"Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion

[N2TRUX]

If you recall, I had issues with the bolts in my exhaust manifolds being frozen. The muffler shop attempted to remove them, but that failed. I concerned that the bolts in the block were going to be a nightmare to remove too. It was suggested to soak them with PB Blaster and heat cycle them a couple of times to prepare them for removal.

I soaked them liberally with PB Blaster and let them soak for a night or two. Well actually a month or so. I was absolutely blown away at how well this worked. The bolts required a slight bump with the short ratchet then they spun freely. Not one single bolt gave me trouble coming out.

[N2TRUX]

Unfortunately thats the good news. The bad news was both manifolds had hairline cracks in them. None were through and through yet, but I wasnt taking a chance. I decided to replace both. I looked at all of my options that included stock manifolds, headers, etc.

[N2TRUX]

Trying to keep the "budget build" in mind, I discovered stock manifolds were the most economical. I also discovered that 7.4L FI manifolds looked like they would flow better. They dont have the protrusions for the AIR injection tubes inside so theres nothing to disrupt exhaust flow. I compared them to some early Corvette manifolds and they look very similar for about 1/10 the cost.

[N2TRUX]

Sadly, I cant leave things stock. I didnt like the casting flash and numbers. I decided a bit of time with a flapper disc might make them look better. I was right that they look better. I was incorrect that it wouldn't take long. Regardless, I'm pleased with the results

[N2TRUX]

Last night Chris and i spent some quality time under the hood of Crewcab Jake. He focused on the drivers side of the firewall. I worked on the front frame brace and back of the core support. I'm not sure what I want to do with the brake lines yet, but that ugly mess has to go.

[N2TRUX]

Once Chris had the firewall fairly clean, he headed home. I wrapped up my evening working on the passenger side head.

I got the grunge cleaned off of the head and confirmed that the oil is coming from the valve cover gasket. While I was down there at eye level with the exhaust ports I could see all of the valve stems were ashy white. No sign of oil consumption from the left bank.

[N2TRUX]

This week was fairly productive on all fronts. I made some progress on my latest flip project, a 1998 Lincoln Navigator. It's very close to being ready to market.
My previous daily driver a 2016 Sierra mad a trip to the dealership for recall updates, so its almost ready for market as well.

In between all of that I spent the week finishing up the exhaust manifolds for Jake. Those will be ready for paint soon. I received my shipment from Summit Racing which included copper exhaust gaskets, a new A/C Delco water pump, and several cans of Dupli-Color High Performance Wheel Coating.

I had planned to use the HWP105 bronze as the base color to my motor It shows to be a medium bronze color on all of the sites where I found it. Unfortunaly it sprays out to be a burnt bronze or copper color. Not what I had in mind, so Im back to searching again.

[N2TRUX]

Chris worked his fingers to the bone removing the factory undercoating from the firewall. He cleaned and prepped the surface while I worked on the exhaust side of the block. Once he finished the drivers side, I went to work with the cut off wheel. I trimmed the reinforcement plate for the brake booster, then cleaned it with a flapper disc.

[N2TRUX]

We switched up, and Chris went to work on the passenger side of the firewall. Once I had the booster brace trimmed, I moved over to the passenger side. There is a pinch weld seam that needs to be removed for the Slosh Tubz panels to fit flush. I used my cut off wheel to remove it as well.

I have cut these off in the past and the seams stayed intact. For some reason this one left a gap that will need to be welded up later. For now it will get covered with the Slosh Tubz filler panels.

[N2TRUX]

With the trimming done, Chris gave the entire surface a final scuff down with Scotch Brite. He followed that with surface prep up using brake cleaner. I loaded my gun with Tamco 5300 series black primer. The 5300 series is a direct to metal (DTM) primer that doesnt require any additional solvents or bonding agents when spraying over exposed metal. This will be the base coat that we will eventually build on. Till then its safe to leave exposed and finish coat later.

[N2TRUX]

If your not familiar with Tamco paint, do yourself a favor and check them out. Tamco offers premium quality automotive paint products at a very affordable price. Unlike many "economy" or shop lines, Tamco uses top of the line ingredients to formulate user friendly paint products. Try it out and thank me later.

[N2TRUX]

My work week was crazy as always so my shop time was limited. I bounced between projects as well. I am currently trying to get a 98 Lincoln Navigator and a 2016 Sierra ready for market. Both of them are absorbing mush more time than they should be, but I need to finish them up.

[N2TRUX]

Between those two projects Chris and I managed to get a bit of work done. We pulled the core support filler panel and prepped it for paint. Chris decided that we may as well paint the bottom of the hood while we are at it. Friday evening we prepped the hood, and called it done for the day.

[N2TRUX]

Saturday I blasted it with a few coats of Tamco primer. It should have been done in two coats, but it was so hot that I had dry streaks even with 70% overlap. I came back with an extra wet coat with 80% overlap and manged to get some consistency. Unfortunately the humidity level was so high my paint gun became a water hose too.

Now I remember why I dont like painting large objects.

[mongocanfly]

Trucks really coming along.....will have to check into tamco paints...

[Mpiersd]

Lookin good!

[N2TRUX]

This weekend was filled with setbacks. After the hood cured over night. It shrunk back to reveal quite a bit of trash in the paint. That means I need to sand the entire bottom of the again.

I decided to put that behind me and focus on moving forward. Chris has been eager to get the old intake removed so we would have more room to work. I have been reluctant which is not my usual approach.
Sunday we cleaned our work space and jumped in with both feet. Chris climbed under the hood, while I bagged and tagged. We took plenty of pics of hoses and fitting along the way to help with reassembly.

[N2TRUX]

With the intake stripped clean, we pulled all of the bolts and pried the cast iron boat anchor free. Maybe my reluctance was a premonition, but we soon discovered a serious problem. I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure thats not how it goes. What your looking at is the bent and broken intake push road from the #5 cylinder.

[N2TRUX]

Initially I was devastated, but my curiosity soon overcame my shock. After a thorough inspection I discovered the rod for the exhaust valve was bent as well. At this point I was ready to throw in the towel and call it a day. As I sat stunned considering my options, I looked closely at the damaged parts. I noted that besides being bent and broke, they weren't scarred up. Thinking back on when this could have happened I realized it must have been very recent. Since I did a compression test and decided to keep the 454 I hadnt driven it any further than off and on the trailer.

I throughly inspected the rest of the motor and saw no signs of damage to any other moving parts. The cam looks good with no signs of galling. I drained the oil through a paint strainer and there were no metal particles in the filer or the pan. It seems the only thing damaged were the parts pertaining to that cylinder.

Its time to weigh my options.

[trixter99]

Did the timing chain jump a tooth and maybe the piston hit the valve? There has to be a real good reason that push rod is broken.

[LT7A]

While you are considering your options, pulling the valve cover and then the head will help you discover or rule out various scenarios.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by trixter99

Did the timing chain jump a tooth and maybe the piston hit the valve? There has to be a real good reason that push rod is broken.

I dont think so. After testing, I discovered the exhaust lifter wont compress. My best guess is it caused the opposing rod to fail.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by LT7A

While you are considering your options, pulling the valve cover and then the head will help you discover or rule out various scenarios.

The valve covers are off, and every exposed surface has been inspected. There is nothing that indicates the damage requires a complete tear down. I wont pull the heads unless I build the entire motor.

[jkk]

Time for a crate motor before that leaves you on the side of the road lol

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by jkk

Time for a crate motor before that leaves you on the side of the road lol

Time is one thing I dont have right now. Trust me, this goes against my usual approach to my builds. If you know anything about me, then you know I never give up when it comes to honoring my commitments.