How to Notch Your Block to Support Forged Rods

Editor’s Note: In today’s video, our friend and partner James Moore is going to show you how to notch your block to hold MaXpeetingRods’s forged rods.

With this video step by step video you can do it yourself. Not only in this D16Z6 engine but also in many other engines such as D16Y7, D16Y8 engines where the block is need to notch like here. And you’re going to save almost 600 dollars if such a mechanic task.

Step 1: Take the main girdle off.

Step 2: Mark on the inside with a sharpie to show about how much materials we’ll need taken off of each cylinder. 

Step 3: Knock some of the material off. Moving the carbide bit in a motion and not stopping in one specific spot, because this will cut real deep in that one spot. Just keep it moving while you do it.

Step 4: Before put the crankshaft, bolts, and the connecting rods in to make sure that there’s plenty of clearance. The best way it’s to get the engine block hot tanked.

Step 5: Pressure wash this engine and dry it. We don’t want any of metal shavings circulating the engine so pressure wash this engine outside very thoroughly to make sure there’s no metal shavings.

Step 6: Take these caps off from the rods. Note that each rods is numbered. The reason for that is is so you don’t get the wrong cap on the wrong rod. They’re machined for each rod so make sure to put those on where they come off.

Step 7: Wearing gloves and put them(rods and pistons) on the crankshaft and put them into the cylinder to make sure you have clearance. Verify that there’s nothing hitting.

Step 8: Throw the main girdle on and torque this down.

Step 9: Verify that the bolt touch the main girdle/main cap so the inside on all four cylinders will have to be notched. (The weights are holding the main girdle from moving)

Step 10: Get the main girdle notched cleaned out, all the rods, pistons and everything installed. You can see the corresponding connecting rod cap matches to the corresponding rod and nothing’s hitting.