<Project> 2000 Trans Am

[Lucky SOB]

Sounds good. I didn't put any assembly lube on the pushrods, but I did soak them in oil. I can pull the valve covers and add some around the rocker tips, but will probably just dry crank it a few times then let it rip if you think that's fine.

Any tips on putting the crank back in? Currently I just have the rods laying over like you said above.

[1BADAIR]

That's tricky. Takes a few hands.

[Lucky SOB]

That's what I've been thinking. 3 or 4 people would be best.

[farmington]

You are going to be freakin' amazed as to how much a cam and heads makes on these LS1 motors.

[Lucky SOB]

I should have done this sooner, but I just tried threading in the bolt into the crank to test the threads... It feels really loose. I threaded in the all-thread rod and it wiggles even when bottomed out. It wiggles more than I feel comfortable with. Thoughts?

[formula218]

loctite red.

[1BADAIR]

Old bolt or new? The loctite is under the head

[Lucky SOB]

Either, they both feel the same. Sure when the head hits the snout, it feels tight, but getting to that point feels very concerning. There is about another 1/2" of threads in the bottom past the end of the bolt for reference.

[NullHead]

Is there a timecert kit for this application? I've only used them for spark plugs on fords before, but I don't see why a timecert wouldn't work in this application while the crank is still out.

[1BADAIR]

They never fell really tight

[Lucky SOB]

Some of you probably saw my other thread "Stuck Crank Bolt". If an Admin could merge that in before this post I'd appreciate it. Either way, I'll sum it up below.

I got almost the entire engine back together and one of the last steps was to install the harmonic balancer. To do this, I used an ARP LS7 bolt which is longer than a stock LS1 bolt to pull the balancer onto the crank snout as instructed by LS1howto.com. So I began to do this and the balancer was pulling on nice and smooth with very little effort. Eventually the bolt stopped turning and I assumed I had bottomed out the longer bolt. So I went to back it out, but it wouldn't move. It turns out the bolt seized up and I could not get it out with any method. I tried different impacts, lubricant, breaker bars, etc. The only option was to pull the crankshaft out of the engine and have the bolt machined out. My Dad suggested EDM machining and that's what I eventually went with. Fortunately I was finally able to break the bolt head off using a huge 3/4" drive 4' long socket wrench. This allowed me to take the bare crank to the shop and not have to drag the timing chain, oil pump and timing cover with it.

When I got the crank back and went to install it, I tested the threads in the crank first to ensure it was in good shape after machining. What I found was disappointing, the threads felt a bit loose. I decided to try and find a used crank in good condition. I ended up buying one, but upon closer inspection realized it had been machined (lightened potentially) a bit too much for my liking. I tested the threads and found that they felt about the same as my crank. I did some more measuring on my crank and found that the bolt would not even engage the threads towards the bottom that appeared to be chewed up a bit. So I picked up all new bearings and GM rod and main cap bolts, plastigaged everything and put it back in.

Now that you're caught up on that issue... Onto more updates, pictures and maybe even a video.

The assembly. My goal was to make it look factory, but super clean like an Autoshow engine model.



Powder-coated valve covers and timing cover, courtesy of Darren




Mostly reassembled



Painted the balancer and fuel rails



Painted the water pump hub/pulley



Powder-coated MAF housing, courtesy of Darren



This is where things turned into the most thorough oil change ever...










So I took the downtime to clean the engine bay





Painted the starter



More powder-coated brackets, courtesy of Darren along with some painted parts



Crankshaft reinstalled (I don't have any pictures of the installation, but it has new Federal Mogul tri-metal bearings and all new GM bolts)



Installing the crank bolt using the PROPER CRANK BOLT INSTALLATION TOOL!




My Dad built this cradle/stand for when I was trying to break the crank bolt free and was putting some serious torque on it. It worked great, so I used it for torquing the new crank bolt.



The engine mostly reassembled





Some of the key parts to making a car



Engine on the cradle again






Ready to go back in




Getting there...




Thanks to my Dad and Evan for helping me reinstall it!



Back in its home!




...Start-up video in next post...

[JoeliusZ28]

Fun project, this was good practice for when I do my overhaul .

[MP81]

Engine overhauls for everyone!

Nice work, Fred!

[farmington]

Waiting to hear and see it run

[meissen]

Threads merged as requested.



Looking good Fred! Keep up the great work!