Just remembered here is a link to my Engine Removal/Tear down album. The pictures might be of help to someone down the line.

http://s997.photobucket.com/user/tom...gine%20Removal

 

A long awaited update to this thread. I’ve learned some more lessons that hopefully others can learn from. I’m on my second rebuild at the moment, unfortunately. I got 6k out of my initial build, I made a catastrophic failure specific to my application during rebuild #1. I did not gap my piston rings for boost.

Measured my ring gaps but did not know to gap them differently for boost. Because I was running 10psi and didn’t gap the rings, my ring gaps butted on piston 7 and 3 cracking the ringlands resulting in rebuild #2. The symptoms were that I got a little smoke after giving throttle. Then measure compression and had pretty much no compression and leaking down a ton of air on piston #7 and just a little down on compression and leakdown for piston #3.

To identify the correct ring gap, there is a formula to apply based on bore size to calculate correct ring gaps. Typically it’s .060 * bore size for top ring and .065 * bore size for second ring. On the second build will be running .024 gap up top and .026 on the second ring. If in doubt check with the manufacturer based on your application. A common expression I’ve come accross since my mistake is when your ring gaps are too loose only you will know if your gaps are too tight everyone will know.

Another lesson learned while tearing down the second time was related to red loctite. I found in a thread on the forum where members suggested using red Loctite on the clutch/flywheel bolts. DO NOT USE RED LOCTITE ON THOSE BOLTS! I reluctantly got the clutch bolts off but could not get all of the flywheel bolts out. I could only get 5 out of 6. I attempted using a torch, penetrant, brand new socket, welding a nut, air chisel. No luck, to make this even more complicated I used ARP flywheel bolts, so the bolts were hardened steel and much more difficult to extract in lieu of the tensile strength of the bolt. I ended up having to grind off the bolt head and damaged my flywheel in the process. Then had to have the machine shop extract the stud out of the crank. Blue Loctite is all you need on those bolts.

Since I had to buy a new flywheel I have to measure for a clutch shim when doing the reinstall. Picked up a shim set so I’m ready to go if and when I need a shim when I measure.

At the moment I’m waiting to get my motor back from the machine shop. Bought Lunati Forged dished pistons and Lunati H beam rods while reusing the stock crank. Also throwing in ARP main studs and ARP head studs. Had to get the block line honed, torque plate honed .005 over, cleaned, decked and crank polished. Found a set of reworked stock 317 heads I will be throwing on with a set of pac 1218 springs.

Will chime back in when there is another update.

 

Man that sucks. Sorry you have to go through it again. One question. On one of the photos (Photo bucket) there is a good sized crack in the engine block, I'm guessing on the outside of a bolt boss or water jack. Did that cause any concern or did you address it at all on the first rebuild?

 

That was pre-existing to the original rebuild. The crack was right along a head bolt. There was no leak from it but it was a ticking time bomb especially given I have a boosted setup.

I assume one of the previous owners of the car who had the heads installed by a shop did not clean out the head bolt threads. Then when they torqued down the head bolts it cracked the block from the pressure. I ended up buying a new block, which is an ls6 block from summit. Also purchased an ARP thread chaser for those bolt holes to clean out the threads this time around when I swap over to arp head studs.

 

Thanks for the update. I saw that crack and thought, that's not good. Was the LS6 from summit aluminum or one of their iron blocks?

 

It was an aluminum block.

 

More updates from my second rodeo.

When assembling the motor, install cam gear with timing chain hanging on it and line up the timing marks first before swinging the chain onto the crank gear. Then I installed timing chain dampener. I made sure the crank dot was centered between my timing chain dampener. I made sure my engine was level and then centered the dots using straight edge and levels to get it precise.

When installing the oil pump and pickup tube, install the pump on with the bolts loose. Rotate the crank a turn to help align the gears, then install oil pickup tube to pump and torque down. Then torque down pump and lastly the the pickup tube to the windage tray. If you don't torque the pickup first among the 3 you may pinch the o ring.

Make sure the front engine cover is perfectly aligned to bottom of the block using precision straight edge. Make sure the oil pan is aligned with back of the block and bell housing bolt holes.

Measure pushrod length and piston to valve clearance. Trickiest part is identifying how to figure out zero lash. I recommend looking up scruf's garage on youtube for video on how to do it or look up shane's method on ls1tech.

When tightening down rockers make sure cam lobe is at base circle for the rocker you are torqueing down. When exhaust push rod starts to go up, intake cam lobe on that cylinder is at base circle for you to torque down. When intake pushrod is starting to close, exhaust cam lobe is at base circle for you to torque down.

I recommend using the steel multilayer gm gaskets as the graphite ones make cleaning the heads and block deck much harder.

I replaced balancer with summit, if you need to pull that balancer off the otc tool for stock balancer will not work as the hooks can't clear the front timing cover. You will need a pulley puller to do it.

I replaced flywheel bolts with ARP again, used blue loctite and arp molylube under the bolt heads. Torqued to 85ftlbs per the instructions in criss crossing patterns over 3 stages 30, 60, 85.

That is all I have for now.

 

I used the ram Clutch alignment tool and it made lining up the splines on my double clutch so much easier with the input shaft.

 

Adding more detailed instructions since doing this a second time has shed light that my initial instructions will lead to having to do a couple actions twice.

To recap starting at getting the motor in, order of operations should be to open slave cylinder remote bleeder and put the end in a plastic bottle so any clutch fluid doesn’t spray god knows where. Zip tie everything out of the way you can.

Install motor to not work against hydraulic pressure. Get engine close enough that bell housing dowels touch or are about to go in and then put the 5 bell housing TT to engine bell housing in and do a few turns a few piece working your way around to pull the two surfaces together. If the bolts aren't straight or do not go in fairly easily you are not close enough or don't have the right angle. Bolts are 37ftlbs for bellhousing I put blue Loctite on them.

After engine is in, get steering rack seated on subframe. Then put the AC compressor bolts in, you should have the bracket aligned if you used the AC compressor stud as an alignment dowel when torqueing the bracket down. Then torque AC compressor bolts down to 37ft lbs.

Line up subframe and start raising it till you get to a point you can slip in the engine mounts and line up the stud holes on the subframe and engine mount brackets. Then raise the subframe high enough you can get the nuts on them. Then get the nuts on the engine mounts and torque down subframe to 81ft lbs, use blue Loctite. Torque engine mount nuts to 70ftlbs and 59ftlbs respectively to bottom and top nuts. Remove engine hoist and subframe jack.
Install dust covers for bell housing, I torqued bolts to 90INCHlbs for the small bolts couldn’t find the torque spec. Position passenger side header, I did so from the top down, it is easier with the ls3 oil pan. Install starter and torque bolts to 37ftlbs.

Install 3 wire terminals to the big nut on the starter and the single wire to the small terminal on the starter. Install passenger side ground wires to the block, there were two wires.

Place o2 sensors in the headers first and torque down. Then install the headers by placing a jack under the headers and jacking it up in position till the bolt holes are lined up. There should be no tension on the headers when the bolts go into the heads, if there is raise or lower the headers accordingly. First pass on header bolts at 11ftlbs, second pass at 18ftbls. I then installed passenger side spark plugs using a magnetic plug socket so I don’t drop them. Torque to 11ft lbs.

Go to the driver side and install driver header from bottom to top. Use the jack to support the weight and torque like the passenger side, then install plugs and coolant temp sensor to 15ftlbs.

Connect slave cylinder line, if it’s hard to push in you probably don’t have the bleeder open. Install tunnel plate and install o2 sensors to mid pipe and then install mid pipe. Install valley cover.

 

Loads of good information here

We have pulled the engine out the top and reinstalled it without dropping the subframe by leaving the bellhousing attached to the torque tube. You can get to the upper bolts for the bellhousing from the top with the intake off. We used a jack stand to hold the torque tube as we could safely in the tunnel.

Another very nice to have item is an old input shaft. I picked one up here in C5 parts for sale and it makes mating the engine to the torque tube much easier.

 

The first time I pulled the motor I disconnected the bell housing to the block. It seems like it would be hard not to hit the motor against the steering rack without the subframe dropped. Did you just put some movers blankets on it to absorb any contact? What about fishing the oil pan into place?

As for the input shaft I searched for one but couldn’t find one so I purchased the ram 03-013 tool which is comparable. When using a plastic clutch tool and having a double clutch there was no way I could get the splines close enough to line up. Highly recommend getting a used input shaft or clutch to use when installing flywheel and clutch on to ensure splines are lined up to make installing the motor a lot easier.

 

Sorry, We pulled the rack but it can be done with the rack in place with a stock harmonic ballancer.

The first time we did it, we had a chain very tight on the motor. I have since bought a lift plate. It is a 2 person job and you move slowly. I believe we removed the upper bolts from the bellhousing leaving the 4 lower bolts. Lifted the motor high in the tunnel being very careful not make contact with the tunnel or firewall. Support the torque tube with a jack stand and slowly slide the motor off after removing the final bolts. Generally the motor wants to tip nose up when we pulled it. Hands are needed to keep it steady.

I will agree that if you have not done this sort of thing before, it is safer to lower the subframe. A friend just lost a motor this afternoon on Road Atlanta so we will be doing it again. If we leave the subframe in place, I will try to take some notes. I am working from memory 2 year ago on mine. The last engine installation we did, the subframe was in place but the torque tube was out while we rebuilt it.