AAR: BlooTwuck round 117
Swap done,,, Short day today, so went to Da’s and started some wrenching. I did change the timing gears, cover and water pump, made sure things were a good to go there: especially down at the bottom end where the timing cover meets the oil pan. If need be, I can swap a pan gasket easy, with no need to pull a transmission. Watching for now.
Compression test done. All within a few PSI of 175: No real stinkers that i could see, and this was a ‘dry’ test. I didn’t put any oil in anywhere, just the oil being pushed around by the pump.
Fired her up right around 4 pm. LOUD AS F! of course she was, I hadn’t rewelded the exhaust pipes yet. Needed her outside for that. BUT SHE RAN!! and only took a couple of hits to get the fuel primed in the system.
Exhaust welded up, coolant topping off and burping, and smoke everywhere for a few minutes as she burned all that oil out of the pipes and off the engine where I made messes (mostly anti-seize or Free-all penetrating oil) Final burp on the coolant, time to run down the road and help burn that shit off, AND see what she is gonna do: impress or surprise me.
IMPRESSED. Oil pressure rides a steady 50psi at cruise, sits right around 30=35 at idle, Coolant running in the window of the T-stat:185, Voltage looks good. No wyrd noises (a little bit of an exhaust leak at the manifold, and I sort of expected that with swapping out that manifold. New gasket set ordered.) I think this engine was much better taken care of than Bloos original, but then, seeing the last 6 months of fun, that ain’t sayin’ much. Still Oil pressure like that and the compression readings,,, Yeah,, this’uns good to go. I even ran down the highway, and fueled up. I’m hoping those new O2 sensors help some with the fuel consumption. (Side note: Cozzie does NOT like the fact that I can’t roll his window up while on the highway, nor the fact that there isn’t a back seat to escape to if the wind is too much. Poor puppers,,, he’ll adapt.)
Finally made it home around 7 pm. and started doing the change over from Buffalo to Bloo. Yes, I am that confident this time around, and its time she started earning her keep.
Shower out of the way, all the tools where they will be needed, (and then some) Time to turn this whirl-a-gig in a better direction. And let Buffalo have a well needed rest (so I can fix HER )
Love y’all, talk more tomorrow.
Love
Learn
Laugh
LOVE
LOAD!
R.I.P. Miss Bear-Bear. That was the bad news I received this AM on arrival to the J.O.B. She will be missed.
9 hours is enough for one day
Not done yet, but oh so so close,,,
Except, no, not really.
Decided since I wasn’t in running order, Dot the T’s and Cross the I’s and DO IT RIGHT.
Gonna pull the new WP, timing cover and timing gears off the old swap out, and put them on this’un. AND,,, since all the plugs are already out,,, Do a BASE compression test and note everything I find. The plugs I pulled looked good, but that means little in the big picture.
So, no, at this stage, I don’t even know if she’s a runner or not, other than the short vid I was sent before purchase, and some signs of recent running (like fresh gas and decent oil even if dirty.)
And Burnout finally decided to show his self up today,,,, After I went to his house and used my sledgehammers on his door. Even then, it took him an hour and a half to actually show up. WHICH,,, by that time, Da and I already had the new engine IN, and on the motor mounts. As he was pulling up, I told Da ‘Watch and follow along. I’m gonna get his goat.’ So as Burnout was exiting his hicle, and I saw he was actually watching, I raised my voice with “Thanks Da” and handed Da some cash, which went straight in his pocket (I did get it back later, but wouldn’t have been offended had he held it.) The look on Burnouts face was perfect!!! (besides,,, the boy owes ME money from many other times in the past where I was helping him out. He can pay it back with some labor on occasion.)
He was handy still,,, The big hangup today was getting the Transmission in, and between the two of us, it still took 2 hours to get in properly. And oh boy,,, when that bellhousing ‘Ting!’ed as it sat home,,, what a fricken relief THAT was!!!
And that was the hard part,,, as I told Da; the rest is just details. Lots of little details, but details. And Burnout did help getting the hood back on with me. That was a huge help.
So, here is where she sits as of 6pm,,,,
note, the distro cap is just laying up top, not on the distro. Its there to remind me about all the little details YET to be done. Almost home, except for the Dotting of T’s and Crossing of I’s.
But I am whooped, and my shoulders are athrob from all the scootchin’ around on my back today
And its back to the J.O.B. tomorrow. If its a short day, I will wrap said day out at Da’s pushing to completion.
More laters,,, Love y’all.
Live
Learn
Laugh
LOVE
LOAD!!!
(don’t let that look fool you,, she is ready for war instantly,,,, THE Mama-kat!)
Back at it today
But I saw something I wanted to post about. Having spent 8 months on ship during Desert Storm: aboard the Tarawa, the flag ship of our convoy over there, I can attest to what Matt is talking about. read the inserts,,,
I can tell you, an entire Platoon, stuffed into a steel box about the size of my current house, stacked three deep in ‘racks’ that are smaller than a coffin, cuddling with a rifle because there wasn’t enough space in the armory for our small arms (but they made sure we didn’t have easy acces to the ammo.) in a boat that is designed to ‘sink’ (flooding the cargo hold so the shore boats can come and go with all the trucks, howitzers and tanks that we were carrying)
Toss in 28′ seas off the coast of Malaysia with a bunch of land-lubber motion sick grunts,,,, UGH!!! (FTR, I never suffered motion sickness until just a few years back when kayaking in rough water. Caught me off gaurd seeing how I had never had that issue prior.)
8 months in exactly those conditions described by Matt. I think I STILL have bruises on my noggin’ from the hatchways.
One thing he didn’t describe was ‘Steel Beach Day’. this is a ‘liberty’ provided if the float extends past 6 months. You get TWO beers, and allowed to be in PT gear for the day. Thats it, and since things need to keep running, the ‘beach’ is only open for 4 hour shifts. (that four on, four off thing Matt talks about)
And the Card room is always chaos,, And avoid a session of Spades with the Nogs if you value your hearing. Those of y’uns that have been in know of what I speak. Call it racist if it makes you feel better, but I know the facts of that time. Segregation was a thing and for a reason. (and this was in the 90’s. It’s probably worse now after the Oblammy years.)
BUTZZZZ~~~~~~~~~~~
Its domestics day along with Engine Swap day, and things are about to get BIZZY!!! on my end. One more cuppa, and feed my wet kittehs (they were out playing all night and are a little damp from last nights rains) then Get At IT!
more laters
LLLLL!
(, ‘)
Full day at it
and funny thing was, it was Da that purt much ran me out of the house,,, Granted, at a good stopping point, but it short circuited me a little.
Thats where Bloo sit currently. Both engines out and swapping over stuff from the old to the new. Things like Flywheel/clutch since the new block came from a slushbox’hicle, not a gear box one.
Had to swap out an exhaust manifold too. Broke a stud on the newer block trying to pull it (was bent) That wasn’t drilling out, and I’m out of Oxy for the torch currently: fuggit, swap it out and fix it later.
AND!!! I am quite pissed off at Burnout right now. Not so pissed off that I am gonna ring his bell tower when I see him next, but enough that ‘getting cut off’ for a spell is in order. No repsonse to texts and he promised if I needed help ‘just text me’. As it stands, thats large part of why Da ran me off today. Da was helping me as best he could (with me jumping through hoops to make sure he didn’t over-do it) and he was whooped by 5:30.
But old smokey block is out, and off the hoist, new hopefully sound block is peiced up with the parts to make it work in this truck, and ready to go onto the hoist.
And I was even able to weld up some leaky exhuast points and put in the brand new O2 sensors I bought back in February, but didn’t install because the smoke thing,,,
Some things I want to do, but will likely hold off for now for expedience. I would like to change out the timing gears and cover (the newer block is showing some seep around the cover, likely OE, gears are likely OE as well). A couple of other items as well,,, A lot of what happens next will be determined by how far I get tomorrow dropping the new block in. IF I have it in fairly quick, well, Will See is the operative mission here. This may be a two weekend project, to make sure its ALL done with crossed ‘T’s and Dotted ‘I’s. (and yeah,,, I am already leaning that way as I type this.)
Guys, I’s beat, need shower, want a drink of the relaxing kind, and just sit on the po’ch listen’n to the rain.
(that song is so FULL of innuendo,,, LOL And I did mix monitorz for Wynona at a special event. Great Gal.)
ANywowsersbubbs Talk atcha’all tomorrow, hopefully with sweet news on BLoo.
LLLLL!!!
(, 😉
And it begins,,,
Pulled BlooTwuck down to Da’s this afternoon upon returning from the J.O.B. Backed her into the basement garage and started tearing into things. All the wireing harness is out of the way, accessories out of the way, radiator out of the bay, and considering pulling the hood. Its just four bolts at the hinges,,, just a heavy sumbitch and Da isn’t capable of helping me with that.
But the swap has begun. Tomorrow is the ‘heavy lifting stage, and I should be able to have the newer block in place.(not done mind, just in place and the spiral back up to running truck started.)
So, My thoughts are all wrenchy-like, and not on much other at this point.
Here is what I DID find. All the plugs on the odds side (drivers side) were oil fouled, and I mean DRIPPING,,, Something went really south on that side and its not valve stem seals. I say that because a blown seal would only foul one cylinder,, not all four. What I haven’t found is the cause yet, and I won’t be looking for it just yet. I want Bloo up-n-runnin’ FIRST. I can take my time on a teardown and find the problem. And like I said to Brudda B, “I might find I am the proud owner of heads and other parts without a block,,, ” Will see.
Sorry, no pics,,, was too focused,,, Not that you’d seen anyting of interest anyhow at this stage. Its just another engine sitting in its bay, looking a little more neked with each passing moment I am underhood.
Funny for ya though: Da came down and was watching for a moment. He quipped “Looks like you’ve done this a time or two”,,,,
and y’all wonder where I get my smartassed nature from,,,
Updates tomorrow when I return from the greasy side of living.
LIVE
LEARN
LAUGH
LOVE
LOAD!!!
the “No post today” post
minds awhirl, and I am writing, but what’s coming out on screen is gobbldigook. Amagonna need one of the AI’s sort and break it up into coherent something (see,,, even that sentence is backwards!)
More laters when the words start to make some sense,,,,
LLLLL!
(, ‘)
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