The 283 Rebuild Begins

[justcuz]

I still think you are money ahead, you will have a "new truck" at a lot less than brand new prices. That being said my nephew just bought a 2008 WT extended cab for about $15,000. Now that is cheap for a brand spanking new truck! The funny thing is a WT stripper is pretty well appointed these days. No carpet or electric windows but just about everything else is standard including AC.

[joe231]

looking good

[MacAttack]

Originally Posted by joe231

looking good

Thanks.

Fixed the holes in the intake manifold per.....

Originally Posted by justcuz

If you are keeping the 2 barrel you might want to plug the exhaust heat riser passages that go to the cast iron base of the carb.

[justcuz]

Do I spy the nose of a 64 Chevelle? Same one the transmission is in the trunk of?

[MacAttack]

Originally Posted by justcuz

Do I spy the nose of a 64 Chevelle? Same one the transmission is in the trunk of?

Yeah, that’s ‘The Blue’, my daily driver since the first week of February - when ‘The Tan’ (my C10) got ripped off, right there at the curb.

[MacAttack]

Went to the new Original Parts Group (OPG) in Seal Beach yesterday and picked up my new stainless steel automatic transmission fluid cooling lines (the ones that go to the bottom of the radiator).

Outstanding quality and they were on sale (about $75 for the pair). The new facility is a palace! Got the nickel tour and while it’s mainly a Chevelle place, many of the running gear parts are common for our trucks. I laid out the assemblies on the garage floor last night - against the grubby, old, bent up tubes and they’re a perfect replacement.

Apparently, there are two (not so friendly) bothers that own these outfits, one owns Classic Industries and the other OPG, and their business styles seem to be really different:

Classic Industries show room process: Arrive with your page printed from their website (as you can’t order a WILLCALL over the web), the first guy takes your credit card - sweeps it - gives it back - retypes your order into their data base, the second guy take the print-out to the warehouse order bay, third guy pulls the order, fourth guy receives it and asks for your card again, re-swipes it, you sign the receipt and then you get to put your thumb-print on their part of the credit card receipt.

OPG show room process: Arrive with your WILLCALL order - printed from their website, guy takes it, NEXTEL radio in hand - hits the warehouse guy and your order is brought to the show room, first guy cuts the box open and helps you inspect your product, reseals the box, takes your credit card, swipes it, you sign the receipt and you’re gone.

Two different worlds.

[MacAttack]

Jeg’s shipment arrived via FedEx Ground yesterday - with my flex plate. Mounted it last night, with a new set of bolts. It’s perfect. Now I can put the motor up on its stand tonight and get down to some serious finish work. This weekend’s going to be busy and fun!

BTW: Jeg’s sent me a hat with my part. Cool.

[MacAttack]

Mounted the new motor’s water pump last night and ended up leaving out the "locator pin" (?), as it wasn’t even close to being functional. .005 slip fit into the block - no big deal, but going into the blind hole in the water pump - .060 clearance. Does this matter?

Better to find out now than when the engine’s in the truck.

[justcuz]

If I understand you correctly the blind hole is in the back of the pump? Those pumps had an extra hole on one side that was for a bypass, from the face of the block through the water pump.

[MacAttack]

Originally Posted by justcuz

If I understand you correctly the blind hole is in the back of the pump? Those pumps had an extra hole on one side that was for a bypass, from the face of the block through the water pump.

Bingo. Just couldn't understand what the pin was for(?) This hole is on the left port of the block and water pump - if you're looking back from the fan. I'm assuming that with the gasket and sealer there won't be any complications.

Mac.

[justcuz]

No you should not have any trouble with it. I glue the gasket to the pump with gaskacinch. Let it dry, then put axle grease on the surface were the pump and block meet. Put the 2 top bolts in loosely, install the bottom ones, run em in finger tight, then wrench em. Does your alternator upper bracket come off the top of the pump? Make sure you put the right bolt in there.You can remove the pump without the gasket sticking to the block and scrape the gasket off the pump on the bench if you ever have to replace it. I don't like bending over the core support scraping gaskets that may end up in the block.

[MacAttack]

Originally Posted by justcuz

Does your alternator upper bracket come off the top of the pump? Make sure you put the right bolt in there.

Went with the lower mount alternator bracket - so there's no problem.

[Tim64]

Hey that looks pretty sweet! Nice work

[joe231]

looking good!
I like you step by step photos also, verry niiice!!

[MacAttack]

You’d think I’d want to completely finish this motor - but I’m finding every excuse I can to avoid doing just that. I got the correct oil filler tube cap (actually for a 327) in from Paragon Reproductions (800-882-4688) by UPS yesterday, and that’s it. Time to mate her up with the TH350. Need to make the modulator line now from some brake tubing. That and bolting in the motor towers - it will be showtime.

Mac.

[kizer]

Been there done that with a few projects. I took 2 weeks to rebuild a transfercase for a buddy in his 74 LandCrusier. I knew if I finished it in a few days it would be done. I wanted to play longer. hahahaha

[MacAttack]

The motor’s done - can’t abuse it any further.

I’ve moved on to the modulator tube.

Who knew you could buy a 60" piece of 5/32" ID brake tubing, with fittings, for $5.32 (+ tax) at NAPA? Outstanding. I got a small tube bending tool on sale about 10 years ago, used it once since that time, and found it again in the bottom of one of my roll away drawers.

Figuring that I could always buy another length of tube, I got bold and started bending away - first with a full half-circle at the modulator end and then mapped out the other bends along the transmission with blue masking tape - at each predicted turn.

It took ten minutes to fabricate the whole thing. The finished units were like $30.00 (less shipping) and they were all for a 70’ Camero and ‘might have worked.’

This part of the project was easy - you just have to get someone to help hold the staring end of the tube (or put it in a vice) while you’re doing the other bends - to keep the relationship correct as you go along.

Also mounted the pre-bent transmission coolant lines and the TH350’s ready for mating to the new engine.

Mac.

[joe231]

Originally Posted by MacAttack

The motor’s done - can’t abuse it any further.

I’ve moved on to the modulator tube.

Who knew you could buy a 60" piece of 5/32" ID brake tubing, with fittings, for $5.32 (+ tax) at NAPA? Outstanding. I got a small tube bending tool on sale about 10 years ago, used it once since that time, and found it again in the bottom of one of my roll away drawers.

Figuring that I could always buy another length of tube, I got bold and started bending away - first with a full half-circle at the modulator end and then mapped out the other bends along the transmission with blue masking tape - at each predicted turn.

It took ten minutes to fabricate the whole thing. The finished units were like $30.00 (less shipping) and they were all for a 70’ Camero and ‘might have worked.’

This part of the project was easy - you just have to get someone to help hold the staring end of the tube (or put it in a vice) while you’re doing the other bends - to keep the relationship correct as you go along.

Also mounted the pre-bent transmission coolant lines and the TH350’s ready for mating to the new engine.

Mac.

alright Mac....where are the pics???

[MacAttack]

Originally Posted by joe231

alright Mac....where are the pics???

Wal-Mart.

[MacAttack]

Ground Up, Inc. $2.95 each. Perfect replacement. Came from Meriden, CT by FedEx Ground this morning - ordered 09/23/08. Outstanding.

[MacAttack]

Back in commission and starting to work on the truck again - replacing the heater fan motor tomorrow, while the engine’s out, so getting to it will be easier. Anybody done this operation before? Do I need to pull the heater box cover off to get to the motor’s fasteners (the motor hangs down (vertically) from the box)?

The frame modification is done and the measurements for the new towers came out nearly perfectly. Used a coat hanger bent in a "U" shape to gage the distance between the two bolted up motor mounts. The cross-member’s drilled for the lower bolt holes and I was thinking I’ll just leave the new towers bolted to the motor mounts and drop the hole thing into the engine bay as one assembly, along with the transmission.

Any thoughts?

[joe231]

Originally Posted by MacAttack

Back in commission and starting to work on the truck again - replacing the heater fan motor tomorrow, while the engine’s out, so getting to it will be easier. Anybody done this operation before? Do I need to pull the heater box cover off to get to the motor’s fasteners (the motor hangs down (vertically) from the box)?

The frame modification is done and the measurements for the new towers came out nearly perfectly. Used a coat hanger bent in a "U" shape to gage the distance between the two bolted up motor mounts. The cross-member’s drilled for the lower bolt holes and I was thinking I’ll just leave the new towers bolted to the motor mounts and drop the hole thing into the engine bay as one assembly, along with the transmission.

Any thoughts?

yeah, i have a thought........................

[MacAttack]

Finished the ‘smog tube’ over the weekend. This is the vent pipe that runs from the back of the block near the distributor. Connected a PCV valve to the end of it - via a brass fitting - and "T’d" off two smaller tube fittings from there to the two openings in the bottom of my triangle shaped Edlebrock air cleaner.

Ran into a bit of a complication though on using one of the (stock 2-barrel) intake manifold bolts to hold this pipe down - by the little tab that’s spot-welded to it. The #5 (in the torqueing sequence) bolt is used for this and the tube covers the last bolt back on the passenger side.

Question is - should I remove all the bolts and start over? And to get to the rear bolt should I go buy a ‘crowsfoot’ to reach the one that ends up under the ‘smog tube?"

Do these type of extensions work with a torque wrench?



Or should I just forget about it and move on?

[MacAttack]

Decided to just retighten the single bolt on the intake manifold and move on - fighting the HEI distributor stab presently - having a real time getting it to line up TDC - piston #1. Doesn’t seem to fit like the OEM point distributor.

Got some frame lay-out pictures back in the mean time.

[MacAttack]

Length shot from centerline of rear bolt mount for transmission on crossmember.