Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Looks like tomorrow it is then...:metal:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

:wave::alc:...cool, cant wait!!!

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

:agree:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

The hose coming out the top won't hurt a thing, just had not seen it done before. You got your engine all primed and ready to fire up? Check all your fluids the double check before you fire it. In all the excitement to hear it run people have overlooked stuff...so take a step back, take a deep breath and think. Fluids, timing check,battery charged, carb primed, etc., etc. You should be fine, but after all this hard work you don't want anything to go wrong if you can avoid it. Good luck and keep us posted.

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Is the motor already broken in? If not don't forget some break in additive.

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

No, the motor is a virgin rebuild. What additive and brand?


Put gas in the tank Saturday, but got stuck on basic electrical again, when I went and tried to hook up the 'old school' alternator. The truck came to me with a one-wire, but that was gone when I got her back from being stolen.

All the wiring was hacked up and while getting ready to install and hook up my new NAPA voltage regulator - I happened upon a rusty bird's nest on the front side of the radiator support bulk head. Looking through the grill - down on one knee - I noticed the horn relay and a replacement voltage regulator fastened to the outside wall, adjacent to the grill.

I've never seen anybody do that before. Took the driver's side front pan (for the lack of a better word) off so I could gain access to the area and there were corroded wires running everywhere. The four-lead voltage regulator plug was jumped with two wires - splicing 2 poles to each other, twice.

Guess that was part of the one-wire conversion the previous owner did.

The voltage regulator was just hanging there - with a bunch of nasty rust everywhere. The horn relay was right next to it - and the big red wires and two small leads seemed pretty much stock. Why the guy pulled all these leads through the bulk head and mounted everything on the outside - in the weather - I have no idea.

Very odd.

Going to NAPA after work to get a small spool of heavy-duty red wire (for the battery charging lead), a new horn relay, a new condenser for the V/R, and a set of fastening hardware for the horn relay leads.

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Just stop by a machine shop and theyll get you what you need. I forgot what I used. Todays oil doesn't have the zink in it that it used to. The additive will save your cam bearings and lifters during break in.

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

:agree:

Buddy of mine uses this from CompCams.

Engine Break-In Oil Additive

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Outstanding. Good idea. :metal:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Mac, did you get your lines and gromits?

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Lines are good - adapter I/D too long - bringing them (2) to the shop this week and machining off about 3/8" in length so tube fitting doesn’t shoulder out too soon - allowing line to still "shake" at radiator port.

Grommet set (6 pieces) due here by Wednesday. Should be a piece-of-cake.

Down to some extremely short strokes now.

Mac. :chevy:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

You definitely want to use an oil additive that has Zinc and DTTP for break in and there after with every oil change. If you do not your cam will possibly fail prematurely and will not be covered under warranty. Most parts stores should have it. The one I see here most is Lucas brand.

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

I'm supprised the machine shop didn't tell him that or try to sell him some. It would have covered there a$$ to.

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

They must know how Mac works....
The warranty was for 100,000 miles or 1 year which ever came first..:lol:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Yeah, well, there is that........:lol: :lol: :lol:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Just messing with you Mac, wish I had some of your patience.

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Be careful what you ask for. Patience comes threw trials.

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Between work (hard to ignore any you can come by these days), watching the grandson and only having Saturday morning to work on ‘The Tan’, patience is just about all I’ve got left.

* Wonder if Jay Leno will want to by my truck for his museum collection when it’s finally done?

;)

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

So your converting back to a generator and putting the mechanical voltage regulator and horn relay back to it's original possition?

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Nah - the relocation part is correct, but it's an externally regulated alternator.;)

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

I would think most shops would slop on plenty of break in grease on the cam lobes to prevent this.
The break in additive is a good idea though.
My oil changes on a new engine are like this.
Run it for at least an hour, or a day.
Change oil and filter.
500 miles, change oil and filter
1000 miles change oil and filter
2000 miles change oil and filter
3000 miles change oil and filter.
I change the oil and filter 5 times on a new engine before the first 3000 miles. This makes sure you get all the metal out of the engine during the break in period.
Then every 3000 miles, change oil and filter.
I use a magnetic drain plug too.;)

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Yeah, the engine builder has about 35 years experience - just by himself, not counting the other journeymen in his mid-sized facility (about 20,000 s/f). I'll get my shipment of break-in lube and transmission fluid from Summit tomorrow, so I should be covered.

Even if I was only turning the motor half-a-rotation during the build, pre-oiled the block religiously, making the lubricant ooze out of the pressure fitting at the rear of the block. I should be okay.

Regarding the other intervals listed - I did just about the same routine on the Chevelle's crate motor and it's still running strong after 26 months.

Mac. :chevy:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

My 283 was rebuilt 32 years ago and I did your exact oil change routine, 2 barrell rochester has been sweet, very few problems, motor is in its 3rd truck. Your truck is looking good...Ed.

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

I'm confused. You had a 1 wire generator that was hooked up to that rats nest and your hooking it all back up like it was supposed to be? I have never seen a 1 wire generator. I've seen and have a 1 wire alternator.

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

What is going back in my truck is a standard alternator, 63'-70' version, just like I've got on my Chevelle, not a generator.

(I think we're getting mixed up with the terminology regarding the device that's going to recharge the battery.)

The alternator is an old style 3-wire, controlled by an external voltage regulator.

Mac. :chevy:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Alternators are internaly regulated. Generators are externaly regulated. Thats what I was taught. Both are 3 wire. I just never heard of anyone makeing a gen 1 wire.

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Hmmmmm. Don't know enough about it - It's just the set the guy at NAPA sold me, and it's identical to the stock set-up I have on my 65' Chevelle.

;)

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Here's the diagram:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

The alternators in the 60's cars were externally regulated; is it a terminology thing? My 69 Chevelle had the regulator on the core support and it would stick and Id have to smack it hard with a screw driver handle. The dash lites would get REALLY brite for while:lol:.....but it was called an 'alternator'.

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Lately I have been finding the magnetic drain plugs have been made out of poor quality metal and the threads wear out and don't stay tight. On some of my stuff I have gone back to a standard drain plug (the originals I have saved) and stick a rare earth magnet on the end of the oil filter. Harbor Frieght has them on sale occasionally so I bought them. Radio Shack has them too. Now I don't worry about the fine metal particles on the end of the plug, they are stuck inside the filter!
Mac you may want to use the break in additive for the first 1000 miles, just to be sure the cam breaks in good. Newer oils have had the Zinc additive ZDDP reduced because of pollution concerns. The zinc is what helped create the protective friction coating on metal to metal parts. They used to say to use diesel oil, but now that has the ZDDP reduced in it as well. I have been experimenting with different stuff but I would guess that any other lubricant that is not subject to combustion would still have higher levels of ZDDP in it, like ATF and gear oil.
I added some Marvel Mystery oil to my old 93 Chevy truck during the last oil change. I only added about 8 ounces, so I am not sure it did any good.

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Good catch. ;)

Bought three of these - figured it couldn't hurt.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1239634202

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

What did that run ya? I've seen break-in additive go for $20.00 a bottle.

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

$10.25 each (less shipping) from Summit Racing. :mm:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Hey MAC!

Cmon , quit teasing us. Did you run the motor or not?:burnout:

LOL Desert

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Nope. No go. Modified transmission line fittings: N.F.G. Going with flared fittings and rubber hoses to cut-off S/S lines instead. Ticked me off...

:waah:

Wiring completed in engine compartment - battery hookup, HEI wire, under-dash wire connection check next - then maybe, just maybe I can make some noise.

Mac. :chevy:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

The original alternators on these trucks were three wire externally regulated, hence the factory voltage regulator on the driver side of the radiator support. A popular conversion is to a one wire, internally regulated alternator.

I don't know the first thing about the early generator set-ups except from the manufacturer's literature.

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Based on what I’ve gone through on this project (strictly because I listened to the guy at the NAPA store and went to the original factory set-up, based on the alternator that was in there when I got the truck back - and, of course, my ignorance) you don’t want to know.

It hasn’t been worth it. :waah:

The idiot that stole my truck butchered up the wiring, both in the engine compartment and under the dash, so bad it might have just been better to buy a completely new loom. I kept putting it off - hoping some magical little wiring gnomes would come during the middle of the night and take my electrical system pain away, but it didn’t work out that way.

While the drive train was out would have been the time to put all brand new stuff in, but that time passed and I ended up with a ‘taco job’, at best. Let that be a lesson to you childrens - plan your dive and dive your plan.

Mac. :ito:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

Anything new?

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

While it pained me to do so - cut the transmission cooler lines over the weekend.

I went out of my way to try and make it right, using the lines that were supplied, but the translation from Chinese to English/American didn't work out.

Bought a fairly nice tube cutter (1/8" - 1-1/8" diameter capacity) at Pep-Boys and went at it. Put standard flare fittings into the radiator ports and had a wonderful time trying to get the hard lines to go into the hoses. Between the tight quarters and the odd tubing O/D (something metric) - they went on with a huge press fit, despite heating them up and using Vice-Grips to wrench them on. Didn't really need hose clamps - but put them on anyway.

Everything took three times as long as it should have, but it came out nice. Almost finished with the last few connections on the engine compartment wiring - but still haven't attempted to put the bulkhead grommet in yet.

Mac. :smoke:

Re: The 283 Rebuild Begins
 

When I have to fight stuff that don't want to do what it's supposed to. I mix up a double and come back in 10 mins or so and kick it's a$$.