Stingray69

Stumbled into this thread while cruising a search for swapping in screw-in rocker studs, and I have enjoyed it more than any I can remember in a long time! Thanks for the time you spent in taking AND posting the pics, thanks for the laughs I got from your good sense of humour and thanks for showing others that there isn't anything to be scared of, just do the research, and go for it!

I was just wanting to find a way to NOT buy the stud pulling tool... ;^)

Good luck on the motor, and good luck with marriage; I got married at the Little White Chapel in 2000. Standing under the carport...we got OUT of the limo.

Wish mine would scrape crud off my cars...writing on tape is too much for her...

1986Z28OWNER

iTrader: (1)

id just buy the tool, your goingt o need it anyways when you tap the holes(it also aligns the tap)

InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

Very cool thread, I learned a lot!

si_camaro

Well I'm happy to hear everyone's learning and laughing, becuase that's what this thread is all about!

I trust everyone had a nice Christmas etc. My car has suffered due to the after-Christmas post-wedding pinch (did I say pinch? Vice Grip seems more appropriate) but yesterday I did a little tiny bit which has made the engine look more like....an engine!

The engine has a new home. It's currently residing next door to my Dad's project, a Ford GT40. His project is more interesting than mine, so you get one picture and then we move on :



The timing cover is on :



The harmonic balancer and crank pulley :



And finally, the oil pump pick-up :



Next I'm going to purchase a tapping set and tap the heads for screw-in studs. With new springs fitted, the heads will be ready for painting and fitting!

1986Z28OWNER

iTrader: (1)

you will also need a alignment tool for tapping the heads because if they arnt tapped straight youll have nothing but problems

si_camaro

Yes, a couple of people have mentioned some kind of alignment tool. I better get looking, as I want this project finished for the summer. I need to drive up and down the seafront with a V8 burble at the rear, some good tracks on the MP3 player up front and a big grin in the middle. And you don't get it from a Renault 5 1.4i Campus.

1986Z28OWNER

iTrader: (1)

make sure you get the paint off the oil pan gasket surface, it may cause leaks, along with the deck of the block, it dosnt take much to cause a leak
----------
and the W/P surgaces too!

The Project

iTrader: (6)

Where are you at now with the project?

si_camaro

Well, Wednesday is my birthday and I think I may be receiving a couple of bits for the engine. I haven't been able to do much for a little while, except for cleaning the crud off the sump. I should have some more pictures on Saturday though!

toxik IROC

iTrader: (12)

cant wait

R1UK

All round to yours for beer and cake then.

Have a good day.

si_camaro

Hello one and all

It's been a while, but I finally managed to find a few hours away from the cruelty of real life and decended to the grimey depths of my rebuild for an afternoon. Well, the sun was shining and I had beer.

My dad bought me a 7/16" tapping set, so I set to work on my heads





I had been looking around for a guide so that the holes were tapped straight, but with a taper tap it was no problem at all without one



Next came the tedious task of lapping the valves. My hands haven't been this red and sore since I was a teenager...





A new set of valve seals



A spanking new set of super duper strong valve springs



And yes, the old caps and rotators. I had to let the budget step in at some point, or this car will never be on the road.



Apart from screw-in studs, there's nothing left for these heads...



...apart from making them match the block



Which reminds me. Anyone know where I can find some collarless studs? I really don't fancy milling the stud bosses for normal ones.

Dr G

Love the sore hands comment!! I had the same lapping in the valves on my Lotus engine last summer - same number of valves as the SBC!

Si - I also just wanted to say thanks for such an enjoyable thread with so many informative pictures.

R1UK

Its a while since i have done all that, you can cheat if you use an electric drill, keep the valve stem well oiled as you lap it in, but you cant beat the old methods.

si_camaro

Right. Now I can almost taste the exhaust fumes.

Here I have bolted the heads back on and fitted the water pump. Oh and the fuel pump. And the starter motor. Ok so I forgot my camera last time.



This must be the most painful purchase of the lot. £45.00 and yet it looks like something out of the pound shop.



Screwed in with a blob of thread lock



A spot of white lithium grease on the bottoms of the lifters



New pushrods



I have heard mixed opinions on the china wall gaskets versus silicone sealant. So I used both



I went for the Edelbrock Performer manifold as mine was on it's last legs



Looks good on the top. I think I'll leave it there.



Rockers fitted but not fully adjusted yet



A sneak preview with the rocker covers and air cleaner "installed". I have also fitted a Sprite injection system. Tastes good, and 35 limes to the gallon....




In the next couple of weeks, the engine goes back in the car. Watch this space!!

andrew91rs

coming along very nicely!

CYARS92

Evidentally, You were the useless one! And to think, you won't even get to ride in the car when it's done.

1986Z28OWNER

iTrader: (1)

white lithium was not the thing to use on those lifters, you should have used assembly lube or what should have come with the cam, carne also has this grey moly paste, flat tappets are tough to break in very easy to wibe a lobe... where are your intake gaskets, guarantee without em your gonna have leaks, did you re-use the water pump or fuel pump, i hope you didnt, it preventative maintenance to replace them when its apart

banker

Top job fella, thoroughly enjoyed the thread and strangely felt quite involved with your re-build. I guess your itching to get it running again.
Hopefully i'll see you around as i'm just down the road in Southampton.

si_camaro

Ok, think I must have missed something there. This eejtagain must have no life of his own if he needs to poke his big nose into other people's....

Wiping a lobe is one of my biggest worries, so I have spent a long time on the boards researching this one. I did coat the cam with the red lube stuff which came supplied with it, but wanted something on the bottoms of the lifters also. I installed the lifters a long while after the cam, so naturally the little pouch of lube has gone...


They are definitely there, I just didn't take a picture as I had paste on my hands!

I considered replacing both items, but as they are so easy to replace when the engine is in the car I decided to cut back on the spending a little and get the engine back in and running.
----------
With cars like ours, it's not hard to be seen so I'm sure our paths will cross!

I went and collected the seats from my brother's shed yesterday. They stayed in my runabout overnight, and when I got in it in the morning the car smelled like my Camaro. That made me want to get it running more than ever...

si_camaro

Well, the day came. The weather held (just), and the engine has finally been reunited with the engine hole.

When I arrived at my dad's GT40 garage, the fairies had very kindly hoisted the engine



Thanks to my brother, we had access to a van. So the engine was placed to the right, the hoist in the middle, and me to the left stopping it from sliding around too much.



We removed the hood and wheeled the engine over the bay.



Memories of the engine removal came flooding back, and it soon became apparent that the engine-pulling-out-forwards issue could not be easily reversed, no matter how hard I pushed. So we did this;



The pools on the floor are my tears.

I opted against photographing the ensuing couple of hours, as they brought frustration and injury. No matter how hard we tried, the engine refused to drop in. And it was only by half an inch or so each time. The engine mount bracket would rest on the mount, or the exhaust header would rub on the steering rack (don't even tell me I should have fitted them afterwards, because I did that when they were new and I nearly torched the car in frustration)

Finally, after just the right amount of persuasion, in she went.







I have attached the bumper with half the bolts, as I plan to remove it again and treat some of the rust before permanently fitting it again. I have learned 2 things from this experience:

1. Remove the bumper when lifting the engine
2. Don't leave the gearbox behind and then think it'll "just line up"

banker

Great to see the heart back in your car. Are you considering going to the Summer Nationals at Billing as a maiden voyage for your car?

fin170703

Great work mate. just imagine the day you turn the key for the first time

si_camaro

I'll certainly consider going if the car is ready by then. I may stick to something more local as a maiden voyage though, just in case I break down!

I know, and the closer I get the more I think about it. It's been 2 years since I last turned the key (and anything happened). Here's where I'm at after a long hot Saturday. Carb is on, along with a few more bits and pieces. I've fitted the radiator on with cable ties for now, as the old viscous fan shroud is long gone and I plan on making a stainless steel one for the dual electric fans, once I can get the car to my dad's garage!

R1UK

Well your certainly on your way, and your dead right about expecting the gearbox to "just line up" some do, but a lot more dont.

si_camaro

Something I found almost as tricky was making the flexplate line up with the torque converter. This is mainly because the engine is very tight and I can't turn it by hand. I don't have a tool for this, and I am likely to destroy the crank bolt if I try that.

My solution was to temporarily hook a battery up to the starter motor, and kick it over a couple of times. Seemed to do the trick.

Whilst I was under there, I changed the transmission filter and gasket. The filters look different, but apparently GM changed the design so who am I to argue





I have also installed a timing tab. Now, my balancer is the type with the TDC mark at "12 o'clock", and the only aftermarket tabs are quarter past two or something. What the heck, I'm easily swayed by shiny things.

Actually, I did some research and it seems the TDC mark on the later tabs is 35* clockwise of the 12 o'clock mark. Or at least, it's as close as the balancer is likely to be accurate at 22 years old. So I marked the balancer at 35* and started my timing tape from there.



Next on my list was the distributor. Being a '70s HEI unit, it has a vacuum advance canister.



Another factor in the era of this unit is the advance setup. The springs are too strong to allow sufficient timing advance for this engine.



Out with the old



And in with the new. I went with the weakest springs to start with.



The vacuum canister also is a problem. It delivers 24* of vacuum advance, and I only require about half that. Until I locate an adjustable canister, I have used one of the spare parts from my distributor recurve kit to try and limit the advance. I have a feeling it may still be too much, but the only way to know is to try!



And here is a bowl full of brackets freshly painted black and ready to be installed this week

powermite

Si

Get some oil in it quick before you forget.

PM

si_camaro

Already done it. The pic was boring though.

Can't seem to get the nice weather when I'm not at work. Yesterday I managed to fit the plugs and leads (one end), but then the heavens openend and I had to abandon ship.

R1UK

Your not joking, Billing was a swimming pool, and it only just held off for the Southport show yesterday, hoping it stays dry for this weekends show at Tatton Park.

rat infested

Nice build up
must have spent more time takin pics than wrenchin spanners
Only joking
be good to reference at a later date
you can never take too many pics of engine IN car and parts attached
IT'LL Never go straight back in
have the same trouble EVERYTIME I work on mine
(TRY DOIN IT WITH A BBC !!!)
get some headers on that puppy and wait for the extra grunt#Good Luck

si_camaro

Imagine it no more, for it was a reality yesterday!

First, the pics. With the alternator back on, I installed the ignition leads at the plug ends and fed them to the back of the engine :



Then with the distributor back in (temporarily, I removed it later to prime the oil pump) I installed the cap and cut the wires to fit.



On go the shinies



The sun came out so I took another picture of the shinies



And then I turned the key. The only recording device I own also makes telephone calls, so this is my feeble offering. It's not a visual treat because all you can see is my hand on the throttle linkage. But beyond the clacking of the soon-to-be-adjusted valve train you can clearly hear a deep V8 rumble which has made the whole project worthwhile. Sorry, it's Quicktime....

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/camaro/im...07-07_1533.3gp

The engine got a little hot after 10 minutes of the break-in procedure so I stopped it. After tackling a minor oil leak at the timing cover I shall regroup and do another 10 minutes.

si_camaro

This Saturday I plan to finish the cam break in. I have therefore tackled the cooling issues as follows.

First, I found a water bottle donor. My horrible Renault 5 looked appealing from the other side of the car park...



And now the bottle has a new home



I managed to acquire a dual fan setup from the same chap who provided the car's new interior panels. Thanks, Jack! The only thing missing is the radiator shroud which holds the tops of the fans in place.



Bits of string are something I want to avoid with this project, so they were only temporary while I bolted the bottom of the unit in place. I then made a top mounting.



And finally wired the fans to a pair of relays fed by a single switch on the dash. I may add separate switches later on, or even push the boat out and get some kind of temperature-operated gizmo...it depends how hot the car gets when I drive around.

andrew91rs

i had kept an eye on this thread for a long time and was wondering if the car is back on the road full time yet?

fin170703

I'd interested in how your getting along too

R1UK

Either that or he's driven off into the sunset.

3whiterag

This was a very interesting thread! I am with you guys! I would love to know how he made out! Great job!

www.gmpowertrain.ca

si_camaro

Hi Everyone

My apologies for not wrapping this one up.

For everyone who was following the thread during my engineering adventure, yes I did indeed get the car back on the road. It took longer and cost more that I ever imagined, and when the day finally came where I stuck that tax disc in the window I guess the magic had just gone. I had owned the car for near 10 years and I was able to put up with most anything she could throw my way, but I drove her to work and back for a couple of weeks and the problems, coupled with the crippling fuel bill, left a bitter taste in my mouth and I sold the old girl on Ebay.

So a sad end to a great project, my only regret is that I spent so much money and didn't really enjoy the benefits. I think the problem is that when I bought the car she was 14 years old and a bit rough around the edges, but when the project ended she was 24 years old and needed a lot more than I was willing or able to put in. I wasn't even that upset when I watched the new owner drive her away.

No doubt I'll get another somewhere down the line, but for now I'm enjoying the new motorbike and the 90-odd mpg. Thanks to everyone for your support and encouragement, and thanks most of all to the British Government for taxing our petrol so much, I couldn't afford to run my car anymore.

Regards,
Simon

CYARS92

LOL, a lot of peeps over here will be in the same boat shortly!
Good Luck to ya!

R1UK

I know how you feel, my stang has had a crate motor and new auto box and hi-stall converter, nevermind the rest, good job its a weekend ride, with petrol the way it is, as a daily, forget it.