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Cars & Coffee Killer
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: State of Failure
Posts: 32,246
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Rebuilt a Chevy 350 This Weekend...
Went up to the UP for my wife's aunt's 60th birthday party.
My wife's 40-year old cousin (Mike) bought a boat. As he was taking it out for a spin, it overheated. His brother-in-law (Dan) happens to be a boat mechanic and diagnosed the problem as a bad thermostat. He replaced it at the shop and drove the boat back to the house to test it out. Once the block got up to temperature, it started spewing milkshake from the side: toasted head gasket. We use a paddleboat (the pedal kind) to tow the boat to the neighbor's ramp and get it on the trailer. We park the boat in the driveway and proceed to tear the engine apart. Thursday: We start at 6:00 p.m.. Dan does most of the work. We disassemble the engine. We take of the intake, exhaust, and cylinder heads. The gaskets all appear to be original to the engine (the boat is an '88). The inside of the engine looks brand-spanking new. No visible wear anywhere. The cylinders still have the cross-hatch honing intact. We finish at midnight. Friday: We start at 11:00 a.m.. My father-in-law and I use scotchbright pads to remove the remaining gasket bits from the mating surfaces. We also take a car-ride with the father of the boat owner to collect the necessary gaskets. The only thing we can't find is a marine intake gasket, so we settle for an automotive gasket. (We figure it's easy to change later if needed.) We finish around 5:00 p.m. At 6:00 p.m. Dan and Mike get home from work. The reassembly begins. We get the engine back together at 2:00 a.m.. We don't start it because it's so late. Saturday: We start at 3:00 p.m.. We hook up the ears. The engine won't start. It will backfire through the carb when we use starting fluid. After an hour, he decides to double-check the distributor and spark plug wiring. Sure enough, the distributor rotor is 180 degrees off AND the spark plugs are wired wrong. The engine runs on starting fluid......but its not getting any gas!!! Dan thinks the fuel pump is bad. I remind him that when he was cranking the engine to find TDC the previous night, fuel was coming out of the fuel line. Another hour. Dan remembers that when he reattached the fuel filter, he disconnected the fuel line to the fuel pump. He reattaches the fuel line. The engine runs! It doesn't leak. It's around 5:30 p.m. We go to the party. I didn't get to go out on the water all weekend. Oh, and I've decided I never want to own a boat.
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Some Porsches long ago...then a wankle... 5 liters of VVT fury now -Chris "There is freedom in risk, just as there is oppression in security." |
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06-28-2009, 05:36 PM
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Just thinking out loud
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Close by
Posts: 6,884
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Rebuilding a Chevy 350.... never again. Never have owned one, never will.
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83 944 91 FJ80 84 Ram Charger (now gone) |
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06-28-2009, 06:26 PM
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Back in the saddle again
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Central TX west of Houston
Posts: 55,913
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Quote:
A Chevy 350 can be a very, VERY long life engine if maintained.
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Steve '08 Boxster RS60 Spyder #0099/1960 - never named a car before, but this is Charlotte. '88 targa  SOLD 2004 - gone but not forgotten
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06-28-2009, 07:25 PM
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Registered
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Minneapolis
Posts: 7,482
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Easy, easy engine to work on. Great first motor to rebuild
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06-28-2009, 07:39 PM
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D idn't E arn I t
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Yep, not like they are terribly difficult to get info or advice on..it's pretty foolproof and quite possibly the cheapest automotive engine to rebuild produced in the last century.
The only thing is the oil sealing is pre-historic in nature. They all will leak eventually. Funny a 350 boat project landed on my lap last week also. My buddy / chiropractor can't get his sorted out.. rjp
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AOC/Hogg 2028 |
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06-28-2009, 09:02 PM
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Banned
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: South of Heaven
Posts: 21,159
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Quote:
The small block Chevy V-8 is a masterpiece. (For that matter so is the "mark IV" big block Chevy) Last edited by m21sniper; 06-29-2009 at 05:21 AM.. |
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06-29-2009, 05:13 AM
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Parrothead member
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Monmouth county, NJ USA
Posts: 13,832
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The small block Chevy is probably the THE best engine ever made. Practically bulletproof . Will Last forver if maintained. Rebuild are incredibly easy and cheap. One of the lowest costing motor to extract HP out of.
BTW,ALL motors will leak oil eventually.
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Vinny Red '86 944, 05 Ford Super Duty Dually '02 Ram 3500 Diesel 4x4 Dually, '07Jeep Wrangler '62 Mercury Meteor '90 Harley 1200 XL "Live your Life in such a way that the Westboro Baptist Church will want to picket your funeral." Last edited by VINMAN; 06-29-2009 at 05:29 AM.. |
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06-29-2009, 05:21 AM
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Cars & Coffee Killer
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: State of Failure
Posts: 32,246
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I find a bunch of Porsche owners complaining about Chevy engines leaking oil a bit ironic.
 They have updated the seals on subsequent engines.
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Some Porsches long ago...then a wankle... 5 liters of VVT fury now -Chris "There is freedom in risk, just as there is oppression in security." |
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06-29-2009, 05:25 AM
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Capitalist and Patriot
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Freedomville
Posts: 1,923
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Quote:
built my first 350 at 13yrs old and my 1st BB396 at 15.... easy greasy! The genius is simple.... Once broke a head bolt on a 350, the things wouldn't fire on all 8, we grounded the plug and had a V7, ran like a charm...  Boats? Been there done that.... I'd still own one but it'd have to come with duel V8's
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Former Test driver & Production Manager Singer Vehicle Design 2009 Cayenne GTS, '81 911SC RoW Targa (lot's of goodies), '86 535csi, '84 633 csi (turbo charged-sold)  , '68 912 Targa (sold) , '69 911E (sold) "Dream it, Believe it, Decide it, DO it " Last edited by 911Freak; 06-29-2009 at 05:30 AM.. |
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06-29-2009, 05:28 AM
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The Unsettler
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Lantanna TX
Posts: 23,885
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Those things are a piece of cake and parts are plentiful.
We used to get 4 bolt blocks from the local school bus company.
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"I want my two dollars" "Goodbye and thanks for the fish" "Proud Member and Supporter of the YWL" "Brandon Won" |
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06-29-2009, 05:30 AM
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Registered
Join Date: May 2002
Location: St Louis
Posts: 4,211
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How did you check the heads for flatness? no machine shop?
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Rick 88 Cab |
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06-29-2009, 06:07 AM
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Banned
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: South of Heaven
Posts: 21,159
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All you need is a metal straight edge and feeler gauges.
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06-29-2009, 06:17 AM
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Cars & Coffee Killer
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: State of Failure
Posts: 32,246
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Quote:
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Some Porsches long ago...then a wankle... 5 liters of VVT fury now -Chris "There is freedom in risk, just as there is oppression in security." |
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06-29-2009, 06:21 AM
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Registered
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ahhhh...memories. i built one twice. call the first time, a "practice" run. my second motor was bullet proof.
it was CHEAP! honestly, if i had to do it over again, i would just buy a crate motor. i think it is the most cost effective way, now.
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poof! gone |
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06-29-2009, 06:29 AM
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: N. Phoenix AZ USA
Posts: 28,943
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Quote:
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2013 Jag XF, 2002 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins (the workhorse), 1992 Jaguar XJ S-3 V-12 VDP (one of only 100 examples made), 1969 Jaguar XJ (been in the family since new), 1985 911 Targa backdated to 1973 RS specs with a 3.6 shoehorned in the back, 1959 Austin Healey Sprite (former SCCA H-Prod), 1995 BMW R1100RSL, 1971 & '72 BMW R75/5 "Toaster," Ural Tourist w/sidecar, 1949 Aeronca Sedan / QB |
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06-29-2009, 06:39 AM
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Parrothead member
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Monmouth county, NJ USA
Posts: 13,832
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Shovel?? Hell, I use a front end loader!
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Vinny Red '86 944, 05 Ford Super Duty Dually '02 Ram 3500 Diesel 4x4 Dually, '07Jeep Wrangler '62 Mercury Meteor '90 Harley 1200 XL "Live your Life in such a way that the Westboro Baptist Church will want to picket your funeral." |
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06-29-2009, 07:00 AM
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Registered
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Quote:
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Silver '88 RoW Carrera Grey '06 A4 Avant |
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06-29-2009, 07:37 AM
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Registered
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Minneapolis
Posts: 7,482
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Quote:
By 1985, IIRC, they also used center-bolt valve covers that stopped the leaks from over-tightening and warping the valve covers. Get Fel-Pro molded gaskets and a 1988 motor will not leak anywhere. |
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06-29-2009, 07:44 AM
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Registered
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Dartmouth, MA
Posts: 206
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I must also agree that a small blcok chevy is the best engine ever. Very fun to work on. I have 4.3 in my boat wich is basically a 350 minus two cylinders. When I get out of the no-wake zone I put it to the floor and leave it there without concerns.
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1980 SC 71 Chevelle SS454 |
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06-29-2009, 07:52 AM
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me, i found that the "corners" where the manifold meets the block and the heads a tricky potential leak spot. i seem to remember (this was maybe 15 years ago) the side gaskets, and some rubber silicon ones for the front and back. the corners were hard to seal.
similar situation at the oil pan. i learned alot from that motor.
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poof! gone |
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06-29-2009, 08:28 AM
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Boxer engine, 6 gears, big wing: it's a GT3!
1981 ?! A Red one... 3.0
Balla special
P car
OK, a girl that identifies as a car. Good enough?
Porsche Z06
P truck orsche
1988 Porsche Carrera 3.2
