RoccoC5 Posted May 23, 2014 Author Share Posted May 23, 2014 DAY TWELVE - CRANK PINNING & MORE RE-ASSEMBLY (3 hours) Hello Everyone! Well, after getting done with work late I didn't feel like doing much on the vette tonight. But one thing led to another and I actually got some sh*t done! I started by pinning the crank. Super easy job with the kit I bought off of a forum member. Speaking of, anyone looking for one? After that was done, I prepared to install the new ARP crank bolt: According to their instructions, I was to lube the bolt threads, head, and balancer face with the supplied "fastener assembly lubricant" and torque to 235 ft/lbs: Like last time, I put the car in fourth gear and had an assistant press the brakes. I certainly didn't want to roll off the jackstands! Everything went smoothly and the bolt didn't argue about the 235 ft/lbs: At this point I felt like I was on a roll, so I cranked through and got the rack in place. I struggled with this for about 20 minutes before getting a helping hand. It's a pain to maneuver the rack back into place while avoiding the ABS module and bracket, plus the passenger side mount with the bushing is a super tight fit. Got her done! To finish up for the night, I bolted up the power steering/alternator bracket: Man, there used to be so much more room down here!!! Hopefully more updates tomorrow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 Man, this is like a steak for a starving dog.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grape Ape Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 Most excellent job you are doing. Pics are always good for those that may need it later on. Keep up the great work.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoccoC5 Posted May 24, 2014 Author Share Posted May 24, 2014 Most excellent job you are doing. Pics are always good for those that may need it later on. Keep up the great work.... Thanks!!! I agree, I've looked at tons of other's threads before deciding to tackle this project myself! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoccoC5 Posted May 24, 2014 Author Share Posted May 24, 2014 DAY THIRTEEN - TOP END ASSEMBLY (5 hours) I almost forgot that I had valve springs to install! Late last night I spent a few hours out in the garage buttoning up the top end. Swapped the valve springs/seats/seals/retainers/locks and pushrods, plus installed my rocker arms which were freshened up with the Brian Tooley trunion upgrade. Finally, replaced the valve cover gaskets and bolt seals and snugged them up. I used a Proform dual spring compressor (pretty much the same as the Comp Cams and Crane versions) to swap the springs. I also used a de-cored compression tester hose to fill the cylinder with air to keep the valves up, plus I put the piston at TDC just in case. Most of the springs needed a few whacks on the retainer to dislodge the locks, and once that was done, it was an easy but time-consuming job. It would have went faster if I wasn't worried about valves dropping and didn't set each cylinder to TDC before removing the springs. I ended up getting #1 to TDC and replacing springs on 1 & 6, rotating the crank 90, replacing 8 & 5, rotating 90, replacing 7 & 4, rotating 90, and then finishing up with 3 & 2. A straw inserted through the plug hole helped me verify that the piston was at or near the top of its stroke, and I kept the transmission in gear so the compressed air wouldn't be able to rotate the crank. Here's the tool ready to work on cylinder #1: Old springs, seats, and seals out: Three cylinders done on the driver's side (apparently I got carried away and didn't take any pictures of the new stuff going in): My new pushrods: And a nice bag full of rockers! Thanks again to Joe and his team at Cordes Performance Racing for hooking me up with these. They look a lot tougher than the stockers now. All torqued to 22 ft/lbs and ready for action: Lastly, I bolted on the valve covers: Oh, and I also replaced the plugs with NGK TR6 gapped to 0.035". Water pump is next, and then I can start on the supercharger bracket. Now things are getting exciting! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCMSH Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 Giggity!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 Schwing! Odie odie odie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Final Effort Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 Since I've never touched a new Chevy engine. My question is, how did you put the cam in without pulling the lifters? Or did I miss that step? You had the intake back on before installing the cam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/results.cfm?partnumber=12595365 Just a guess... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LastC3 Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 yeah ... back up in the pix on post 34 he talked about the dowels holding the lifters in place .... I had not heard of this as yet either ..... but I'm still a bit old school my own self ............ great thread !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azmotorhead Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 Ever since the LT1 back in the 90's GM used those lifter retainers. Once you unload the rockers and rotate the cam 360* the lifters are pushed up away from the cam and held up by the lifter retainers. Sometimes they dont hold the lifter for as long as you need so installing the wooden dowels is great insurance. Rocco If you wont need the crank pinning setup after you're done I'll purchase it from you. As well as any other special tooling you want to unload Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoccoC5 Posted May 25, 2014 Author Share Posted May 25, 2014 http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/results.cfm?partnumber=12595365 Just a guess... yeah ... back up in the pix on post 34 he talked about the dowels holding the lifters in place .... I had not heard of this as yet either ..... but I'm still a bit old school my own self ............ great thread !!! Yep, the lifter trays that Shifty linked to will actually hold the lifters in place and the dowels are just a safety measure to stop them from falling into the block. The idea is that you remove the rockers and pushrods and spin the camshaft around a few times to push the lifters up into the trays. Then you stick 5/16 dowel -- I think there is a "real" aluminum tool for this, the dowel is the poor man's version -- through the two holes in the front of the block to catch any lifters that fall, although I've read that it's not foolproof and is still possible to drop a lifter into the engine. When I was installing my pushrods, I found that all lifters stayed in place in their trays, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 FWIW: Teh lifter trays can retro to a Gen I small block Chevy as well.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoccoC5 Posted May 25, 2014 Author Share Posted May 25, 2014 Rocco If you wont need the crank pinning setup after you're done I'll purchase it from you. As well as any other special tooling you want to unload Sure thing, Phil. I think I'll have a few things I won't need when this project is done. The valve spring compressor, a Kent Moore valve seal installer, the crank pin kit, and I'm sure a couple of other tools... Oh, and you can have the dowels, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoccoC5 Posted May 29, 2014 Author Share Posted May 29, 2014 DAY FOURTEEN - WATER PUMP & THROTTLE BODY (1.5 hours) Only had a few hours over the weekend to work on this. I wanted to get the rear supercharger bracket on today but it was not to be. However I did get a few steps closer. So, before I tore into the car I thought my water pump was leaking. As it turns out, the driver side gasket was leaking. The bolts on that side were obviously exposed to coolant: I cleaned them up with a wire wheel: And then I bolted on the new pump using new gaskets. Not sure if anyone will be interested in my old pump with < 20K miles, but I'll throw it up in the FS section. Next I installed the throttle body. It was pretty dirty so I cleaned it up before installing it. And that does it for today. DAY FIFTEEN - SUPERCHARGER BRACKET (1 hour) Ready to install the supercharger bracket, finally! The outboard accessory hole on the head was packed with crud, so I made an improvised thread chaser out of a 10mm x 1.5mm bolt. It worked pretty well to clean out the hole: The bracket went on pretty easily: I went ahead and bolted up the head unit even though I'll have to pull it off to install the belt and radiator. I couldn't help myself! It's a used kit and the Jake sticker was free. That does it for tonight. Here's a sneak peek for next time: I think I'm on the home stretch now. Here's what is left to do...probably missing a few things: Install Radiator Support - I still need to have a friend lower the tabs (maybe?) and fix the underside where it's seen too many driveways Install DeWitt's Radiator and fans Install PCV hoses and catch can Install coilpacks Intercooler, hoses, BOV Put in the gaugepod with wideband, boost, and fuel pressure gauges Install Fascia Add fluids Swap injectors and get PCM base tune (not sure if I'll do this or just swap them at the shop) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 I think I'm going to need some alone-time now.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desertdawg Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 Teh Shifty one beat me to it.... get it??? BEAT !!! Definitely a fun thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted Y Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 You're on the home stretch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoccoC5 Posted May 30, 2014 Author Share Posted May 30, 2014 I think I'm going to need some alone-time now.... Haha! Teh Shifty one beat me to it.... get it??? BEAT !!! Definitely a fun thread LOL, thanks! You're on the home stretch! Yeah, getting closer! A bunch of little things to wrap up, but it's coming. My goal was to finish it before my wedding (two weeks from now) but not sure I'll make that deadline. I dropped off the radiator support with my buddy last night. He's going to cleanup and reinforce the skid bars for me. We may end up lowering the tabs 1/2-1" or so, depending on how things line up with the cutdown radiator. We'll see. In the meantime I'm going to wire up the gauges. I went with an AEM fuel pressure and the wideband/boost failsafe gauge. Should look pretty sharp! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoccoC5 Posted June 4, 2014 Author Share Posted June 4, 2014 DAY SIXTEEN - GAUGES (4 hours) I wired up my AEM fuel pressure and wideband/boost gauges over the weekend. Working inside the car was a welcome change from crawling around under the hood. I started by drilling a hole into the engine compartment on the driver's side just below the hood release cables. This was for the vacuum hose for the boost gauge and the wire harnesses for the fuel pressure and wideband. From inside the car: And from outside the car, behind the fender liner: I tapped into existing wires under the dash for switched 12 volts, ground, and dimmer. The AEM wideband failsafe gauge also wires into the tach signal (this gauge is pretty cool...it can log up to 2.5 hours of data, plotting engine speed against boost and A/F ratio). The tach signal wire can be found in the gauge cluster harness. I was able to reach my hand behind the cluster to remove the harness and then soldered in the connection to pin A17: After that, I ran the wires for the fuel pressure sensor and wideband O2 sensor. Nothing too exciting here, so no pics. My XS Power x-pipe already had an extra bung for a wideband, so no need to weld one in: All done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoccoC5 Posted June 4, 2014 Author Share Posted June 4, 2014 DAY SEVENTEEN - INJECTORS, COIL PACKS (1 hour) Only had a little time to work on the car tonight. I decided I'll be pulling my PCM to get a base tune rather than swapping my injectors at the shop, so I went ahead and installed the new Siemens Deka 60 pound injectors. The old ones were stuck in the rail pretty good and required a some muscle to break them free. When installing, I put a tiny bit of oil on the o-rings and the new injectors slid in easily. One side done: After reinstalling the rail, I removed the schrader valve core and installed the fuel pressure sensor. The sensor is 1/8" NPT male, so I had to use an adapter. Most of the adapters I'd seen use a couple of fittings to adapt from 1/8" NPT to schrader, but I was able to find a one piece fitting. It's made by Metco Motorsports, p/n MFF0001: Lastly I reinstalled the coilpacks and spark plug wires to finish up this short session. One thing I noticed tonight is that I have a leak coming from the rear of the oil pan. The rear cover and seal were just replaced when I did the clutch... maybe it's the pan gasket? I didn't drain the oil before starting the job; could it be oil seeping through the rear seal since the front has been up in the air for a month? It definitely didn't leak before I started... Here you can see the oil dripping from the bellhousing: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 I hate stinkin' leaks.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoccoC5 Posted June 5, 2014 Author Share Posted June 5, 2014 I removed my PCM yesterday so I could have a base tune applied for the larger injectors. Man, this thing is a mess! It was really stuck in the bracket and of course when I yanked it free part of the bracket came with it. Epoxy time... There's a bunch of this white chalky crap on the PCM... maybe the battery leaked at one time or another? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Teh previous owner of my FRC had a bad enough battery leak that they replaced teh PCM and harnesses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LastC3 Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 We've got a 411 PCM at the shop should you need one ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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