[Sledge4.2]

he did make sure bulls and lamborghini branding was all over the place. the number of the beast for sure!

 

[SPGlass]

I've finished degreeing the cams. I have degreed cams before but not on my Diablo. I was surprised by how easy and quick it was. I did it without any of the Lamborghini tools shown in the manual. This is what I used:

• Slide hammer with M3 bolt with a larger head welded onto it so that the slide hammer could grip it
• Degree wheel
• 24-25mm wrench
• Hammer and punch
• Dial indicator with long extension
• Steel plate or flat bar stock to mount dial indicator to

The WSM actually explains this process quite well so I'm not going to go into that unless anyone has any specific questions. Here are some pictures of how I set everything up. I also did a video of doing the 7-12 cams that I may post on Youtube. As you can see in the last two pictures, the marks on the cams were close but not exact. I know a lot of people just line up these marks and run with it but I don't suggest doing so. With the cams set to the marks, at least one of the cams was more than 50% over spec.

 

[Sledge4.2]

Looking good seth.

can you describe the chain tightening process you are using?

 

[SPGlass]

Thanks Geno!

For the manual tensioners I just adjust them by feel. I press firmly down on the tensioner lever and turn the tensioner bolt against it. My understanding is that you do not want them tight but just taking up any slack.

 

[SPGlass]

I'm chipping away at my project a little bit every night. Although I have had so many setbacks that it is going very slowly. Last week I somehow dropped a nut down into one of the cylinders after I put the heads on. I guess thats what I should expect when working on it late at night. I was so pissed at myself. Stupid mistake really but not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. At least I knew I dropped it in there.

I was thinking that I could get away without removing the heat shield from my headers and having them ceramic coated but just before I put them back on tonight I ran a bore scope down them and found what looks like a crack through one of them. So it looks like they are coming apart and I will be fixing them and ceramic coating them.

 

[SPGlass]

The valve covers are now back on and back in black. They were powder coated red by a previous owner.

 

[Sledge4.2]

I thought you decided to keep them red thematically with the rest of the car which I thought worked. Black is good too. I have been thinking of getting the quicksilver headers

 

[SPGlass]

I was going to keep them red but I had to freshen it up anyway. I went back and forth between red and black but ultimately decided on black. The intake I will be keeping red which I think will look great above the black valve covers.

 

[SPGlass]

As posted previously, the headers had a crack. Below you can see the crack after removing the aluminum shields. Just another reason I don’t like the shields. I managed to cut them all of with my plasma torch without too much damage to the headers. NOT an easy job! I’m think it would have taken days with a cutoff wheel! I’ve got the crack fixed and they are all all cleaned up and blasted now ready for C series Cerakote Glacier Silver. I could spend a day getting them perfectly smooth but I’m not going for perfection. Just want them to look good and function well.

 

[leslie_choo]

Wow ! What a great work . Seth, do you plan to install the header with the existing or new heat shield or just ceramic coat them ? As per Geno’s comment quicksilver carries these headers and you can order with ceramic coated version too . I am not sure will this help in term of performance and it cost 3-4 k I believe . My headers have 2 big ugly dents on the heatshield so looking at options.

https://quicksilverexhausts.store/products/diablo-manifolds-1991-02?variant=43836645575

 

[SPGlass]

Wow ! What a great work . Seth, do you plan to install the header with the existing or new heat shield or just ceramic coat them ? As per Geno’s comment quicksilver carries these headers and you can order with ceramic coated version too . I am not sure will this help in term of performance and it cost 3-4 k I believe . My headers have 2 big ugly dents on the heatshield so looking at options.

Lamborghini Diablo Manifolds (1991-02)

Thanks Leslie. I am just doing the ceramic coating. I don’t think the aluminum shields will be necessary. My shields were very dented and scratched. I cut them at the welds so that they could possibly be reattached but I have no intention of doing so. The stock headers seem like a good design to me. I do wish they were equal length which would change the tone but the sound of a Diablo is so iconic I’m not sure I want to change that.

 

[SPGlass]

Headers all Cerakoted. They had thick mill scale on them in places which I didn’t remove so the finish could be better but I am still very happy with how they turned out. The engine is now complete and will likely be going back in later today! 🤞🏻

 

[DiabloClyde]

Seth, fantastic job. I think you need some heat shielding on those headers though. The heat coming off of there is tremendous and the aluminum shields, while rudimentary for Lamborghini to do so, prevents a lot of heat from burning up your electronics on the driver side which is only inches away. On the passenger side you’ve got hoses in the radiator and fuel supply lines, as you know. All that he needs to be pushed backwards.

 

[SPGlass]

Seth, fantastic job. I think you need some heat shielding on those headers though. The heat coming off of there is tremendous and the aluminum shields, while rudimentary for Lamborghini to do so, prevents a lot of heat from burning up your electronics on the driver side which is only inches away. On the passenger side you’ve got hoses in the radiator and fuel supply lines, as you know. All that he needs to be pushed backwards.

I'm not really sure how it compares to the aluminum shields but Cerakote is said to reduce heat by 40%. All of the aftermarket headers I have seen for the Diablo have no coating or shielding so I feel like I will at least be better off than that. Has anyone here had heat issues with aftermarket headers? The fuel lines are a good ways away so I'm not too concerned about them. The wires and hoses I feel are far away enough that it won't be an issue but I am certainly going to be keeping an eye on everything to make sure nothing is getting too hot. I did add an extra layer of aluminized fiberglass heat shield over the top of the panels on either side of the engine.

 

[AngelOfMurci]

I'm not really sure how it compares to the aluminum shields but Cerakote is said to reduce heat by 40%. All of the aftermarket headers I have seen for the Diablo have no coating or shielding so I feel like I will at least be better off than that. Has anyone here had heat issues with aftermarket headers? The fuel lines are a good ways away so I'm not too concerned about them. The wires and hoses I feel are far away enough that it won't be an issue but I am certainly going to be keeping an eye on everything to make sure nothing is getting too hot. I did add an extra layer of aluminized fiberglass heat shield over the top of the panels on either side of the engine.

I wonder it there’s a tool that allows one to place wireless sensors through out the engine bay and measure the temperatures during a lengthy drive? Sure would alleviate a lot of concerns.

 

[SPGlass]

I wonder it there’s a tool that allows one to place wireless sensors through out the engine bay and measure the temperatures during a lengthy drive? Sure would alleviate a lot of concerns.

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. There are plenty of bluetooth thermometers that would be pretty easy the rig up.

 

[Sledge4.2]

Badass

 

[SPGlass]

It feels surreal saying this but the engine is finally back in! I did it by myself so it took some time. A lot of back an forth checking things and getting it into position. Start to finish it was about 2 hours just getting into place. I wish I could just fire it up immediately and get it out on the road but it's going to be at least a couple weeks before I can get back at it.
Just a tip for anyone doing this themselves. Use a load leveler like I did. Just be sure to position it so that the handle is toward the rear of the engine unlike what it did.

 

[AngelOfMurci]

It feels surreal saying this but the engine is finally back in! I did it by myself so it took some time. A lot of back an forth checking things and getting it into position. Start to finish it was about 2 hours just getting into place. I wish I could just fire it up immediately and get it out on the road but it's going to be at least a couple weeks before I can get back at it.
Just a tip for anyone doing this themselves. Use a load leveler like I did. Just be sure to position it so that the handle is toward the rear of the engine unlike what it did.
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Impressive! Can’t wait to hear it fire up

 

[Sledge4.2]

i have to say, all those coated pieces are really making it come to life.