap is going on the right way.)

Then the bolts were torqued down to proper specs.

Here's the notched area in the block. With the 4-inch stroker crankshaft, it was easy to see that the rod needed more room.

All of the rods have been installed, and the bolts have been torqued down. The short-block portion was near completion.

The Fastman likes to use a windage tray in motors. The tray is an early Chrysler "A" motor piece that was made for the 340 engine, and was modified to work in its 408 stroker engine. The oil pump is a Milling high-volume unit.

A Cam Motion cam was installed. It is a custom-ground unit that The Fastman made to work with its head flow figures and to the customer's desired operating rpm range. Before installing the cam, the camshaft bearings and journals were lubricated. The cam was carefully slid into place so the bearings were not damaged.