Part 2 First Performance Mods and Build of Harbor Freight 224cc Predator Engine, Fitting 224 Parts

@ 20:50 I said "Wrist pins" I meant and should have said, "Wrist Pin Retainers"

This has been Part 2 of the 224 Predator performance engine build. I purchased this engine and performance parts to share the details with you and to have some engine building fun. I'll be building a few engines anyway so if there's enough interest I'll make a few videos while I work. I enjoy the comments and tossing around ideas with Subscribers. You'll find a lot of engine builders subscribed here and at times the comments on some videos starts to look like a brainstorming session on engine theory. New first time engine builders as well as old timers and seasoned pros gather here and all are welcome and appreciated!

I always suggest everyone search online to find the best prices on parts. I've included the part numbers and the best current prices I've found and paid for the parts below at the time of this video.

224 Predator Parts list from EC Carburetors:
70mm Flat Top Piston Kit: Part# 34004-00075-00-K $19.99

Tillotson 70mm .045 Head Gasket : Part# 138210129 $5.50
Harbor Freight 70mm .054 Head Gasket : Part# 1231-Z530120-00 $5.50

You'll need to choose your head gasket thickness based on the amount of quench you want for your 224 Predator engine. (The distance between the top of the piston and the bottom of the cylinder head)
Some guys like around .030 to .035, I prefer .020 to .025 on a billet bearing rod engine but on this one I'm probably gonna stick with .035+ as the crankshaft is pretty soft and will likely flex quite a bit. I'll be using the .045 head gasket on this 224 Predator engine.

The Predator 224 engine is one of the best harbor freight engines to ever come out in my opinion. The 58mm stroke crankshaft and the DUCAR reinforced block are worth the price of the engine alone.

The Stock Predator 224 rod and dished piston combo is below the deck. Mine measured out at .003 below deck (in the hole .003)

Tennessee ThunderStix Banzai 265 Race Camshaft Kit with Lifters and 26lb Springs:
Part# TTS-265 $54.99 Cam will require a bit of grinding for clearance of the crankshaft. Just match it up with the stock cam clearance cuts

Connecting Rod: EC Pinnacle 3.353 Forged Rod with bearing Part# 8281 $79.95

I have verified this rod does work with the 70mm Flat top Wildcat piston kit above. There is just shy of .008 pop up of the piston above the deck on my block. Some guys are reporting as little as .006 and some as much as .010 above deck. Be sure to check yours and adjust your gasket thickness to match your chosen quench distance. The .010 gasket will not work for this rod and piston combination so I am removing it from the parts list and updating with a better choice for this piston and rod combo.

EC Rod bearing inserts for Rod: Part# 8394 $17.50 (if you want a spare)

If you plan on using a stock type connecting rod for a governed application but still want to run the flat top piston:

WildCat 223 Stock Connecting Rod: Part# 20008-00005-00 $6.99
This rod fits without any clearance work to the block and has the correct pin size for the flat top Wildcat piston kit (.709) I would shorten the dipper a bit if using the stock type rod. The rod puts the piston in excess of .030 below the deck so a longer stock rod would be a better choice for the 224 Predator block. The Wildcat rod would be better suited for a Hemi type block build as they have a much lower deck height as compared to the 224 Predator block.

VM22 - 26mm Mikuni clone Type Carburetor Kit with intake, all the mounting bolts and hardware, fuel line, fuel filter, air filter and this one also includes a set of jets for tuning. $54.99

Twist type Mini Bike Throttle Kit $15.99

Wrist pin specs:
Predator 224 wrist pin diameter .715
Flat Top Wildcat Piston wrist pin diameter .709

Bore Specs: 70mm
Stroke: 58mm

This 224 Predator build with this part combination is a mild high compression build. It will require Race Gasoline fuel 95-100 octane to run properly. Methanol would be a better but this build will work on high octane Race Gas or Aviation Fuel. Timing needs to be kept around 28 degrees. This can be tricky as most aftermarket billet flywheels are around 34 degrees at "0" or "stock" timing key position. You may need to retard the timing by moving the flywheel counter-clockwise a few degrees by using an offset timing key or like I do by deleting the timing key and simply moving the flywheel counter-clockwise about the same amount as an offset flywheel key would.

Example: The EC Rev billet flywheel I used on this build has 34 degrees advance "built in", meaning I had to retard the flywheel about 6 degrees during the install to accommodate the Race Gasoline fuel. I moved the flywheel 6 degrees counter-clockwise to decrease or "retard" the ignition timing.

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