Sonny, your old block - diagnosis...

[mbaskett]

Man did you do a good number on it :D We tore it down completely tonight and here's what we found:

2 spun main bearings (#2 was REAL bad)
at least 4 spun rod bearings (1 and 2 were pretty bad)
The oil pump is trashed, from all the metal it pumped through.. the spring was fine :shurg: (odd, usually the spring breaks)
The pickup tube is trash, as it's full of metal, and the screen is fubar'd
All the lifters were bad... the rollers looked like they'd rolled over metal shavings wich means they are also full of metal shards, and quite a few of them also showed signs of bouncing on the cam lobes.... :eek:

The crank main and rod journals look like they can be turned .010 and be okay, and the cam bearings looked good. All the cylinders looked fine as well as the lifter bores, so the block should be completely salvageable after a VERY thorough cleaning....didn't see any obvious show-stoppers there. We're gonna check out the rods, as there *may* be one or two that need to be looked over, but other than that, the rest looked okay.

We'll polish out all the rough spots on the oil pump and put it back in the motor when it's rebuilt ;) j/k :D

The point of failure looks like it was just wear on the housing and cover plate of the oil pump, as well as a few of the pump lobes having some minor gouging... not to mention some odd wear on the plunger, which eventually led to the loss of presssure.

Just wanted to let you know what we found... We saved most of the bad parts, including the lifters (I'm sure you'll be interested to see them) and the oil pump for you to take a look at next time you're over.

Later!

[VentsWoker]

We'll polish out all the rough spots on the oil pump and put it back in the motor when it's rebuilt ;) j/k :D

i was all like :eek:

and then the j/k registered...

i've got ported LS6 pumps for 120 shipped Matt, along with really anything else you guys might need, new or used.

[mbaskett]

:D That's a pretty decent price on those pumps. What's the avg psi you see those things push?

As far as used parts, we may need a set of used head bolts, used bearings, etc. ;)

Actually I dunno if there's much we'll need outside an oil pump.... and I found the local AutoZone carries Clevite 77P main bearings for $15 :eek: and the standard rod bearing for $2/rod..... not bad for doing just a stock rebuild...

[VentsWoker]

the local AutoZone carries Clevite 77P main bearings for $15 :eek: and the standard rod bearing for $2/rod..... not bad for doing just a stock rebuild...

LS1 gen III main bearings? really. as in you're not even kidding? thats it, im pulling my motor out right now and changing them. thats serious coolness right thirra.

anyway, i typically see almost 80 PSI @ WOT since i revised my port work on the pumps. very nice peace of mind turning 7k.

[mbaskett]

LS1 gen III main bearings? really. as in you're not even kidding? thats it, im pulling my motor out right now and changing them. thats serious coolness right thirra.

anyway, i typically see almost 80 PSI @ WOT since i revised my port work on the pumps. very nice peace of mind turning 7k.

Yep.. I had the guy check it out... apparently they are listed for the older Vettes (97-98), however, they do NOT come in standard bore sizes... Only .001, .002, etc.. oversize, and yes that's one thousanth, not ten...

I figure for just about any motor that's been run, a .001 oversize main bearing would be fine, especially if you do any polishing on the journals before it goes back together....

What kind of work do you do on those pump housings? I looked a couple over real good, and there's not much to do except clean up some flashing and smooth it out a tad... at least that I could see...

[VentsWoker]

thats really about it. i need to take some good pics of the port work and find somone to host them. it's really just shaping and blending the o-ring side, and polishing it, also, doing the exiting side to match. i was pretty concerned about mooving too much oil volume with the porting, but as i see it, the're provisions to make pressure at the bottom provision, and it's blocked off. so in theory, with that port blocked we should be able to port the piss out of them and pick up volume, and PSI w/o any issues. my pump has been working strong for almost 4k miles now in the Z28. just be sure that it goes back together dot up. and not to knick the rotor surfaces with the porting tool. they are made to pretty exacting tolerances, and will whine prior to failure if those tolerances go out. good luck, and have fun with it if you decide to try this.

[mbaskett]

Yep.. I had the guy check it out... apparently they are listed for the older Vettes (97-98), however, they do NOT come in standard bore sizes... Only .001, .002, etc.. oversize, and yes that's one thousanth, not ten...


Okay, I have to counter my earlier claim... due to what I learned this weekend....

AutoZone HAS a part number listed for main beairings for the 97-98 vette, however, after they pull them out fromm the back shelf you will find they DO NOT fit the LS1.... I spent 30 minutes up there arguing with the butch dyke behind the counter, holding a set of spun LS1 bearings showing her they are not different. Then she crossreferenced my bearings with her database and found they were for a 99 f-body (surprise), and she just wrote it off as "Well, I guess the vettes are just different" :rolleyes:

I then had to get on her about the LS1 and how it's been practically identical (at least in the main bearing world) since the first vette shipped in late '96.....

Arghhh... needless to say, they have their database system all jacked up there, and I"m sure it's nationwide, so dont' get your hopes up like I did, or you'll be in for a big dissappointment.....

Now, I did ask NAPA, and the guy there said he thought they could get them, but they'd be at their warehouse, and they guy didn't have a price... I should know by the end of today what comes of that lead though.....

[VentsWoker]

sounds like a fun time. :o

federal mogul does make them, about 65 a set but i wouldnt deal with NAPA on these. rods are easy, but these are special order stuff, and they're gonna have a hard time getting it right.

~Vince

[funkybunchjr]

i hate NAPA, but thats just me