Yeah, it doesn't have the pilot bushing. I didn't know exactly what it was, and it was kind of hard to see the back end of my new engine's crank due to it being on the stand. I'm kicking myself for not just Googling it when you mentioned it, because now I have to order a bushing (local auto parts stores just carry bearings, which sound less reliable than I'd like) and wait till next Tuesday to install it since I'll be out of state to visit a college from tomorrow morning to Monday night. Thanks for pointing that out, as I don't know what woulda happened if I'd installed it without one of those.

I'm just using my (new) old pump, the M55HV. I can't bend the pickup tube on the new one because it has a bracket attaching the pickup to the pump itself, not a long tube like both of my old oil pumps do. Plus it's the same pump as I already had, so there's no real reason to prefer it. I may braze the pickup on, but it seems to have stayed put pretty well since I installed it. Most of what I read is that they pop loose within a couple weeks of installation, not after 6 months.

How would I get a torque wrench on it to re-tighten the main cap bolts though without making a custom socket as Churchkey suggested?

This oil tool does have a bushing on it, so I think it should work. I'll pull the valve covers and make sure oil is coming out of all the pushrods.

It absolutely helps! Thanks for taking the time to respond.

 

Does that oil pump MHV55 use 3/4 inch pickup...that was one of the upgrades for LT engines over the earlier style oil pumps with a 5/8 inch pickup.

Over the course of time I've used a lot of different oil pumps in my LT4...and here's what I've learned that's equally applicable to your l98; the oil pans are the same and they are EXTREMELY shallow, 6&7/8ths inch deep at the lowest point (with a pan gasket they are a nominal 7 inches); a high volume pump barely fits and using a pickup dedicated for that pump in a Corvette pan is imperative; fortunately pickups are cheap, you can reuse your HV pump, BUT did you say that the pump already had a brazed in pickup?

well assuming you get the old pickup out, the new pickup should be brazed, or secured with a couple to tack welds, or at the very least set in with JB Weld...pickups can and do come loose....yeah I thought it was an old wives tale, but now I know better,

are you still trying to loosen the studs holding the oil pan baffle? YES you must use a baffle (stock corvette is actually pretty old school; there are improved ones out there) because in as shallow of a pan as the corvette, if the pump pickup isn't protected from windage off the crank, is going to blow the oil everywhere; that baffle is there for a reason.

 

How would I get a torque wrench on it to re-tighten the main cap bolts though without making a custom socket as Churchkey suggested?

Its a crows foot adapter but it covers more of the nut. Crows foot is just an open end that is very short to use on a torque wrench. The tubing flare nut wrench covers more of the nut lands but allows slipping on and off the tubing. Heres and assortment: http://www.sears.com/search=flare+nu...3-00007a5f86d8. Just dont buy the Hobo Fake wrenches for this - they will slip and round the nut.

Wow, just took off my (new) old oil pump from my old engine and it is COVERED in metal dust. Not "shiny flecks in the oil"; grey metal dust paste sitting on it. I'm taking it apart and cleaning it VERY thoroughly, and I will clean the oil pan and any other internal parts off my old engine similarly. Fortunately the internals don't look worn and there's no play in the shaft at all.

I'm thinking the metal is from the cam bearings. Maybe I'll tear apart the engine this summer and figure it out. Sure hope it's not from something I did wrong replacing the main and rod bearings.

Theres a reason u cant buy a "rebuilt" oil pump. If youve been putting metal from anything through the pump its time to replace. But one thing u can do it reusing that pump is check the gear cover/top clearance as u can adjust this for optimum clearance down to 0.001" or 0.002". U measure clearance with feeler gauge by setting cover off enough to slip a feeler gauge between gears and cover. File and sand the housing to get cover down evenly to within a couple of thou". If gears to tall and hit cover u can file/sand them too (if u removed to much from housing). Or u could just check this clearance for your own piece of mind before installing the new/used pump. If u have like 0.010" clearance maybe u should consider some action with it. Up to U.

Yea the problem with most pre-oilers is that bushing usually just covers the dist hole at the manifold and not the internal oil galley that will dump oil down to the pan instead of pressurize the lifter galley. A lot of owners will see oil out of only one side on the p-rods if at all.

 

Ahh, thanks! Actually I was just thinking it would be cool if something like that crowfoot wrench existed.

Anyway, I'll order one right away. This one (http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sxt-970810/overview/) is only $3 at Summit, and after a quick search Sunex gets outstanding reviews for quality.

I'll definitely check out that oil pump. Thanks for the advice. It'd suck to get it running and develop a problem from a bad oil pump.

If the pump primer doesn't oil the whole thing, what's the solution?

Oh, and one more thing. The heat insulation on things like the starter wires and EGR tube is pretty thrashed, so I'm gonna replace it. See any problems with using this stuff (http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-350115/overview/) in different sizes to replace it?

 

If the pump primer doesn't oil the whole thing, what's the solution?

As i said before an old gutted dist. Too late now but i coat all my brgs with assembly lube and some hi-press lube on the cam. In your case pre-lube should be requirement.

Heres some fiberglass sleeving that i use: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Blue-Thermal-Sleeving-for-Spark-Plug-Cables-Wires-/270652254389?hash=item3f0421a8b5 Used to buy it generic brand from JC Whitney for pocket change but now it sells as mr.gasket for almost 40 bucks there - same thing. Only see blue, red and silver on ebay but used be in yellow and tan also. Fiberglass sleeve should be good for anything but right next to exh pipes and manifolds. FYI i use it on all the starter wiring.

 

Ah, sorry, forgot about you mentioning the old distributor option.

That sleeving looks perfect. It's way cheaper than anything else I could find. Thanks for the link.

Edit:
Actually, I need thicker sheathing than that. The starter cable is ~.54" plus there's the connector on the end it has to go over, and the EGR pipe is ~1" and has fittings on each end. Gonna go with this sheathing (http://www.summitracing.com/parts/dei-010403/overview/) for the wiring and this exhaust wrap (http://www.summitracing.com/parts/the-11151/overview/) for the EGR tube.

The exhaust wrap looks pretty nice as seen here (https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1582947883).

 

The quick and dirty solution? with the distributor IN, with the spark plugs OUT, the oil filter pre FILLED and the valve covers off (this is optional), turn it over a few times with the starter, it should build oil pressure and you'll see oil coming out the pushrods within a few turns

 

If your going to turn over the engine as indicated above, remove the red wire to the distributor to be sure that your getting power to the distributor.

I believe you got this engine already built. Did you take it apart to inspect the bearings and they use a engine assembly lube on the bearings and journals? If not, I would still pull the distributor and use the priming tool to get oil into all the journals, bearings and valve train before starting.

 

Thanks for the advice guys. Sorry it's taken me so long to reply - been out of state visiting a college.

If I don't end up seeing oil coming out of pushrods on both sides using the priming tool, I'll prime it that way.

I did inspect the bearings. Not all of them, but several of each. They all had good clearances. I don't have any engine lube, so I just used a thin coat of motor oil, or STP oil treatment where I thought the oil would run off.

By the way, do you think it would help at all to add the STP to my oil before I start it? I already have it, so I might as well.

That crowfoot adapter I ordered still hasn't shipped, so my dad picked up a set from Harbor Freight. Despite my doubts about the quality, it looked fairly beefy so I gave it a shot. That sucker snapped so fast I couldn't believe it. At most, 40 lb.-ft. of torque and a piece of it went flying across the garage.
I remembered how I got it off the first time (changing the bearings) though, so I'm going to give it a shot. If I put just the socket on the bolt, the post sticks just barely into the socket's square drive hole. Then a breaker bar will go on just shy of all the way.

Edit:
Worked like a charm. Gonna move the bolts to the new engine, then install the baffle and oil pan.

I still need to put the oil cooler onto the new block. It has two little studs that hold it on. I have searched high and low (FSM, Corvetteforum, Google, etc.) and can't find any specs. I'm thinking 10 lb.-ft. and red loctite?

 

As much as I love Harbor Freight, this is why I also hate Harbor Freight; p.s. I do most of my hand tool shopping at Sears (Craftsman); I've had good luck with WalMart's line of Stanley tools, and of course off the rack at Napa or similar auto parts sores.

 

IMHO, STP is ok as assembly lube & for use in aging old iron & aging lawn equipment.
Todays motor oils are superior to their predecessors an oil additive is not required unless a flat tappet cam is being used.
Priming the engine before starting is all that is required for your build..

For accessory/component attachment consult a bolt torque chart.
For SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers = not metric)
Grade 2 bolts do not have identification markers on the bolt heads.
Grade 5 bolts have 3 hash marks on the bolt head.
Grade 8 bolts have 6 hash marks.
https://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-i...ed-Torque.aspx

 

Ah dads are great. They have broad shoulders and make great fall guys. And he proved the fact that cheaper can be more expensive too.

Churchkeys got your q's covered. Thx for the update. Hope u get it running before u start school - u wont have time for all this performance stuff. But u should have a bad azz ride to school.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. Yeah, my dad has some Craftsman tools, and I can tell they're built to last.

Thanks. That chart will be helpful putting it back together (although sadly the oil cooler bolts are special bolts and don't have grade markings).

Wouldn't bolt torque also be contingent on if it goes into iron or aluminum?

 

Hey, I just remembered something. When I took the front main bearing cap off to plastigage it, I dropped it.
I shoulda left the bolts part of the way in as I pried it off but I just made a bonehead mistake.

I managed to slow its fall with my leg and foot, but it definitely hit the concrete. It landed on a corner of the cap's face. The metal was a little dinged, but no major damage was done.

I know little on the subject, but I wonder if the impact could have created microfractures or any other weakness in the cap and/or bearing. I did a little research, but I appear to be the only one stupid enough to drop a bearing cap then write about it on the internet. I did find some stuff saying that as long as a bearing cap isn't cracked, it's fine, but it was not from a source of any special authority. I couldn't find anything saying whether or not the bearing itself needed replacement. Should I replace the (possibly damaged) cap with the one off of my old engine? And should I replace the bearing shells too?

 

Bearing caps cannot be swapped from engine to engine or original main caps installed in a different location on a particular engine unless the engine will be line bored before assembly. Main cap #2 goes on main web #2 PERIOD. Also: there should be an arrow on the main cap, the arrow points forward toward the front of the engine. If no arrow assemble with both of the bearing locating tabs on the same side of the block.

If you plasti-gaged that main cap after dropping it & the clearance was ok you should be good to go. Check the "dinged" area to insure any machined area is not distorted in any way. You can "dress" the area with a small file to remove high spots..

 

That's what I suspected.
I checked before I reinstalled it and it just had a little ding on the corner of the machined surface--no raised areas around it. It's not a big deal so I'll pull it and double-check though.

I'm gonna put the pan on tonight (hopefully I won't have any clearance issues with the crank since it's a stroker) and maybe install the pilot bushing and clutch if I have time.
It's all coming together!

EDIT:
There's a clearance issue. The crank (the rod bolts, to be specific) hits on the windage tray. It doesn't hit by much though, so I think some light grinding should be able to fix it.
When I put it on the other day I had to modify it a bit then too to get it to fit over the oil pump stud.

 

Okay, I finished clearancing the windage tray. I have at least 1/16" clearance all around. I know thermal expansion is an issue, but with steel it looks like it should be far less than 1/16".


(don't judge my dremel skills)

 

I just went to put the pan on, and found that the gasket (Fel-Pro one-piece) appears to be too thick. I realize that there are two types of gaskets: thick and thin, each for a different style of timing cover, but this is a different issue. When I set the pan on the gasket, there is a 1/8" gap between the pan and the side rail portions of the gasket. It contacts the gasket only at the timing cover and rear main seal.

I can't find much, but I read from a few different people that it's supposed to be that way, and you should just tighten down the bolts to pull the pan up against the block.

Any advice?

Edit:
Didn't take much force at all on the bolts to get the pan to pull up against the block. Oh, and I put a tiny bit (1/4" bead, .5" long) of The Right Stuff on the four corners of the block as recommended by Fel-Pro.

I recall when I changed this oil pump that clearance between the bottom of the pickup tube and the pan is important. Around 3/8" is the recommendation, I remember. Even though I'm using the same combination of oil pump, pickup, and pan, I want to double-check to make sure I got it right when I installed the pump 6 months ago.

I'm not sure where the clearance is measured from though. Here's a picture for reference:



Is it from the lowermost point of the pickup? The uppermost? The center of the metal shield on it? The screen?

 

Minor update after a little work on it today. EGR bolts were stuck on my old engine, drain plugs were stuck on the new, and the exhaust manifold heat shields contacted head studs. Got out the bolts today with penetrating oil, drain plugs with acetone/ATF and an impact wrench (boy those things are great), and just dented in the heat shield a bit on the exhaust manifold to get clearance.

Moving along slowly but surely.

I started putting the knock sensor in, and it got pretty tight before it was in all the way. It was taking more than the torque spec of 14 lb-ft. to tighten it any more, and I read that torque is crucial on the knock sensor, so I backed it out. I'm cleaning out the hole a bit more to see if that helps. Any suggestions?

Oh, and my question still stands from the previous post about the oil pickup clearance.

Edit:
The oil pump pickup was a little too far from the bottom of the pan, so my dad and I started discussing ways to adjust it. My dad tugged on it a bit just for demonstration purposes, and that pickup moved a good four inches. As I understand it, the pickup should not move PERIOD, and mine swivels right now with just 5-10 pounds of force.

As far as clearance goes, I'm planning on adjusting it so the metal shield on the pickup is at the closest point 1/4" from the pan, which should put the screen itself about 1/2" from the bottom.

Then I plan to weld or possibly braze it. I'll do a little research because I hear welding the thin pickup tube metal is tough, but from my limited welding experience I think I should be able to just get a small puddle going on the pump and then touch it to the pickup. If that won't work I'll look into brazing it.

Oh, and I just have access to and experience with a MIG welder.

 

My pickup height setting method using a stock pickup:

With a straight edge across the oil pan rails measure the sump depth, add 1/8" to that measurement for gasket thickness.

Straight edge across the oil pickup metal baffle measure down to the block pan rail.

1/4" clearance = good to go.