building LS engines
 

holy crap what an ordeal. just buy known, good, running motors and never open them.
the stock bore chamfer is so huge a regular ring compressor doesn't work. and there's like 5-6 other LS-only tools you'll need to stick one back together. christ on a creaky friggin crutch.

anyone got an extra (new) top ring for a stock bore 5.3 lemme know.

stab. extra stab.

Re: building LS engines
 

dude you skipped the "apply beer or other social-assembly-lubricants when dealing with late model engine internals for the first time. Refer to Diagram A."

What other specific tools did you run into needing? I've put a few together in various stages, and nothing comes to mind; except the crank pulley puller. The valve train stuff is all pretty normal, I don't recall having a problem with the ring compressor, but I don't know which one we had at the time.

Re: building LS engines
 

Humm i helped a buddy put together a 6.0 and 4.8 and we used a regular cheapy ring compressor.

Re: building LS engines
 

yeah i went a got an wrinkle type and it works a little better. the lisle ratchet type i have used for years, probably a hundred different motors…bikes, go-karts whatever it was perfect. well it has these notches so the tool tops out on the deck and doesn't slide down the bore. the chamfer on this 5.3 is crazy, so the ring expands when it comes out of the compressor. I got em all in carefully working the ring in with a sharp chunk of nylon.

Anyways I was being a dramatic little crybaby becuase I was pissed at myself for busting a ring. First time for everything I guess.

Stoked my homegirl at vatozone let me grab just one ring out of a pack :)


There are a couple tools I need to find work-arounds for since I'll do my damndest to just run em like I get from now on.

The installer you mentioned is one, but seems like an easy $15 fix. Another is the oil pump alignment tool…and apparently the oil pan needs to be aligned too, but I plan on just using an extra bellhousing as a dead stop.

Re: building LS engines
 

Oil pump alignment tool? Oil pan alignment tool? I think someone is also going to try and sell you a right handed screw driver.

Re: building LS engines
 

ah a comedian! too bad all my screwdrivers are right handed already funny guy!

Re: building LS engines
 

there is no alignment of the oil pan, sans a good tightening procedure as to not give the gasket a reason to leak. Its a cast piece, and rather robust.

Like, they list a special tool for holding the lifters in place, but a dowel or piece of brakeline will do the same thing. I didn't have the special PTC tools for a long time, and I still haven't bought aluminum AN wrenches yet.

Now, I laugh when comparing that to friends working on Euro's....if you wanna talk special tools, talk to Audi enthusiasts.

Re: building LS engines
 

There is a specific alignment to the oil pan, but it can be done with a straight edge. The back of the pan has to align with the block so that when the transmission is tightened down to it and the engine its not put in a bind. If youve ever seen an F body LS1 pan, it says alignment and torture specs are critical cast into the bottom of it.

Re: building LS engines
 

Is it just an Fbody pan thing? I don't recall my LH8 pan saying that, nor do I recall reading it in my service manual. (in my mind, having the pan and block lineup just made sense)

Re: building LS engines
 

British car enthusiasts tend to take a more realistic view of that:

http://www.brit.ca/~tboicey/comic_pics/sst.gif

Re: building LS engines
 

I bought I spare bell housing, & bolted it up before I tightened the oil pan. I used a ctsv pan, don't recall any castings on it about the alignment. I thought it would be cheap insurance to do it anyway. I have read about the f-body pan procedure, I just assumed it applied to all pans.