Sorry--not Chevelle based, but I'm sure some of you
have this same motor---or 502


Okay. today I go for a little cruize in the 59.
This car has a 454 HO roller GMPP engine in it.
My oil pressure drops to 12 right out of the drive,
Then comes up to about 28 while cruizing, drops to
14-15 under accelleration.
Go fill up the tank and check the oil.---WAY LOW,
not even on the stick!. Okay, soon as I get home,
I need to look into a couple of things.

I have posted before that I cannot get more than
8" vacuum at idle (brakes want 18) and this thing
is sucking oil like no tommorrow. Car is still hot
So I am here before pulling plugs.

(I have only 2600 mi on this engine, and the only things
I have changed on it have been the pan and valve
covers. No other bolts have been loosened or removed.)

I stick a finger into one of the tailpipes----Soaked
with wet oil. Despite the fact that I have had this
engine 2yrs and it has only been in 'service' for 1yr.
exactly. Does anyone here think that this should be
a warranty issue??? This is Saturday, so I cannot
locate a warranty person anywhere (GM dealer-Parts--
--Summit---GMPP)
Not that I am leary of cracking this thing open---just
don't want to. I'm pretty much convinced that I have a
manifold leak, as I don't thing valve seals or guides
would let that much oil past in the 1500mi on this oil.
3-4 qts is a LOT of oil in 1500mi! Nor do I think the
guides or seals would be a factor in super low manifold
vacuum.

Anyone else have this issue with a GMPP engine????


on a good note---AC is working great, and temps stay below 200

Get a cup of coffe, sit down and read this thread. All you will ever need to know about the 454Ho motor:

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158305&highlight=chipped+crank

BTW - you should be getting 14-15" of vacuum. Where's your timing at? Hopefully not the GM recommedation of 4* initial....

Damn---Kinda ruined my day
I did go out a while ago and pulled the plugs----only one dry one
All the rest were wet as a hooker's wares (not that I would know)
Broke 2 plug wires getting them off----I thought I lubed them when I put 'em on
(now have to buy 2 sets of wires--pulled a couple off the pick-up to get the elky back in the garage)
I also tightened ALL the intake bolts----Good thing I did not mount that engine upside down, the manifold would have fallen off.

This is only a cruiser---I don't beat it at all, (driveshaft & Differential won't take it) the only reason the 454 is in there, is cause it looks so much better than a small block.

Still, 5-grand for a new motor, the thing should not have to be torn down for repairs after 2500mi! I am gonna get with a few warranty people over this.
Frankly don't care if it is past warranty time or not---I registered the car last June.

Hopefully, I will only be looking at manifold gaskets, but with my luck on this car---------Long story.

Lots of luck...... Mine goes about 400 miles per quart. Has since day one. Low tension oil ring and poor valve guide seals is what I've heard....And my intake is tight....

Rick

Just a quick fyi, I never had a plug that was clean on this motor - alway came out slopping wet. Changed intake gaskets twice, had heads machined for PC seals...no change.

I had it honed and wet back with low-tension rings (you have no choice unless you wanna buy different pistons). Guess what...absolutely no oil burn at all. Plugs are spotless. So really, the low-tension rings aren't the problem...its other issues.

Bryan,are you running the gm rec 5w-30 in that motor?

If so switch to a 15w-40 or 20w-50 and the oil psi (esp at hot idle) will increase some and it will use a little less oil too. I rec this to a couple other people with new gm 454 & 502 crate motors that were running the too thin for BBC 5w-30 oil and the oil pressure did increase and the oil counsumption was reduced some too & they were much happier after that but the motors still used oil,just less of it.

Also,make some hard runs up through the gears to load the motor/pistons/rings which will aid in getting the rings as sealed up as possible if the bores are not already glazed over from rich mix at startup or some other kind of issue hampering ring seating/sealing.

Maybe tightening the intake bolts like you stated will reduce the oil use some along with the higher vis oil if your not alredy running which doesnt look like you are with such low oil psi with a new motor.

I hope you didnt run a syn oil for breakin,that can impeade ring breakin/proper sealing in some motors.

On you low vacuum,try running approx 16-18 deg initial and see how the motor responds to it,if it runs well that should increase your idle vacuum some too. Just make sure to check the total after that to ensure its in the 34-38 range to avoid poss detonation . If it runs well with 18 initial but total is too high you will have to remove the dist to have the mech adv limted to 20 deg max to correct this. Dont take the easy way out and just retatrd the total timing to get it in,that will also then retard the inittial which can make the motor run hotter,waste fuel,and loose some low to mid range pwer too.

Let us know how the oil pressure & oil usage does if you change to a higher vis oil and how it responds to more initial timing (esp power and vacuum reading)if your not already running 16-18 deg initial.

Scott

Quaker 10-40 is the only oil I have used in anything since 75

added oil to the crankcase----oil pressure came up to 45
initial is at about 10

On the first start-up----car came to life instantly, uneventful run-in, and I have never had a flooding issue with it.

As I said earlier----never beat on----But, hey---it's a rat and it has been jumped on a few times----(my wife told me never again with her in car!)

I guess if it has to come out for additional machining:sad: , I can always put the 454 I have stashed in the closet in there for a while.
(10 miles on it---runs cooler---higher vacuum @ 19") Had it in the Elky and then my wife bought this crate motor for me.:hurray:
The closet rat was slated for the 79 Chev pu

Bryan, you need to get the total timing to 36*, which will in turn bring your initial timing to about 14-16*. Right now, with 10* initial your only getting around 30-32* total timing..not enough by a long shot. I ran about 18* initial+ vac advance connected to full manifold vac (so my initial showed as about 30+ on th balancer with the timing light). This is a possible why your running hot - late inginition timing.
As far as oil burn goes...you see what I had to do :( ,

But hey, take the opportunity to deck the block, mill the heads - that should get your compression over 9.1, then stick a Voodoo roller in there and enjoy 500 oil burn-free HP!!

BTW, my oil pressure is about 25 psi hot at 800 idle, and about 55-60 at cruise. This is with 15w-40. I tried many different oils, all the way up to 20w-50, and she still used mucho oil.

I agree - this is BS for a new motor.

Bryan,10 deg initial is retarded for sure by approx 6-8 deg with a perf cam,try 16-18 deg initial & i bet the motor will respond well to it so take 5 mins to try it out.

10w-40 isnt bad but you should try the 20w-50. I suggest this because your motor will use a little less oil and it will much more importantly INCREASE your VERY POOR 12lbs idle & 28 lbs @ cruise oil pressure up to a more repsectable 15-18 2 idle & 32-35 at cruise which still isnt great IMHO. (HAVE YOU TESTED YOUR OIL PSI GAUGE TO VERIFY ITS READING CORRECT?) When you have oil psi that low on a new motor i would think the bottom end bearing clearances are loose allowing additional oil (too much ) to be slung onto cylenders from the crank overloading the rings ability to control it . This is esp true if the motor has the low tension rings some gm crate motors come with and the thicker oil will also reduce(a smidge) the amount of oil slung off the crank onto the cyls to aid in oil control/less oil used. With the amount of oil your motor is using i would would defintely try Valvoline R1 racing not street leagal oil to get oil psi up and possibly reduce the oil consumpton some too. The low oil psi could also be an issue with excessive gear clearance in oil pump or problems with pressure relief valve but its impossible to tell if its the pump or bearing clearances causing low oil psi without tearing it down.

Bump the initial up and try a 20w-50 oil of some kind and let us know how you make out.

I would also try to get some positive valve seals installed too which may help a little but from what i have seen here in team chevelle some of the the NEW gm 454 & 502 crate bbc have some real oil burning issues for sure.

Scott

I think I'll go get a haircut, buy some lawnmower blades, come back home and dink with the timing some more.
Give a couple of these ideas a shot. (not gonna hold my breath though)
Oil pressure came right up to the 40's after I refilled the crankcase (go figure--heh heh)
Gotta tell you guys---
Great little forum going on here. Very helpful.
I have little or no training in tune-ups, or engine building at all, so I do the best that my little pollock mind can do.
Mr. Dale McIntosh added a 59-60 subfolder to his ElCamino folder on his website recently----and there he put a pic of my 59.
www.chevellestuff.com
This was my first project--took 5 years--Body off --only chassis part not replaced was the rear end.

Bryan,10 deg initial is retarded for sure by approx 6-8 deg with a perf cam,try 16-18 deg initial & i bet the motor will respond well to it so take 5 mins to try it out.

10w-40 isnt bad but you should try the 20w-50. I suggest this because your motor will use a little less oil and it will much more importantly INCREASE your VERY POOR 12lbs idle & 28 lbs @ cruise oil pressure up to a more repsectable 15-18 2 idle & 32-35 at cruise which still isnt great IMHO. (HAVE YOU TESTED YOUR OIL PSI GAUGE TO VERIFY ITS READING CORRECT?) When you have oil psi that low on a new motor i would think the bottom end bearing clearances are loose allowing additional oil (too much ) to be slung onto cylenders from the crank overloading the rings ability to control it . This is esp true if the motor has the low tension rings some gm crate motors come with and the thicker oil will also reduce(a smidge) the amount of oil slung off the crank onto the cyls to aid in oil control/less oil used. With the amount of oil your motor is using i would would defintely try Valvoline R1 racing not street leagal oil to get oil psi up and possibly reduce the oil consumpton some too. The low oil psi could also be an issue with excessive gear clearance in oil pump or problems with pressure relief valve but its impossible to tell if its the pump or bearing clearances causing low oil psi without tearing it down.

Bump the initial up and try a 20w-50 oil of some kind and let us know how you make out.

I would also try to get some positive valve seals installed too which may help a little but from what i have seen here in team chevelle some of the the NEW gm 454 & 502 crate bbc have some real oil burning issues for sure.

Scott
=
Scott,
I am sorry but as Vince stated he went through this with damn near every oil known to man & it USED OIL PERIOD
He did guides, intake gaskets,, the whole deal & it STILL USED OIL
This is not an isolated incidence,,,,
It was torn down, honed properly with torque plates & put back together with the same type of new LOW TENSION RINGS
Read his results.
Changing from 10/40 to 20/50 may indeed lower the usage very slightly but this will not fix the problem if it is ring or more properly stated cylinder finish related.

The combination of low tension rings & improper cylinder finish is in a lot of cases a disaster
Some seal up, a lot do not & Vince's pictures he posted a while back along with some that Carl of CNC blocks has posted are some of the best classic examples of what sometimes happens when you do not use a torque plate I have seen.

The new generation of very smooth cylinder finishes & low tension rings need to be done correctly (same goes for standard tension performance ones)
If they are the rings will be damn near seated on the starter.
If not your results may vary,,,,,, ;)

As for oil pressure Bryan stated he added oil & it is fine at 45

Bryan,
I wish you the best with this but as you said, "don't hold your breath" :D

I've got one too- about 8 months and probably 5k on the motor now.

Runs great, plenty of vacume... but it does eat some oil. About 1 qt per 800miles for me, i'm running 20w50. Never see it out the tailpipe, but its eating it.

Only problem i've had as the supplied waterpump crapping out on me after 200 miles... I didn't want to hassle with the GM warrantee (have to take it to a dealer and let them inspect the installation and part before they will give you another one) so i bought a lifetime pump from napa, painted it, and bolted it on. Zero problems since then...

Mike,yes i know Vince are others were having ring seal/oil usage issues with the new 454/502 bbc crate motors & never mentioned anything about thicker oil fixing the poor ring seal,sorry it looked that way,but i know better then that.

Gee,maybe a qt of the old stinky/thick stp in the blue container would help reduce oil use for the time being (LOL!!!!)

I just suggested he try the heavier oil to possibly reduce the oil consumption some and get the oil psi up a little too since he stated it was running 28 psi at cruise & like 12lbs at idle which i thinks sucked for a relatively new motor.

I guess it looks like in the near future he is in for rehone with trq plate,re-ring,and possibly head work like valve guides & better/new valve seals at a minimum too.

I know how he feels even though my current clutch problem is not as much of a waste of money & time to do as his is. Remember,I have the NEWLY INSTALLED out of ballance NEW LUK clutch plate/pressure plate that causing motor vibes over 3k rpms that you answered my post on to deal with which i will need to all be pulled appart again to either reballance at machine shop of replace. I installed this clutch while i had been passing or should i say pissing out now 5 kidney stones lying on my back on cement (51yrs old too). Thats not to mention the camera scope that's schd to go up the old johnson on Monday to have a look see in the bladder/kidneys,ought to be a real fun day,(OUCH!!!!!)

The new Luk clutch i installed seems to work fine other then the out of ballance vibes thing. I just want to be safe so whatever clutch goes into that car this time around will have the ballance checked inc flywheel prior to install even though the current flywheel ran smooth as silk with the old clutch setup prior to the new stock type VIBRATION CAUSING Luk clutch going in.

Scott

AHSOM,
Yikes, saw the other posts, you may be lucky only having that water pump failure!
Get with "Dyno" Darryl and get that Fat RAT dialed-in! He should be at home today moaning about his busted trans in the WELFARE NOVA from the drags yesterday.

Wish ya lived closer by so I could assist and see progressively bigger :D and a lot of :hurray: then drink your :beers: as the Elky gets running great.

I've only changed oil 2x in RatVette
Once after initial break-in and once at 3000 mile. I've added 1/2 qt to RatVette's 427 at the 2500 mile mark. Only about 5000 miles on the engine total.

IMHO this is pathetic..5K for a 454 from the General and it uses oil.I have followed Vince's situation/frustration and others as well and it amazes me that GM continues to produce these motors with these oil consumption issues.Years ago,I have known a few people that bought LS6 and LS7 crate motors as well as LS7 shortblocks from GM and they had no issues in the oil consumption department.In fact,those motors where worth spending your hard earned cash on back in the day. I have build a nice 454 for almost half the cost that also pulls 15" of vacuum as well and run mid 12's @ 108 MPH and uses no real noticeable oil (maybe a quart in 2500 miles) and it has over 10,000 miles on it now.
If GM pulled their head out of their orifice the 454 HO would be worth the money if it used NO oil.

If GM pulled their head out of their orifice the 454 HO would be worth the money if it used NO oil.

I agree...5K and the motor needs to be redone - not such a great deal. But, its b/c of people like me that don't press the issue with GM. I hate to fight/complain, I'm one who "just does it" and get it over with. Unfortunatley, this doesn't do anybody any good. For all they (GM) know, there aint a problem.

For all they (GM) know, there aint a problem.

Kinda what the guy at Pace Chevrolet told me.

Personally----not buyin' it :angry:

Vine,you can believe that someone in GM knows there is a problem,too may people had had oil control issues with these crate motors and most people would rightfully bitch after spending 5k on an oil burner from the getgo.

I am sure some of the dealers that sell these crate motors are well aware of the oil control issues but are they relaying those complaints & issues to the higher ups in GM,who knows.

Chris,i totaly agree with every word you stated on the gm crate motor deal. GM has some real quality control/design issues (low tension oil rings,poor oil control,heads with guides & seals that allow too much oil through) when it comes to bulding these crate motors of today.

I bet if you could group all the customers together that have purchased oil burning crate motors from GM over the past few yrs with documentation to prove it they could get a substantial amount of money back or some kind of restatution of some sort . But that would take a good leagal eagle willing to get involved in the case pro bono so the poor suckers that were taken to the cleaners on these crate motors wouldnt loose any more money fighting it.

Dont get me wrong as i am a true GM/Chevy guy for over 40 yrs now but GM not stepping up to the plate on this issue and contacting all the buyers/owners of these crate motors like a recall to see if they are having oil control issues is just not right. i am sure enough people have complained about this that gm is well aware of the issue with these motors.

Heck,I have honed & re-ringed(cast iron only or moly/not chrome) old chevy motors on a budget in the past that likely had out of round cyls ,lrg ridges in tops of clys to be removed,and tons of miles on them that still had much better oil control when run after the chepo rblds then the new 454 crate motor like Vince had,its just not right. Those cheepo/budget rblds i had done a times would get at least 1,200-1,500 miles on a qt of oil post breakin,not 3-4 qts in 1,500 miles like many of the gm crate 454's are experiencing,thats pretty sad if you ask me.

Scott

I just picked up a GM crate 350/290hp motor. All went fine at startup. I have around 15-20 miles on it and it's starting to blow white/blue smoke from the tailpipes. I hope It's not signs to come!

Today I got hold of GM powertrain center
This guy was very nice and actually listened to me.
Took down all the info and he said he will get back to me tomorrow (i hope)
He understood that the warranty was gone, but would escalate to the higher-ups.
I explained that I had this thing over a year before it even hit the pavement,
and he agreed that the oil consumption was too high.

When I return from Syracuse next week, I will change the intake gaskets and check the vacuum.
I have been snooping for a machine shop here, to get the seals done and probably the block plate honed

Bryan

Keep us posted if you would.

Will do

The place I use in San Antonio is called San Antonio Automotive Warehouse. In fact I just picked up a block big from there that I had rebuilt last week. They do very good machine work at a reasonable price.

UPDATE-----UPDATE-----UPDATE


No call from the Powertrain Contact Center yet!

Had to call 'em back today. The gent I spoke to this afternoon gave me
GM Customer Service #, and told me my issue is still in the 'chain'.

okay then-----

Called Customer Service and got another case #

Told 'em I did NOT want another engine (probably get the same issues),
But did want assistance getting this one repaired properly.

She seemed to understand----dunno
Anyway, she gave me her direct line and extension for future contact.
Also told me that she would try to get this thing warrantied.
I'm takin' it out this weekend (weather permitting) to prepare for SOMEONE to do some work on it.

Man. I have a ZZ454 and haven't driven it enough yet to notice oil consumption issues. I had enough issues with the fact that they gave me the wrong type spark plugs which caused a lot of pain. (this is another known issue with these motors) If this thing eats oil I'm gonna go crazy... Seriously. This is not good.

Hood off---carb off---fuel disconnected
Will drain water, remove headers, and compression check tomorrow.
(just for sport and amusement)


When all is said and done with the Powertrain Contact Center and
GM Customer Service----I will post their answers
And phone numbers if ya'll want

Bryan, while your at it, shave the heads, deck the block, and get a cam in there. This was you'll come out of this w/close to or at 500HP.

Well --- got it down to 2 bellhousing bolts, and the starter to remove.
My better half found a good reason to go buy some new beach towels--
--- I have a couple of 'em covering fenders:D--

Did a compression check just for sheets-n-giggles
185-190 in all 8
No carb on the manifold---no plugs---free spinnin'
Big ol' clouds of what I can only assume is oil was coming out the exhaust
ports while cranking----lil teeny tiny droplets of oil all over my inner fenders:sad:.
Boy--When I put this car together--it was not meant to come apart.

Out it comes tomorrow morning
Get up
get coffee
crawl under car and remove starter, 2 bell bolts, and remove oil filter
(filter will hit exhaust pipe)

Found the low vacuum and some oil consumption issues.

Splash shield in the valley is retained by 3 tabs resting on the intake surface of the head.
The center tabs have no relief cut in the gasket (lower surface of the crossover), so there is no way for the manifold to seat correctly.
I will trim the center tabs and leave the front & rear ones alone, as there is sufficient room to trim a gasket if needed for reliefs. There is no room on the gasket for the center---the tab is as big as the sealing surface of the head, intake, and gasket.

2 exhaust ports on both sides were WET with oil, and the valves were wet as well.

So--at this point--gonna get it to a machine shop for a thorogh checking.
Disassemble and plate hone if necessary.
re-ring
bearings
check valve guides and install new seals.
reassemble

HI i got zz454 it burns a ton off oil but still goes well oil consumption does not hammper the way it goes but have to agree why does gm keep producing these motors with these problems ?
THANKS
VICTTOR

I'm a bit confused as to why you would be taking the motor out and getting is repaired if you have not resolved it yet with GM?

Technically----the engine was out of warranty before I even registered the car
The engine was 18mo old before it was even driven out of the driveway.

Not really holding my breath on warranty people----but it is on record that this has been a poor quality engine build.

Being I am of somewhat limited means (only overtime pay is put into this car)
I have no intention of going down peacefully---warranty or not

5k is a sufficient amount money to get upset about, and I am a firm believer, that one should get what he pays for. Despite the fact that that it is over a year from purchase!

However----it is out because I have every intention of getting it fixed. No point in crying about it. It has to be done. 5 qts of oil in 1500 miles on a 2600 mile car is not acceptable by any means, particularly when my intention is to have it on a road trip.

As the quality of our purchases and services have dropped severly, just sitting about and letting it happen, will only make matters worse.
I paid for a new engine because I did not want to take the time to find a good core to build, and then have to put my trust in another to build it CORRECTLY!

No way I will drive the car to a shop and let them have it for however long to work on it (might be seen at a drag strip as happened last year here---girl went to the drags with her dad--saw her own car being raced at the track by the mechanic she took it to for repairs)

Now as it stands----I HAVE to put my faith in some shop for the repairs, 'cause I have only been here in Tex for a few years and am not at all familiar with any trustworhy shops.

Case in point-----I took the body of my 59 to a body shop to weld in the floors and make a couple of other repairs---no paint--even had the replacement pans riveted in position. These guys welded in the pans 2" too low on the driver side----did not weld to the braces----also removed the back of the cab and welded it back in 1/2 too high along with the window reveal-----rear window would not even fit in the hole-----$4,875

I was not in a position to moniter the shop, did all the right things, got estimates, picked the middle, they SEEMED like they wanted to do the work.
8mo and 5k later---car is still not done and is not being worked on---Paid for.
That year I was travelling and working out of town 118 days by July 31.

Exhaust system----paid for 3X---still not quite right--but okay I suppose.

I will not let GM or anybody else keep me from from my toy. I have to fix it.
I just won't do it without letting them know their engine is crap as it comes out of the box.

Do a lot of the GMPP crate motors have this issue or is it mainly the 454 HO?

Oversimplified, the problem is due to low tension oil rings in a lite wt. casting block. Very clear on disassembly, the cylinders are distorted. In comparison, the early blocks were heavy castings less prone to distortion, (often taking up to .125" overbore), combined with a higher tension oil ring.

But, the light weight casting block will not use any oil with the low tension rings w/the proper cylinder finish.

I have 700 hard miles on this motor now, and I haven't use ANY oil yet. Before the rebuild, would of used 5-6 qts by now.

Sorry guys...I love this visual of my motor pre-rebuild:

http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/data/500/medium/glazed.JPG

http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/data/500/medium/jugs_oil.JPG

I wonder what GM is doing with these motors that are returned for warranty????

I'll bet that most are outta warranty before the owner even realizes that there's an issue.

Well,
The customer service people will be of no help---not that I expected it.
They pretty much said that it was too old--and was not purchased at a Chevrolet store----
I understood that last statement as saying "Our GM warranty is NOT EVEN woth the paper it is written on and we will not honor anything that was not purchased and installed by GM---SO THERE!"

Anyway---got prices for the work to be done---anywhere from 500-2200
Hell, that other 454 in my garage only cost 1900 to totally rebuild, and it runs GREAT (slated for the 79 Chev 1/2ton)

So, Vince
Been looking online and cannot find a gasket set for this
And the ring sets are $50 each from GM----(must be made of gold plated bubble gum)

Are these a stock item at most auto parts stores---or do I need to go to GM?? (sure don't wanna do that)

Regular rectangular intake gaskets will work just fine for you, go to your local speed shop. The pan gasket is a one-piece reusable, as is the timing cover. All you need is head gaskets and water pump, along with the intake. Head gasket from Felpro 1037 should work and is alot cheaper than GM. The rear main seal is a 1 piece seal, and I reused mine.

The ring set from GM is over priced - you can buy a piston set for that. SpeedPro E553K is the replacement ring set for these motors. NO other ring set will fit due to the "shallow" grove oil ring. These are Moly and were less that 100.00.

Your local speed shop should be able to get you all this stuff.

Thanks, Vince

Hope to get it to a machine shop this week.

Had a crappy day on Monday (go figure)
No electricity when I got home no power til 9:00pm
GM closed the door
Was informed that my dad's doc is giving him 90 days

I can tell I won't be a happy camper this week

Wow
Did not realize it has been 2 months since I took that engine out.

Been a pretty busy and exhausting period.

Dad only made it 3 weeks after my last post (7-13 Friday)
Silly brakes failed AGAIN, for the 3rd time in 90 days on my 05 Ranger with only 28,000 miles. Had to have it fixed again while I was in Vegas attending to my dad's wife.

Work travel has started again-----gone 7, home 3---will probably be like this for a while.

Engine is done:hurray::hurray:

This is what was found

Top 2 rings on every cylinder was upside-down
Valley baffle prevented the intake from seating to the heads
(center tab rests on x-over sealing point of the head)

Bearings were absolutely perfect--------should be @ 2600 miles
Valve seals were 'iffy'----he machined the heads for the perfect circle seals as he has experienced the BBC does have issues there.

Bolted on a torqe-plate, miked the cyl walls----they were just fine.
Did a fine hone (1/2 thousandths with plate)

New rings, seals

I did ask him to paint it Ford Blue-----he forgot and repainted black.
After mentioning it to him he realized "OOPS". He will repaint and the engine will be ready for me to pick up. Gonna be a week or 2 before I get to it though.

Hopefully I will make a Super Chevy show in the fall, if I get the time to get this car together.

If not---when the winter gets here---I can start driving w/o the AC.

(just updating you fellas)


Oh, Vince

The engine guy also found about a teaspoon of oil in each cylinder after pulling the heads-----This engine was not tilted on it's side to drain the coolant either----went from my truck to his stand.

Cool Bryan,

Are you putting it togther? My bearings were also perfect. My machinist also took a .0005 to plate the cylinders. I've put about a 1000 miles on this motor and havent used no, as in none, oil. By now I would of used about 8-10 qts the way the motor was before. No rings up-side down though for me.

Does GM just have a room full of monkeys machining and assembling these things? And they wonder why they are losing marketshare every day....?

Anyway, glad you got a handle on it, let us know how it runs after the rebuild.

I'm not trying to be a smart-alec, but I sure am glad I decided to build my own motor instead of buying a crate.

All I gotta do is install the valvetrain and intake.
Cost was about $550.
mostly for dissassembly and reassemble.
only 150 for the rings and seals.

I think this gentleman treated me very well

After a prompt from Scott, I thought I might update the rest of you.

Put the engine in the car and added 1/2 bottle of STP blue.
Ran the car 100 miles and changed the oil.
5 qts oil & another 1/2 bottle of STP
400 more miles-----just checked the oil

NO NOTICEABLE OIL USAGE AT ALL:hurray::hurray:.

Hope this continues :D

I now have 15-16 inches vacuum at idle, vs. 8" before removing the engine. (might have something to do with the valley baffle tabs I cut off)

Engine no longer puffs at idle----seems to idle and run better.
Is also running cooler:confused:, maybe I did something right the first time out on this install (bryan is not a tune-up master). Maintains temps under 190 at freeway speeds (as opposed to 200 before).

Seems quite a bit peppier. I do not have any desire to really hammer this car as it still retains a stock 2-piece driveshaft and differential. One good hard launch and I would most likely lose the rear end, or twist the one of the shafts right out. (X-frames are cool, but they have their issues:D)

(while crawling under the car to reinstall this engine, I noticed that even the mufflers were dripping oil from the seams, -- weird seeing oil spots under the mufflers. For those of you not familiar with an X-frame car, the mufflers are outboard under the front driver and passenger's seat.)

Probably runs better cause the plugs are clean and not partially fouled.

Glad you got it straightened out...enjoy!

I am a firm beliver in the hard acceleration and deceleration to seat the rings and not glaze the cyl. walls no need to hammer the clutch to get it done

Mike,
I did that----just did not hammer it.
I have a 2 mile stretch of road with no intersections before I get to a hiway.
Sparsely populated too. (we are all on acreage here).
So---a few blasts @ 60 in 2nd gear should have done the trick.
The rest of the miles so far have been predominately freeway/hiway.

Bryan I'm glad to hear your big block is no longer using lots of oil.I have a similar motor,late 80's LS-6 crate motor,uses a quart every 2-300 miles.It was re-ringed and dingle berry honed 5 years ago,it was worse before then.Mine will be getting a 60 overbore,(its already .030), and plate honed.I'm hoping to have results like you got.
Guy

Yeah - the plate hone along w/new rings fixed me up good. I dont burn ANY oil now. Amazing how they (GM) wont even give you the decency of a plate hone on these "performance motors". I mean really, charge me 5150.00 for the motor instead on 5000.00 if that's what it takes.

What kind of after market valve seals can be used with the stock dual springs?