Well, I have gotten quite good at tearing this LS style engine apart. I had a few goof ups due to inattentiveness on my part. Time and a little extra $ gone, but hopefully it's good now. With the 1/2 to an hour I try to squeeze in when I can at night, my wife going back to work nursing, managing my guppies, I leave things 1/2 done frequently and come back to it. I am working distractedly at times, and you all know how that can go:
Here goes:
Piston rings: top were good, right side up, and gapped properly.
Same with the middle ring. Everything in place and ready to rock.
I was cleaning up stuff and was about to chuck the piston ring instructions. At the bottom, as I walked to the garbage can, I saw the little side note that said, "Ensure the oil scraper" ring is facing up at the tips. darn. I knew that 3 were good that way, as I was about to check one night, but left the shop and totally forgot to recheck. Out came all the pistons. Again. 3 of 8 were upside down. Fixed that hiccup and reinstalled. F. Pay attention, Fox.
Then...I realized I missed cleaning an oil galley passage and couldn't continue without double checking. So out everything came to clean it. Crank, everything. It was the vertical one from the base up to the cam/lifter passage. It was dirty and would have put gunk through the cam and lifters straight away. Grrr. F Pay attention, Fox.
So I began to reassemble.
Then, as I was dropping in the rear most crank cap, it slipped out of my hand and fell. Clink, clink. It hit the side of the block as it went. "For Fox Creek! Please be undamaged!" Nope. Huge gouge in the bearing. NFG bearing. Grrr! Good thing I'm self employed on this truck, right?! I'd have fired my butt, too! Of course, when I removed the cam thrust plate, it destroyed the plate seal, necessitating a new one of those. Frick.
Argh!! I stopped at my engine shop to ask about a bearing. I explained my story, showed him the bearing, and Jerry went to the back, got a brand new box, opened, and said, "10 thou under, right? Here." And gave me the bearing for the lower cap.Thanks to Jerry!
So, after taking the rig a ma roll way, and kicking myself in the pants, I am finally moving forward again.
Crank in again, pistons in again x3, Cam in, lifters in, oil pan, timing set, everything torqued to spec.
Next up, head prepped and ready to clamp down.
I'd better check stuff again before I start twisting one shot (don't screw it up) bolts.
Updated hours are:
Cab: 92
Frame: 87 (I count engine/tranny work here)
Doors: 53-
Front fenders- 34.5
Box-25
Hood/grille-11.5
Other- 2
Total: 305
Grrrr....
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https://photos.app.goo.gl/xBeuk9xZXXUfimpk6The transmission is rebuilt though. 🤔😎😃 4wd converted to 2wd.
