97 sas'sy Sierra/ 80 Cheep 10: tales of a phat block

[Bowtie85]

Well no real tech update.

Put a few miles on the 97 this past summer. Went on a 4500k tour out through Alberta/BC in late July for a couple weeks. Had a few minor issues along the way:

Rear pinion seal started sweating on Day 2 of the trip. It only leaked a few drops that I noticed at the time.

Ascended a summit across the Gray Creek pass, climbed to about 6800 feet in about 15-18k. Hot summer days and an aging truck led to it running hotter than I’d like to see. Tripped a egr code part way up, had to stop and let it cool down and all was good.

Thirdly I picked up a screw, plugged it in the dark at the campsite one night.


It pretty much sat until late fall. It went back into Daily Driver status for a about a month(wife got a part time job/wrote the impala off)

Got the sled deck back in, took a trip to the family cabin. Noticed when we got home that the rad was leaking on the seam of the one tank New Year’s Eve. Must have been the cold weather, once it warmed up it appeared to quit leaking. Said forget it and replaced it with a spectra unit today. It was pretty crusty looking inside for a few years, so figured Midas well.

 

[Bowtie85]

Old orange had served as my daily for the summer/early fall. Pretty much ran trouble free all summer/fall. Put 3000 miles or so on it, parked it after the first time the roads were salted.

About the only pic I have of it in the fall. Took it on a couple hundred mile trip to pick up some roofing tin. Drove home in a blinding snow storm, had a hitchhiker jump out in front of me. Sadly no pics or video of that episode

Come spring I’d like to tear into it and fix a bunch of this and that’s. I’d like to swap diffs in it finally. And either sell all my small block stuff if I can find a running complete 454 for an okay price or just slap some vortec heads on the industrial 350 I have on the stand.

 

[Bent77]

You run green puke instead of GM orange puke in that radiator?

 

[Bowtie85]

You run green puke instead of GM orange puke in that radiator?

Orange puke was long gone when I got the truck.

 

[ZooMad75]

Nice Poncho-Nova too BTW.

 

[Bowtie85]

Nice Poncho-Nova too BTW.

It’s my best friends ventura, he’s had the car for 10 years. Finally got it mobile this past fall.

 

[max 02]

Engine swap your dads c20 one weekend while he’s away...

 

[Bowtie85]

Engine swap your dads c20 one weekend while he’s away...

That sounds like I’ll wreck 1 good truck

 

[Bowtie85]

I’ve got a minor update.

My dad passed away unexpectedly a couple days after my last update in this thread. During one of the last couple conversations we had, he had agreed that a big block would be good swap vs slapping together the 350 I had laying around. So I figured it would help keep my mind off things and give me something to look forward to.

I’ve since sold pretty much all my spare sbc stuff I had laying around. Which should pay for a good chunk of the new mill.

Put a deposit down on a low mile rebuilt 454 that’s .06 over, rv cam. Complete carb to pan with front acc drive.

Will most likely have a better update once the snow is gone.

 

[ZooMad75]

I’ve got a minor update.

My dad passed away unexpectedly a couple days after my last update in this thread. During one of the last couple conversations we had, he had agreed that a big block would be good swap vs slapping together the 350 I had laying around. So I figured it would help keep my mind off things and give me something to look forward to.

I’ve since sold pretty much all my spare sbc stuff I had laying around. Which should pay for a good chunk of the new mill.

Put a deposit down on a low mile rebuilt 454 that’s .06 over, rv cam. Complete carb to pan with front acc drive.

Will most likely have a better update once the snow is gone.

Sorry to hear about your Dad. Go with the fat block. Do him proud with it.

 

[GWeakland620]

So losing the TBI 350 and replacing with a carb'd big block?

 

[78K30]

Sorry to hear about your dad! I'd be lost without mine

Looking forward to big block updates as well

 

[Truckman4life]

Sorry to hear about your loss. With my parents being 1400+ miles away and only seeing them once a year if that I always worry about them passing away unexpectedly some day.

 

[Bowtie85]

So losing the TBI 350 and replacing with a carb'd big block?

It’s got a 305 tbi long block in it with HO heads right now.

It’s done me well, makes some sort of rattle under load and has been doing it for the 12000 miles it’s been in the truck for. Not sure what that @max 02
did to it before I got ahold of it though

 

[Bowtie85]

It’s been a really rough go, some days are better than others. It’s a pain that I don’t think will ever go away for a long time. I’m kinda looking forward to doing the swap, because I know he’ll be there along side with me. Just like old times.

 

[GWeakland620]

It’s got a 305 tbi long block in it with HO heads right now.

It’s done me well, makes some sort of rattle under load and has been doing it for the 12000 miles it’s been in the truck for. Not sure what that @max 02
did to it before I got ahold of it though

Ah yeah, that's a no-brainer.

 

[max 02]

It’s got a 305 tbi long block in it with HO heads right now.

It’s done me well, makes some sort of rattle under load and has been doing it for the 12000 miles it’s been in the truck for. Not sure what that @max 02
did to it before I got ahold of it though

12000 Miles EH! I’d don’t think I put 120 miles on that squirrel. Hurry up and get that BB in there I don’t feel like playing with mine and I want to see burnout videos!

 

[mrk5]

It’s been a really rough go, some days are better than others. It’s a pain that I don’t think will ever go away for a long time. I’m kinda looking forward to doing the swap, because I know he’ll be there along side with me. Just like old times.

Sorry for your loss. It's been 5 years since my dad passed and I still think of him often. The pain does dull over time but never goes away.

 

[Bowtie85]

12000 Miles EH! I’d don’t think I put 120 miles on that squirrel. Hurry up and get that BB in there I don’t feel like playing with mine and I want to see burnout videos!

Yeah something to the tune of that. Really not that bad for a $50 motor, although I guess I did fix up the top end. I remember the cam bearings looked less than stellar, cylinders had some rust pitting. Heck I even reused the oil pan gasket it had, pan was half full of sludge as well. Prob explains the litre of oil it would use every 700 miles

 

[Bowtie85]

Sorry for your loss. It's been 5 years since my dad passed and I still think of him often. The pain does dull over time but never goes away.

Thanks. That’s what I’ve gathered from the people I’ve talked too. He lost a sister and brother about 5 weeks before he passed of a heart attack. I think he was having a rough go of life sadly, he was the kind of man that didn’t say much to anyone and held a lot inside. I’ve always been just like that my whole life, so I kind of know how he felt most likely.