Build The Clustertruck Rides Again - Refurbishing a 1975 Chevota

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I have to admit - I am still in complete awe of the power of air tools...never going back.

All I have is a little "mighty 7" mini impact wrench currently, but that little guy made short work of the exhaust manifold bolts that I was preparing to have to torch and hose down with penetrating oil for hours. Instead, I dropped the exhaust in a couple minutes.

Had to make the truck do some aerobatics to get it up over the back axle then out from underneath. In hindsight, I probably should have just cut it in half, as it's not going back in...

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Beyond that - a few smaller things - vacuum lines unhooked, starter wires disconnected (which would have been way easier AFTER the exhaust was removed, (for future reference...) steering disconnected, clutch slave disconnected, etc.

At this point I'm down to the parking brake cable and power steering hoses, I think. Started fooling with the PS hoses tonight - enough to know it might be easier just to drop the whole pump off the engine...
 
Air tools can be awesome if you've got a big enough compressor. :D (On my wish list, but not in my budget)

My current favourite tool is a 14.4v, 1/2" drive, electric impact. 145 ft/lbs of torque and it'll also put small screws into plastic without stripping them. Speed, torque, & finess... in a <3.5 lb package. Mine happens to be Bosch, but their chargers burn out resistors (PM me if you ever need one, I had to buy a bag of them to replace the one under-rated one).

Impact can't be beat on the exhaust... rattled apart without breaking... fixed many exhaust systems that way.
 
Ok @SuperBuickGuy and @Cdaniel - as my resident SBC gurus, I think I'm at the point that I can pull this thing...having never done this before - any advice on hoist points? I have a load leveler for the crane. Is it best to remove the intake and bolt to the block? Should the distributor come out too?

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Unrelated, but still the best news: this truck's tub is seriously almost cancer free - even under the gas tank...

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EDIT - forgot @bikersmurf in the SBC guru category...
 
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Stock Chevy used brackets to bolts holding intake to manifold. That's how mine came out of donor and went into 40.

Seen plate that mounts to carb surface.
 
bikersmurf said:
Stock Chevy used brackets to bolts holding intake to manifold. That's how mine came out of donor and went into 40.

Seen plate that mounts to carb surface.
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I'm guessing that is with the intake off? I bought some brackets that sound similar...

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I don't mind pulling the intake off to pull the engine - it's more the re-installation where having the intake on and sealed and the distributor in would be useful.
 
Those are the ones. Stock was with the intake in place and that's how I've done it. Should be fine with the Aluminum manifold... but I've only done it with the stock steel. The Al manifold was more recent for me.
 
bikersmurf said:
Those are the ones. Stock was with the intake in place and that's how I've done it. Should be fine with the Aluminum manifold... but I've only done it with the stock steel. The Al manifold was more recent for me.
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Alright, I have to imagine the manifold doesn't make a huge difference, since the bolts really just go through it and into the heads.

The other caveat is I intend to pull the entire driveline - engine, tranny, and transfercase. seems like an awful lot of weight to pick up by 2 bolts...I'd ballpark ~800lbs, assuming about 550 for the smallblock, 150 for the trans and 75ish for the T-case plus 25lbs because I'm probably wrong ;-).
 
I did the same... with the boom fully extended, I watched it flex/bounce. The bolts held fine. I choice to roll the truck rather than move the hoist.
 
On second look, the load leveler comes with 4 "L" brackets...unfortunately the brackets are too thick to mount to the manifold bolts with the manifold in place, so it appears the decision may have been made for me.

Nothing to hook through those stock mounts that I have...

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EDIT: On Second thought, I just found this image over on a Chevy forum - looks like I can just buy longer bolts and extend them...then use the L-brackets. Terrible photo but apparently this is a "safe" method?

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The strength is in the pre load of the bolts. You need to tighten the bolts with more pre load than the weight of the engine and tranny put on them during removal.
 
Might could get you some longer bolts if you have the room with the intake on. I usually just use a chain bolted to the heads and stick a big screwdriver through it at the hook, to keep the chain from sliding through hook. I have a plate I bought not long ago that I used on a 304 Heep motor that had a aluminum intake and had no problem, the plate bolts down where the carb bolts to the intake. But that old 283 don't have the bolt holes in the heads, if you decide not to go back with it someone might want it. Depends on what yr. it is, some can be bored enough to make a 302 out of it. If it has the right casting numbers on the block, some one doing a restoration might be needing it complete their build. Vett guys are crazy about some numbers.
 
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gator25 said:
Might could get you some longer bolts if you have the room with the intake on. I usually just use a chain bolted to the heads and stick a big screwdriver through it at the hook, to keep the chain from sliding through hook. But that old 283 don't have the bolt holes in the heads, if you decide not to go back with it someone might want it. Depends on what yr. it is, some can be bored enough to make a 302 out of it. If it has the right casting numbers on the block, some one doing a restoration might be needing it complete their build. Vett guys are crazy about some numbers.
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With regards to mounting the crane - yeah, no accessory bolt holes in the old Power Pak's, unfortunately, so I'm going to have to improvise. I may go with some longer, grade 8 bolts and a stack of washers are all four corners of the intake. Only interference I see is potentially the distributor, which I can pull if I need to.

I ran the numbers on this 283 - It's nothing particularly fancy. Came out of a 1967 Chevy C or K truck. I believe that's the last year they produced the 283. I'm planning on keeping it unless I find a reason not to once I get inside. It doesn't smoke, has good compression, and doesn't have any trouble moving the 40. I found receipts for a cam in the PO's documents so I think it may have been at least partially rebuilt with an RV cam...The only issue is that it runs at about 10psi oil pressure. I've read all sorts of opinions on whether that's a problem or not. Almost every accessory bolted to it is shot - so I'll be replacing almost everything bolted to it. I thought I might be able to save the water pump, but even it has some play in the shaft. If I end up ditching it, I've got a couple guys in my father-in-laws car club in line to take it from me.
 
RWBeringer4x4 said:
With regards to mounting the crane - yeah, no accessory bolt holes in the old Power Pak's, unfortunately, so I'm going to have to improvise. I may go with some longer, grade 8 bolts and a stack of washers are all four corners of the intake. Only interference I see is potentially the distributor, which I can pull if I need to.

I ran the numbers on this 283 - It's nothing particularly fancy. Came out of a 1967 Chevy C or K truck. I believe that's the last year they produced the 283. I'm planning on keeping it unless I find a reason not to once I get inside. It doesn't smoke, has good compression, and doesn't have any trouble moving the 40. I found receipts for a cam in the PO's documents so I think it may have been at least partially rebuilt with an RV cam...The only issue is that it runs at about 10psi oil pressure. I've read all sorts of opinions on whether that's a problem or not. Almost every accessory bolted to it is shot - so I'll be replacing almost everything bolted to it. I thought I might be able to save the water pump, but even it has some play in the shaft. If I end up ditching it, I've got a couple guys in my father-in-laws car club in line to take it from me.
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I'd keep it to, I dig those old mouse motors. Are you planning on breaking it down and looking at the bearings and oil pump, I would unless you plan on doing it later. Oh hell, I see now your planning on going in and checking her out.
 
gator25 said:
I'd keep it to, I dig those old mouse motors. Are you planning on breaking it down and looking at the bearings and oil pump, I would unless you plan on doing it later. Oh hell, I see now your planning on going in and checking her out.
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I'm not going much farther than pulling the covers off...I don't think I'll get into the bearings, etc. If the day comes where I HAVE to, I'll likely just replace it with a crate 350, or even go to a TBI roller-block. I'd never just throw the 283 in a junk yard though - I'd find it a good home somewhere. At the end of the day, I'm a cheapskate - a crate 350 for $1500 that I could literally transfer every part from the 350 to is definitely the low hanging fruit. A brand new 350 is cheaper than a rebuild.
 
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Something like this? Bolts are all grade 8 but kind of long...they do have full thread engagement (bottomed out)

Thoughts? Am I definitely going to get myself into trouble?
 
I think you want shorter bolts. Make sure they engage at least 1.5x the bolt diameter but don't bottom out in the head.
That will allow you to torque them to the manifold bolt torque spec.
That way the bolt will be properly loaded in shear. As they sit in your photo, all the load will be carried by the threads, when torqued and streatched (i.e. Not bottomed out but clamping) the load is carried across the diameter of the bolt.
Washers or spacers may be an option if you don't have shorter bolts.
 
71FJnick said:
I think you want shorter bolts. Make sure they engage at least 1.5x the bolt diameter but don't bottom out in the head.
That will allow you to torque them to the manifold bolt torque spec.
That way the bolt will be properly loaded in shear. As they sit in your photo, all the load will be carried by the threads, when torqued and streatched (i.e. Not bottomed out but clamping) the load is carried across the diameter of the bolt.
Washers or spacers may be an option if you don't have shorter bolts.
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That was sort of my thinking too - but if I go with shorter bolts the L brackets on the load leveler bottom out on the manifold. I can't physically clamp the bracket down flush - and that would be a LOT of washers!

On the flip side, the admittedly blurry picture above shows long bolts like what I posted - that picture was pulled off a different forum and was quoted as "the safe way" to do it...:hmm:
 
RWBeringer4x4 said:
If you think I'm about to drop an engine on myself now would be the time to speak up!
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The bolts will bend or break if you use them like this. Just get yourself some thick walled pipe cut to size, washer top and bottom and torque them to a decent load. They will be strong enough then.
 
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