Well we have a small report from the weekend. Mostly to thank all who showed up and helped

The plan was simple and I tried to have every thing we needed and for the most part I did. The goal was a Car Swap on a daily driven 95 Z28 with 130,000 miles on it. The Motor it self was replaced some time before we bought the car at 86,000 miles. It looks like maybe just before we got the car. So we are guessing 50,000 miles on the motor.

As we dug into the motor we found even more facts that support a Full Crate motor. One of the nice things was that they used Bronze Cam bearings and for the first even we did not have to replace them during a cam swap!

JimBob and Cory handled the tear down as I was busy doing a brake job on a 01 Z28. I finished in time to pull the water pump and timing cover off. We were VERY lucky to do this when we did as the Water pump Drive was about ready to strip out. On an LT1 this is a gear driven directly off the cam gear. It propels a shaft that turns the water pump. The timing chain was also in bad shape...luckily I had bought a new one

Jim finished pulling the cam while I helped Matt on and off with his BMR TQ arm install. NOT as easy as BMR lets on for a 12 bolt

Then we started on the Valve springs... I gotta tell your THIS is torture! One thing I had not thought of nailed me. Valve seals. Cory and I hit every store in Monroe and could only come up with 8. I figured ok I will just do the Intake..turns out the valves seals were shoot and we really needed to do all 16. After much colorful langauge and searching I remembered I had a virgin set of heads. We pulled them and and stripped the seals so we we could continue on!

So after four hours we had Six springs done After this though we had modified the tools we needed to do the job and started knocking them out faster. Around 10 or so Cory had EVERY THING clean as could be and needed to head home

Thanks Cory!

Jim and I continued on. around 2:30 we had the motor alomst bottoned up. We grabbed a valve cover and every thing came to a halt! Steph has Magniesium(sp) Corvette valve covers. They have drip rails for stock rockers. we had just installed a set of Crane Golds Not wanting to torture the people asleep around us we decided to stop for the night.

at about 10am Ryan showed up today so we could do a new round of Mod's to his 4L65E. While I was doing them Ryan grabbed the valve covers and knocked them out. What a great guy! WAIT till you see the pic's LOL!! Ryan sitting in front of the shop covered in Magniesium chips!

we got them all cleaned up and on the car sealing the motor all up again.

Ryan and JimBob needed to head out so I took a break. the wife and I headed into town for food and came back for a nap. I got up around 6:30PM and headed out to the shop. It was a mess. total corruption LOL!

I sent the next two hours cleaning up and getting ready to finish the project. When I come home tomorrow I will install a different A/C compressor(THANK'S MATT!!) and install the Radiator ,A/C Condensor ,Under drive pullies , and finish assembling the motor in general. If it starts and all is well I will then start on the LS1 Brake upgrade ,Eibach Pro kit install , Strutts and poly bushings. If all goes well I hope to have it running and Alighned for her last day of work (friday) and valentines day.

I would like to thank Jimbob for toughing it out with me and getting the job done!

Cory for Porting the intake all the hard work ,and detailed cleaning!

Matt for help in general.

And Ryan for the dirty job of cutting up the valve covers to fit first time!

I have got to tell you guys the people in this gruop are some of the hardest working people you have ever meet!

Thanks every one! there is no way in hell I could have done it with out each of you!

 

Wow, sounds like you guys had a busy weekend. I wish I would have known about it, I might have been able to come and help.
Good luck with finnishing it up.
Is Steph going to race this year?

 

That sounds like a hell of a group effort Ellis I didn't even know you were planning all of this stuff ? The only thing I knew about was the brake upgrade. I'm sure you're better half will be most appreciative

 

I was very impressed with your shop Ellis! I will be very happy to let you do the little things we talked about today. Now post those pics of Ryan!!!

 

Hehehe Yeah I need to get them out of the camera. he might have erased them but I ask him not to

I almost forgot you and Mark had came by. I am still a little rummy from the weekend. I think untill the nap I got 9 hours of sleep all weekend.

Thanks for the complement. if you like it now wait till the place is done

As far as letting every one know? I had actually planned on starting the project two weeks ago but thing kept coming up.

JimBob was the driving force here. He Knew I wanted to get it done and needed help. He came over just to make sure it happened. THAT is what friends are for I can not thank him enough!

once the Motor compartment is all back together the hardest part will be burnning the Old Bushings out for the Poly units

Later!

 

Damn if I'd known and had a way to get there I'd have stopped by to help too lol

 

My god you guys do not mess around.

Crap it takes me all day to change my light brackets out, lol. I almost am working backward compared to what you all do. I do not know how you all find time to do all this.

I wish I had more time to help, I could learn tons of stuff...huge loss on my part.

 

Nice write up! Gald you get her knocked out. Sounds like a great effort by all. Nice to have friends stop by & help.

 

Damn, sounds like you guys had some fun. Wish I could have been there, dont know how much help I could have been though, lol

 

I probably would have just gotten in the way.

 

Pretty productive weekend.

 

LOL wish I could say "wish I was there" but I know what working on the LT1 is like Mikey is planning a motor rebuild soon so I'm sure I'm going to be bleeding profusly and then scarring soon enough

Seriously though I probably would have headed up with Cory if I would have known in advanced You know the cure to the Water pump gear stripping is a Meizere pump, I think summit even brands one now for cheap don't know how good it is, the Meizere I put on 3 years ago is still going strong.

On a side note I LOVE those valve covers!!!

Bobby

 

Man if you lived closer, I have 16 new valve seals sitting on my shelf in the garage. I also have a slick Moroso style valve spring compressor that makes changing/setting up valvesprings a snap. Could have save you about 3.5 hours of frustration lol.....

Also,,,, I think I sold those C4 valvecovers to your wife about year ago, maybe longer. ?

Sssshhhhhuuuuuush.....! No I'm not..... honest.....

Mike

 

Yeah Right

 

Sent you a PM MR rolleyes......

Mike

 

Glad I could help, Ellis. It works out pretty good having three people working like that. Parts clean up is always a big delay unless you have help.
If you guys ever put some heads on that engine I can port much deeper and more effectively That was the quick casting clean up version (ala MTI...). Anyway, get that thing running and over to the dyno. I'm curious to see what it does now.

Cory

 

LOL Mike she says yes she seems to remember your name like $50 off CZ28 I think. Three years ago maybe. I can't remember when i put them on but have have had the car for just over three. She got those a Z28 TB plate and SS Chrome SS wheels all around the same time.

OH YEAH Mike I am just building a STOCK 350 to go back in my car

Again Thanks everyone for helping. I am headed out there right now to get the Engine bay back together. Dan Wants me to bring the rear end in tomorrow for a re-build but I NEED the car to run by the end of the week so Front suspention is coming off tonight after it run's. IF I have time I may yank the rear end

later!

 

Yo, Way to go guys, I applaud you. Takes a lot of mental toughness to do a job like that

Hope you get it running by the end of the week so steph can hot rod it on V-day Good luck Ellis

 

At on or about 10pm tonite the patient took a deep breath and rumbled to life! She fought fo an idle and got one. although not very well at 550 in gear it did do the job

the nights event were pretty easy ... well except you have to pull the main bracket off the front of the motor to change the A/C pump. PITA! Other then that it just flowed. Started as soon as I hit the key and loved new life

Now tomorrow we will see if I can change EVERY thing but the top A Arms

 

Sweet.