ok i took it in to the chevy dealership here and their "know it all" man looked at it for me and diagnosed the tick/knock as a carbon buildup and nothing to worry about. he said i could de-carbon it but it would return on 15k or so. well i wanted to de-carbon it to make sure that was the problem so i did the full complete seafoam treatment to gas, oil and through the vacuum line. tick is still there and just as niticable as before. i dont think its piston slap simply b/c the sound doesnt go away as the car warms but gets louder. the knock gets more rapid with revs but doesnt get any louder. i crawled uner the car with it turned on and the sounds seems to be (simply by listening) coming from the very bottom, front of the motor, on the passengers side. my question is vague i know, but im wondering if any of you have any ideas so i know what to look for and what to check next. i'm thinking oil pump or timing chain (a couple non-LS1 guys have told me that it sounds like a timing chain but i'm not familiar with what that sounds like and i dont think that would increase as the engine gets warmer. anyone?

 

whats your oil psi? and you could do yourself a favor by dropping the pan and seeing whats going on in your oil....metal and such

 

pressure ranges anywhere from 45ish-60 during regular driving. 600rpm idle leaves the psi at about 48 or so. car burns no oil and runs fine. has 52K on the clock

 

him that doesnt sound like a pump problem or bearing problem....more of something in the heads

 

i think im just going to take it back in tomorrow and leave it there so they can take an indepth look at it. i figure with a stethascope they will fine the location of the sound and better be able to fix it then me asking questions on here. so.......wish me luck

 

BAD NEWS today from the dealership. its got excessive piston slap on 4 pistons and the rear main bearing is whats causing the rattle. basically im fucked. im going to try to fix it asap before this causes something catastrophic. i guess new bearings, rings and gaskets huh? out she comes i guess. **** "her"!!!

 

weighing my options....anyone know what a good used shortblock would cost? anyone know of one?

 

call Texas-speed.com them guys have a hell of a shortblock its a 347 forged shortblock like $2800 forged pistons, and rods with a stock crank assembled with arp goodies and ready to go..