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1979 Chevrolet Bonanza SWB 1/2 Ton
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07-29-2011, 03:22 PM
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veinbar
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Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 292
Re: 1979 Chevrolet Bonanza SWB 1/2 Ton
After driving around for almost a year with a weak and tired engine, I decided to rebuild it. It was pulling so poorly I thought that it could be a 305 on it's last leg. To my surprise my truck had an "882" headed 350 engine bored .040 over and had 4-bolt mains. Not a bad bread an butter core to rebuild. Since the engine was already bored .040 over I wanted to avoid boring it again to .060. Instead the builder gave the cylinders a fresh honing, and it was good to go. The engine was rebuilt to OEM Specs, stock cam and all. The only elected additions were Flat-Top Pistons, and a double roller timing chain. The price for a long-block rebuild = $700... Not bad IMO. With the additional gaskets, silicons, and paint the entire engine rebuild cost around $1000. Here were the results...
After a long / drawn out remove and replace process, I finally had my truck running again. The engine was great. Started right up, set the timing, and it idled beautifully. My buddy Chris and I had to do this engine swap on a gravel covered grassy uneven surface at a friend's house. He was happy to see us go. He said that our truck made his house look like "Sanford and Son".
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