Just Fishing's 09 Tahoe Build thread

[Just Fishing]

Also on the insultation on the wall...

so i have an addiction to random tools.
one day i walk into a pawn shop and start going through their air tools, one tool got my attention
A massive stapler!!
It has a little adjustable plate so it can crimp the ends off like an office stapler.

i was hoping it was one of those staplers that shippers use to staple boxes shut.

What i found was close, but not quite.
It's the stapler that shippers use to assemble shipping pallets, mostly to fasten a thick cardboard side to a wooden pallet.

it can also crimp the ends off, but it does have a limited range since you need to get the plate on the backside.

Playing around with it, I found i can staple two 3/4 boards together if i have long enough staples.
Turns out it's obsolete since the staple size is no longer used.

On eBay i bought a couple cases of obsolete staples for less than the copper is worth as scrap.


Paid something along the lines of $40 for it iirc.

These are the shorter staples i have, but i do have the long ones.

I used this stapler to attach the insultation to the wall.
If i manage to hit a stud, it will go into the wood.


I have also used this stapler to fix a rotted fence.
used the full crimper action to full on staple planks together...


I'm doing my best to avoid wires with this thing.
i had to go around a power outlet, so i totally did it with a single hand, and avoided the stud.

 

[Jimmyy]

Damn ADD.

Started work on what I plan to do to the entire garage.

View attachment 297282

Main place i need it is against that wall, the back wall, and the ceiling.
I won't get too much further until i get the hoe out of there.

I like how much brighter the garage is already getting!

I see a dance part in your future. A mirror ball some lasers and a sound system.

 

[pwtr02ss]

Those baffles look great, along with the wiring R&R

 

[Just Fishing]

And we dropped the engine in last night!

serious pita since i decided to install the chain down at the lowest head bolt point.
the little L shaped bracket really got in the way of the exhaust manifolds.

My helper was really good at just helping me remove the hood.
so he was my go-to guy.
Worth the wait for that guy.

While he was in the engine bay, he was kind enough to get the engine mount bolts started, along with the upper engine to trans bolts.

Afterwards we went out to dinner and i bought that guy a few rounds.



All bolts are just finger tight, or at a minimum started by a few threads.
This weekend I'll start tightening things down.

 

[pwtr02ss]

Have that ***** on the road soon. You're only a few hours away at that point..

EDIT: The forum now stars vulgarities...wtf

 

[Just Fishing]

Plan is to assemble the truck for the most part from here.
I do still need to finalize the heads, or I say fk it and spend 2500 bucks on a set of AFR heads that have the 72cc chamber.

 

[Just Fishing]

Got the engine fully bolted in.
Lower harness mostly routed, still some areas i don't like much but I'm getting it close.
Converter is torqued down, I might have used a little too much 243 Loctite... oozing out slightly.

Pretty hard to get a torque wrench in there, so i gave it some good turns with out + swivel.


I'm digging the silver block paint very much in the engine bay.


I sorta wanted to clean up the timing cover, but decided to save time + you can't really see it when the water pump and crap is installed.

About to install the starter, after i check some part numbers for a new transmission cooler to transmission case seal....

 

[Just Fishing]

Spend hours yesterday increasing the chamber size of my heads.
I switched from antifreeze to water wetter mixed with distilled water.
The results are much more consistent, and bubbles dissipate much quicker.

I ended up with a good 1 cc lower using water wetter than i was getting with antifreeze...

so i ended up going at it again.
this time I'm shooting for 71cc's per chamber.
I got one side in a good place last night, and the other head @ 70cc's

back to it again today after i change the wifes oil.

I'm hoping to have the heads pretty by the end of today, next week i want to drop the heads off at the machine shop.
hopefully I don't loose too much chamber size.

 

[Just Fishing]

So here i was, it was after midnight.
working on these heads all night.
Removing metal, cc'ing the heads.

Then it seemed like i was loosing fluid when cc'ing the heads.
I see this around the valves.


This looked much worse until i cleaned it better, but i swore it looked like i went through the heads!
I nearly ordered those $2500 heads right then and there, but slowed my ass down and took a pick.
then i remembered that this was the head that I hadn't fully finished, a little hump of aluminum still exists.

And this head doesn't have nearly as clear of a gasket line as the other head has.
making it harder to get a perfect line as I open up the chamber.
I suppose i need to grab one of my new head gaskets to scribe a nice little line.
my impossible to replace head gaskets...






Adventure!

 

[Just Fishing]

Well I'm accepting that i planed this build out poorly, and I should do it the proper way, by yanking the engine apart to swap out the correct pistons (and loosing $400 for the pistons that have been modified by the machine shop), and loosing the money spent on the balance to have it done again.
or by running a silly sloppy quench/thick head gasket...


My head modification turned out OK.
I ended up with a tiny bit of overhang of my selected 4.1" head gasket into the chamber.
Granted, the gasket would still be on the block, and not in the actual combustion chamber.
I could get a slightly larger dia head gasket to make me feel better, but there is not much available right now...



But overall I'm not happy with this much material removed without some sort of actual reference from another set of 799 heads that have been modified to this chamber size.
We are also wanting to take this thing on a long trip here very soon.

So chatting with my wife and my father, we all agreed that i should get this done, and to buy some really good cylinder heads to get around my f-up and another potential long machine shop wait.

Meaning this "Cheap" 6.0 build got into 6.2 territory price wise.
Granted i would have had to source some rec port heads for that 6.2...

Probably equal to me just buying that factory 6.0 long block that i considered @6k

My other option would be to buy rec port heads and the matching intake...

So I'm taking the fk it approach, and i will now need to get a pro to tune this thing in order to make some use of these heads.
I'm also getting an exhaust in the future, just not right away.
this expensive beast needs to get paid off first.


Heads ordered.
Selection: Airflow Research (AFR) 1630 - AFR 230cc LSX Mongoose Strip Cylinder Heads

Airflow Research (AFR) 1630 AFR 230cc LSX Mongoose Strip Cylinder Heads | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - AFR 230cc LSX Mongoose Strip Cylinder Heads with qualifying orders of $109. Shop Cylinder Heads at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

I actually loose low end with these vs the 799 heads, sucks balls since this was my dream...
I would also like a camshaft to make use of these, but I'm not wanting to take it apart right away.
So I'm thinking some higher ratio roller rockers for it.
Maybe 1.72 or 1.8 ratio...
I need to do some research.

Oh and i get to figure out my pushrod length all over again!

I have a good $150 going back to summit racing, luckily i can still return my valve springs!!!
(I love U summit racing, just stop using fedex pls)


I also feel like a freaking Picasso with a die grinder now.
I have so many hours, and my control got real good! lol


In the end, i take this as an Adventure.
I'm ok with the money spent, as long as it works out in the end.


And reminds me, I think i need to buy a fluid transfer pump that's rated for gasoline...


My heads where they ended up,