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'72 K5 - AJ's Gray Matter Build

No progress these past two weeks. Work had me traveling the past week. Pretty much as soon as I got back, I left for the weekend to go dove hunting...Dad and I did pretty well considering the drought in South Texas this summer.

Cam and hydraulic roller lifters arrived this week. I'm hoping to get them in the engine and button up the engine next weekend.

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I still need headers and am on the fence as to what to do about my gas tank....more to come.
 
UPDATE 9/27/09: Bottom end complete. Put the new cam in today. Degreed it with the new timing chain, which is cool btw because the timing is spot on with the grind sheet. The cam ended up advanced 3*. Dropped in the new lifters, and closed up the bottom end. Oil pan is bolted down as is the timing cover. We woulda finished the motor, but my friend forgot the adjustable pushrod to measure with...so no pushrods yet. Loaded it up on a trailer and took it back to the shop.

The adjustable timing chain. It's also got a bearing built into the back side so's it won't eat up the block like the last one did
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Roller lifters. SEXY!
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This was supposed to be the picture of the engine loaded up on the trailer to head back to the shop...but I forgot. So, imagine it looking just like this, but with a motor on a stand and strapped down.
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Aj, hope you know how to post vids, cause we'll be askin' for one when you fire up that beast...you gotta know that! :D

Audio at least.
 
Nice build, did you get motor finished

Thanks. Not yet. Still wrapped up in plastic. Been traveling too much for work. Things should slow down enough after Thanksgiving to get back to work on it.
 
Not a whole lot going on right now. At home recovering from surgery to correct a deviated septum. But I did pick this up... reconditioned tilt column with new levers.

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Sweet column. I have been searching for a manual tilt one myself. Original or van coverted columns cost an arm and a leg. I have been considering the flaming river ones for about $300.
 
UPDATE 11/23/09: Septoplasty recovery. I took all of last week off to recover from surgery. By Wednesday, boredom had set in. By Friday, my wife ordered me to the shop to get out of the house...like I was gonna argue.

So...I took it fairly easy and painted the block, upgraded my seriously wimpy bumpstops, pulled the old steering column out, and removed the floor shifter. Hey, anything is progress at this point, right?

Block all masked off...its like turning a 4 year old loose to wrap Xmas presents. Masking pic just for you Kurt ;)
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Three coats of Duplicolor High Temp Engine paint red later. Much better than the previous block's purple, I think.
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Bumpstops.
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more to come...
 
Hey for (I'm assuming) being on pain-killers - that looks pretty good! :D

More progress than I've done in awhile :o

Thanks Ben. No painkillers during painting. I only needed them for the first couple of days.
 
Don't make fun of the small stuff, it's all gotta get done and what better time than when the body is on the mend? :wink1:

Can't wait to hear that run, hope you've got the video thing figured out.

As for the masking...you got off easy bud, nice work. :bow:
 
They look very similar to the ORD bumpstops I'd bought years ago....might want to check their site.

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BAD ASS Build man. Very nice job on everything along the way. Never really peeked in here. Glad I did. :waytogo:
 
Manged to get off work early today and made a little more progress on the engine.
Measured up a set of pushrods...they're on order now. Then pulled the timing cover back off to put a cam button on. Turns out they're kinda optional on a flat tappet cam. However, required on a roller cam.

After that, the balancer on went on...fighting every inch of the way.

Then started to test fit the new headers. I ordered a set of Hooker Comp 2455s. They're for a 1972 Chevelle and are supposed to fit well. However, I ran into several clearance issues on the DIY4x crossmember. I may need to go back to the factory crossmember. I chucked the old one a while back cuz the PO had mangled it up getting the old engine in. Need to find a factory crossmember...

New cam button
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Looks real good!!!:bow: Glad to see you've been able to make some progress.

Were you able to check the end play on the cam after installing the button?:crazy: If there isn't any end play the cam gear will try and chew through the block, too much will cause timing issues.

You may have to space the engine up a half inch or so to get the headers to fit. I don't know if you can make some spacers or if you'll have to make new motor mount brackets to work with the DIY crossmember. Big block headers are always an adventure.:mad: Try jacking up the motor and fudging it around a little to gain a little clearance, sometimes 3/4 of an inch makes all the difference in the world.

Glad to see you're healed up and getting back at it.:D
 
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