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Picked up that short block - I think it’s going to be a great solution. The guy runs a restoration shop and has a showroom full of engines and parts - he provided me with a full blueprint sheet showing all the specs. It was bored 0.030 over. With that bore, cam, and stock intakes he estimates around 300hp. Even if it’s not that fantastic I’m excited
300 HP would be a solid 55 more than the stock L98, so quite a bit of fun! Sounds like a great start!
Old engine is out! Will take oil pan off and have pics of bottom end coming tonight.
Also was able to unbolt the torque converter since I can access all bolts now.
Question: Is it ok to put the torque converter back on the transmission spindle and let it hang there while the engine is out? I’m concerned the weight could damage the front seal without the flywheel taking the weight off.
Yeah, good point. I generally don't like messing with shaft seals out of fear I'll mess up the install and cause more problems. But I've been burned on not doing it before too. When it's apart probably best to do it. Will have to review the right how-to.
Rustbucket is out, and here is what it looks like underneath:
Cam looks interesting… not sure if that discoloration is just normal wear?
Rust on some of the rods, and some cylinder walls. The cam is definitely not stuck - I can move it just by pushing on the timing chain slack. Pretty sure the crank is also not stuck. Eventually I’ll disassemble further and we’ll see. For now I’m just getting off all the parts I need for the new block.
Should I reuse engine mounts? New ones are pretty cheap.
Well, the machine shop called. One of the heads will require welding, and the other...more welding. They are recommending I try to find others, if possible. Looking at options now. Should I be looking at only the 10088113 heads?
Looks like I have a solution to the heads problem. Same gent who sold me the block has a pair of 14101128 heads, which after a bit of research are nearly identical although they are the "early" aluminum heads from the 1986-87 years. $300 for the pair, and they're bare but have no corrosion and look to be in excellent condition. I can have the machine shop install my valves and check it over well - overall about the same amount of money I was planning to spend at the machine shop and they won't have been welded
I'm wondering if these would work for your application? If they would they are ready to bolt on. Might be worth asking the seller what they were bought for.
I'm wondering if these would work for your application? If they would they are ready to bolt on. Might be worth asking the seller what they were bought for.
Wow, you're the master at coming up with these finds. Seller says they're for gen 1 blocks, so I assume they would bolt on fine. But are we getting into territory where these are different enough that I'd need a re-tune?
I'm not knowledgable enough about the different variations to give you a good answer on that one. Maybe one of the other members that are more experienced will jump in and give some good guidance. I'm thinking that with that size of of combustion chamber and the flat top pistons in your short block you might end up with a pretty high compression ratio that won't play well with pump gas. Just an educated guess on my part.
Yes, seller also tells me they are not center bolt valve covers. Wouldn't be a huge deal, but it adds another level of complication and cost. Will stick with the stock ones this time around.
OK, so....head gaskets. I was going to buy the Fel-Pro full gasket set, which comes with the standard PermaTorque 7733 PT-2. I notice there is also a Severe Duty head gasket, the 501 SD. Then the gent who sold me the block told me he strongly recommends the 1003, which doesn't even come up for my car but does appear to be compatible. I've also seen in other threads people recommend the 1010!! All these are Fel-Pro mind you. Talk about confusing... I can't find any chart that makes comparing them easy. What in the world is the difference? If I just go with the standard recommended PermaTorque wouldn't that be what's most appropriate for my car?
Also keeping in mind I don't intend to keep this car forever maybe this isn't worth worrying much about. But it definitely better not leak right after installation.
We all have opinions and preferences regarding what we use in our builds. I just spent 45 minutes researching the 4 gaskets you mentioned, and in my 50+ years of experience and background, I wouldn't use any of them on a street L98 with aluminum heads. I've assembled hundreds of Chevrolet V8 and 90deg V6. I'd use the VICTOR REINZ 611063700, which appears to be a Fel-Pro 501 Print-O-Seal. It appears to be closest to the gasket I've have good success with for decades. As I said, I don't make recommendations. But this is what I would use if this were my project.
I have a question... This car came with the KC4 engine oil cooler option, and I made the judgement call to put it back in with the new engine. I bought the Fel-Pro lower gasket kit which has a couple of gaskets for it - but I'm not sure where they go. When I disassembled the adaptor off of the old engine it didn't appear to have any gaskets in place, except for the rubber ring between the block and the cooler. There are two which fit between the adapter plate the and block but are shaped a little bit differently...not sure which is the right one, and where the other one goes. Here's a pic:
There are also a couple of large O-rings, but I assume those are for other cars since this kit appears to serve a bunch of other 5.0/5.7 applications.
Anyone know which gasket to use, or if either of these even go here?
The FSM has almost NO information about this cooler by the way, except for hose routing in a diagram in 6B (cooling section).
Last edited by Incipheus; May 6, 2023 at 08:35 PM.
I think I found the answer to this question. The gasket intended for the filter adapter is the one with the thicker ring of material. However a few references online I found were folks recommending to skip the gasket, due to fears of gasket material making its way into oil passages. After sitting on the fence I decided to put the gasket on anyway. If GM originally intended for this I can't see it being a big risk.
Ran into a minor roadblock. The guy who rebuilt this small block put plugs in the two coolant passages on the bottom of the block, which are both used in my stock configuration - one side for the oil cooler hose connection and the other side for the knock sensor. Both of them are the kind you need a hex key to unscrew. And both were in so tight that the heads stripped. Fun.
I'll be drilling these out I guess. Not what I like to be doing to a freshly rebuilt block, but stuff happens I suppose.
