to get access to the bottom end you lower/drop the K-member and remove the oil pan, correct? or is there other steps that need to be taken. trying to diagnos a problem so i know for sure if i need to start saving up for a new APE 347 shortblock. i'd like to check out the main bearings, rod bolts, ect. i've never fucked with the bottom end so any would be appreciated. already got the exhaust, drive shaft, tranny, bellhousing and clutch/flywheel off. so i figure it wont be too much more work to check the bottom end out.

 

engine is mounted to the k-member, so your engine will come down as well

 

Make sure to support the engine with a tranny jack or something....otherwise when you unbolt the K-member, you will be in for a surprise to say the least. Can you catch 400 lbs in your arms and set it down lightly?

 

how hard is it to lower the K-member; is it a pain in the *** or relatively easy. im mechanically inclined enough to do it but i hate pain in the *** ****. GM always seems to put a bolt or two in some places that make you go "what the hell were they thinking "

 

Hence, the oil tube to oil pump bolt...

I doubt there is an easy way to get the oil pan off short of pulling the engine.

 

With the tranny and bell housing already out of the car, it would be real easy to just pull the engine out from the top with an engine hoist and put it on a stand. IMO, if you are going to be pulling main and rod caps, you want the engine on a stand, not half assed supported in a car with no K-member.

 

i thought about that as well, i didnt plan on tearing the whole engine apart though and mainly wanted to do a quick visual inspection and check if something is in the pan.

whats an engine stand and hoist run anyway?

 

Yup. Pull it out of the top with a hoist. There is no way you can do any kind of a real inspection with the motor in the car. You need to pull it, put it on a stand, and get out the measuring tools. Otherwise, just leave it in the car it isn't worth the time and effort. You can't inspect a motor when it is assembled.

 

BTW...you can pick up a decent stand for $50, a decent hoist for $150-200. If you're going to buy a stand, buy two. You'll want it later when you're dealing with two motors out of the car at the same time.

 

You can rent engine hoists around here for $15/day. Harbor Freight has a decent 4 leg stand for $50. I do not recomend 3 legged engine stands. They tent to want to tip over too easy.

 

thanks guys, i'll look into it

 

If your oil pressure is good and no audible noises, then don't touch it. If you don't see gold flakes in your oil in the sunshine then you are more then likely ok. You don't want to introduce any problems by tearing it apart and putting it back together. If it ain't broke then don't fix it. You could get an oil analysis and it would tell you what is going on or if you get one of those tools to cut open a oil filter. Then you can see what it is catching. Do you get a lot of metal on your oil drain plug?

 

That's the problem, he has a knock/clank sound but it's real random with no real pattern to it.

Jerami have you pulled the flywheel and clutch yet to see if anything broke?

You never keep a brotha informed on your car

 

http://ourworld.cs.com/jrpws6/knock.mpg

i've about run out of ideas , bottem end is the only thing unchecked.

 

bellhousing, clutch, PP, flywheel, didnt reveal anything out of the ordinary.

 

It's hard to hear, but that sounds deep. As your buddy said, its essentially random.

I'd jack up the front a bit and drain the oil into a very clean pan. From the sound, it doesn't sound good at all.

 

ya, it sounds like *** , which is why i want to check the bottom end out and see if a rod bolt or something is loose or in the pan banging around.

 

With that sound, I wouldn't run it. If nothing else, pull it and do a post-mortem. If everything looks fine, do a basic rebuild and then run the hell out of it.

Get the block machined with the proper tolerances, new bearings all around. Throw in a decent set of pistons and rings, recondition your rods and use good bolts. Have the crank cleaned up and balanced.

Assemble it and beat the **** out of it.

 

havent run the car so thats not a problem. that clip is old. but i'd still like to know what the **** the noise is. Most likely i'll just save up for a new APE shortblock.

 

Man, I would not run it.My guess would be a rod bolt.I would just pull it.