iamdub
Full Access Member
On my way home Monday night, I met up with a guy that had a Marketplace ad for a 5.3 from an '08 Sierra 4WD. The ad was a couple hours old and I was the first to actually plan to meet and follow through. He said he didn't know exactly, but he knows the mileage isn't higher than the 140s. His story is that his cousin bought a truck that needed some repairs and he ended up not being able to get the title. They parted out the truck and made money on it and he kept the engine to put in an OBS he was restoring. He later decided he didn't wanna deal with the wiring, etc., so he replaced the 4.3 with a 5.7 of the same era and let it ride. Now, wanting to clean out his shop, he put the LC9 up for sale with the transfer case from that truck and one from another truck, asking "$800 but make an offer". He seemed like a good 'ol boy, probably mid-50s, a Marine and a mechanic at a local large Chevrolet dealership. He had a really nice shop at his house with two 2-post lifts. Lots of LS and LT engines and parts stored all around and 6-8 GM vehicles parked near the shop and driveway. I didn't feel like I couldn't trust him. I said a partially disassembled pull-out on a stand that can't be ran or even spun over is technically worth "good" core price, which is $250-$400 in these parts. He agreed. I told him I'd feel that offering core price would be a lowball, and I wasn't even sure if I needed an engine so I was already risking a good bit, so I asked if $500 was too low. Thoroughly expecting him to counter with something like $700, I was surprised when he said "that's good". He just wanted to cull the herd. We shook on it and he said "but it's first come, first serve". I hauled ass home to at least pop off a rocker cover. It was around 10PM when I started.
I had a feeling it was the left side, so that's where I started and this is what I found:
See it yet? Take a closer look. Of course it'd be the farthest one:
The rocker and push rod appear perfect. Even the seal seems to be unscathed. I used a pen magnet to extract the locks. All cleared, I tried sliding the valve up and down- no dice. I tapped it with the head of a ratchet and it took about the force needed to drive a small finishing nail. So the piston definitely hit the valve and the stem is bent, but not so much that the valve can't move within it's normal range. So there's a chance I could get away with a new valve, guide and spring and buff out the piston. I won't know 'til I have the head off.
I decided that, due to needing it on the road ASAP, I was gonna drop in a known good engine if mine needed to come out. I didn't wanna be forced to settle for something sitting on the ground, under a tree in someone's yard as they tell me it has "about 50,000 miles". So, for $500, I could have an engine on standby. I think I could easily sell it If I didn't need it and get my money back. I told LC9 guy that night via Messenger (cuz it was now after midnight on Tuesday morning) that I definitely wanted it. He replied later that morning saying I was the first serious buyer but he had some others interested. I offered to send him payment to lock it down. I didn't feel it was a risk since I knew where he lived and worked, met his wife, etc.
Luckily, that day (yesterday), I was able to be home in time to unload the rocks from my trailer and toss on a large offroad tire to set the engine on. Garrett came to grab the trailer and me and we went 45 mins west to get the engine.
At one of our stops to check the straps. Yes, those are my old 22s:
It came with the intake manifold. It wasn't bolted down so we set it in the back of the Tahoe. It's complete with throttle body, MAP sensor, fuel rail and injectors. It's identical to mine, which is FlexFuel. I'd really like to swap the cam and other AFM delete bits to the LC9 so I'd basically be back where I was before the failure, minus the heads. Unless I could get my driver side head fixed quickly enough. But, I don't wanna crack it open. I just wanna clean it, re-seal it and enjoy unmolested reliability. I'd be down about 100 HP, but I'd be able to run 87, which would be nice for my road trip.
I had a feeling it was the left side, so that's where I started and this is what I found:
See it yet? Take a closer look. Of course it'd be the farthest one:
The rocker and push rod appear perfect. Even the seal seems to be unscathed. I used a pen magnet to extract the locks. All cleared, I tried sliding the valve up and down- no dice. I tapped it with the head of a ratchet and it took about the force needed to drive a small finishing nail. So the piston definitely hit the valve and the stem is bent, but not so much that the valve can't move within it's normal range. So there's a chance I could get away with a new valve, guide and spring and buff out the piston. I won't know 'til I have the head off.
I decided that, due to needing it on the road ASAP, I was gonna drop in a known good engine if mine needed to come out. I didn't wanna be forced to settle for something sitting on the ground, under a tree in someone's yard as they tell me it has "about 50,000 miles". So, for $500, I could have an engine on standby. I think I could easily sell it If I didn't need it and get my money back. I told LC9 guy that night via Messenger (cuz it was now after midnight on Tuesday morning) that I definitely wanted it. He replied later that morning saying I was the first serious buyer but he had some others interested. I offered to send him payment to lock it down. I didn't feel it was a risk since I knew where he lived and worked, met his wife, etc.
Luckily, that day (yesterday), I was able to be home in time to unload the rocks from my trailer and toss on a large offroad tire to set the engine on. Garrett came to grab the trailer and me and we went 45 mins west to get the engine.
At one of our stops to check the straps. Yes, those are my old 22s:
It came with the intake manifold. It wasn't bolted down so we set it in the back of the Tahoe. It's complete with throttle body, MAP sensor, fuel rail and injectors. It's identical to mine, which is FlexFuel. I'd really like to swap the cam and other AFM delete bits to the LC9 so I'd basically be back where I was before the failure, minus the heads. Unless I could get my driver side head fixed quickly enough. But, I don't wanna crack it open. I just wanna clean it, re-seal it and enjoy unmolested reliability. I'd be down about 100 HP, but I'd be able to run 87, which would be nice for my road trip.
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