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You can do this with a hydraulic lifter and with the heads on. No need to take them off.
I would use some very lightweight "checking springs" on two of the valves.
Rig up a dial indicator on the retainer.
A degree wheel helps if you have one or it's OK to just approximate.
Rotate the engine slowly near TDC. Not the compression stroke but 360 degrees later on the overlap stroke.
Tap the valve down with your finger and note how much movement it has.
You want at least .100" everywhere to play safe.
The tightest point is not at TDC, it is somewhere around 20 or 30 degrees before or after.
It doesn't matter "where" the tightest spot is.
Just as long as it stays above .100" in that whole area.
It will be larger at TDC, smallest at ~20 degrees, and then start getting larger again.
With that lift cam you are probably fine, but, it is not hard to check.
I guess the exhaust will be tight before TDC and the intake tight after, or maybe I have it reversed, it's late. Note piston position in the center.
Thanks Leigh! I'll do this, and already have checking springs. Gonna have to get a valve spring compressor now!
Its so nice to work on a rust free, clean automobile....it will be easier than you think. Just chase all the theads before assembly.
Yes, I'm looking forward to it!!! Fun part is putting on all the new parts too!
Originally Posted by wolfk
Yes, very nice, I see you didn't go with a removable transmission crossmember.
Yes, I did consider it in case me or a future owner wants a 5 speed, but decided against it, because I just don't see the value in a 5 speed swap. I'm not going cross country in this car, and spending $5K for an OD just doesn't make sense to me. Car cruises just fine at 70MPH with the 4 speed.
Today is Friday, so that means only a half day at work, and the other half on my Corvette!
Started with a field trip to Harbor Freight - needed some organization for the hardware collection I'm building. This was cheap, and feels cheap, but it works well:
Jack stands for $29?! Yeah I'll take a pair! And I found they had rubber jack stand covers, so I bought some to protect my frame:
Spent the rest of my day disassembling, cleaning, and preparing the front suspension to be reinstalled. Broke it all apart, cleaned the A arms with soapy water, then touched up the chips in the powder coating with POR-15. This was all mostly new VBP front suspension, which highlighted that the spindles were original and needed to be restored. So I broke them apart, degreased, then put them in the blast cabinet. Results were great, and I was able to get them painted. it's pretty interesting how the spindles come apart in three pieces!
Saturday was the 25th annual St Jude Cruising for a Cure car show by the Baton Rouge Corvette Club. Sunshine and 70's , my Dad, BIL, and nephew joined me at the event as well. Got to catch up with Mr & Mrs Mercury20 and Drivin69 as well! Great event and a great time with some amazing cars!
I took my 1990 ZR-1 to the show, and as soon as I pulled up it drew a crowd, as a lot of people have never seen an LT-5 in person! Got this sweet participation trophy too!
My nephew is 5, and shaping up to be an extreme gear head like me! Been having fun nourishing his interest in cars!
Hey Alex, Good to see you guys again along with seeing old friends and meeting new ones. Your ZR-1 was looking good and there was still a crowd around it when we saw it. Next year, we will have both of your cars on hand! The BRCC always puts on a good show for St Jude and this one was no different. And, we couldn't have had a better day weather-wise.
Justin
Congratulations!
Nice ZR-1 and looks like a nice show!
Thanks! Was a great show indeed!
Originally Posted by Driving69
Hey Alex, Good to see you guys again along with seeing old friends and meeting new ones. Your ZR-1 was looking good and there was still a crowd around it when we saw it. Next year, we will have both of your cars on hand! The BRCC always puts on a good show for St Jude and this one was no different. And, we couldn't have had a better day weather-wise.
Justin
Same to you! I'll have my C3 finished next year and entered for sure!
Already looking forward to it. The old girl showed well this past weekend. Picked up a 1st place in the C3 category along with two Sponsor Awards. Next year is your turn to bring some "hardware" home! Heading to Beaumont in a couple weeks for the Club show over there. They put on a great show and always have a good turnout as well. Can we have great weather twice in a row? Fingers crossed!
Already looking forward to it. The old girl showed well this past weekend. Picked up a 1st place in the C3 category along with two Sponsor Awards. Next year is your turn to bring some "hardware" home! Heading to Beaumont in a couple weeks for the Club show over there. They put on a great show and always have a good turnout as well. Can we have great weather twice in a row? Fingers crossed!
Congrats on the trophy! Hoping to give you some competition for it next year!
I got most of the little odds and ends in to button up my engine, so focusing my attention towards it before I get back into the chassis. Stingr69 was kind enough to send me the main bolts I needed, and even threw in some lagniappe: and ARP oil pump stud. Got the mains torqued in properly:
:
I put in the ARP stud, then installed the new Melling M55 oil pump. I have an oil pickup on the way, and I'll be able to put the new oil pan and gasket on
Also got the valve spring compressor in, so I was able to install test springs to test PTV clearance:
Did a clay test , and turns out I had all the clearance in the world!
Tonight I swapped the valve spring back into my heads, cleaned up the sealing surfaces, cleaned the head bolt threads, then got my head back torqued down:
Got the valve train back on, then lashed all the lifters
Pulled out the new Cloyes timing cover, it's a really nice piece! Adjustable to hold the cam in too.
Pulled my LT-1 Winters intake off the shelf: Going to need some serious cleaning before it's bolted down!
Why is this water passage in my intake closed in, and does it need to be opened up?
Questions I have:
Had issues getting the crank seal in the timing cover - what's the trick here?
Best way to clean up intake? Stingr69 recommended Simple Green to me today
what's the deal with the closed/clogged coolant port on the intake?
