Great to hear you have it back, keep us posted. 
My Baby is back
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 108
Likes: 1
From: Houston Texas
New Oil Pickup
All stuff on ready to re-install
New Water Pump - Old optispark was OK
Sorry for the crappy picture here. This is the old/new DMF - showing the transfer of balance weights from old to new - this is a critical step.
My guy knew what he was doing. I cannot say enough good things about him.
Engine running - cranked it over W/O Ignition to get oil pressure up.
Then hit it with spark on - perfect - no lifter noise at all.
My painted fuel rail covers
The breakin period is 1000 miles with Castrol 5w-30. They said to baby it - and yes I will - kind of hard because this LT1 is ready to run. After 1K I will replace the Castrol with synthetic. BTW - this LT1 spun a rod bearing at 57K miles - I elected to get it completely rebuilt - everything is new except the block, rocker arms, pushrods, and of course the intake. I did get a new water pump, but kept the optispark. They did replace the oil pump intake also. New spark plugs also. My baby is back in the garage and tells me every day to "break me in".
All stuff on ready to re-install
New Water Pump - Old optispark was OK
Sorry for the crappy picture here. This is the old/new DMF - showing the transfer of balance weights from old to new - this is a critical step.
My guy knew what he was doing. I cannot say enough good things about him.
Engine running - cranked it over W/O Ignition to get oil pressure up.
Then hit it with spark on - perfect - no lifter noise at all.
My painted fuel rail covers
The breakin period is 1000 miles with Castrol 5w-30. They said to baby it - and yes I will - kind of hard because this LT1 is ready to run. After 1K I will replace the Castrol with synthetic. BTW - this LT1 spun a rod bearing at 57K miles - I elected to get it completely rebuilt - everything is new except the block, rocker arms, pushrods, and of course the intake. I did get a new water pump, but kept the optispark. They did replace the oil pump intake also. New spark plugs also. My baby is back in the garage and tells me every day to "break me in".
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Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 108
Likes: 1
From: Houston Texas
Yes - stock heads. I kept everything stock. And "baby it" means less than 3K rpm with a couple of runs to 4K or so. Probably overkill, but I want to break it in properly. But like I said, it's hard not to push that throttle down - real hard.
just waiting the 500 for my new clutch was killing me.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 108
Likes: 1
From: Houston Texas
I added a new water pump from GM $355. Plus a new Dual Mass Fly wheel and Clutch/pressure plate kit (from ebay something like $960)
from GM the DMF freekin would have been $1200)
So, do the math - it's not cheap. But, It's a new engine - If that's any consolation. My wife hates this car..............
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 108
Likes: 1
From: Houston Texas
Not to mention I payed 15K for the car in the first place. Then I was run off the road into some curb sections - blew both right tires and destroyed both wheels - broke rear spring and broke rear tow adjuster rod - thought frame was bent but thankfully that was not the case.
This cost about 1K - and that is me buying stuff off of ebay. Talk about the dog house. But it's worth it - I love this car - and nobody drives it except me.
This cost about 1K - and that is me buying stuff off of ebay. Talk about the dog house. But it's worth it - I love this car - and nobody drives it except me.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 9,715
Likes: 27
From: Kempner Texas
Not to mention I payed 15K for the car in the first place. Then I was run off the road into some curb sections - blew both right tires and destroyed both wheels - broke rear spring and broke rear tow adjuster rod - thought frame was bent but thankfully that was not the case.
This cost about 1K - and that is me buying stuff off of ebay. Talk about the dog house. But it's worth it - I love this car - and nobody drives it except me.
This cost about 1K - and that is me buying stuff off of ebay. Talk about the dog house. But it's worth it - I love this car - and nobody drives it except me.
Insurance company totalled the 86 but I bought it back from them. It's been in a storage locker for going on a year now. Rather than have all the downtime repairing it, I bought the 96 I'm now driving.
Surprisingly, the 86's still driveable even after all that. Maybe I'll get around to repairing the body damage one day, or maybe I'll just sell it as, with the Mini-Rammed 415 and let someone else deal with it. And to think, I'd just bought and put on the Min-Ram, just installed a Random Tech CAT, Corsa CAT Back, new leather seats and new seat covers. I was in the process of restoring the car before BANG!-BANG!
Amazing how similar our stories are.
Jake
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 108
Likes: 1
From: Houston Texas
WOW! Sounds a lot like what happened to me in my 86 last year. I was side-swiped by an 18 wheeler while I was driving down I35E. That knocked me into some concrete barracades in the construction zone. I bounced off them, back into the lanes of traffic and then got hit by a bus.
Insurance company totalled the 86 but I bought it back from them. It's been in a storage locker for going on a year now. Rather than have all the downtime repairing it, I bought the 96 I'm now driving.
Surprisingly, the 86's still driveable even after all that. Maybe I'll get around to repairing the body damage one day, or maybe I'll just sell it as, with the Mini-Rammed 415 and let someone else deal with it. And to think, I'd just bought and put on the Min-Ram, just installed a Random Tech CAT, Corsa CAT Back, new leather seats and new seat covers. I was in the process of restoring the car before BANG!-BANG!
Amazing how similar our stories are.
Jake
Insurance company totalled the 86 but I bought it back from them. It's been in a storage locker for going on a year now. Rather than have all the downtime repairing it, I bought the 96 I'm now driving.
Surprisingly, the 86's still driveable even after all that. Maybe I'll get around to repairing the body damage one day, or maybe I'll just sell it as, with the Mini-Rammed 415 and let someone else deal with it. And to think, I'd just bought and put on the Min-Ram, just installed a Random Tech CAT, Corsa CAT Back, new leather seats and new seat covers. I was in the process of restoring the car before BANG!-BANG!
Amazing how similar our stories are.
Jake
Thank God you are OK - stuff can be replaced but lives cannot. Last night I let my wife drive the car - a first - 6 speed - no problem - she can out fish me and out shoot me(almost). The first new car we had was a 1973 Ford Pinto - 4 speed manual. Kind of like riding a bike - she drove the corvette super - no problems.