When working on an engine, it is important to know the engine block's height so that you know what size parts will fit. A perfect rod-to-stroke ratio can boost the performance of your engine, however, an incorrect ratio can damage it. An engine block's height is measured using the piston compression height and the connecting rod length. With some basic math and a few measurements, you can determine the engine block's height in a matter of minutes.
Measure from the top of the piston to just above the piston's rings. Write this measurement down.
Measure the width of the piston's pin.
Divide the piston pin's width by two and add that value to your first measurement to determine the piston's compression height.
Measure the distance between the large hole on the connecting rod and the small hole on the connecting rod. Measure from the inside edge of each hole. Write this number down.
Measure the diameter of the large and small holes on the connecting rod.
Add the diameters of the two holes together and divide by two. Add this value to the distance between them to determine the length of the rod from the origin of the small hole to the origin of the large hole.
Add the piston compression height to the rod length to determine the engine block height.
