Restoring Rusty

[flashed]

I need to change the plugs in one truck ,just dropped the 93 off at my mechanic to change the power steering pump and hoses (no pulley puller ),need to change the gas tank on my wife's 72 Malibu convertible ,got to put a battery in my 72 El Camino and bypass the heater core ,got a bunch of stuff to get loaded for the swap meet next saturday and then my wife has some honeydo's I have to take care of .

[Gregski]

I will be building the top end of my engine following the Chevrolet Performance 350 HO Engine (19210007) Specifications , that takes the guessing out of the operation

350 HO Engine Specifications:

Displacement: 350 cubic inches

Bore x Stroke: 4.00 inch x 3.48 inch

Compression 9.1:1

Block: Cast iron, four-bolt intermediate mains

Cylinder Head: Cast iron, 23º valve angle
Valve Diameter (Intake/Exhaust): 1.94”/1.50”
Chamber Volume: 64cc

Crankshaft: Nodular iron, 2 piece rear seal

Connecting Rods: Forged, powdered metal, 3/8” bolts

Pistons: Cast aluminum

Camshaft: Hydraulic flat tappet
Lift: .435” intake, .460” exhaust
Duration: 212° intake, 222° exhaust @.050” tappet lift
Centerline: 109° ATDC intake, 116° BTDC exhaust

Rocker Arm Ratio: 1.5:1 (flat tappet)

Timing Chain: Link Type Chain 0.762” wide

Oil Pan: 4-quart

Oil Pressure (Normal): 40 psi @ 2000 RPM

Oil Filter: AC Delco part # - PF 25

Fuel: Premium unleaded - 92 (R+M/2)

Maximum Engine Speed: 5700 RPM

Spark Plugs: AC Delco part # R43LTS (R44LTS actually)

Spark Timing: 10° BTDC @ 700 RPM

Firing Order: 1-8-4-3-6-5-7

I will post a parts list with part numbers and prices in another post.

[lkfldredneck]

You forgot the 2 after the 7, unless it only runs on 7 cylinders

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by lkfldredneck

You forgot the 2 after the 7, unless it only runs on 7 cylinders

thanks bro, that's what I get for cut and pasting, but that's how GM has it on their spec sheet (see the link above), I saw it too, but forgot all about it

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by Gregski

with 235/75 R15 tires I get this:

35 MPH @ 1500 RPM

50 MPH @ 2000 RPM

60 MPH @ 2500 RPM

got her on the highway today so we got more numbers

70 MPH @ 2750 RPM

80 MPH @ 3125 RPM

[phillip123hastings]

Nice numbers! (Y)

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by phillip123hastings

Nice numbers! (Y)

Thanks, she's happy below 3,000 RPM but anything over that and it seems she's racing instead cruisin' if you know what I mean, its just the justification I need to install that overdrive trans-a-mission

[Gregski]

decided to get some Miles Per Gallon estimated before I tore her all apart, the last time I tried this my speedometer died, LOL

so we started with 26.4 miles and filled her up

then we drove 100 miles (second pic, speedo reading 126.4) and we had to add 8.263 gallons to fill her back up (at the same gas station, using the same pump, payed with the same debit card, wore the same underwear, etc. LOL)

so 100 miles divided by 8.263 gallons gives us 12.1 MPG, not bad

my goal and the magic number was 12.5 so that on a 16 gallon gas tank I could travel 200 miles, maybe with some carb tunning (I think she's running a little rich) and or hypermiling Prius Style we could have gotten those numbers

dang was that gas really under $2.00 bucks per gallon !!! USA USA USA

[79sierra]

Originally Posted by Gregski

Sweet, so I'll represent the West and you represent the South, and if two more guys join we'll have our very own tournament bracket NCAA basketball style, LOL

I will be in the north finishing interior and misc. preparing for first drive.

[y5mgisi]

Why did I read Trans-a-mission like Johnny Cash in one piece at a time?

[Gregski]

alright it's finally March and the weather is perfect, 72*F and so March Madness officially begins today, aka The Journey of a 1,000 steps

hey remind us again what it is we is doing

ok, for starters we are removing the engine and transmission

but first we get organized, since it may be a while before we go putting things back where we think they came from

so I cover the newly built work bench with 4 mil clear painters drop cloth, and I setup 7 clear plastic tubs for take off parts, like so, you get the idea

also have some blue tape and a Sharpie for labeling

[Gregski]

First some before pictures of the current engine

[Gregski]

and some close ups of the engine

[Gregski]

and some before pictures of the rusty radiator core support

I'm thinking of painting it green, the color of the car instead of black, what do you all think?

[Gregski]

I think when I made a list of things to disconnect, remove, unhook, loosen, in order to hoist the engine and transmission out I counted 26 steps before I ran out of room on the piece of paper, lol

first we drain the fluids, so the oil and coolant come out, I think I may leave the transmission fluid in that transmission since it won't be going back in and I won't be mocking with it any

I already can't wait till the day the fluids go back in!!!

[Gregski]

then as always you start by disconnecting the battery, and since I will be removing the radiator core support, I am removing the battery all together

[Gregski]

the air cleaner comes off next

[Gregski]

these pesky old heater hoses gave me a tough time, I decided they needed replacing so I pulled them off of the heater instead of the engine, one thing I learned the hard way is when dealing with old hoses, its better to take a razor blade and cut or notch them the long ways to get them off or risk breaking what ever inlet or outlet they are glued to

I swear they took me like 20 minutes, stubborn little rascals (that and a dull razor blade didn't help either, ha ha)

[Gregski]

next I needed to disconnect the alternator wiring from the battery negative on the bracket and the engine harness plug

[Gregski]

disconnect the upper and lower radiator hoses, I like to do it at the engine so it comes out cleaner with less junk hanging off of it

[Gregski]

free up the carb by disconnecting the fuel supply line and the electric choke wire, you can remove the engine with the carb on it, but I like to remove it to prevent any damage to it

[Gregski]

disconnect the coolent temp sensor

[Gregski]

when I remove the spark plug wires I like to label them, it makes for a straight forward reinstall

also remove the spark plugs so they won't get hung up on the headers

[Gregski]

don't forget any ground straps like this one from the firewall to my valve cover bolt

[Gregski]

Take Son To Piano Lesson... good place to stop for the day