55.2-59 Ol' Blue

[8man]

Yes sir. They are going to do all that.

This will be my first engine build, and I was talked into it by a restoration shop manager who volunteered his time to oversee my worki and what I'm doing. So, maybe I won't screw it up!

[8man]

I have a ZR2 rear axle, and I've started rebuilding it. The lugs on the rear don't match the ones on the front hubs I got from TCI. After talking to TCI and having the axles out of the tubes, I decided TCI was right it was going to be easier to replace the rear metric lug bolts with 7/16 x 20. I measured the knurl and got some from Summit that are the right size. I have measured the knurl for size, and it is .557", so my measurement agreed with Dorman.

Now, I need to drill the hubs out, but I'm not sure what size drill bit to use, I'm thinking 15/32, although a 14mm might work. I need it to be tight enough to hold the lug bolts tight enough, so they don't move.

I talked to an axle shop today and they said the real problem was centering the new hole. I thought I could just use a drill press, and the right size drill bit would follow the original hole and be centered. Am I missing something?

Thanks.

[8man]

I got the engine, crank and pistons back from the machine shop. They honed the crank and cylinders and replaced the piston rings. It was in pretty good shape!
IMG_1802 by Robert Moorman, on Flickr
I painted the block, oil pan and front cover plate "Chevrolet Orange". With any luck, I'll start assembling the engine this coming weekend, but the heads are still at the machine shop, with no end in sight.

I finally got the last of the E-brake parts for the ZR2 rear end and was able to finish that assembly.
IMG_1806 - Copy by Robert Moorman, on Flickr
The note is to remind me to add red Loctite and torque the caliper bolts before installing. Since this is my first rear axle rebuild, I decided to have a mechanic buddy come check the backlash before adding that red Loctite to the bolts, just in case I have to pull the axles again for any reason.

Then I started repairing the rear bottoms of the front fenders.
IMG_1803 by Robert Moorman, on Flickr
If you look closely and squint just right, you might be able to make out the pin-hole in the fender bottom and there are two close to the nut. I welded this up and primed it. Did the same to the other side, but it wasn't rust, it was a little damage. I hammered and dollied it until it will take a little filler and then some high build primer to make it look good as new.

So far, that is all the damage I've found. The cab and doors are next though. They still have the re-paint on them, so there could be some damage hidden inside a door or something, but it still looks rust free!