Restoring Rusty

[Gregski]

#1 - 140 psi

#2 - 140 psi

#3 - 150 psi

#4 - 151 psi

[Gregski]

#5 - 150 psi

#6 - 149 psi

#7 - 145 psi

#8 - 150 psi

[enaberif]

I'd say with those numbers you are fine.

[flashed]

So Greg ,now that you have completely ruined that old truck ,How much you want for it for me to take it away from your misery ? Really kidding you ,I love what you have done with it .

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by flashed

So Greg ,now that you have completely ruined that old truck ,How much you want for it for me to take it away from your misery ? Really kidding you ,I love what you have done with it .

LOL, $300 all in nickels, ha ha

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by enaberif

I'd say with those numbers you are fine.

I would agree, for a 40 year old bottom end, we'll take those numbers all day long won't we?

[68Timber]

Originally Posted by Gregski

I would agree, for a 40 year old bottom end, we'll take those numbers all day long won't we?

There's a joke in there somewhere.

[Woodyboat]

Originally Posted by 68Timber

There's a joke in there somewhere.

ROTFLOL!! My thoughts exactly!!

[Gregski]

spent the entire day troubleshooting the truck

did a valve adjustment following my favorite procedure

with 1 at TDC adjust: Exhaust 1-3-4-8 and Intake 1-2-5-7 valves

than with 6 at TDC adjust Exhaust 2-5-6-7 and Intake 3-4-6-8 valves

all valves needed to have a tiny bit of wiggle taken out of them and then were tightened a 1/4 turn,

except for #2 exhaust, this guy was loose, so it was tightened properly

Did this stabilize the vacuum needle? NEGATIVE

I did return the cheap-o vacuum gauge and bought what I hope is a more better one by BOSCH, since when my buddy Mike came over he bronged his old Pontiac vacuum gauge (of all things) and it read a steady 16 inches or what ever the notches be called

[Gregski]

I also flushed the heater core (both ways) just using a garden hose, with no narrow tip mind you, anytime you need that thing it's no where to be found, and when I don't need it, you guessed it I'm trippin' on it in the garage or out on the patio

bought some brand new hoses and reconnected it back up

Did this fix the overheating problem? NEGATIVE GHOST RIDER!

the plan is to add Antifreeze to the system tomorrow as we are still running on water only

[Gregski]

so lets Summarize the Situation

the truck idles at 650 RPM at 13* BTDC with spark plugs re-gapped to .045

the vacuum needle dances around 16 Inches of Hugs, (even with the newer test gauge) with the vacuum advance canister hooked up, all the InterWebs tell me it's an ignition problem

the truck runs hot

and here's the kicker there is a clicking / ticking sound coming from god knows where in the engine, maybe the passenger side, I say kicker cause its the same darn sound the motor made before I did the top end swap, so how can it be the same lifter or rocker arm or what ever, even the timing set has been replaced, as was the water pump, the cam obviously, and the pushrods, I am so scratching my head on this one, I even used a stethoscope to listen for the sound and you can't hear it with the stethoscope its harder to hear it with it on than with it off

Frustration Level: Rising

[enaberif]

1) Quit running water! Your truck needs either antifreeze or something like "water wetter" (http://www.redlineoil.com/Products.aspx?pcid=10) if you want to keep using water.

2) You only have a 4 blade FIXED fan on the truck which may not be enough cooling now for the truck.

3) You are running a aftermarket performance cam so you could probably run 16* to 18* base timing and be ok.

Don't forget that you did a lot of stuff to this truck that can affect other things in a negative way; For every action there is a reaction.

[Gregski]

oh great this guy on YouTube had the exact same problem I mean exact, he had the noise on his old motor than he swapped to Vortec heads and still had the noise

SBC 350 mystery noise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B99cClzos1c

[enaberif]

Originally Posted by Gregski

oh great this guy on YouTube had the exact same problem I mean exact, he had the noise on his old motor than he swapped to Vortec heads and still had the noise

SBC 350 mystery noise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B99cClzos1c

What is your oil pressure at? That noise sounds like a lack of oil or lubrication.

[chevybuldr]

You need to isolate the sound. Start by killing cylinders by removing plug wires. Your idle seems low to me for even a mild cam. Did you confirm that the balancer has not slipped and your TDC is true on your mark? Over heat issue might be an air pocket in the cooling system. You need to put the truck on the driveway, make the radiator higher point then the back of the block. Just because water comes to the top of the intake doesn't mean there is not a pocket.

[rich weyand]

Best thing to use for locating sounds is a long screwdriver. Put the end of the handle against your ear and the blade of the screwdriver on the part. It localizes very well. A stethoscope has too broad a sound pickup field.

Did you check the fuel pump for the noise? It gets punched by the cam every time around, right?

You really need antifreeze in there. Most low-compression sbcs run cold.

You can probably run base timing of 16* BTDC with no problems as long as you have the right vac advance can on there.

Idle of 650 is still a bit high for a stick. 700 for a slushbox in P/N, 550 or so in D/R. More like 550-600 for a stick in N.

[Woodyboat]

Originally Posted by Gregski

...the truck idles at 650 RPM

WOW, my Harley doesn't even idle THAT low. Are you sure about this?

[Gregski]

check this out, this is straight out of the 350 H.O. (High Output) TURN KEY ENGINE KIT (19210009) Specifications

Bypass Hose and Plugs section

*Note: Before installing bypass hose be sure you have the correct rotation water pump installed on your engine.

The correct water pump is supplied with the Serpentine Belt Accessory Drive Package.

Install 1 bypass hose fitting into intake manifold and one into water pump.

Take the supplied bypass hose and cu to size, to fit between the water pump and intake manifold fittings.

Install bypass hose and secure with supplied clamps.

Any small block engine, regardless of year, that uses Vortec heads, will require an external coolant bypass line from the intake manifold to the 5/8" hose nipple on the water pump (passenger’s side). Suggested routing is from the 3/8 NPSF boss on intake manifold to the water pump.

[rich weyand]

And here's why:
http://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/...tec-heads.html

[enaberif]

Originally Posted by rich weyand

And here's why:
http://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/...tec-heads.html

How much you want to bet this will also contribute to his hot temperatures lol.

[Valarius_Starchaser]

Hey now we are getting somewhere we learn something new every day

[Gregski]

I just want to take the time to once again say THANK YOU all of you for reading and offering to help, you have no idea how much I appreciate it. If you all were local I would buy you a cup of coffee and shoot the sheet this morning, or buy you a beer tonight and also shoot the sheet.

Also important to let you know I am not ignoring any of your comments or suggestions deliberately, I am trying to tackle these issues systematically. In other words one thing at a time.

Finally keep in mind we are not arguing, but sometimes a little back and forth is healthy, no one likes to blindly just do what they are told, I like most of you want to fully understand/grasp something before implementing it.

so thanks again, together we will make Rusty happy

[flashed]

Well ,I want to thank you for posting all the details of your build .I love keeping up with your build even if I dont always comment .With my back problems and yesterday surgery I have not been into my trucks but Ive had fun with yours .Keep at it and I will keep watching .
I would give you $500 for it in pennys .LOL

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by rich weyand

And here's why:
http://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/...tec-heads.html

Rich I followed the link and read the entire thread, and I got three different outcomes out if it, please correct me if I am wrong

1. One guy says I installed a bypass hose

2. Another guy says i have been running Vortec heads for years without a bypass hose

3. And yet someone else saying i drilled some 1/8th holes in the thermostat

So which is it? Whats the proper solution?

[rich weyand]

Originally Posted by Gregski

Rich I followed the link and read the entire thread, and I got three different outcomes out if it, please correct me if I am wrong

1. One guy says I installed a bypass hose

2. Another guy says i have been running Vortec heads for years without a bypass hose

3. And yet someone else saying i drilled some 1/8th holes in the thermostat

So which is it? Whats the proper solution?

OK, here's my take.

I think the guy with post #2 is the most correct.

Basically, if you have a system that is a loop, and you put a valve in it (in this case, the thermostat), then when the valve is closed, nothing circulates in the loop.

With me so far?

OK, so that's not a good thing. So the General built a second loop into the system, by installing a bypass that runs from the output of the water pump back to the engine, circulating coolant in that loop even if the valve is closed. So all the valve controls now is shutting off the radiator. But coolant still circulates, avoiding hot spots.

They didn't build this bypass into the Vortec heads for some reason (weight? the location already in the block inconvenient?), so you add it externally.

Now, lots of SBCs run pretty cold, like mine. Low compression, torquer cam, runs cold as a witch's heart. So I took out the always-on mechanical fan, and added an electrical fan which hardly ever runs except at sitting (no air flow from movement) on a hot day.

So a guy like me, with that setup, doesn't know about the bypass line, say, so he doesn't put it on. No problem, because his heater circuit sort of acts like a bypass, per the later posts in the thread.

But then some guy comes along who puts in the Vortec heads, and doesn't know about the bypass line, and cuts the heater out because he lives in Cali, and all of a sudden he is trying to diagnosis overheating issues.

BTW, another thread I found, one poster said the reason for needing circulation when the thermostat is closed is avoiding local hot spots, especially where the exhaust ports are adjacent to each other, to avoid (ta-da!) cracking the heads.

So that's my take.