Growing up doesn't have to suck

[iamdub]

Is that @iamdub's Hoe? Looks good I heard it's a real dumpster "Don'cha know"

A dumpster gets more action in a week than my 'Hoe has gotten in two months and counting.

 

[iamdub]

Had 16 big black rods waiting for me on my doorstep last night:




Had to test fit one. Should be enough clearance. After all, the point of 3/8" pushrods is to reduce/eliminate flexing:

 

[RMBX]

Ehh. I'd have to recommend otherwise. It was looking like a lost cause from the beginning but I already had the Airlift bags and saw a minuscule ray of light, so I had to at least investigate for myself.

Thanks for your insight! Looking forward to seeing you finish your engine!

 

[pwtr02ss]

Current small update-

Took a closer look at the oil pump last night and marked some areas I want to improve:

View attachment 242730


Had a service call at an Autozone today so I grabbed a bolt (oil plug) to replace the AFM oil pressure relief valve in the oil pan:

View attachment 242731


I used an aluminum washer instead of the plastic one that came with it:

View attachment 242732


Torqued into place with red Loctite. Looks like it was made for this purpose:

View attachment 242733

What oil pump did you go with? I'm getting closer to pulling the motor on the avalanche. A buddy of mine has several parts thats he has left over from various builds

Lifters PN 12499225 (LS-7 I think)
Brian Tooley Trays PN BTR95365-4 (I think they are GM)
Timing Chain PN 12646386 (I hope its LS-2 but haven't been able to confirm)
Melling Oil Pump PN 10296 (I think I want a GM)

Also, did you tap the block and put the plugs in to avoid buying a new, non-DOD valley cover or is that required?

 

[iamdub]

What oil pump did you go with?

Melling M295HV. Also ported it. My oil pressure was fine and, as far as my research showed, the M295HV was the direct replacement for the pump used in the AFM engines, which used a high volume pump. There's no need to try to peg out the oil pressure gauge. It's just excess load on the engine and stress on the seals. ~40psi +/- 25% is fine.

A buddy of mine has several parts thats he has left over from various builds

Lifters PN 12499225 (LS-7 I think)
Brian Tooley Trays PN BTR95365-4 (I think they are GM)
Timing Chain PN 12646386 (I hope its LS-2 but haven't been able to confirm)
Melling Oil Pump PN 10296 (I think I want a GM)

That is the part number for GM "LS7" lifters and what I bought a year ago with GM lifter trays for $123. They're now $260 for just the lifters. If your buddy has some for a good price, SCORE.

I don't know where BT sources his lifters trays from, but I'd imagine he wouldn't hinge his reputation on sub-par items to save a buck when the legit GM ones are (or were?) relatively cheap to begin with.

That is the part number for the GM LS2 timing chain. I bought one on ebay but I'm not sure it's the LS2 one or even GM. I may be taking a gamble.

Last I knew, Melling supplied GM with oil pumps.

Also, did you tap the block and put the plugs in to avoid buying a new, non-DOD valley cover or is that required?

I tapped and plugged and have a non-DOD cover (12598832- LS3?) with the gasket that has O-rings to seal off each tower. I've heard of some of those O-ring gaskets leaking a little, causing a pressure drop. This may be on aged engines or something, but the cost to tap and plug was about $5 and it's a guaranteed seal. I already had the cover cuz I ordered all these parts over a year ago. At that time, I wasn't planning on tapping and plugging. If you're not pulling the engine, you're gonna have to block off the tower oil galley through the lifter bore when tapping to keep the shavings out of the engine. I used a donut magnet and had the engine sideways, used lots of thick grease on the tap and used 155 psi through a high volume blow gun to blow the galley clean from the inside-out. Had I not pulled the engine, I probably would've slid some cylindrical magnets hot-glued to a wooden dowel into the lifter bore to catch the tap shavings. Or I would've bought some of the special rivets and borrowed the Lingenfelter rivet tool from a buddy.


Pics and details of the oil pump porting, timing chain comparison and tower tapping are within the last few pages here.

 

[pwtr02ss]

Melling M295HV. Also ported it. My oil pressure was fine and, as far as my research showed, the M295HV was the direct replacement for the pump used in the AFM engines, which used a high volume pump. There's no need to try to peg out the oil pressure gauge. It's just excess load on the engine and stress on the seals. ~40psi +/- 25% is fine.





That is the part number for GM "LS7" lifters and what I bought a year ago with GM lifter trays for $123. They're now $260 for just the lifters. If your buddy has some for a good price, SCORE.

I don't know where BT sources his lifters trays from, but I'd imagine he wouldn't hinge his reputation on sub-par items to save a buck when the legit GM ones are (or were?) relatively cheap to begin with.

That is the part number for the GM LS2 timing chain. I bought one on ebay but I'm not sure it's the LS2 one or even GM. I may be taking a gamble.

Last I knew, Melling supplied GM with oil pumps.





I tapped and plugged and have a non-DOD cover (12598832- LS3?) with the gasket that has O-rings to seal off each tower. I've heard of some of those O-ring gaskets leaking a little, causing a pressure drop. This may be on aged engines or something, but the cost to tap and plug was about $5 and it's a guaranteed seal. I already had the cover cuz I ordered all these parts over a year ago. At that time, I wasn't planning on tapping and plugging. If you're not pulling the engine, you're gonna have to block off the tower oil galley through the lifter bore when tapping to keep the shavings out of the engine. I used a donut magnet and had the engine sideways, used lots of thick grease on the tap and used 155 psi through a high volume blow gun to blow the galley clean from the inside-out. Had I not pulled the engine, I probably would've slid some cylindrical magnets hot-glued to a wooden dowel into the lifter bore to catch the tap shavings. Or I would've bought some of the special rivets and borrowed the Lingenfelter rivet tool from a buddy.


Pics and details of the oil pump porting, timing chain comparison and tower tapping are within the last few pages here.

Thank you dub. I saw all the pics of the timing chain and stuff, I just wasn't sure of the part numbers and he couldn't remember. After I made that post, I start doing a little research (15 minutes worth, or so). GM parts direct list our trucks as having the same part number on the timing chain as a LS-2 GTO so it looks like they came with the heavy duty unity from the factory. The BT trays are GM units, just have his part number on the sticker as well. Brian ported the heads on my camaro back when he was TEA. They are badass.

Thanks for answering all those questions. I'm going to bite the bullet and pull the motor. May go ahead and go through the transmission as well., even if only to replace the drum, band, clutches, and billet accumulators. Maybe a corvette servo too. That will all depend on the help I can gather.

I'm wanting to do a little cam, no chop or anything, just something to help this pig at interstate speeds. I've been following your build and you've been a major help. Thanks for taking the time.

 

[iamdub]

...GM parts direct list our trucks as having the same part number on the timing chain as a LS-2 GTO so it looks like they came with the heavy duty unity from the factory.

This would make the most sense. Kinda like how they (supposedly?) are/were using the "LS7" lifters as the standard ones in all LS engines

...The BT trays are GM units, just have his part number on the sticker as well.

I figured as much.

I'm going to bite the bullet and pull the motor. May go ahead and go through the transmission as well., even if only to replace the drum, band, clutches, and billet accumulators. Maybe a corvette servo too. That will all depend on the help I can gather.

I'm wanting to do a little cam, no chop or anything, just something to help this pig at interstate speeds. I've been following your build and you've been a major help. Thanks for taking the time.

Since the heads have to come off to do everything else, and those top four bellhousing bolts are easily accessible with the heads off, you may as well pull the engine so you can replace the rear main and do whatever with the trans. It's only what- about 20 more bolts? Eight in the bellhousing, three on the torque converter, six on the mounts and a few 10mm with the plastic flexplate covers and wire harness and trans cooler line brackets.

I'm wanting to do a little cam, no chop or anything, just something to help this pig at interstate speeds. I've been following your build and you've been a major help. Thanks for taking the time.

Tough to beat a BTR or TSP Stage 1 for that. Just about anything over stock will induce at least a tiny bit of chop, but it's nothing some good tuning won't fix.

I'm glad my documenting could help! I'm beyond ready to get back at it. It's just been one thing after the other for weeks now- waiting on parts, working late during the week, weekends on call for work, family obligations, unexpected weekend out of town for a family death, etc. This past weekend I was out of town for Jenn's birthday. Will be out of town next weekend for a funeral then back on call for work the following weekend. Maybe I'll get back in the garage sometime in June?

 

[PG01]

Condolences Chris.

 

[pwtr02ss]

Sorry to hear about the death. Never anything good to say about that type of situation. Condolences.

 

[Sam Harris]

Condolences. We’ve had way too many of those ourselves this year. 2020 will not be remembered fondly.