Poor life choices - C4 content

Day-80(6-hours):

I finished up the carb, though I realized I have no idea what specifically I need in order to get it plumbed. I'll start a separate thread with more details for that though.

I got the motor mounts painted & installed, the torque converter back on the trans, and the flex plate bolted up. Then I spent the next 3-hours unsuccessfully attempting to get the engine installed. No surprise actually - it was berkeleyer trying to get it out, so I expected much the same trying to get it back in.

Burn outs will be happening soon.

In reply to Stampie:

Probably a couple weeks away.

I still need to finish the brakes, so I can get the wheels back on it, then roll it outside to test-start it...after I have the engine actually in, carb plumbed, and accessory belt figured out.

Oh, then I'll need to replace the burned out tail light bulb - not as easy as you'd expect - figure out the turn signal & marker light problem, plate & insure it, etc. Then it'll be burnout time.

Sorry I didn't send you a fuel line, Got a couple new ones here I can send, use an electric pump (cheap AZ) with a thumb screw pressure adjuster If the tank pump still works just the regulator w/no return set at 7 PSI.

In reply to wheels777:

They're controlled by the ECM, though mine aren't presently working. It's a common problem, and doesn't sound like it should be too difficult or expensive to fix.

In reply to GTXVette:

No worries on the line, I'm just not familiar enough with automotive plumbing to know what fittings I need to ask for.

I found the other thread.

Day-81(3-hours):

The engine is in, I just need to bolt in the last 3 bellhousing bolts and their bracketry along the firewall.

What ended up doing was unbolting the motor mounts from the block & pinning them in place in the chassis. This allowed me to get the engine & trans parallel, then pull them together using the lower two bolts. At that point I was able to get one (of the three) mount bolts into the block on each side. Then I hoisted the engine/trans back up, bolted in the other top mount bolt on each side...then reach both hands between the dangling engine/trans assembly & chassis so I could thread in the final bolt on each side blind.

When the motor lands in the chassis it is a major milestone.

Cheers to you sir!

In reply to AClockworkGarage:

Thanks! We'll have to meet up at an event somewhere between us sometime...like at Denver.

I do believe that we will hear mildly annoyed small block chevy sounds soon....

In reply to Dusterbd13:

It'll be a while. I'll likely only have a couple evenings to work on it this week, then I'm out of town a couple days, followed by a week of company staying with us. Hopefully I can finish getting the engine/trans attached(and change the fuel filter while I'm down there), hook up all the engine connectors, and maybe get the front end accessories hung this week.

Then the week after next I'll finish the brakes & get the wheels/tires mounted. Sometime after that I'll be able to push it out into the driveway & try to get it fired up.

Are you going to go through the transmission and differential? They might have some pretty nasty yuck in them too.

And wheel bearings.

And steering box.

In reply to SkinnyG:

I'll definitely be going through everything, and there's a couple items I know will need addressed. After I get it running I'm going to put it in gear/reverse and make sure it moves. Hopefully it does. The trans fluid is fresh, and I noticed when I reinstalled the converter that someone had sharpied "VET" onto it, so I'm wondering if it might be pretty fresh.

I'd like to take it for a shakedown run or two so I can identify any other problems before I get it back up on stands again though. The wheel bearings feel/sound fine by hand, though they're a pretty common wear-item on a C4, so it wouldn't be a surprise if they'll need replaced sooner rather than later.

In reply to wheels777:

I'll be back in the store on Tuesday and will get on it.

No progress on the car today, but we had an impromptu GRM mini-meet with Aeromoto, SynthetivBlinkerFluid & myself.

SBF noticed this pic tucked away in the corner of Aeromoto's shop, that he gifted to me.

So jelly of the giant Corvette sign.

Is that a giant sign, or a small sign being held close to the camera?

In reply to AClockworkGarage:

A small one...well, it's about 12"x16". I was attempting to get it & the car in-frame, but my arms aren't long enough.

Day-82(2.5-hours):

I have 5 of the bellhousing bolts in, the wiring harnesses routed into place, and started working on the connections on the bottom passenger side of the engine. While down there I attempted to get the starter bolted up, but couldn't get the two bolt holes aligned - I need a 3rd arm, more room, or something.

I also attempted to get the flex plate bolted to the torque converter, but I couldn't get the converter to rotate so I could align the holes. I decided to go ahead and reattach the crank pulley & snout bolt so I could try turning the engine, but it won't move either... So I'm thinking I need to loosen all the bellhousing bolts & see if I can tell what's binding up. I'm guessing the converter might not be slid all the way into the trans? It seemed to slide in fine after I rotated it a bit though. Ugh. I also get really nauseous after working under the car for a while, so that doesn't help the situation either.

There should be around 1/4" gap or so, between the torque converter and the flex plate, if the torque converter is fully seated into the trans. Did you remove the torque converter when you pulled the motor?

If the converter isn't fully seated, the engine will be pushing against the converter and the transmission pump. You'll need to pull the motor to correct this. The converter should have three good "clunks" are you push it in, rotating as you go to find the clunks. You should not be able to get your fingers between the converter and the pump when it's all the way home.

In reply to SkinnyG:

Since the engine wouldn't rotate I had no choice but to pull it out attached. I definitely didn't feel 3 clunks when installing the converter, maybe 2. Does the engine need to come all the way back out, or just enough to remove the pressure on the converter?

For future reference this is why it's generally considered poor practice to pull an engine and trans together with the bolts, covers up mistakes like that. Some transmissions can be damaged by putting force on the converter like that.

You could probably shove the motor forward enough to work the converter.

One clunk is the Stator.

One clunk is the Impellor

One clunk is the Pump.

In reply to SkinnyG:

Awesome, thanks!

In reply to BrokenYugo:

Even with the heads off the engine still wouldn't budge. It took a BFH on the rods & bottom of the pistons to get them out. Four were seriously stuck.

In reply to petegossett:

Poor word choice on my part, I mean using the bolts to draw them together during assembly, the engine and trans should mate with minimal force.