Hey all,

I thought I would start a build thread since I have posted a few different threads about my trials/progress. Here she is the week I brought her home.



Picked up for a steal for the shape that it was/is/hopefully will be again... in, little did I know of the blood/sweat/tears (yeah thats right I'm man enough to admit it) that would await me.

 

So all is well, Driving to work on a Tuesday morning and as Im leaving the neighborhood all of the sudden I hear this high freq grinding noise. Pull over, pop hood and the motor on the drivers side is vibrating real bad. My first though was, bad motor mount, really bad exhaust leak, rod, something not normal anyway. After thread upon thread, upon google search, come to find out it was a bad valve guide and a burnt exhaust valve. So I started looking into a motor replacement/swap.

 

Later that day at work, me and a buddy start looking for machine shops in town. Found a place that seemed to have a good reputation based on a few reviews and testimonys. I contact them and speak to the guy that manages the shop, seems like a good guy who knows his stuff. Bored yet? hang on getting good real soon. Ill cut to the good parts. Pull the motor, takes 3 days in 100+ degree weather, get it down there, he says it will take about 4 days, ok, great, we leave. Call after call, after call... He starts ducking my calls, not answering messages, when he does answer its a song and dance about a 70 chevelle or a 400 cleveland. Basically made promise after promise and never came through... more to come, have to go grab a beer.

 

Sounds like it is going to be a rough run. I will be finishing my beer waiting for the rest of the story.

 

Can someone hand me a beer??? haha

 

1 Heineken for me please. Do go on...

 

damn sorry, got distracted by Medium, Alisons daughter was possesed and nevermind... Alright So Bring the motor to him and he says a week. Fast forward to the present a MONTH!! later I get the motor back.



Goofy face I know, not sure if that was a half smile or I was starting to think of a joke or what, anyway. So motor looks good, clean, awesome. Go to town on it.

 

changing throwout bearing...



Motor in...

 

It was so hot the day the motor in, I had heat blisters on my shoulders from laying on the ground. The infared temp gun read 170+ on the asphalt! My wife was a trooper, without her there was no way I would have got that pilot bearing lined up with the transmition shaft, giggity. thanks babe.

It took a day or two for vacuum lines, hoses, wiring. We planned on starting it on Monday night.

 

So Monday took half of forever to be over. I was so stoked to be off work. We ate dinner quick and went out to put in the oil and coolant. SO! the moment of truth hath arrived. I pulled the coil and turned it over a few times to get the bottom end oiled real good, plugged it back in and fired it up! Started like a champ, got out, stared for a minute, sounded good, looked down, Mother -son-of-a-firetrucker. Every fluid that could go in the motor besides windshield washer was on the driveway.

 

Soooo where is it all leaking from??? I bet you left off the oil pan gasket haha jk

 

If only it were my fault yotamonsta, then I could just be mad at me.

Ok so, when they meaning machine shops, tank the block they remove the oil galley plugs and water jacket plugs in order to let the acid get in there and do it's job. Well I guess you can just tap the holes and use threaded plugs in them once the steel balls are removed. If someone knows this to be bad practice please chime in. Well if those plugs are put in to deep they will apparently block the oil passage and can build up pressure and leak right passed the threads, and if they are not sealed properly this can obviously be bad as well. Which is all why I have a 3 foot wide streak down my driveway. The good news is the fuel leaking from a bad pulsation sensor ate most of the oil. The coolant leak im not to sure about. I am afraid that to might have to do with those plugs if they indeed do plug some water jacket on the block, but when I shut it down I noticed green bubbles coming from the heater hose connection on top where it goes into the firewall. It is a brand new hose and the clamp is tight, so that I will have to look at when I get it back. Everything I have said is just what the mechanic told me so none of this I have seen with my own eyes nor do I know if any of it is true. It would make sense though given the locations of the oil stream coming down the front and back of the motor.

 

scribed. Want to see where this goes. Good luck man i'm keeping my fingers crossed.

 

Thanks. I will keep you all up to date when I find out more. He was working on it on Saturday so hopefully he will be done soon, but like I said always some sob story why he's not.

Can anyone verify that it os ok to plug these with something other than the steel balls?

 

that sucks Sal i hope you get it fixed....you still got a damn good looking truck even without the motor

 

Good luck my friend, seems as if you have a good head on your shoulders. I'm sure you'll figure out the problem soon.

 

As far as i know the oil galley plugs, at least in the 22re, are threaded and require a threaded plug to fit in there. LCengineering's website sells them and you can most likely get them from the dealer as well. I've never heard of there being a steel ball fitting in there instead of the threaded oil galley plugs but what do i know.

 

Talked to the mechanic today. Not done, said his goal is Wednesday. We shall see, super miss my truck at the moment. I just keep thinking of all the work I put into it for a month, cleaning, painting, and making sure everything was tourqed to spec and having it all torn down and slapped back together as fast as possible. Need to stop thinking I know. Time for a cigar, will report back Wed.

 

10-4!!!

 

today is the day we have all been waiting for, haha