383 build

[aznpersuasion]

so my engine took a poop. all the coolant found its way into my oil sump. in a short while after im done moving i will do a full tear down and inspect bearing surfaces, cylinder walls and heads to determine if its reusable. forgoing the 383 im going to get a rebuilt motor from ATK. SP04 355. this block with vortec heads and .015 HG will net around 10.3 static CR and a quench of .04". i have a few cams in mind. one is keep the stock cam, 2nd is LT1 Z28 cam : 203/210 2 .050", 446/450 w/ 1.5 rocker, 115 LSA. i dont know if this will produce the low end torque i want. 3rd is the XE250H-10: 206/212 2 .050", 432/444, 110 LSA. im not looking to machine the head so im keeping lift low.

AND THE TEARDOWN BEGINS

 

[lesterl]

change the rocker ratio to get your height?

 

[aznpersuasion]

change the rocker ratio to get your height?

talking about the new deck height? no, i didnt even think about that. thanks.

 

[lesterl]

If it helps I am glad, sounds like you have done alot more research/ have more knowledge of what you attempt, I hope it turns out good for ya.....

 

[lesterl]

P.S. post lots of pix and info of your teardown and your buildup...... Love to see that stuff.....

 

[aznpersuasion]

thanks. i just hope i can find a good machine shop in yuma az. theres a carquest there...but ive heard good and bad things

PS: will do lol

 

[aznpersuasion]

got some more progress done. cant tell but i have most of the harness disconnected, alternator out, ac unmounted but still connected so i dont need to discharge and then waste money recharging later. ive been wondering how i should lift the engine out? so far ive seen people just threading bolts into the heads and lifting out that way? is this the correct method or is there another way. haynes just says lift engine out. i just ordered all these consumable items, minus a new car and rotor which i will order later. did i miss anything?

AAF-ALL87000 HEAD BOLT KIT SB CHEVY

ACF-41-993 SPARK PLUG

CLO-9-1157 TIMING SET

FEL-7733SH1 HEAD GASKET

FEL-MS90131 MANIFOLD SET

FEL-MS94054 MANIFOLD SET

FEL-OS34500R OIL PAN GASKET

FEL-SS72861 VALVE STEM SEALS

FEL-VS50088R VALVE COVER GASKETS PAIR

RNB-635-505 TIMING COVER

SNN-14119BX THERMOSTAT

SUM-G6303 THICK WATER PUMP GASKETS.100"

TAY-51036 SPARK PLUG WIRE SET

 

[amtronic1]

Looks like you have an automatic, be ready for the torque converter to dump auto trans fluid all over as you pull the engine. Best to put a pan underneath, then tip the engine a lot right as you pull it off the trans input shaft to catch as much as possible in the pan. Or you can undo the torque converter from the flex plate and leave it in place, but this usually bungs up the seal in the transmission from all the jerking around.
You can use any of the bolt holes in the ends of the heads to mount your chain. Just screw the bolts well into the head, not just a couple of turns but right down in there. A lot of times Chevy leaves the lifting rings in place but who knows if yours is one they did this on.
Go around the engine TWICE up top and underneath to make sure you have everything disconnected before trying to pull the engine.

 

[aznpersuasion]

Ya, my plan was to leave the torque converter on there. I really don't wanna deal with a mess. And plus the Haynes recommends that approach as well.

 

[aznpersuasion]

STUFF! various gaskets and such. i totally forgot about it and was pleasantly surprised when i got home

 

[aznpersuasion]

is there anyway to move this portion of the engine harness? it seems to stretch over the intake from fender well to fender well.

 

[aznpersuasion]

made some more progress, bunch of **** out and now im getting down to the final bolts. does the flexplate mount to the torque converter with only 3 bolts?

 

[aznpersuasion]

so i tried to pull the motor last night and its still stuck to the trans. i have removed all 6(?) trans to motor bolts and all 3 torque converter bolts. now does anyone think its actually stuck, or that the motor mounts themselves are only allowing a straight up motion and catching on the trans?

 

[aznpersuasion]

made that motor my bitch. and yes i know....

 

[amtronic1]

Good job! I hope you have an engine stand to put it on, if not find a Harbor Freight nearby and pick one up, all their stuff is super cheap.

 

[aznpersuasion]

Ya, i love HB. well the next thing for me to do is remove and strip down heads and taken them in the get flatness checked and maybe magnafluxed. for a stock engine do you think its worth it to get an actual valve job done, or just lap the valve seats?

 

[aznpersuasion]

so i got the driver side head off. cylinder walls look fairly clean, rollers look fairly clean. im going to get another short block despite the cleanliness simply because even if i keep this to reuse id still going .030+ and i dont trust any of the chain machine shops here and wont waste the money/time for crap work. now since money isnt an issue really, should i get new pushrods, lifters, ect? i simply dont know what contaminated oil does to those components. whats the shade tree way of checking valve seat seal? spraying carb cleaner in the runner and seeing if it seeps out from the valve?

 

[aznpersuasion]

lol

 

[aznpersuasion]

hmm....looks like i might end up having to rebuild it myself. finding too many reviews about remans from ATK or Jasper. the only machine shop i can find in yuma is carquest...

 

[lesterl]

Nice coffee comming out of the oil pan....