Engine Rebuilding

Soon, I am going to partially rebuild and repaint the engine in my 1972 Chevy truck. I have been buying a few parts here and there and I am finally close to doing it. The reason I am rebuilding it is mainly for more power. I use it alot for pulling heavy loads like tractors and such, so more power is a really good thing, as it doesn't stress the motor and transmission parts as much. The main part of the engine is the cylinder block (middle picture) which actually makes the power by burning a mix of gas and air in a combustion chamber (the cylinder). The piston goes down pulling in more air/fuel mixture and then going up to compress and ignite the gases, thus causing an explosion which creates power. On top of the block are cylinder heads (left picture) that have 2 valves for each cylinder. In my case, it is a V8 or 8 cylinders. These valves have a simple job of opening and closing to let in air/fuel mixture and let burnt gases out. There is a intake valve and an exhaust valve which are opened and closed with a spring. This spring is compressed by a piece called a rocker arm which "rocks" back and forth on top of the valve and a piece called a pushrod. Another main part of the cylinder block is the camshaft (right picture), which has several raised spots that push a lifter up and down, which pushes the pushrod and all of that makes the valves open and close. It sounds complicated, but it is actually pretty simple when you see it operate. Basically, as the camshaft turns, it causes the valves to open and close.

The cylinder heads that I bought are called Vortec's and they are some of the best ones you can buy for a chevy truck. They are really good for making power because the way the head is made is very good for allowing the air/fuel mixture to get into the cylinders faster and more efficiently, thus making for more power. A turbo charger works in a similar way, but it forces the air/fuel mix into the cylinders very quickly. Also, the cooler the mix is, the more power you can get, because it is denser and burns better. On top of the cylinder heads is called the intake manifold. It's job is to funnel the air/fuel mix into the cylinder heads. Some brands are better than others becuase they can get the mix into the heads faster and more effieciently also. If you are looking for more power at a slower speed, then you want a "Dual Plane" intake manifold. It is actually a 2 (two) level intake, splitting off for each cylinder. A "Single Plane" intake manifold is better for higher speeds and it is just a 1 (one) level manifold which mixes all together and then is pulled into each cylinder. One of the most important pieces is the carburetor or fuel injection system. It is the one that actually mixes the air and fuel together. If the mix isn't right, the engine will not run as good. So, all of the parts of the engine must run in harmony with each other in order to get the most power out of it. Here's a good site showing just how the components work together - http://auto.howstuffworks.com/engine1.htm. Enjoy!