Tonight I attended my churches 1st night of Revival Service. While sitting there listing to the feature speaker, I was reminded of several things that ring true in the Bible and in building this engine.

Now what can the Bible and engine building have to do with each other?

Let us go back to yesterday, when I was having trouble with the wrist pin spiral locks, in fact, lets go back to around 1995 when I was building my 1st SBC 383 engine for “Masterpiece”.

Before this 383 engine, I had never worked with anything except the old style spring clips that held the wrist pins in place. They were relatively easy to install. I had purchased a new set of JE Pistons that had these spiral locks, that I had never seen, and I was told to put two on each end of the wrist pin. I tried and tried to get just one into the small grove. I called JE Tech. Support and was told that, yes, two locks go on each end of the pin. After working on it for a long time I got one on each end and finished assembling the engine.

After a few hundred runs, the engine started to lose power and I finally removed it. When I pulled the heads, I found two long groves in two of the cylinder walls where the piston pin had knocked the lock out and was bouncing off the cylinder wall. Three of the spiral locks were in the oil pan. The groves were so deep I had to junk the block.

Since that experience, I have always put the two locks on each end and made sure they were fitted correct.

Proverbs 3:5-7

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
7 Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

This is what the pastor was preaching on when I though about the spiral locks.

During that same Revival, the guest speaker also talked about “Instructions”. Again, my mind came back to those spiral locks.

Yesterday when I had so much trouble, I finally read the instructions on the package that contained the new spiral locks. They told exactly how to install the locks, including what tools to use and how to “stretch” the lock before trying to insert it. I did not read those instructions until I had spent over an hour trying to get the first piston done.

Tonight, during Revival, I was reminded not to lean toward my own understanding and to read and follow instructions.

Today, I completed 2 more pistons and my time has decreased to about 10-12 min. per piston. I did all of the odd side pistons. I spent a few min. figuring out exactly how the even side pistons go on the rods. You may think I am dumb, but… (and the next engine will be built by someone else!)