Yeah i've seen a few different places now quoting both years and then one talking about it coming out in phases. There was also some overlap with the Gen III and Gen IV in certain models.
Dozer gets her hair did (somewhat of a build thread)
- Thread starter mtweller
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
Yeah i've seen a few different places now quoting both years and then one talking about it coming out in phases. There was also some overlap with the Gen III and Gen IV in certain models.
- Thread starter
- #122
Had a hell of a time getting this motor to stay cranked at first. Running super rich. Datalog analysis showed no MAP signal, so that explained it. Went and bought a new MAP sensor, but no change. After hours of troubleshooting, I found 2 wires were swapped in the Holley Terminator X harness. New harness is being shipped right now. In the meantime, I connected the Holley onboard 1 bar MAP to intake vacuum and... viola. Really glad I went ahead with the engine stand testing, because this would have been far more difficult to diagnose in the truck. Not real happy with Holley, but glad they are going to be taking care of it. More to come...
- Thread starter
- #123
@cruisermatt - do you recommend the AA motor mounts? Going to be putting together an order before too long. Will likely just wait and hang the motor and try and make some decision of AA bellhousing vs. Mark's kit. I am really thinking about just going with the AA bellhousing and bits. I think I read somewhere you felt the same.
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2012
- Threads
- 583
- Messages
- 16,418
- Location
- Winter Park, Florida
- Website
- www.cruisermatts.com
I do run the AA motor mounts. I had to do some minor cutting to accommodate the steering shaft on the driver side, but they seem to have held up well so far. I'm running an LM4 supplied by Turnkey Engine supply in CA. I also ran the AA supplied bell housing and have sandwiched their Torque Splitter OD between the clutch and the H42.
Last edited:
little_joe
SILVER Star
Ramon, in the "where'd that come from" realm, I have to ask:
How are the brakes and steering on the 40?
I ask bc I am concerned for you & Emma and your pooches.
Seriously, the short wheelbase, lift/tires, and more power - I know you are a responsible person and won't be a hoonigan with it when "done." But I still have to wonder, for those times you put your foot into it, or are maybe cruising on a state highway or the freeway faster than you may ever have with the tractor motor, do you have the confidence to control and stop Dozer? (I don't recall what all you've done with steering and brakes.)
This is an awesome project to watch and I know you'll be completely thorough and thoughtful; I was just thinking of the 40 as a holistic system that's now getting a serious transplant and what impacts that might have.
How are the brakes and steering on the 40?
I ask bc I am concerned for you & Emma and your pooches.
Seriously, the short wheelbase, lift/tires, and more power - I know you are a responsible person and won't be a hoonigan with it when "done." But I still have to wonder, for those times you put your foot into it, or are maybe cruising on a state highway or the freeway faster than you may ever have with the tractor motor, do you have the confidence to control and stop Dozer? (I don't recall what all you've done with steering and brakes.)This is an awesome project to watch and I know you'll be completely thorough and thoughtful; I was just thinking of the 40 as a holistic system that's now getting a serious transplant and what impacts that might have.
- Thread starter
- #127
Ramon, in the "where'd that come from" realm, I have to ask:
How are the brakes and steering on the 40?
I ask bc I am concerned for you & Emma and your pooches.
This is an awesome project to watch and I know you'll be completely thorough and thoughtful; I was just thinking of the 40 as a holistic system that's now getting a serious transplant and what impacts that might have.
Hey Joe,
Really appreciate your concern here. Dozer's in good shape. Wheelbase is stretched about 8-10" over stock, which helps some. 4-wheel disc brakes and Saginaw power steering are both solid. One thing that will be done is a proportioning valve since the rears lock a little early with the GM calipers being a little strong for the light rear. Full cage and 4-point restraints give a little peace of mind, but minding the skinny pedal is going to be key. I'll have fun in it, but I'm pretty responsible as a driver. The rest is out of my control and just one of those risks I have to accept driving a 42 year-old open air vehicle.
Ramon
lumbee1
Native American
I ordered this proportioning valve for my 80.Hey Joe,
Really appreciate your concern here. Dozer's in good shape. Wheelbase is stretched about 8-10" over stock, which helps some. 4-wheel disc brakes and Saginaw power steering are both solid. One thing that will be done is a proportioning valve since the rears lock a little early with the GM calipers being a little strong for the light rear. Full cage and 4-point restraints give a little peace of mind, but minding the skinny pedal is going to be key. I'll have fun in it, but I'm pretty responsible as a driver. The rest is out of my control and just one of those risks I have to accept driving a 42 year-old open air vehicle.
www.amazon.com/Wilwood-Engineering-260-12627-Adjacent-Proportioning/dp/B011B4UX5U
Ramon's actual plan 
- Thread starter
- #130
Compression test 
All cylinders read over 200 PSI (205-210), tested "warm". This didn't come without a bit of a scare due to a faulty gauge (thanks Autozone). Luckily, I quickly confirmed the gauge was bad by running a sanity check on Dozer.
Repinned Holley Terminator X harness, now able to run properly on stock MAP sensor
Holley isn't shipping the new harness until tomorrow due to limited stock. I wanted to run this on the stock MAP sensor before tearing things down so I feel good moving forward with the swap once reassembled.
Got all the exhaust manifold broken bolts out, sans 1 - I welded no less than 5 nuts on that one and they would twist off. Going to have to have the machine shop handle that one. No way I'm going to try and drill it myself.
Oil pressure at cold idle (1,100 RPM) is around 40PSI. Not sure if I'm going to go with stock pump or high volume. Going to call Melling this week for recommendation. General recommendation seems to be high volume for higher mileage. At 160k, I'm thinking that's going to be the route I take.
Pulled odd bank head today:
Cylinder walls look decent. Not ridged, but crosshatching is pretty much gone. Not enough to concern me. Not sure what that flash on cylinder 5 is from. You can see where my finger swiped basically removed it. Similar in 7. Not going to sweat it. Was really pleased to see not much carbon on the pistons - look good to me! I'll clean them up with some mineral spirits and call it good.
Valves look fine. Decided to go ahead with a valve job and cleaning - peace of mind for years to come.
Curious what you guys think about this cam condition:
The lobes are smooth, but I can see what I think to be scarring. Not sure, limited experience has me guessing. Really don't want to pull the cam, because that will result in me doing cam bearings for sure (I couldn't sleep at night). If I do replace the cam, it will be stock or VERY mild.
Lifters looked good to me, but given the mileage I'm throwing new LS7 lifters and new trays. I can tell the stock trays are pretty loose.
Ramon
All cylinders read over 200 PSI (205-210), tested "warm". This didn't come without a bit of a scare due to a faulty gauge (thanks Autozone). Luckily, I quickly confirmed the gauge was bad by running a sanity check on Dozer.
Repinned Holley Terminator X harness, now able to run properly on stock MAP sensor
Holley isn't shipping the new harness until tomorrow due to limited stock. I wanted to run this on the stock MAP sensor before tearing things down so I feel good moving forward with the swap once reassembled.
Got all the exhaust manifold broken bolts out, sans 1 - I welded no less than 5 nuts on that one and they would twist off. Going to have to have the machine shop handle that one. No way I'm going to try and drill it myself.
Oil pressure at cold idle (1,100 RPM) is around 40PSI. Not sure if I'm going to go with stock pump or high volume. Going to call Melling this week for recommendation. General recommendation seems to be high volume for higher mileage. At 160k, I'm thinking that's going to be the route I take.
Pulled odd bank head today:
Cylinder walls look decent. Not ridged, but crosshatching is pretty much gone. Not enough to concern me. Not sure what that flash on cylinder 5 is from. You can see where my finger swiped basically removed it. Similar in 7. Not going to sweat it. Was really pleased to see not much carbon on the pistons - look good to me! I'll clean them up with some mineral spirits and call it good.
Valves look fine. Decided to go ahead with a valve job and cleaning - peace of mind for years to come.
Curious what you guys think about this cam condition:
The lobes are smooth, but I can see what I think to be scarring. Not sure, limited experience has me guessing. Really don't want to pull the cam, because that will result in me doing cam bearings for sure (I couldn't sleep at night). If I do replace the cam, it will be stock or VERY mild.
Lifters looked good to me, but given the mileage I'm throwing new LS7 lifters and new trays. I can tell the stock trays are pretty loose.
Ramon
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2012
- Threads
- 583
- Messages
- 16,418
- Location
- Winter Park, Florida
- Website
- www.cruisermatts.com
If you have 40psi oil pressure at idle then the best thing you can do is leave that oil pump in there.
Highly recommend AVOIDING the Melling high volume or anything like that.
Cam looks fine, nothing to worry about there either
Highly recommend AVOIDING the Melling high volume or anything like that.
Cam looks fine, nothing to worry about there either
- Thread starter
- #132
Really? Everything I’ve been reading has recommended replacement if the front cover is opened and Melling as the preferred manufacturer. Lol. I’m all over the place but trying to stick mostly to articles or info from engine builders. I can’t get my head around not replacing a 120 buck heart of a 160k engine. Not saying you’re wrong, and really appreciate the advice. Trying to learn.
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2012
- Threads
- 583
- Messages
- 16,418
- Location
- Winter Park, Florida
- Website
- www.cruisermatts.com
The whole point of using these engines is so that you DON'T have to open it up and start swapping around a bunch of parts.
I would ignore anything you read on LS1Tech or in any of the magazines. That's all just parts sales advertising.
Why are you even taking the front cover off?
I would ignore anything you read on LS1Tech or in any of the magazines. That's all just parts sales advertising.
Why are you even taking the front cover off?
- Thread starter
- #135
So, to give a little background maybe this this clarify why I'm doing what I'm doing.
First, I'm 45 years old and have owned my 40 for 25 years. I've gone through many iterations of drivetrain I won't bore anyone with, but the latest is a 2FE that I actually really like. Also really happy with the H55F/Split Case with 4:1 gears. At this point in my life, I don't have a garage suitable for major fab and really only bookended mechanical projects like this. So, my days of beating the hell out of my 40 and then bringing it home and fixing it are pretty much done. I want to "perfect" the drivetrain now with the V8 power I crave, but can't have in a hotrod. Simply don't have the space for another vehicle.
So the project goals:
- 6.0L LS that will last me for the foreseeable future.
- Very high reliability
- Clean install
- Serviceability
- Lastly, but certainly not least, learn about the LS engine that I'll be maintaining
I'm by no means wealthy, but the budget is there to accomplish the goals without major compromise. With that said, I did NOT have budget to do a crate engine and it seems like low mileage 6.0s are hard to come by and expensive. I probably could have waited and found an engine in my price range that I could feel comfortable with a "plug and play", but patience isn't my strong suit. I ruled out the GenIV engines due mostly to VVT and initial costs, and that's how I landed on a LQ9 (or LQ4).
Originally I was going to do a complete rebuild. However, through advice from Matt and my own research, I came to the conclusion the bottom end really would be overkill. That was confirmed during teardown with no signs of major wear and no damage. But, I planned all along on refreshing the heads and head gaskets, and new lifters make sense based on cost and the fact the heads are off. Even if I had opted to not pull the heads, I failed to get one of the broken exhaust manifold bolts out and that had to be outsourced.
Aside from the fact I wanted to replace the timing set, oil pump, front seal and cam plate/seal - there is a leak at the front cover that would require attention. Front cover had to come off anyway.
Anyone who knows me will tell you I am frugal, and I appreciate the advice and attempt to save me money. But at this point, I want to do this once, do it right, and a few hundred dollars is well worth it to me to not touch this engine maybe ever again... with a little luck. That may not make sense to some, but at this point I hope it at least outlines my line of thinking and why I'm insistent on replacing some parts and getting the heads reworked.
First, I'm 45 years old and have owned my 40 for 25 years. I've gone through many iterations of drivetrain I won't bore anyone with, but the latest is a 2FE that I actually really like. Also really happy with the H55F/Split Case with 4:1 gears. At this point in my life, I don't have a garage suitable for major fab and really only bookended mechanical projects like this. So, my days of beating the hell out of my 40 and then bringing it home and fixing it are pretty much done. I want to "perfect" the drivetrain now with the V8 power I crave, but can't have in a hotrod. Simply don't have the space for another vehicle.
So the project goals:
- 6.0L LS that will last me for the foreseeable future.
- Very high reliability
- Clean install
- Serviceability
- Lastly, but certainly not least, learn about the LS engine that I'll be maintaining
I'm by no means wealthy, but the budget is there to accomplish the goals without major compromise. With that said, I did NOT have budget to do a crate engine and it seems like low mileage 6.0s are hard to come by and expensive. I probably could have waited and found an engine in my price range that I could feel comfortable with a "plug and play", but patience isn't my strong suit. I ruled out the GenIV engines due mostly to VVT and initial costs, and that's how I landed on a LQ9 (or LQ4).
Originally I was going to do a complete rebuild. However, through advice from Matt and my own research, I came to the conclusion the bottom end really would be overkill. That was confirmed during teardown with no signs of major wear and no damage. But, I planned all along on refreshing the heads and head gaskets, and new lifters make sense based on cost and the fact the heads are off. Even if I had opted to not pull the heads, I failed to get one of the broken exhaust manifold bolts out and that had to be outsourced.
Aside from the fact I wanted to replace the timing set, oil pump, front seal and cam plate/seal - there is a leak at the front cover that would require attention. Front cover had to come off anyway.
Anyone who knows me will tell you I am frugal, and I appreciate the advice and attempt to save me money. But at this point, I want to do this once, do it right, and a few hundred dollars is well worth it to me to not touch this engine maybe ever again... with a little luck. That may not make sense to some, but at this point I hope it at least outlines my line of thinking and why I'm insistent on replacing some parts and getting the heads reworked.
So, I take that as you're tired of people saying "why are you taking it apart" then "well if you're going to do that just rebuild the whole thing" 
Still watching, still enjoying, hth.
Still watching, still enjoying, hth.
- Thread starter
- #137
So, I take that as you're tired of people saying "why are you taking it apart" then "well if you're going to do that just rebuild the whole thing"
Still watching, still enjoying, hth.
Nah, advice usually comes with some judgement and I'm ok with that. Just thought since I'm soliciting input, I should justify why I don't always follow that advice. I don't want it to come across as ungrateful for your, Matt, or anyone's time looking at my thread and weighing in. Hell, I'd certainly be doing a full rebuild right now if not for this thread!
- Thread starter
- #138
The plot thickens:
Pulled the oil pan tonight.
Gritty sludge, no big chunks
More interesting to me was the oil that was baked on some of the rods, all on the odd cylinder bank (pics of best (2) and worst (5 and 7) )
2:
5:
Not sure what to make of this and if it's of major concern or not.
Ramon
Pulled the oil pan tonight.
Gritty sludge, no big chunks
More interesting to me was the oil that was baked on some of the rods, all on the odd cylinder bank (pics of best (2) and worst (5 and 7) )
2:
5:
Not sure what to make of this and if it's of major concern or not.
Ramon
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2012
- Threads
- 583
- Messages
- 16,418
- Location
- Winter Park, Florida
- Website
- www.cruisermatts.com
They all look like that inside, completely normal. The 5.3 engine in my FJ62 that only had 55K miles when I purchased it looked like that. I've opened up probably 25 more of these motors in the past two years, some with 250K-280K and they look exactly the same. nothing to worry about.
I'll post up a pic of the 95K mile 5.3 I have here that's about to go in a customer FJ62 and we'll see what it looks like inside.
And one more note, I consider 160K miles to be "low-mileage" on an LS. 250-280K is broken in nicely, perfect for turbo builds
I'll post up a pic of the 95K mile 5.3 I have here that's about to go in a customer FJ62 and we'll see what it looks like inside.
And one more note, I consider 160K miles to be "low-mileage" on an LS. 250-280K is broken in nicely, perfect for turbo builds
