Decks now flat, just need to go up in grit to get as close to mirror finish as possible.
What do you guys use for sealing up the timing belt cover/sump etc?

 

It's looking nice. I'm taking notes for when I rebuild mine.

As far as sealing, it looks like it's sealed with RTV. Check out the EM (engine mechanical) section of the FSM. Provides assembly procedures, torque sequences, etc.

An overhaul gasket kit should come with some.

 

I know it's some form of RTV and the service manual calls for genuine Nissan sealant. What are the alternatives? Or will normal permatex or other common brand RTV be good......don't want oil leaks when this is back together

 

Other common RTV should be fine. Just use one that's formulated for oil, so the grey or black stuff.

 

Left bank water pathway cut deeper by the 11-12mm using a Dremel and Carbide bit, took about an hour.


Right bank - so you can see the shape before being cut.


Another angle of left bank finished. Still need to go over with a grinding bit and smooth it out.

 

Should have kept a Shop Vac running close by...

 

With all the sanding done to the decks I'll need more than just a vacuum.....
I'll be washing the block after I finish the dirty work, then oil everything that needs oiling.
Should be torquing heads down tomorrow

 

Decks are now polished up.
Delayed assembly as I decided to go over the valves/seats quickly.
I used a Tungsten Carbide cutting bit on a dremel to open up the waterways. I've read 11-12mm is the aim so I made sure I was at least 12mm as I figure it better to be larger than smaller.
Little grinding stone used to sort of smooth out the hole after.
The decks were polished up with 600 grit sand paper. Most of this was done with soapy water and to the point where the sandpaper was quite worn so the finish should be good enough.

 

It looks great. My only concern now is getting rid of all those metal shavings. Going to take a serious cleaning.

 

Have the heads and camshafts back in place. Couldn't put the rear timing cover on because a seal is missing. Anyone know where I could get this seal from? Or more importantly what the part number is.

EDIT: found it

 

Engine is coming together now, next to go in is the primary timing chain, tensioner and then the front timing cover.
When taking the engine apart 2 or 3 coilpacks broke on the stem which sits over the plugs.
Been looking around and was wondering if people ever use coilpacks from the maxima/pathfinder etc.
They are the same engine? What could be different.....only differences i could think of is if they put out different amounts of power depending on how much power the car should make, or if the plug connector is a different shape.

 

More progress.
Had some dilemmas relating to the shorter heads. Firstly the timing cover bolts were a little off center but I got them all in. After that, the primary (big) timing chain fitted a bit 'loosely' as the distance between each camshaft was smaller and the distance between the camshafts to the crank was also smaller.
I decided to keep the timing as close to factory by retarding the left bank camshaft by 1 tooth and the crank by 2 teeth. (Same as advancing right bank 1 and left bank 2 with crank set to normal).
With this, when piston #1 is at TDC, the camshaft sprockets align very very close to parallel to the cylinder head directions.
That is also my coolant bleed valve sorted

 

Engine back in, just wiring and crank pulley/aux drive stuff

 

I'm worried about your timing being off. Was the chain stretched? If so you can get a new timing chain set. There's going to be a little slack until the tensioners pressurize with oil.

 

I don't think stretching was an issue. The difference is since the heads and deck have be skimmed a little, the camshafts sit closer to the crankshaft so the chain appears to be longer than normal. I set the camshafts and crankshaft as close to spot on and placed the chain around it as close to perfect as I could. I know JWT sell adjustable cam gears which would accommodate for the change here but the one and two teeth change seemed just about perfect for what I needed. Piston to Valve clearance shouldn't be a problem, timing should be very close to no problem. I'll manually crank the engine over a few times to build oil pressure as I know the tensioner will slap around till it's pressurized.
All seemed okay, right now alternator belt is loose, not sure if I have the extra fan pulley without a fan that needs to be fitted or if the belt is stretched badly....... add some oil to the right level and it will be ready to start.