Again, thanks guys. Sometimes I feel like I'm in over my head and wonder what the frig I'm doing. I have a tendency to break things, and sometimes can't keep my head out of my arse long enough to do something the right way...even when it has been spelled out for me. I'm really good at taking things apart and having a piece fall out that I don't know how to put back together. I took the case off my alternator, and the brushes/springs fell out. What a time I had getting that back together. For those of you that know what I'm talking about, there is a slot on the back of the case right where the brushes are. I took the plastic piece out that holds the brushes, put it back together with the springs and brushes, screwed it back in, then slid a zip tie over the brushes and locked it shut. There was enough clearance to put the winding/shaft assembly back in, then I snipped the ziptie and pulled it out. I hope the springs pushed the brushes back against the shaft where they're supposed to touch. I think I better have it tested before I put it back on the car, in case I screwed it up.

Just little stupid things like that. I have to take pictures and notes so I know how things go back together...which pulley did this belt go on? how was this linkage hooked up? Etc. I've already referenced pictures a bunch of times.

I am going to do a little work on it today.

I'm with everybody else on this thread, Jake. Great job on a great car. You drive it...it's not an ornament on display...that makes it that much more interesting to us! Thanks for posting the pics, it shows how you're doing the work and what the results are! Awesome stuff, man. Cheers, WC1

After wasting hours playing with that timing cover, I decided to get after it a different way. I undid the motor mounts & jacked up the engine with a floor jack and a piece of 2x4, by the crank snout. The pan dropped out pretty easily that way. I scraped the gasket material and dried blue goo off of the bottom of the block so it is nice and clean, then let it back down onto the mounts.

That felt pretty good to finish tonight...and for some reason, I seem to do my best work in the middle of the night.

Next thing is to install the cam and the new real deal double roller timing set, then put the cover on, and bolt the oil pan back on with a new 1 piece gasket. I have a bunch of sealants, what is the best of these to use for the oil pan with a 1 piece rubber gasket? Permatex Copper (the orange stuff), Permatex Black, Aviation sealer, 3M Yellow Gasket adhesive, or Indian head Shellac?

Now I'm cookin' with gas.....

421S10 wrote:i like the way you have done the pics as you go. nothing like hands on experience. you have a sweet ride too. keep us updated and the pics coming.

x2

Just personal preference, I like the Permatex black. Great job on the Chevelle! That's how I learned how to do most of my own work, by trying it and (sometimes....OK a lot of times ) making mistakes. If I didn't like the results, I'd change or re-do it. I kinda wish I had my `72 back........( sigh )

Whatever sealant I use, needs to cure for a good while before I try to contort the pan back in place. I know the permatex orange sets up nice.

Did someone say orange? If you don't like it, look AWAY

Almost forgot...




A few others..

I don't think it was mentioned but I hope I'm not to late. With the new cam installed it is a good idea to put a couple weld taks on the oil pick up tube so it doesn't vibrate off and fall in to the pan. Also if you are using a flat tappet cam make sure you lube the hell out of it with the correct lube for flat tappet cams plus the correct oil. If you don't the cam lobes will go flat on break in. You may already know this but I just wanted to make sure. Don't want you to do this work again in a few weeks.

You're not too late. I've never heard of having that tacked together, thanks for the advice. As far as break-in goes, I think I've read about all there is to read on it. 2 periods of 20 to 30 minutes of varying RPMs between 2200 and 2800, with oil/filter changes in between. I have Lucas TB Zinc Break-in additive, and zddp additive, and AC Delco tall filters. I'll use fresh conventional oil with the two additives, the zddp will go in the crankcase with the motor oil, and the Lucas will get poured into the lifter valley. I have gray moly for the cam lobes, lifter faces & distributor gears, and red moly for the timing gears/chain.

I'm all nervous about the break-in. Usually when my wife asks me what I'm thinking about because I'm staring off blankly somewhere, I'm thinking about one of these things...

I need to get the rest of the engine back together quick enough to get it broke in before the different lubes on everything fall off into the oil pan.
It needs to fire on the first crank.
-timing (not something I've "mastered" yet)
-continuous fuel all the way to the carb
I need to prime the oiling system good for oil pressure.
It needs to stay in a decent temperature range.
Is everything ready to go back on?

Watch your temp real close during break-in and I would vary between 1500-3000 rpm.
Be sure to clean the cam with mineral spirits and dry before using cam lube.
Do not use synthetic oil for break-in.
Don't pump up the lifters prior either and if you can, prime the oil system to get some oil into the upper cylinders.

Set your valve lash and have timing as close as possible so your not having to mess with it while going through the break-in process.

When you first fire it up take it straight to 3000 and then start slowly lowering and raising your rpm to 1500 and back up.
If you have ceramic coated headers, I suggest you take them off and use a cast or a painted header as the heat from break-in will ruin the coating and discolor your headers.

Let the engine cool before changing oil and filter.

After break-in drive it for 50-100 miles keeping it in normal rpm range before jumping on it.

Also, during the entire process listen very carefully and at the sound of anything odd shut it off immediately until you know what the noise is.
If it is during break-in, when you fire it back up, go right to 3000 again and complete the cycles of up and down rpm.

Then change oil and filter again after the first 500 or so miles.

That's great help Carl!!! Thanks!!!

Frikkin great. I finally got some time to get the cam in, and started at it. I got this 0.25 oz. tube of gray lube with the cam. I ran out, even after starting to get chincy, and don't have enough to even touch the last 4 lobes on the cam. What a pisser. Nobody carries it locally, that I know of, so I'm dead in the water until Tuesday when autozone can get some in for me. Man, I'm bummed, I was hoping to have it together and broke in by then. The cam is sticking halfway out right now begging to be slid in the rest of the way.

I'll get this stuff in, then have to re-lube what I already did, just to make sure there's enough, and then proceed from there.

Your doing all the right things. Won't be long now.

I got the right lube from a local engine parts place, after a couple days of hold up waiting for some junk I ordered through autozone to come in. It was the comp cams lube, and I don't condone anyone using that stuff. See here... engine/cam-lubes-t3862.html

Anyways, I got ARP # 9909...this one here:


So back to the cam...



The pink stuff you see is this, Edelbrock # 9260



Next, the new true double roller timing set...

Lube the chain/gears...


set the wrench to 20 and tighten...


orange silicone on block (previously scrubbed and wiped down with lacquer thinner)


blue paper gasket and more orange...


and....