400ex stroker (440ex) build thread

[retro 4,048]

Glass beading might be a better choice than sand, depending on whether you want the aluminum textured or just brightened up?

[SlammedRanger 1,556]

My blast cabinet came with a big 3 gallon bucket full of super fine grit sand. I dont really care for making it shiny. Just clean. Very very clean lol. And im gunna cerakote the side covers after blasting. They say you want a texture for that to stick better to. I hope the media i have is strong enough to do it. Cuz it was free and i want to use as much of it as i can. Got some modifications to do to the cabinet for better lighting and raise it up on casters so i can roll it out side my garage in the warmer months to keep the mess at a minimum.

[Fishfiles 20,145]

I need to upgrade my light in my blasting cabinet also , I can't  see too good with the stock light , I was thinking about using a 24 inch long 12V fluorescent work light , one of the many things I want to do 

[SlammedRanger 1,556]

From what i see online the best and easiest thing to do is use a outdoor flood light. They are at menards for like 5 bucks.

[SlammedRanger 1,556]

First time sand blasting ever lol. I started on my header since im gunna wrap it anyway. Worked ok. Light is pointless. Pretty much zero light lol. I was told by the guy i got the cabinet from that he was giving me a 50 lb bucket of really fine sand. Come to find out its aluminim oxide/glass bead mix. Not sure how well its gunna work for my side covers. Worked....ok on the header. Really need to get a dust reclaimer. Also not sure what psi to run it at. It has a nice regulator water trap right on the side so i was running it in the 80-100psi range. Anything under really didnt remove anything.

[toodeep 1,758]

I would like to get a vapor blast system but I'm still collecting the change from the couch. Seeing products done with one is just amazing though. 

[SamUK 83]

On 12/19/2019 at 12:42 AM, SlammedRanger said:

First time sand blasting ever lol. I started on my header since im gunna wrap it anyway. Worked ok. Light is pointless. Pretty much zero light lol. I was told by the guy i got the cabinet from that he was giving me a 50 lb bucket of really fine sand. Come to find out its aluminim oxide/glass bead mix. Not sure how well its gunna work for my side covers. Worked....ok on the header. Really need to get a dust reclaimer. Also not sure what psi to run it at. It has a nice regulator water trap right on the side so i was running it in the 80-100psi range. Anything under really didnt remove anything.

 

From what I've learnt pressure depends on the media your using, the media depends on the materials your blasting... I was always told to adjust the pressure to suit your needs and use the correct media for the materials your blasting. Quite vague information but after Google searching and a few test blasts it does start to make sense.

 

An additional air chamber is always a good option for a blasting cabinet unless you have a HUGE compressor. I found pressure dropped rapidly and had to stop until pressure had built up enough to be operable again.

 

Our cabinet was relatively large though (you could fit a truck wheel in it), we used a 200/250 litre compressor. Pretty sure alluminium oxide was the most common media we used, I'm unsure of the grade.

Another great option is silica sand (block paving sand), doesn't last long though as it breaks up. A very cheap option though 🙂

[SlammedRanger 1,556]

On 12/18/2019 at 5:28 PM, Fishfiles said:

I need to upgrade my light in my blasting cabinet also , I can't  see too good with the stock light , I was thinking about using a 24 inch long 12V fluorescent work light , one of the many things I want to do 

Hey man i did the light upgrade in my cabinet. Cost me 15 bucks total. I picked up 2 outdoor flood light sockets. Cost 2.10 a piece. The most expensive part was the flood light bulb. I did a 90watt led. And holy cow what a difference.

 

The picture is with just one. I have a second but honestly see no need to use it at all. I also got a dust deputy and hooked my shop vac up for the first time. No more dust in the air. Its like a whole different machine.

[Fishfiles 20,145]

there is a video on u-tube on modifying the cabinet to make it more efficent ,  I like what he was doing , I'll see if I can paste a link 

[SlammedRanger 1,556]

2 hours ago, Fishfiles said:

there is a video on u-tube on modifying the cabinet to make it more efficent ,  I like what he was doing , I'll see if I can paste a link 

I watched alot of them. Probably 25 or 30 videos. Alot of people do the same stuff. My cabinet came already modified in alot of ways since i got it from a guy that used it very little but found it didnt really work at all in stock form. Its just a cheap-o harbor freight one.

[Fishfiles 20,145]

That's what I got too , Harbor freight , would like the foot control , gravity feed and a bigger gun 

[SlammedRanger 1,556]

So if this doesnt prove honda motors are bullet proof. 5 years of beating on it non stop riding, racing, mostly on the rev limiter. Still can see cross hatching in the cylinder and cant even feel any wear on it at all. Sucks the crank clocked out on me. This topend would have lasted another 5 years easy...lol

[retro 4,048]

It had a quality piston, good motor oil, piston was warmed up before beating on it and most importantly, extra excellent maintenance. 🙂

[SlammedRanger 1,556]

Yeah my ocd made sure of all those things haha. I am a bit concerned about how much carbon build up is on the exhaust side of the head. May just drop the cash and have it ported lol. Reguardless of anything im gunna have the valves removed and clean everything up and re-lap them. Intake side is spotless though so thats a good thing. A couple mudders had me worried i maybe took in some mud or water. But i see zero signs of anything like that.

[retro 4,048]

Ya I noticed that the exhaust valves/ports are running cold too. They should have appeared to have been running slightly hotter than the cold intakes side of the chamber. Some diags are in order.... may be restrictive exhaust valves and/or restrictive exhaust ports. Header pipes diameter & length and muffler restrictions should be scrutinized as well.

 

Its critical that ya fix that because you are currently running single pattern (single pattern assumes both sides of the chamber flow ideally) valve events timing... AND ya gonna add 40cc displacement that will cause that problem to be a lot worse. If ya can't fix the exhaust flow restriction you'll have to increase the valve lift and the duration on the exhaust side. Sometimes a bit more exhaust duration ground on a tighter lobe center angle on the exhaust side works the best if the port flow issue cannot be fixed, such as when the casting is too thin to reshape the port roofs.

[Misterclean 421]

44 minutes ago, retro said:

It had a quality piston, good motor oil, piston was warmed up before beating on it and most importantly, extra excellent maintenance. 🙂

And a quality bore job.

[retro 4,048]

1st thing to check for when you take those valves out is... Are both of those exhaust valves seating good? Sometimes the valve seats will give up and warp or crack where they are closest together... and both valves will leak when closed.

[SlammedRanger 1,556]

25 minutes ago, retro said:

1st thing to check for when you take those valves out is... Are both of those exhaust valves seating good? Sometimes the valve seats will give up and warp or crack where they are closest together... and both valves will leak when closed.

Yeah i was noticing the black between the two exhaust valves kinda had me thinking exactly what you are saying. Gunna go pour some gas in the head and see if it drains down over night. Redneck method lol

[SlammedRanger 1,556]

Cases are split.....no more surprises. And the gas isnt running out around the valves so thats a positive atleast. Gunna have my machine shop guy go over it all though and be sure were not missing anything.

[retro 4,048]

Were the crankshaft main bearings shot? How does the oil pump look inside?

[SlammedRanger 1,556]

Honestly none of the bearings felt good. They were all alittle gritty feeling. And oil pump has some grooves on the rotor. Got a brand new one to install with this build.

[retro 4,048]

I replaced main bearings (rod & cam bearings too) and oil pumps after every racing season in my SBC V8s. I was only able to race an entire season without a teardown because I paid big bucks for steel cranks that did not flex or twist in the block. You have learned the limits of those bearings and can schedule your routine bearing replacement teardowns now. 🙂

[SlammedRanger 1,556]

6 hours ago, retro said:

I replaced main bearings (rod & cam bearings too) and oil pumps after every racing season in my SBC V8s. I was only able to race an entire season without a teardown because I paid big bucks for steel cranks that did not flex or twist in the block. You have learned the limits of those bearings and can schedule your routine bearing replacement teardowns now. 🙂

Yeah im replacing every bearing in the whole motor. Both cam bearings and all bottom end bearings. Dont want to take any chances here. Now i just gotta decide. 600 for head with full race port job. Or 400 for one that has just a basic port job. Gotta find out what my machine shop guy is gunna charge me for the +1mm valve install. And bore of my new LA sleeve to match that custom piston. Man i was really hopeful i could send out my rear shock to get re-valved for the longer swingarm but i think thats gunna be out of the question at this point. If i drop another grand on this quad i have a feeling i will be living in the garage. 🤣

[SlammedRanger 1,556]

Cases are all cleaned up. I got the sleeve out of the jug. Havent installed the new one yet. My machine shop guy said he had problems with it moving inside the jug last time he bored one for me.

[Wheeler 2,525]

Looking GREAT! Everything cleaned up real nice. Glad to hear you are replacing all bearings... I mean when it's tore down, that's the time.