Got it in there...sorta...

[Bluesman]

Got the engine onto the mounts. Also got the starter in (a big deal for a stock starter!).

What a mess.................
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p185/dhkent55/AMess.jpg

Goin' in...........
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p185/dhkent55/Goinin1.jpg

Did I forget something?????????????
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p185/dhkent55/GoinIn2.jpg

In!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p185/dhkent55/In1.jpg

Dave

[chris1972]

on mine (the starter) i had to cut about a 1in off the front crossmember

[harleyboy]

on mine I went with a mini starter and had about a inch of clearance.

[oncearacer52]

My regular starter had more clearance than the mini starter. I did shave the frame rail tho.

[Bluesman]

I got a ministarter from Summit and it didn't line up. I wedged this stock starter in using a crowbar and a cherry-picker. I will have to lift the engine to change it out if it goes belly-up!
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p185/dhkent55/Starter2.jpg
There is about enough room next to the cross member to slide a piece of paper through it!!

Dave

[Bluesman]

Spent about 4 hours yesterday (Memorial Day) sitting in a lawn chair and sorting thru the wiring harness.
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p185/dhkent55/SonomaWiring2.jpg
Somehow it reminds me of a woman when her hair is down! Sort of embarassing.

I am stripping out all the circuits I don't use, like the cruise control and the rear lights. I hope I can get the VCM to control a relay for the Taurus fan. I have been having trouble finding the OEM harness tape, but came up with some on eBay.

Dave

[Bluesman]

Got the OEM wiring harness tape yesterday along with a new 12v 75 amp relay for the fan control. Spent most of the day on my cardboard creeper modifying the tranny support. The L31/4L60 combo I am using is just a little longer than the 2.5/700R combo that was originally in the truck. I ran it for 5 years with the engine slid as far forward as it would go on the motor mounts and with the tranny x-member cocked...both bolts in on the passenger side and the front x-member hole on the rear frame hole for the driver's side. It worked but was not "cool". This time I re-drilled the passenger side frame holes back about 2" which straightened up the x-member and allowed me to slide the engine all the way back on the motor mounts. The driveshaft still looks like it will be OK, but once everything is in I will go back and slide the engine as far forward as I can to give it a little more play.

I also cleaned and painted the exhaust manifolds yesterday. These are a set of early '90s Camaro manifolds. No they are not ideal but yes they did eventually satisfy the CA smog referee. For some unknown reason I had originally painted them silver...UGLY!! In fact, the whole engine compartment was truly UGLY and EMBARRASSING! This time I am going for a mostly black look with only a few pieces of chrome. Anyway, I painted the manifolds with VHT black, and with my wife out of the house all morning I am cooking them off in the oven.
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p185/dhkent55/Manifolds.jpg
Hopefully most of the smell will be gone by the time she gets back!

Dave

[XTEN]

Got the OEM wiring harness tape yesterday along with a new 12v 75 amp relay for the fan control. Spent most of the day on my cardboard creeper modifying the tranny support. The L31/4L60 combo I am using is just a little longer than the 2.5/700R combo that was originally in the truck. I ran it for 5 years with the engine slid as far forward as it would go on the motor mounts and with the tranny x-member cocked...both bolts in on the passenger side and the front x-member hole on the rear frame hole for the driver's side. It worked but was not "cool". This time I re-drilled the passenger side frame holes back about 2" which straightened up the x-member and allowed me to slide the engine all the way back on the motor mounts. The driveshaft still looks like it will be OK, but once everything is in I will go back and slide the engine as far forward as I can to give it a little more play.

I also cleaned and painted the exhaust manifolds yesterday. These are a set of early '90s Camaro manifolds. No they are not ideal but yes they did eventually satisfy the CA smog referee. For some unknown reason I had originally painted them silver...UGLY!! In fact, the whole engine compartment was truly UGLY and EMBARRASSING! This time I am going for a mostly black look with only a few pieces of chrome. Anyway, I painted the manifolds with VHT black, and with my wife out of the house all morning I am cooking them off in the oven.
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p185/dhkent55/Manifolds.jpg
Hopefully most of the smell will be gone by the time she gets back!

Davemmmm-good!makin me hungry.Love them baked manifolds! heavy on the 30 weight,mom.

[chris1972]

we will know what happen if we don't here from you in a while...can you say ouch..hit with the manifold..if that was me i will be out cold..... lol....

[wild572s10]

LOL I do the same with all my parts I paint and now she just shakes her head and walks away and mutters she wants a new stove and I can have the old one in garage:fun_11:

[Bluesman]

Well it did smoke just a bit...heehee...but she's a good sport. Ran the self clean cycle this afternoon so now its all shiny!

Wish this VHT paint was more of a semi-gloss. Very flat, and actually a little bit brown in color. Oh well...git-her-done!

Dave

[Bluesman]

Well a tip of the hat to Harleyboy, and I had to go back to the ministarter. What a pain! The stock starter did fit, but I could not get the exhaust to line up through that little space next to it. Oh well........

So the engine came (partially) back out, the stock starter came off (that was the easy part), and the mini-starter eventually went back in and all (hopefully) lined up. LOTS of space now! Plenty of room to hook up the exhaust PLUS the mini-starter is so short it does not come as far forward as the crossmember.

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p185/dhkent55/Starter1-1.jpg

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p185/dhkent55/Mount1.jpg

This let me slide the engine all the way back on the motor mounts, and also let me cut the bottom hole off the mounts and drop the engine an inch. That should help with the hood clearance problems I have been having.

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p185/dhkent55/Mount2.jpg
Stay tuned!

Dave

[Bluesman]

Went by Pic-n-Pull this morning and got a "new" radiator support. I did a real chop job on mine the first time and wanted to see if I could do it better with a little experience. The rad will have to go in the forward position, so I cut the support like it shows in Mike's book. The Summit rad dropped right in, but I am going to have to do something about the filler neck. This rad is thicker than the one Mike sells so it does not fit as well. If it ends up too tight I will move the condenser in front of the rad support, but I'd rather not have to start chopping on the hood latch brace.

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p185/dhkent55/Rad6.jpg

I am going to try to mount the AC condensor inside the support like this.

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p185/dhkent55/Rad5.jpg

It might work but it looks like the fan will clear...barely!

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p185/dhkent55/Rad3.jpg

Dave

[chris1972]

how many roles do the rad have are they 1in wide roles ..

[Bluesman]

Yeah, 2 rows of 1" channels. The core is 2 1/8" thich and at the tanks (the widest part) it is 3 1/8" thick. The original rad I got from Jag's that Run was much thinner...about 1 3/8" thick core and maybe 2 1/2" at the tanks. It worked just fine for 5-6 years until it sprung a leak in the tranny cooler and wrecked the tranny. It always ran around 180* with a Taurus fan, even in hot weather, but then I never had the AC hooked up either.

Dave

[manyfire]

man I cant believe the difference between the 4wd and 2wd frames, I was wondering why everybody was always saying they had to notch/massage the frame. Anyway looks great can't wait to see it completed.

[harleyboy]

like what you are doing man.

[tonloc]

I was wondering why everybody was always saying they had to notch/massage the frame. Anyway looks great can't wait to see it completed.

yea i know when i put my motor in i didnt have any problems with anything. not the starter, tranny, cross member, nothing. i dont know if i just got lucky or what.

[XTEN]

Ryoung mentioned on a similar thread about a t-stat housing(I think) that had a filler cap on it.Would that help?If not,these aint the best pics,but maybe you can see the elbow I had tigged on by rad shop.Rad is foreward.

[coppergmc]

You mean one of these: http://summitracing.com/parts/MOR-63420/


Used one of these on a 95 cause the radiator was a little lower than the housing.

[XTEN]

You mean one of these: http://summitracing.com/parts/MOR-63420/


Used one of these on a 95 cause the radiator was a little lower than the housing.YEAH!! Dats it!

[Bluesman]

man I cant believe the difference between the 4wd and 2wd frames, I was wondering why everybody was always saying they had to notch/massage the frame. Anyway looks great can't wait to see it completed.

Oh yeah! I was pulling the rad support out of a 4-WD Blazer yesterday at out Pic-n-Pull and was looking at how that front driveshaft came up alongside the pan. Man...there sure isn't much room down there! I have to say that for a little street-rod-daily-driver I like my plain old 2-WD standard cab P/U. 3260 pounds with me, AC and a full tank of gas! Woo-Hoo! Light-em-up!!

I finished modding the rad support for the rad today and it looks like it will be OK. Used a 2 3/4" hole saw to cut an opening for the rad cap. Did not have to cut through that big bead that braces the top of the rad support, and I can get an octaganol cap on and off.

I cut out the back of the hood latch support to let me mount the condenser on the front of the rad support. Here is where it ended up...you can see the notch for the rad cap on the far left of the support in the pic...

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p185/dhkent55/Condenser1.jpg

This is a very thin condenser, 1 that Mike Knell told me about 6-7 years ago but had never used. It fits behind the hoodlatch support no prob with a coupleof 1/4" pieces of neopreme at the top to hold it in place and a few nylon wire ties here and there...

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p185/dhkent55/Condenser2.jpg

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p185/dhkent55/Condenser3.jpg

Tomorrow AM I am going back to Pic-n-Pull to see if I can find a clutch fan to fit behind the rad. I have 4 5/8" between the water pump pulley face and the back of the rad. I would rather have an engine driven fan than the Taurus fan, if I can fit it in.

Stey tuned!

Dave


Dave

[manyfire]

I pulled a fan shroud out of a 02 or so s10 blazer had a 20" hole, modified it to fit, went to autozone and bought a 19" flex fan and a 2+ in spacer, home depot and got some of the thick white weatherstripping, that thing sill suck a small kid through if they stand to close, over 1500 rpm the aux electrical fan(which never kicks on) looks like it is running, it cost about $70 for the entire setup. Just a suggestion. By the way I took all the 4wd stuff out, that is why i have a little more room at the frame, think the engine sits a little higher also.

[Bluesman]

That's about what I'm trying to do only with a clutch fan.

http://www.s10v8.com/showthread.php?t=1073760410

I may end up doing what you did with a flex fan and no clutch.

Dave

[Bluesman]

Dang! Went through the catalogs with the very helpful guys down at my local NAPA shop, and it turns out that the water pump I have is not stock for an L31. Instead of the threaded pilot, mine has an unthreaded pilot and a plate with 4 bolt holes. Bummer...

Dave

[manyfire]

they are not that expensive change it out if you have the cash, put what you want in it.

[chris1972]

you need to know what year of block you are using because before 96 had the water pump with bypass..after 96 they used the without the bypass ..bypass goes though upper part of water pump to the intake the extra hose to pump and intake..96 early has the extra hole below the mounting hole ..and all 96 and later pumps has the threded clutch fan..

[Bluesman]

Stranger and stranger.... OK...the water pump I have now is actually supposed to be for a '96-'99 Suburban (NAPA #43113). This is what it looks like...

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p185/dhkent55/1998SuburbanWaterPump.jpg

The pilot is not threaded and is too large to fit the fan clutch I got off the 4.3 Blazer. Notice that it also has both the return for the heater (the longer neck thingy) AND the thermostat bypass (the shorter curved neck thingy...excuse the technical language).

This is the water pump that NAPA lists for all '96-'99 4.3, 5.0 and 5.7 engines from 1500 series pickups (NAPA #43114)....

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p185/dhkent55/19981500waterpump.jpg

You can see the pilot is also unthreaded, but this one does fit the 4.3 Blazer fan clutch that I have. It also fits in my ride with about 1" between the front of the clutch and the back of the radiator. Unfortunately, it is also missing the thermostat bypass. :( See that threaded hole in the top? That is apparently for the heater. It might work as a thermostat bypass but it is right against the neck coming out of the thermostat housing. It would take a very weird fitting to clear it.

I know I need both the thermostat bypass and a heater return. Do I have any alternatives to using the connectors in the water pump? Like, there is a fitting on the passenger side of the radiator...

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p185/dhkent55/Rad1-1.jpg

See that black rubber cap in the middle of the tank? Have no idea what that's for except maybe a heater return or something like that. Would it work to put a T into the heater return line and then combine both it and the thermostat bypass? ....and maybe run it to either that nipple on the rad or to that threaded hole on the water pump (assuming I can get a fitting into it that would clear the neck on the manifold)???

Dave

[blazer72]

hey man, classic industries sells OEM wire wrap. $12/roll.

BTW, I had to mount my engine on the bottom holes of the site's motor mounts to make my starter fit, as opposed to the top hole (placing engine in lowest position) to make my stock starter fit. I still can't fit the micro-starter I bought in there.

[chris1972]

blue ..try a 99 astro with 4.3 ..mine has the threds and bye pass, heater to..

[Bluesman]

Thanks Blazer...yeah I found mine on eBay for something about that. With shipping it was like $18 or so. Worked great!!

'99 Astro? I will definitely check it out!!:) Thanks!!!

Dave

[Bluesman]

Oh Man! How stupid is this!? :( See the top picture in my post just above of the Suburban waterpump? See the smooth pilot with no threads? See how what it really is, is a plastic sleeve protecting the threads underneath? ...just like on the one I have??!!

Ask me how stupid I feel!! When I put it together all those years ago I painted the front of the engine, including the water pump. With paint on it that sleeve looks like an unthreaded pilot, even to the guys down at NAPA!!

More time wasted!

Dave

[farond21]

Its always the simplest things that give us the biggest problems

[chris1972]

Oh Man! How stupid is this!? :( See the top picture in my post just above of the Suburban waterpump? See the smooth pilot with no threads? See how what it really is, is a plastic sleeve protecting the threads underneath? ...just like on the one I have??!!

Ask me how stupid I feel!! When I put it together all those years ago I painted the front of the engine, including the water pump. With paint on it that sleeve looks like an unthreaded pilot, even to the guys down at NAPA!!

More time wasted!

Dave

you must fell a little small now...

[Bluesman]

Finally got the rad in! I used the shroud out of about a '92 Blazer with only a little modification. First, with the rad in the forward position I needed to trim it a bit. This is how much I ended cutting from the top and bottom pieces...

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p185/dhkent55/Shroud1.jpg

Then with the engine lowered I needed to mount the lower piece under the rad support. I bolted the bottom directly to the frame rale. The fan ended up centered in the shroud with the back of the blades even with the back of the shroud.

I already posted pics of the condenser mount, using one of those tripac condensers. I also mounted an extra tranny cooler next to the condenser. The tranny cooling lines run through the rad cooler first, then through the cooler next to the condenser, then back to the tranny...all in series...

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p185/dhkent55/RadFront.jpg

I had trouble coming up with rad hoses. The ones I used before won't fit the new rad. I eventually ended up with a couple that work but they are not perfect. I don't know what the upper one was from...I cut off an extra bend at the end and stretched it over the 1 1/2" rad inlet.

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p185/dhkent55/Radtop.jpg

The lower I think is for an early '70s Nova, and although the ends fit alright it is just a little too short. In this pic you can also see how the top of the shroud tucks inside the rad support.

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p185/dhkent55/RadBottom.jpg

I was planning on running lines for the AC next, but I haven't heard it run in 6 months so I think I'll finish up the electricals and try to fire it next week.

Stay tuned!

Dave