Detroitmuscle
Forum Member
That must be a joke, I'd have to ask for at least 5 with you on motor and I'd still get stomped. I do hope to see you car out this year though.
Project Never Fast Enough
- Thread starter Detroitmuscle
- Start date
Detroitmuscle
Forum Member
Well I didn't get as much done today as I had hoped but I actually ended up working half the day so at least I made some dough. First thing I started was coating my headers with the POR20 and I was very happy with the way the first coat went on and they actually looked very good, the second coat is currently drying and then I will snap a few pics of the finished product tomorrow.
Then we went on to that pesky valley cover bolt, well I ran to the hardware store this morning and grabbed a flat head and we champfered the hole down and the bolt fit flush beautifully
no more clearance issues. At least thats what I thought. For good measure we wanted to see exactly how much clearance the FAST intake left between the bottom and the supplied hex bolts that came with the manifold. So my dad placed a folded up piece of paper between the bolt holes and the intake so we could test the clearance as we torqued down the manifold. Low and behold by the time I torqued the first four bolts to 4ftlbs we had already touched the paper and it would not move anymore. This was particulary interesting to me because FAST sends these bolts with there intake yet they were preventing it from making an optimal seal.
As much as I hated the fact we wanted to do it right and not have any chance of cracking the intake or the intake not sealing properly so I once again ran back out to the hardware store and came back with more flatheads. We champfered all the remaining valley cover bolts that sat under the intake and therefor left no chance whatsoever for any clearance issues.
Then after the intake was bolted down I finishes some misc stuff like the coolant sensor in the head, spark plugs, oil pressure sensor ect. Then I realized that I only had a few more things lef to connect such as the wiring harness and the a/c compressor, the water pump, power steering resovior, and the starter. All of which I can do while on the k-member so it looks like I am very close to getting this motor back at home up in the engine bay WOOT! and of course some pics.
Then we went on to that pesky valley cover bolt, well I ran to the hardware store this morning and grabbed a flat head and we champfered the hole down and the bolt fit flush beautifully
no more clearance issues. At least thats what I thought. For good measure we wanted to see exactly how much clearance the FAST intake left between the bottom and the supplied hex bolts that came with the manifold. So my dad placed a folded up piece of paper between the bolt holes and the intake so we could test the clearance as we torqued down the manifold. Low and behold by the time I torqued the first four bolts to 4ftlbs we had already touched the paper and it would not move anymore. This was particulary interesting to me because FAST sends these bolts with there intake yet they were preventing it from making an optimal seal.As much as I hated the fact we wanted to do it right and not have any chance of cracking the intake or the intake not sealing properly so I once again ran back out to the hardware store and came back with more flatheads. We champfered all the remaining valley cover bolts that sat under the intake and therefor left no chance whatsoever for any clearance issues.
Then after the intake was bolted down I finishes some misc stuff like the coolant sensor in the head, spark plugs, oil pressure sensor ect. Then I realized that I only had a few more things lef to connect such as the wiring harness and the a/c compressor, the water pump, power steering resovior, and the starter. All of which I can do while on the k-member so it looks like I am very close to getting this motor back at home up in the engine bay
WOOT! and of course some pics.
Detroitmuscle
Forum Member
Here are a few pics of the headers freshly coated with some POR 20, I was very impressed how well it took to the headers even on the first coat. I just hope it lasts a couple of years.
Detroitmuscle
Forum Member
Finally got the Motor back on the K-member today We had a little trouble lining up the bolts through the motor mounts but a little bit of patience and some prying here and there we got them in and torqued down. Then I tackeled the remaining accessories and really filled up the front of the motor. Next time I'll finish sorting out the wiring harness and making all the connections and than it should be time to mate it to the waiting trans and get it back home.
We had a little trouble lining up the bolts through the motor mounts but a little bit of patience and some prying here and there we got them in and torqued down. Then I tackeled the remaining accessories and really filled up the front of the motor. Next time I'll finish sorting out the wiring harness and making all the connections and than it should be time to mate it to the waiting trans and get it back home.
Detroitmuscle
Forum Member
Had a little snag the other day when I realized that the harness I bought from Katech to extend the knock sensors and cam position sensor did not fit into the female end of the cam sensor that mounts in the timing cover. Apparently there is a small pigtail harness that comes out of the timing cover sensor that I didn't get with the shortlbock I bought. Luckily the dealership has it coming in today and its only $15.
Katech connector
Female end of sensor
On a brighter note I got a package yesterday. Its a Innovative Motorsports LC-1 wideband with a gauge and the included software. Just a little added insurance in case the car ever decideds to run lean again or I can log runs with it as well.
Katech connector
Female end of sensor
On a brighter note I got a package yesterday. Its a Innovative Motorsports LC-1 wideband with a gauge and the included software. Just a little added insurance in case the car ever decideds to run lean again or I can log runs with it as well.
Detroitmuscle
Forum Member
Got the trans and converter bolted up yesterday, all thats left to do is finish routing the wiring harness, bolt up the headers, and then go through the engine bay and move everything out of the way. Once that is done the motor will go back into place and it shouldn't take but another few hours to get it ready to fire. Unfortunatly I don't have a lot of time to do it this weekend and my wife is due any day now so it may be a few more weeks.
Detroitmuscle
Forum Member
Heres a few pics from the little bit of work we got done today and also some of yesterday.
WTF is Mike doing!?
WTF is Mike doing!?
Detroitmuscle
Forum Member
The car is officially ready to start now! We got a lot of work done today. First I tackeled everything in the engine bay that wasn't connected aside from the coils and fuel line, got all the wiring harness routed properly and had an absolute hell of a time getting the a/c lines all connected again with everything together, what a pain in the ass. After that we decided my dad and I spent about a good hour getting the damn torque arm back in the clamshell which sucked but oh well it got done. After that we took a look at the driveshaft only to find that the u-joint was pretty tight and need replacement.
After making a small list of supplies I headed out to Murray's and came back with all the necessary fluids I needed to get the car back and runing again. After we replaced the u-joint I made the decision not to go ahead and put the driveshaft on just yet because tomorrow I may be picking up something, lets just say my dad was not happy to hear this after we spent other time on this part. The worst part of it all now is that I want so badly to crank the car over and make sure everything is in working order and then recheck it all again tomorrow....................but I still have no valvecovers and my tuner checked on them today and they said maybe by the end of the week
now I have to sit around all week waiting. Oh well guess it gives me time to check and recheck every little detail beforehand.
New u-joint installed
May parts pile is very slim now
All new fluids I bought today
We got a lot of work done today. First I tackeled everything in the engine bay that wasn't connected aside from the coils and fuel line, got all the wiring harness routed properly and had an absolute hell of a time getting the a/c lines all connected again with everything together, what a pain in the ass. After that we decided my dad and I spent about a good hour getting the damn torque arm back in the clamshell which sucked but oh well it got done. After that we took a look at the driveshaft only to find that the u-joint was pretty tight and need replacement.After making a small list of supplies I headed out to Murray's and came back with all the necessary fluids I needed to get the car back and runing again. After we replaced the u-joint I made the decision not to go ahead and put the driveshaft on just yet because tomorrow I may be picking up something, lets just say my dad was not happy to hear this after we spent other time on this part. The worst part of it all now is that I want so badly to crank the car over and make sure everything is in working order and then recheck it all again tomorrow....................but I still have no valvecovers and my tuner checked on them today and they said maybe by the end of the week
now I have to sit around all week waiting. Oh well guess it gives me time to check and recheck every little detail beforehand.New u-joint installed
May parts pile is very slim now
All new fluids I bought today
Detroitmuscle
Forum Member
Well guys I had kind of a rough day yesterday because it was filled with some major highs and lows and my car decided to play a horrible April fools joke on me. Heres how things went down. Matt was kind enough to lend me his valvecovers for the day, thanks again Matt I really appreciate it. So I got to work on getting the car ready to fire up, made sure I had all the necessary fluids in it and of course got really nervous and excited. The first time I turned the key I always leave the coil packs disconnected so that I can make sure the motor spins freely and it also helps to prime the oil pump, before that though I make sure the fuel pump kicks on. Well guess what no fuel pump.
Ok so its not the worst thing to happen so I begin to check over the wiring and find out that a ground wire on the back of the head is disconnected, sweet easy fix. So for now we just connected some wire and grounded it up in the engine bay, which is why there is a white wire hanging all over the engine bay in the video. That solved the fuel pump issue and we were ready to crank it over, it cranks over once or twice and then the battery dies, even though I had it on a charger an hour prior I had it on a 2 amp charge (DOH!) so we set it back on and give it 50 amps so it'll start. I connect the coil packs and take a huge gulp as I turn the key slowly forward.
Sure enough the car fired up beautifull the very first crank and man is it loud (open headers) oil pressure come up almost immediatly and then we start looking over all the fluids again and refilling the radiator ect. The car runs fine but gets a little hot due to some air pockets in the coolant system so I shut it down. I repeatedly asked a few of my buddies if anything is leaking under the car, they take a look and tell me it all looks good so good news and I am all smiles. Then while the car cools I meet up with a guy that I'm buying a torque arm off of and go pick that up, I am elated to say the least.
I come back to the car and we get ready to fire it up again and let the coolant work the air pockets out of the system and run at a steady temp for a few minutes. We fire it up again perfectly and let it run, no problems whatsoever. I shut the car off and get ready to head home and get some dinner for the night, as I bend over to look under the car this is what I see.
My heart instantly dropped into my stomach as I knew it was oil so we lifted the car up only to discover that it appears to be coming from the rear cover. This in turn means that I need to drop the trans and see if I can't get to the cover and change it once again. Lots more work that I totally am pissed and disappointed about, its times like these where I ask myself why I do this shit Not that I'm excited about it anymore but here are the videos we took and a few pics of my new torque arm. The first vid is the actual first startup and the second is after it caught a little better idle, sorry if the sound quality sucks but it was very loud.
Ok so its not the worst thing to happen so I begin to check over the wiring and find out that a ground wire on the back of the head is disconnected, sweet easy fix. So for now we just connected some wire and grounded it up in the engine bay, which is why there is a white wire hanging all over the engine bay in the video. That solved the fuel pump issue and we were ready to crank it over, it cranks over once or twice and then the battery dies, even though I had it on a charger an hour prior I had it on a 2 amp charge (DOH!) so we set it back on and give it 50 amps so it'll start. I connect the coil packs and take a huge gulp as I turn the key slowly forward.
Sure enough the car fired up beautifull the very first crank and man is it loud (open headers) oil pressure come up almost immediatly and then we start looking over all the fluids again and refilling the radiator ect. The car runs fine but gets a little hot due to some air pockets in the coolant system so I shut it down. I repeatedly asked a few of my buddies if anything is leaking under the car, they take a look and tell me it all looks good so good news and I am all smiles. Then while the car cools I meet up with a guy that I'm buying a torque arm off of and go pick that up, I am elated to say the least.
I come back to the car and we get ready to fire it up again and let the coolant work the air pockets out of the system and run at a steady temp for a few minutes. We fire it up again perfectly and let it run, no problems whatsoever. I shut the car off and get ready to head home and get some dinner for the night, as I bend over to look under the car this is what I see.
My heart instantly dropped into my stomach as I knew it was oil so we lifted the car up only to discover that it appears to be coming from the rear cover. This in turn means that I need to drop the trans and see if I can't get to the cover and change it once again. Lots more work that I totally am pissed and disappointed about, its times like these where I ask myself why I do this shit
Not that I'm excited about it anymore but here are the videos we took and a few pics of my new torque arm. The first vid is the actual first startup and the second is after it caught a little better idle, sorry if the sound quality sucks but it was very loud.
Detroitmuscle
Forum Member
Just picked up the new valvecovers today.
Detroitmuscle
Forum Member
Well I finally got the trans out yesterday and found the leak. It looks to be the rear main seal as I expected so new gaskets are in order and then back together again.
Detroitmuscle
Forum Member
New rear main seal is in, looks how much deeper it sits into the cover itself and onto the end of the crank as well. I also found a few good indentations in the old seal that I'm sure weren't helping it at all.
Detroitmuscle
Forum Member
Got the trans back in and the lines all hooked up as well as the torque converter bolted in. Monday it should be ready to drive and then I have to schedule getting my exhaust done. Its so CLOSE!
Detroitmuscle
Forum Member
Trans is back up and everything seems to be bolted in and the wiring is all cleaned up and out of the way. I also got around to installing the new Torque Arm and let me tell you the exhaust clearance is gonna be real tight. I will probably fire it up again this afternoon and then check for leaks and make sure its all good to go, if so I'll be taking it over to Stenod for the exhaust tomorrow or Thursday.
Detroitmuscle
Forum Member
Well I just got back inside from firing the car up and here how things went. The first time I tried to fire the car it would crank but not start, tried it a few more times and also checked the wiring and made sure everything was connected properly. After rechecking the coils I tried it again and the car started right up YAY! So we decided to drive it off the lift and take it outside of the shop and lket it run for a while.
As the car was running, and running great I might add, I took a video of it outside which I may post later. I repeatedly checked underneath the car for leaks and all my gauges looked great. After about 15-20 minutes I shut the car off and proceeded to walk back insidede. I took one last peek under the car and once again my heart sank. I now have what looks to be a coolant leak and oil leak coming from under the car. Once I let the car cool off we will push it back into the shop and onto the lift to assess the leaks but it looks like the coolant is coming from the water pump and the oil looks again like the rear main seal . I HATE CARS!!!!!
To top it all off the car would not start after I discovered the leaks so I'm guessing a ground wire somewhere is not connected and that is our problem with the car not starting the first time. Now I know why people pay shops to do work on there cars.
As the car was running, and running great I might add, I took a video of it outside which I may post later. I repeatedly checked underneath the car for leaks and all my gauges looked great. After about 15-20 minutes I shut the car off and proceeded to walk back insidede. I took one last peek under the car and once again my heart sank. I now have what looks to be a coolant leak and oil leak coming from under the car. Once I let the car cool off we will push it back into the shop and onto the lift to assess the leaks but it looks like the coolant is coming from the water pump and the oil looks again like the rear main seal . I HATE CARS!!!!!
To top it all off the car would not start after I discovered the leaks so I'm guessing a ground wire somewhere is not connected and that is our problem with the car not starting the first time. Now I know why people pay shops to do work on there cars.
Detroitmuscle
Forum Member
here is the video I took earlier.
Detroitmuscle
Forum Member
Ok it has been a long time since I updated this thread so here is goes. The car went over to Stenod for the exhaust work and a few other little things. They did an amazing job and I am completly psyched about it, everything turned out great. Here are a few pics. Even with my tunnel mounted torque arm they still managed to weld in the flowmaster merge to that huge 4" piping and electric cutout, after that it flows back into a stock muffler and out C6 tips.
Now for the bad part, when the exhaust was finished my tuner went over to Stenod to put a base tune on my car. Everything seemed to be going fine but after taking it for a short test drive the intake manifold starting leaking bad and the car wanted to idle to the moon. After getting the car back I immediatly started tackeling the intake leak problem only to find that the broken bottom half that we spent so much time fixing this winter was cracked bad Guess we learned the hard way and I'm glad things weren't worse but it looks like I am going to get FUCKED by FAST because they no longer make the replacement bottom half for the older style intake and they told me I was on my own. So in short does anyone have a LS6 intake manifold they'd like to sell me so I can finally drive this thing.
Now for the bad part, when the exhaust was finished my tuner went over to Stenod to put a base tune on my car. Everything seemed to be going fine but after taking it for a short test drive the intake manifold starting leaking bad and the car wanted to idle to the moon. After getting the car back I immediatly started tackeling the intake leak problem only to find that the broken bottom half that we spent so much time fixing this winter was cracked bad Guess we learned the hard way and I'm glad things weren't worse but it looks like I am going to get FUCKED by FAST because they no longer make the replacement bottom half for the older style intake and they told me I was on my own. So in short does anyone have a LS6 intake manifold they'd like to sell me so I can finally drive this thing.