Engine Assembly Order

The following assembly for Flint and Tonawanda engine plants is general in nature as small variations were usually made from year to year.

Flint Tonawanda
Raw castings enter plant Raw castings received from other parts of Tonawanda engine plant
Block machining (boring/broaching) in 1 to 2 days and washed Block machining (boring/broaching) and washed
Block begins upside down. Bore sizes on oil pan rail broadcast ahead to piston hook up area. Oil galley plugs
Galley plugs Transmission alignment pins
Camshaft Camshaft
Main bearing caps removed, crank installed, caps reinstalled. Main bearing caps removed, crank installed, caps reinstalled.
Flywheel & pressure plate or flex plate Flywheel & pressure plate or flex plate
Cam & crankshaft gears, timing chain Cam & crankshaft gears, timing chain
Piston installation Piston installation
Front engine cover and seal Front engine cover and seal
Harmonic balancer Harmonic balancer
Oil pump shaft and oil pump Oil pump shaft and oil pump
Windage tray bolts if applicable Windage tray bolts if applicable
Oil pan and hardware Oil pan and hardware
Clutch housing TDC determined, timing pointer
Engine turned upright Engine turned upright
TDC determined, timing pointer Camshaft  lifters
Camshaft lifters Build date/suffix code stamped *
Cylinder heads installed Cylinder heads installed
Rocker arms & balls installed Rocker arms & balls installed (studs already installed)
Intake manifold installed (oil filler tube if applicable, water outlet & thermostat already affixed) Valves adjusted
Valves adjusted Intake manifold installed
Valve covers installed Water outlet & thermostat installed
Miscellaneous brackets and switches installed Water pump installed
Build date/suffix code stamped Spark plugs installed
Water test with vacuum gauge Distributor installed
Oil cavity test Miscellaneous brackets installed
Paint assembly Exhaust manifolds
Distributor installed Vacuum test
Coil & plug wires Valve covers
Spark plugs Paint assembly
Temperature switches Hot test
Water and oil drained Water and oil drained
Exhaust manifolds installed Racked & readied for shipment
Spark plug wire supports, heat shields, other miscellaneous brackets installed  
Component verification  
Racked & readied for shipment  

* Early (1965) big block engines were stamped further to the right on the engine pad due to the large plug in the end of the cylinder head after assembly at Tonawanda. This caused problems for the final assembly plants in stamping the partial VIN identification. Later the engine ID information was stamped on the left of the pad before the heads were installed allowing the right side of the engine pad to be used for the car's partial VIN to be stamped.

09/07/2010
Two broach cutters are shown in this photograph. The cutter on the left broaches the pan rail and the upper half of the main bearing bores. The block is flipped over, registered and clamped on the pan rail, and the one on the right broaches the deck surfaces and the top horizontal surface between the decks. Each lateral row of cutting blades in each broach is set about .001" deeper than the row ahead of it. The block is clamped solid on its pallet and the overhead broach has about a six-foot stroke longitudinally across the block surface; one pass for the pan rail and one pass for the decks and top and it's done. Fresh blades in the tool left hardly any broach marks at all; as the blades wore, the broach marks became more visible.