Soft plugs
You will need to devise some sort of plug smacker. We use a large socket, a length of pipe and a small sledge, but we're sure you can come up with something suitable if you don't have these. Work on one plug at a time.

Make sure the mounting surface in the block is clean and dry. Lay a small bead of sealant (we use a two-part epoxy) around the rim of the hole and press a plug squarely into it. Center the flat side of the socket over the plug, place the pipe into the socket and smack the pipe with the sledge until you have a round flat spot about 3/4 of an inch in diameter in the plug. Repeat five more times until all the plugs are installed (leave the cam galley plug for later).

Crankshaft
No tricks here beyond keeping the retaining caps matched to the right position and keeping everything realy clean -- lay they bearing shells into the block, coat with assembly lube, lay the crank into the shells. Install the other half of the shells into the retaining caps, coat with lube, and bolt them on. Torque the bolts down in steps. You should be able to turn the crank by hand pretty readily with no "hanging" -- if anything binds, fix it now.

Pistons
New rings: brush lots of oil/STP on the pistons. Spread the rings with your ring expander -- some "feel" is necessary in order to get the rings wide enough to slip over the top of the pistons without breaking them or scoring the piston. Obviously, the three-piece bottom ring needs to go on first, then the dull one-piece ring (if there's a step cut in it, it faces down), then the shiny top ring. Turn the rings so the gaps are staggered around the piston.

When assembling the connecting rods, just coat the wristpin bushings with lube and make sure the circlips seat completely. Your balancer may have marked which piston is which, so keep things matched. Remember, the slot in the top of the piston faces forward.

Brush lots of oil/STP all over the #1 piston and cylinder. Turn the piston/rod assembly the right way around and carefully guide it into the cylinder. Adjust your ring compressor so it squeezes the rings enough to go in, but not so tightly that you can't gently tap the piston out of the compressor. You'll get the idea very quickly.

Connect the big end bearings and end caps to the crank using lots of lube (keep the caps matched and facing the right way!). Torque the nuts evenly. Install the other pistons the same way.

Camshaft
Make sure the machine shop installed your cam bearings so the oil holes line up with the passages in the block (can you poke the end of a paper clip through the holes?). Coat the cam bearings in the block with assembly lube. Tap the Woodruff key into the nose of the cam. Slide the cam into the block, being very careful not to nick your new bearings. Install the brass retaining plate. Put the spacer back on the nose of the cam.

Here's a tricky part: the cam timing gear is an "interference fit" with the nose of the cam -- it doesn't just slide on freely. Since you probably don't have the special Volvo tool that installs the gear, here's a "work around." Cool the nose of the cam ("circuit freeze" spray from an electronics store works well, or pack it with ice in a plastic bag for a while) and warm the timing gear in your oven. No, it won't melt -- think of how hot the engine gets every day.

Position #1 piston to top dead center (TDC) and the cam so that the marks on both timing gears will be right together when assembled (think this out carefully!). You should now be able to put the hot gear on the cold cam almost all the way. Working quickly, jam the gears with a shop rag and torque down the nut. You should still be able to turn the engine without undue force.

Good! That was the hardest part in the whole engine building process. You can now install the plug at the rear of the cam just like you did the other soft plugs.

Reinstall the timing gear oiler! While you're at it, put the oil galley plugs back in as well.

Main seals
If the seal surfaces on the crankshaft are less than shiny clean, shine them up now so you don't chew up your new main seals. Coat them with oil/STP. Be careful that you don't let the seals fold over and that the spring stays around them when installing.

The large rear main seal need to be centered around the crank -- position it carefully while tightening the seal housing bolts.

The front seal is in the timing gear cover. Leave this off until you install the distributor gear so you can check the position of the cam.

Oil pump and distributor gear
It is very important to your engine's oil pressure that the oil pump pipe seals properly to the pump and with the block. Be careful with these seals!

Tilt the block so the distributor side faces up. Turn the crank so the #1 piston is at TDC and the marks in the timing gears line up. Refer to your drawing and put the distributor drive gear back into place (lube the shaft where it goes through the bushing).

You can now jockey the oil pump into position so it mates with the bottom of the shaft. Double check the gear's position, and bolt the pump to the block. Once you're happy with this, reinstall the distributor to hold the gear in place (you can always remove it later for painting after you get done tilting the engine around).

Everything else
It should now be pretty obvious how everything else goes back together, so we'll leave you with the following hints. Be sure to observe all torque specs as you go. Spread the gasket sealer thinly and smoothly (a plastic picnic knife makes a good spreader). If in doubt, use Loctite on fasteners.

Remove any "dimples" in the oil pan mating surface with a hammer while supporting the back side with a piece of wood. This also works for the valve cover.

Coat the lifter bores with lots of oil/STP. Put a generous dollop of assembly lube on the surface that contacts the cam. If you're reusing your old cam and lifters, remember that the lifters have to go back in their old bores. No tipping the motor over with lifters in it until the pushrods are installed!

One side of the head gasket should be stamped with the head's thickness (e.g.: .050) -- that's the top (some are stamped "top" as well). Never use sealer on the head or manifold gasket. Use anti-sieze compound on the threads of the head bolts (no Loctite). Whenever you put the water pump on, don't forget the two O-rings that mate to the head surface.

Tighten all the head bolts lightly. Then torque the bolts to 25 ft/lbs in the following order: both center bolts, then the ones immediately to the front of center, then the ones to the rear, then the frontmost, then the rearmost. Repeat the whole sequence at 35 ft/lbs, then 45, 50, 55 and 60, always working from the center of the head outwards. We'll tighten these a bit more after the motor's in the car and has been run a bit.

Disregard the torque specs your manual might have for the rocker assembly bolts -- these have a fine thread and clamp very tightly, which makes them easy to break. Torque them to 10-12 lbs/ft (about 1.5 kg/m) and use Loctite on their threads. Of course, you put the pushrods in first, right?

If you had the flywheel and clutch balanced, match up any marks. If you don't have a clutch pilot tool, use the transmission itself to position the clutch friction plate while you tighten the clutch cover in easy stages. If you forgot the pilot bearing, it will now be obvious.

Put as much stuff on the engine as was on it when you pulled it out of the car. Now, it's time to put it back in.

Next section: On the road again