derekf.com

23 Aug 2022
A Comedy of Errors

Heads - need at least a valve seal cleanup (compound and lapping suction stick thing) and probably new seals.

I put the new seals that came with the valves on with a mallet. This was not the correct way. About half of them the little seal-springs got tweaked.

Installed the new springs. They're " Summit Racing™ Dual Valve Spring Upgrade Kits for GM LS SME-174003" and came with the retainers, locks, seals, and springs. I only lost two retainers!

Assembled.

Not pictured: I tore them back apart and replaced the seals using the correct tool. I'm pretty sure at some point I mentioned finding a box of parts of unknown origin that included two sets of GM-branded LS exhaust seals (but I can't find a reference now), those seals got used.

The cam retainer plate had a built-in gasket that was coming apart, so it was time to replace it. I bought a new one, threw the old one away, and bolted it together.

The engine wouldn't spin.

Since the cam is recessed slightly from the plate, putting the gear on would bind it up.

So I went to go take a micrometer to everything.. took the plate off to measure, then was going to pull the cam out to compare the face depth thing against the cam that came out.. and the original plate was also in place, making it all bind up. What did I throw away?

With that sorted, I could put the pump together.

The Holley swap pan uses PF48 filters instead of PF46.

While I'm at it: a) this engine is ~100 pounds heavier than the old one, and b) I'm a little lower in the front than I'd prefer (~3" to to the crossmember). The springs are on adjusters, so easy enough to change.

The springs are 750lb, and if memory serves, the ratio of spring height to ride height is .5 to 1 (half an inch of spring height change means 1 inch of ride height).

Added 1/8" for the added 100 lbs, and also 1/2" to raise the front an inch.

Again with yet another set of head bolts.

Orange is the appropriate color. Not least because the water pump is already orange.

I sprayed a coat of the SPI epoxy sealer before the orange, so hopefully it'll hold up better.

These are the donor motor's plugs.

I am not quite sure what has happened to this motor. Both the front and rear plates are non-stock, but the bores still measure out at 4". The rocker arms were torqued way down for some reason.

Pilot bearing installed.

Just like back in 2008, I had all sorts of trouble getting the clutch to align. I think this was disassemble-and-reassemble number four.

Eventually, of course, I was successful. I came about this close to having the original flywheel surfaced and ditching the dual-disk. I think I spent about 7 hours in total trying to get things to line up.

And then I noticed something:

The cam card (pictured last update) says 0.625" lift on the intake and 0.605" on the exhaust.

The Summit springs say coil bind at 0.600".

Sigh. New springs. The new ones are Trick Flow and support up to 0.660" if I want to get fancier.

Successfully swapped them out on the engine without pulling the heads.

And then it was time to put the engine in!

And then it didn't line up. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get it to go far enough back.

It broke my fancy AC box that I made.

And the coolant temp sender. And the oil pressure sender. And dented the fuel line. And and and and. Sigh

Then I compared what I was seeing with the pic of the old motor out (from the 31 Jul update).. well, carp. I put the mounts on the correct sides, but upside down - so it was putting the mount much further forward on the engine than it was meant to be.

Corrected, and mounted.

As you can see above, I started putting the headers on (and everything else).. but I couldn't get the backmost bolt on the driver's side to start. Took a mirror-on-a-stick to it...

and yeah, as one would expect, it's a broken bolt in that hole, because of course it is.

With a welder and vice grips, I was able to get the bolt out.

Only scratched the paint up a little. Also you can see the damage to the AC box in the background.

AC box must be fixed before I go forward.

It's not perfect (the bottom edge never was) but it'll do.

I cleaned the intake. When I shook it it would rattle, and with enough shaking I was able to get these chunks of piston out of it. Glad I looked!

I'd started the cleaning with the intent of replacing the gaskets and o-rings to try and track down the vacuum leak.

I actually found the leak when I was looking at the intake though. This port (circled) is open to the intake, and per this pic from the 21 June 2022 update, it was not plugged.

Yeah, that's not going to be a problem now.

Re-assembly continues. Ran out of daylight but it's close to fluids and first start. I am not quite sure why the wiring is so haphazard now; something is taking up slack I had before.

Hopefully there's not any more dumb. I think I've hit my quota here.

Go back to the previous day (7 Aug 2022)

	Heads - need at least a valve seal cleanup (compound and lapping suction stick thing) and probably new seals.
I put the new seals that came with the valves on with a mallet. This was not the correct way. About half of them the little seal-springs got tweaked.
	Installed the new springs. They're " Summit Racing™ Dual Valve Spring Upgrade Kits for GM LS SME-174003" and came with the retainers, locks, seals, and springs. I only lost two retainers!
Assembled. Not pictured: I tore them back apart and replaced the seals using the correct tool. I'm pretty sure at some point I mentioned finding a box of parts of unknown origin that included two sets of GM-branded LS exhaust seals (but I can't find a reference now), those seals got used.
	The cam retainer plate had a built-in gasket that was coming apart, so it was time to replace it. I bought a new one, threw the old one away, and bolted it together. The engine wouldn't spin.
Since the cam is recessed slightly from the plate, putting the gear on would bind it up.
	So I went to go take a micrometer to everything.. took the plate off to measure, then was going to pull the cam out to compare the face depth thing against the cam that came out.. and the original plate was also in place, making it all bind up. What did I throw away?
With that sorted, I could put the pump together.
	The Holley swap pan uses PF48 filters instead of PF46.
While I'm at it: a) this engine is ~100 pounds heavier than the old one, and b) I'm a little lower in the front than I'd prefer (~3" to to the crossmember). The springs are on adjusters, so easy enough to change. The springs are 750lb, and if memory serves, the ratio of spring height to ride height is .5 to 1 (half an inch of spring height change means 1 inch of ride height). Added 1/8" for the added 100 lbs, and also 1/2" to raise the front an inch.
	Again with yet another set of head bolts.
Orange is the appropriate color. Not least because the water pump is already orange.
	I sprayed a coat of the SPI epoxy sealer before the orange, so hopefully it'll hold up better. These are the donor motor's plugs.
I am not quite sure what has happened to this motor. Both the front and rear plates are non-stock, but the bores still measure out at 4". The rocker arms were torqued way down for some reason.
	Pilot bearing installed.
Just like back in 2008, I had all sorts of trouble getting the clutch to align. I think this was disassemble-and-reassemble number four.
	Eventually, of course, I was successful. I came about this close to having the original flywheel surfaced and ditching the dual-disk. I think I spent about 7 hours in total trying to get things to line up.
And then I noticed something: The cam card (pictured last update) says 0.625" lift on the intake and 0.605" on the exhaust. The Summit springs say coil bind at 0.600". Sigh. New springs. The new ones are Trick Flow and support up to 0.660" if I want to get fancier. Successfully swapped them out on the engine without pulling the heads.
	And then it was time to put the engine in!
And then it didn't line up. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get it to go far enough back.
	It broke my fancy AC box that I made.
And the coolant temp sender. And the oil pressure sender. And dented the fuel line. And and and and. Sigh Then I compared what I was seeing with the pic of the old motor out (from the 31 Jul update).. well, carp. I put the mounts on the correct sides, but upside down - so it was putting the mount much further forward on the engine than it was meant to be. Corrected, and mounted.
	As you can see above, I started putting the headers on (and everything else).. but I couldn't get the backmost bolt on the driver's side to start. Took a mirror-on-a-stick to it...
and yeah, as one would expect, it's a broken bolt in that hole, because of course it is.
	With a welder and vice grips, I was able to get the bolt out.
Only scratched the paint up a little. Also you can see the damage to the AC box in the background.
	AC box must be fixed before I go forward.
It's not perfect (the bottom edge never was) but it'll do.
	I cleaned the intake. When I shook it it would rattle, and with enough shaking I was able to get these chunks of piston out of it. Glad I looked!
I'd started the cleaning with the intent of replacing the gaskets and o-rings to try and track down the vacuum leak.
	I actually found the leak when I was looking at the intake though. This port (circled) is open to the intake, and per this pic from the 21 June 2022 update, it was not plugged.
Yeah, that's not going to be a problem now.
	Re-assembly continues. Ran out of daylight but it's close to fluids and first start. I am not quite sure why the wiring is so haphazard now; something is taking up slack I had before.