Builds Shipwreck

[SuperBuickGuy]

So a couple years ago, I built this - a divideable kennel for my wife's dogs


it always was a work-in-progress


so as you saw a couple weeks ago, I built new kennels for the Heep.... today I started installing them
first was clean up some wiring


and move (again) the speaker


so here is what it looks like




it gives my wife some flexibility - she can haul one dog, or two dogs and her older dog gets worried when she can't see where she's going - so the kennel allows her to be in front and can access the front seat through the middle


this also gives the benefit of when she loses her keys - that she still get the dogs out - you can get into the front, but you cannot access the rear gate without keys... which was a problem because that was the only way to let the dogs out....

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

so I had my wife load her heep back up....


I'm going to do a drawer and a shelf and it should be done except for the extras


I know some think it's animal abuse to build a smaller cage for such a large dog - actually, it's only people who want extra space for a dog, it's all about defensible space. Not just that but should bad happen and they be in an accident, not having a lot of room is much safer

bright side is I got to go back on the '40 and do a bit of wiring. Tomorrow I pick up the short block, so I can start reassembly and having a driving vehicle again.... now with electronics.

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

Buick motor off the stand


new 355 short block on the stand


The guy gave me a 4 bolt main, roller block instead of the 2 bolt....




grey is the color this time



I like what I got, and the shop who did the work was immaculate - always a good sign. Best of all, here's the cost break down

$900 tax included for the short block. If you look at my prior pricing, you'll see this is $200 lower than what I figured. Had I gone with building a short block myself, I'd have been at $1300 but worse, end of summer before the machine work was done. From the place off ebay, all in was about $1000-$1100 but I'd get a 2 bolt block. While I don't think I need the 4 bolt, it is a feature

 

[srgould41]

So is it running yet? Let's take it wheeling tomorrow.

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

you feel a compelling need to pull my hummer out of another hole? actually, I was going to suggest going wheeling tomorrow... where you want to go?

 

[srgould41]

I really wish I could. I am working today and tomorrow. Moving servers to our new data center today and all hands on deck for May Day tomorrow. Next Sunday maybe.

you feel a compelling need to pull my hummer out of another hole? actually, I was going to suggest going wheeling tomorrow... where you want to go?

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

Fine, then I'm going to go out and play in traffic on my bicycle. If anyone asks, I'm blaming you

 

[srgould41]

Why not. I am usually to blame for everything anyway. I am not paying your medical bills though!

Fine, then I'm going to go out and play in traffic on my bicycle. If anyone asks, I'm blaming you

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

there's no sense in getting to heaven with a perfectly preserved body

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

beside the yard work, the fluid change on my Hummer, I did get a bit done on the '40
start of today (painted)


end.... bottom half is together

 

[srgould41]

Do you put your head gaskets on dry or with a smear of sealer around the water jackets?

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

dry, the red is silicone embedded in the gasket

 

[srgould41]

Nice. I like how technology keeps improving. My current intake gasket set uses silicone o'rings. Finally cleared up the intake vacuum leaks.

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

I was being nice when I told the builder that I didn't need intake gaskets because I already had some.... ummm, they must be in a very safe place because I can't find them. That said, intake gaskets pretty much require sealing the front and rear crossover with silicone

 

[srgould41]

I have done it both way, use the provided gasket and just seal the corners or only use RTV. Since any deck work changes the intake to block gap I think RTV only is a good choice. As long as you don't have enough blow-by to blow out the RTV.

I was being nice when I told the builder that I didn't need intake gaskets because I already had some.... ummm, they must be in a very safe place because I can't find them. That said, intake gaskets pretty much require sealing the front and rear crossover with silicone

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

the reason I avoid the rubber intake gaskets is for that very reason. They work well for plastic intakes, but all it takes is one backfire with a metal intake and you have a vacuum leak.

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

a very important part arrived today


so I figured now was a good time to get that shift knob on the road through a bit of assembly




9 quarts of oil later


and a bit more assembly






clutch installed


almost home


and home

 

[sadam_husain]

Looks good mate, just interested why only roller tip rockers and not fully roller?

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

Looks good mate, just interested why only roller tip rockers and not fully roller?

1) unnecessary
2) roller rockers are mostly crap. Let me explain this one

So I have a pretty good friend that runs Ms Marion Bluegrass
Miss Merion Bluegrass homepage

It's powered by a all-aluminum, blown BB 427. It's been rebuilt twice because those lifter needle bearings fail then fill the motor with shavings. Once we started to have that failure, we spent a great deal of time talking with others - and the opinion is avoid them at all costs. Now add Chinese-crappy-rockers to the mix and you're looking at a failure waiting to happen. Now we run trunion rockers (without the needle bearings) and we've also eliminated the needle bearings in the roller lifters and run bronze bushings instead on the wheels - on high-hp apps, the high spring rate utterly destroys the needles (it crushes them) and puts metal powder throughout the motor.

and
3) GM found that roller tips give you 75% of the benefit of the full roller - which means there's no reason to run needle bearings.

There's a lot more, but that tl;dr is they're completely unnecessary.

I run roller tip because it reduces wear - but in a high-hp/high-rpm motor, I'd run non-rollers to get the weight off the tip of the lifter (you spend huge dollars on titanium, sodium filled valves, unobtainium springs, tool steel retainers.... then add weight at the tip.... and with all of that said, I may run stainless full rollers in the Buick project I'm doing.... but its redline is 6200 rpm. Point is, it depends on the build - with the Buick, I'm installing twin 88mm turbos, so I need a stout spring on the valves to keep them closed under high boost. So, while I say "don't use them at all" there actually is an exception to even that rule. The short of that is avoid cheap, roller rockers - they'll only hurt your wallet and won't give you any performance gain.

 

[srgould41]

So the moral of the story is "don't use them unless you use them". My kind of rule