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'72 K5 - AJ's Gray Matter Build

Overview Gallery Discussion
bp71k5 said:
AJ,

Any idea one where one might find a set of those headers? Are they much better fitting than the headman's?
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I wonder if Greg still has his old Hookers now that he won't be using them? I have the same one in mine and they worked great. I did end up cutting the pass side tubes and moved them up for a little more driveline clearance, but you might not need that?
 
AJs72K5 said:
The Hedman's were ok, from what I recall. I bought a set at one point. Fitment was ok. But, quality was thin metal on the flange and tubing. Check back thru the thread.

The headers I have now.... http://www.clearimageautomotive.com/chevy_truck_67_72_headers.php
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Thanks. I kept following the thread thinking, "ok he got the hookers to work ok", oh never mind the "hedmans must be the right choice", nope those didn't work either, then couldn't find the last option. Haha.
 
bp71k5 said:
Thanks. I kept following the thread thinking, "ok he got the hookers to work ok", oh never mind the "hedmans must be the right choice", nope those didn't work either, then couldn't find the last option. Haha.
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Funny. Yeah, the Clear Image ones were the 3rd set. Probably the best made of the three, but, still needed mods to frame and crossmember.
 
I didn't know Clear Image made headers for our trucks. I had a set of them in my 5th gen Camaro. Stainless steel, perfect fit, and a fraction of the cost of other top quality Brands.
 
6/4/17 - Corrective Surgery - Hadn't updated in a while because life's been busy. Last time I drove it was when we took the pictures. At the end of the evening, the engine wouldn't hold idle. Felt like the plugs might be fouled.

Came out to the garage one evening last week and saw this.
IMG_3101_zpsvfbilusg.jpg


Appears to be coming off the bottom of the driver side head, possibly the gasket. Who knows. When I changed out the head studs to bolts, I left the lower studs in, those under the header. With all the leaks I'd had on the studs, it was time to tear the top end down and reseal it correctly. So....ordered a set of top end gaskets and planned for surgery.
IMG_3105_zpsnqargbcy.jpg


Maybe 200 miles on these. I could smell that it was running rich
IMG_3062_zps7hhicity.jpg


And here's why. #1 cylinder, and of course it's on the O2 sensor side.
IMG_3106_zpsbh5rglvr.jpg


I didn't want to pull the engine. So, dropped the front end down drag car style so I could reach everything. Also jacked the rear end up to help drain the coolant from the block and got all of the cylinder head bolt holes dry.
IMG_3107_zpso18he4rc.jpg


Finished tearing down, cleaning, and prepping surfaces last night. Today starts reassembly.
 
So nothing obvious on where the water was coming from? Or is that where the #1 cylinder running rich come in? I'm a little new at this. In my quest to avoid your pain, the only weird info I've found is that head bolts don't require sealant, but studs do. Only logic I can make from that is that bolts would seal any water from gettting on top of the head and into the valve train.
 
bp71k5 said:
So nothing obvious on where the water was coming from? Or is that where the #1 cylinder running rich come in? I'm a little new at this. In my quest to avoid your pain, the only weird info I've found is that head bolts don't require sealant, but studs do. Only logic I can make from that is that bolts would seal any water from gettting on top of the head and into the valve train.
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I'm curious about this too... :dunno:

-G
 
bp71k5 said:
So nothing obvious on where the water was coming from? Or is that where the #1 cylinder running rich come in? I'm a little new at this. In my quest to avoid your pain, the only weird info I've found is that head bolts don't require sealant, but studs do. Only logic I can make from that is that bolts would seal any water from gettting on top of the head and into the valve train.
Click to expand...

Couple of places.... the studs just above #1 and #3 that were under the headers, and same general area but at the gasket.

As for sealant vs. no sealant, on the last engine we used ARP lube only on the bolts. This time I went overkill and used Right Stuff on the bolts because I'm tired of the leaks. Mostly because all but a couple are in the water jacket.
 
I'm wheelie excited to see some new video of this truck....


-G
 
Been putting some miles on the Blazer fine tuning the engine. I think I have the AFRs and timing good. Still seeing how big I can go on the spark plug gap; right now I'm at 0.042.

Stuffed the truck into the parking garage at work. Mind you, this is two stories underground.
full


Decided I needed soften up the suspension a tad. When I had Charles @ Alcan build these years ago, I was a noob. I told him mostly street and performance with a BBC. They're pretty stiff. So I pulled the bottom leaf out of each pack. Years ago, I had trimmed the front 3/4" off the front bottom leaf when I put the new tierod in.
full


And now I think I have a clearance problem...it's sitting on the tierod.
full

So.....I drilled out the tierod hole to 7/8" and ordered a set of taper inserts from Ruffstuff to go nut-over. That'll give me plenty of clearance on the springs.

I also figured now would be a good time to replace the passenger side D44 perch. The PO mangled the pin hole at some point. I really hate cutting off perches. But, it's done and the new DIY4X perch is on the way.
full
 
AJs72K5 said:
Been putting some miles on the Blazer fine tuning the engine. I think I have the AFRs and timing good. Still seeing how big I can go on the spark plug gap; right now I'm at 0.042.

Stuffed the truck into the parking garage at work. Mind you, this is two stories underground.
full


Decided I needed soften up the suspension a tad. When I had Charles @ Alcan build these years ago, I was a noob. I told him mostly street and performance with a BBC. They're pretty stiff. So I pulled the bottom leaf out of each pack. Years ago, I had trimmed the front 3/4" off the front bottom leaf when I put the new tierod in.
full


And now I think I have a clearance problem...it's sitting on the tierod.
full

So.....I drilled out the tierod hole to 7/8" and ordered a set of taper inserts from Ruffstuff to go nut-over. That'll give me plenty of clearance on the springs.

I also figured now would be a good time to replace the passenger side D44 perch. The PO mangled the pin hole at some point. I really hate cutting off perches. But, it's done and the new DIY4X perch is on the way.
full
Click to expand...

I'm guessing the DiY4x perches will give you back the lift you lost by pulling out that bottom leaf... ?


-G
 
Chevy305 said:
Plenty of clearance in that garage
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Clearance in that part of the garage is 7 ft. and the Blazer is 6'11" and change. I unconsciously duck my head when driving under those cement beams.

Greg72 said:
I'm guessing the DiY4x perches will give you back the lift you lost by pulling out that bottom leaf... ?
Click to expand...

Maybe a little on the passenger side. Prior to pulling the leafs, the truck had the slightest lean to the passenger side that 9 out of 10 wouldn't see. But, the primary reason was for the jacked up pin hole.
 
AJs72K5 said:
Clearance in that part of the garage is 7 ft. and the Blazer is 6'11" and change. I unconsciously duck my head when driving under those cement beams.



Maybe a little on the passenger side. Prior to pulling the leafs, the truck had the slightest lean to the passenger side that 9 out of 10 wouldn't see. But, the primary reason was for the jacked up pin hole.
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Sometimes the aftermarket perches are a little thicker between the mounting saddles and the top mounting surface.... just throwing that out in case you weren't aware. :thumb:


-G
 
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