Project Never Ends

UR50SLO

UR50SLO

V6+2=LSXCamaro
Re: Project Never Ends

THat's alot of work to put in a engine you know isn't going to be in there long or last.

I vote to put your efforts into good internal parts and allum. heads for the existing engine. Old School SBC parts like yours (good ones) are cheap... Look for somthing on Racing junk.com and see if there's anything worth looking into...
If I had a darn thing for a SBC I'd be donating it!
I doubt you want to go back to a V6 and a buick one at that Lol.
Good luck on your decision.
~Scott
 
JSM

JSM

Active member
Re: Project Never Ends

Motor is now out. Total of about 4 hours and I didn't work very fast just took my time, Dobrick was there so I did a lot of bs'ing. Not bad.

I did get the motor on engine stand, quickly rolled it over and removed the pan. Lots of flakes of brass so some bearing isn't happy. Didn't see any signs of a heated rod but didn't get to remove anything else.

Tonight should know the real cause, and have the motor fully torn down.
 
Foot Performance

Foot Performance

Donating Member
Re: Project Never Ends

I say put good stuff in it. It is no fun if you leave your house and say owell if i kill it plus there is nothing like a 3000 dollar rotating assemble scattered all over the track or maybe I am just sick:p
 
JSM

JSM

Active member
Re: Project Never Ends

Aside from budget not allowing me to do what I really want, my fear is if I did I would be worried about hurting something still.

If I go junkyard bottom end that fear goes away.

Decisions.
 
Tooky

Tooky

Serious about performance
Re: Project Never Ends

Put a junkyard motor in it and tune it for 20 PSI boost. Look at how long my stock bottom end 4.3 is living at +1000 RPM over factory spec. You'll probably go faster on a junkyard motor than you would on a "race motor" because you won't be as afraid to lean on it.
 
JSM

JSM

Active member
Re: Project Never Ends

Motor is apart and some interesting things. Rod bearings are fine, did see some signs of detonation on those bearings so the knock sensor isn't picking up what it should.

The 3 center main bearings are toast, and outside 2 had trash thrown through them. What is very odd is it didn't look like they spun at all, looks like someone took liquid copper and randomly spread it on the bearings and let it harden. When I had motor apart last time I changed either rod or main bearing, really thinking it was the mains. Now I am wondering if I didn't have a either a clearance issue or just a bearing failure.

Junkyard motor it is for now anyways.
 
warmpancakes

warmpancakes

New member
Re: Project Never Ends

if you are willing to take a blem block thats stillgood IE doesnt look perfect they usually sell them for 800-1300 depending on type what block do you want I can get a price
 
JSM

JSM

Active member
Re: Project Never Ends

Be a winter project/buget. Bank account is telling me to hold off right now.

If the blem wont' hurt strength of block or machine work, I don't care if it is powdercoated pink.
 
JSM

JSM

Active member
Re: Project Never Ends

In the old days everybody claimed having pink rods, I will have them covered with a pink engine.
 
JSM

JSM

Active member
Re: Project Never Ends

Getting a good picture of the bearing was not easy. Left it somewhat large so you can see detail. Any suggestion, ideas are good as I would like to know what caused it for future.

Detonation, oil starvation, bad bearing, bad luck?

bearing.jpg
 
Last edited:
M

MikeRenz

not stock
Re: Project Never Ends

looks like it could have some "out of round bore" and/or "excessive crush" according to that failure guide
 
turbodig

turbodig

Active member
Re: Project Never Ends

4C FED said:
I had posted this long ago, but the link changed.
http://engineparts.com/publications/CL77-3-402.pdf

Maybe a combination of oil starvation & corrosion.
Click to expand...


Their guide omits the real #1 cause of bearing failure... detonation.

Clevite's guide assumes a production motor in good running order.

Oil starvation would either be on all bearings, or front bearings with less damage to the rear.
There would have to be a cause, like a bad oil pump, or a restriction, or too-high RPM operation.

Corrosion could have been a contributing factor, since it sat a while.

Mostly though, center bearing failure is because deto is trying to push the crank out the bottom of the motor, and it interrupts the oil film temporarily on those journals.

Smokey Yunick covers it pretty well in the "Power Secrets" book.
 
JSM

JSM

Active member
Re: Project Never Ends

Junkyard motor just didn't work out as I planned. It possibly could but when I walked the local yard, all the motors I found that had the dash still there had 200k+ miles on them, plus had sat with no carbs just exposed.

Then I found a deal on a vortec motor on ebay, had a buy it now for $300 offered guy 250 but by time he got email, exhanged bidding was over 250, then offered him full 300 and by that time bidding was over 300.

Came to conclusion because damage was fairly light, just as cheap to fix what I have and know what I have.

So Jeremy and I fully tore it down last night, dropped engine off with engine guy who is honeing it, and it looks like an align bore is best. (2nd cap back was off by .0012 out of round). Crank being dropped off monday for grind/polish.

Good news is I know it all bolts back in without any new mods.
 
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