Well the water pump is off the engine and I have a couple of questions. I have pulled all the stuff off the front of the engine and pulled the radiators. It is rather rusty in the front of the Barth and there has been some less than stellar work done over the years so it is time to strip it back and set things so it will be easy for me to work on things in the future.

The following questions apply to a Chevy 454 in a 1973 P30 chassis. I know this because I looked at the chart Dave posted and decoded the build tag on the chassis. Thank you Dave, I never knew if I had a 72 or a 73 chassis and there was a substantial change from 72 to 73.


1) The Alternator mount attached to the top of the intake manifold on the passenger side of my coach. Possibility one, the alternator bracket attaches to a stud that just sits in the intake manifold and this is what I found. Possibility two and this sounds more likely the stud that the alternator bracket mounts to bolts through the intake manifold and what I have is a broken stud and will have to pull out the old one. Does anyone know what is what in this area.

2) Harmonic dampener. As this is called a dampener and not a balancer I hope I can just install a new one and don’t have to balance the engine again. This thing appears to be two parts joined by a rubber strip. As the one in my coach is badly rusted and the rubber is rotted out for about 30 percent of the area I ordered a new one. I also ordered a “Harmonic dampener installation tool” from Summit at the same time. This part of the engine is bathing in PB rust buster as we chat and I’m planning to dive in this weekend. Are there any more special tool I should be aware of? How do you suggest I pull the thing off? Anything weird I need to know about?

3) Timing chain cover. The one on the engine is badly rusted, I’ll bet it has lost 40 percent of the metal in places or maybe the pervious owner had a shot gun with a special choke that delivered a pattern that only hit the timing chain cover and he pumped about thirty rounds of number nine into it and let it lightly surface rust. OK whatever the case I plan to put a new one on. I ordered an American made one from Summit at six times the cost of the chrome Taiwan offering; I was assured by the Summit guy this is the one that does not leak; we shall see.

I have read about endplay, I think it is on the Cam, that needs to be set with some washers. Is this true, well more to the point since I know zero can an expert give me a check list please? I don’t think I’ll need a how to description just a checklist. This is not to say I won’t be back with how-to questions.


Thank you:

Timothy

quote:

Originally posted by timnlana:
1) The Alternator mount attached to the top of the intake manifold on the passenger side of my coach. Possibility one, the alternator bracket attaches to a stud that just sits in the intake manifold and this is what I found. Possibility two and this sounds more likely the stud that the alternator bracket mounts to bolts through the intake manifold and what I have is a broken stud and will have to pull out the old one. Does anyone know what is what in this area.

Your year is different than mine, but on all my BBCs, I like to mount the pivot of the Delcotron on a long grade 8 bolt directly into the front of the head. I usually end up doing something to the adjustment, but it is simple blacksmith work.

quote:

2) Harmonic dampener. I hope I can just install a new one and don’t have to balance the engine again.
Are there any more special tool I should be aware of? How do you suggest I pull the thing off? Anything weird I need to know about?

The new one has to be balanced, but if you buy the right one it will already be balanced. Before you install it, make a mark from the outer part that lines up with a mark on the inner part so you can detect slippage later on.

The puller you need can be borrowed from Kragen or Autozone.

quote:

3) Timing chain cover. I have read about endplay, I think it is on the Cam, that needs to be set with some washers.

The oil pump gear centers the cam pretty well. A lot of people using OEM covers never check it unless they are running roller cams.

You are putting in a high capacity water pump, aren't you? Consider a steel braid reinforced marine hose from the water pump to the manifold. They last much longer, and can avoid the nasty job of replacing at an inconvenient time and place.

Tim, if you haven't done so already, go down to your local parts store & get a "Chilton," or other manual that covers your engine. There's a wealth of instructions and advice there, including pictures of some of the tricky stuff. My Chilton is several years old, but FWIW it's part #6936, "Chevy/GMC pickups & Suburbans, 1970-87."

Re: alternator mount. Odds are you have a broken bolt.

Re: harmonic damper- Your "special tool" should be the one designed for the specific purpose of removing & installing your damper.

Re: timing chain cover- If you replace that, you better replace the timing chain, too. They wear out and jump out of time, which can trash valves & pistons. Been there, done that in a '73, 454 pickup.

After you get everything buttoned up, you don't want to do it again a few miles or months later. A new timing chain is cheap insurance against this, & will make your engine rumn better if it has more than 30,000 miles. Just be darn sure you get it timed right the first time. Not hard to do if you follow the directions closely.

A double roller chain wears better than the standard link chain, but is pricier, and requires both new cam & crank sprockets. Unless you plan on 100K miles or more, the standard one should do. If your existing cam sprocket is plastic, replace it with one made of steel.

You'll need a new oil pan front seal when you replace your timing cover. Install that verrry carefully, following the instructions explicitly. You'll still probably have a little seepage

End play can refer to the cam or the crankshaft. Your new manual will explain.

When you start putting stuff back together, be sure your gasket surfaces are perfectly clean of old gasket material & sealant.

First get you a manual, read it closely for what you want to do. Then, when all else fails, go back & read the directions again.

I'm sure I've missed something, & one or the other of our two Bills will set you straight on what I' haven't covered.

How many miles do you have on your BB Chevy? Have you considered replacing the timing chain assy at the same time? If your into this for the cover and you have the radiator out anyway you might want to replace the timing chain as well.

When replacing the timing chain cover your suppose to loosen up all of your oil pan bolts except the rear ones. Your then suppose to pry the oil pan down in the front without tearing the gasket on the oil pan.

I have seen people remove the timing chain cover without doing this. They have destroyed the old cover and they trimmed the new cover to allow it to get squeezed into place. That could be harder to do then replacing a timing chain.

Bill H. what's your thought on this as it's been a long time since I've done this on a BBC.

Bill N.Y.

For tough-to-seal areas, I've found Permatex Aviation Liquid Sealer (NAPA #765-1210) works very well.

I know I could give you a long list of things you should be doing. I only want to tell you about some common problems.

Like Olroy said if you replace the timing chain you will get the motor to run a lot smoother and save some dino juice for the rest of us. No need for a double chain unless you really want to spend some more bucks. Instead save some of that cash for these...

Seeing that your into the timing chain cover why not replace the fuel pump. It requires very little effort with the timing chain cover off and the radiator out of the way.

Last thing I would do if you have the motor apart. Replace the pin in the distributor that holds the gear onto the shaft. This pin seems to shear apart on the distributor.

Bill N.Y.

Amen on the fuel pump - GM mechanical pumps are good for 50K miles, period. Last summer, I headed to my sister's in MO with 57K on the odometer. I had a fuel pimp in the SOB, but thought, "Surely GM has redesigned tham to get more longevity", so didn't put it in. Hauling up a long grade outside Chattanooga, the engine missed at near full throttle.

Short version, I got to replace the fuel pump at an Advance Auto Parts store in Clarksville, TN - during last July's heat wave (105F when I slid under the truck).

I hope you don't read this and think you shouldn't be doing this. Go ahead, It's really not that bad. You have the grunt work done already.

Any special tools can be borrowed from Advance Auto Parts for a refundable deposit. The Chiltons manual is a great investment.

Maybe you could do a Tom Sawyer, fence painting thing...

Bill N.Y.

quote:

Permatex Aviation Liquid Sealer

I love this stuff. When I started to use it I just thought hey it's for air planes so it must be good. None the less a great product.

The engine has a little over 50k on her so I will take my time and put in a new chain. Thank you.


Bill from N.Y.

I did not know about dropping the oil pan, thank you very much. Roy, OK I'll go out and buy a chiltons, I know I should have one. I can't even say why I started into this job witout a manual. Oh yea, the plan was just a new water pump, oh well things change.



Bill:

Good point on the Marine hose. I think I will try the all cloth exaust hose rather than the wire exaust hose. When I worked at a boat store I found that while the wire wound hose would fail every now and again, remember on boats the common application for this is exaust not cooling, the marine exaust hose, whick is even thicker would last thirty years or more even when used for exaust. If I can get the cloth exaust hose to fit, it is a rather short run and the cloth stuff and thick and does not bend worth a darn on short runs.


What do you think about the Crimped hose (Aero Quip as a trade name comes to mind) with the attached fittings. I see it used on race cars for fuel and for hydraulic applications. This is what runs to the oil cooler that is on my coach at the moment and even routed from a tap above the oil filter and way too close to the exaust on the way to the cooler it appears to have weathered well.

quote:

Originally posted by timnlana:
What do you think about the Crimped hose (Aero Quip as a trade name comes to mind) with the attached fittings. I see it used on race cars for fuel and for hydraulic applications. This is what runs to the oil cooler that is on my coach at the moment and even routed from a tap above the oil filter and way too close to the exaust on the way to the cooler it appears to have weathered well.

"It only costs a nickel more to go first class." OTOH, it's not that hard to replace a hose by the side of the road...

quote:

Seeing that your into the timing chain cover why not replace the fuel pump. It requires very little effort with the timing chain cover off and the radiator out of the way.

N.Y. Bill:

The distributor is on the next list but I will do the pin now. I plan to change the mechanical logic system with points and the like, it is bone stock, to a modern system. I am not sure what I am going to use, I've read a few posting but it sure can add up so we shall see.


And now the fuel pump. I put a nice big new NAPA pump on the engine last year and why yes Bill I can not begin to say how much less work it would be to do it now with all the stuff out of the way. While things are open I am going to look at how the fuel line runs to the filter with an eye to making my life better if I have to replace it again and I am sure as heck going to replace the rest of the fuel hoses while I'm down here this time and not put it off, again. Connecting the hose while under the car and installing the new pump was inelegant, the words I used at the time were only four letters long but in this posting we will stay with inelegant. The power steering return hose crumbled when I pulled the pump, I can only shake in fear of what I'm going to find on the fuel side.

Now Bill, help. The new NAPA pump appears to have a connection for a vacuum line (I blocked it off, hose, bolt and two clamps) and on the front of my QJET we find another blocked off vacuum line, is my guess that there is a connection correct?


Thank Again to everyone:

Timothy

quote:

Originally posted by Rusty:
OTOH, it's not that hard to replace a _________ by the side of the road...

Just fill in the blank. These are tips to save you down the road.

It's hard to measure a "preventive maintenance" item for savings when all it's doing is costing you more money. Most people think because it's not broken don't replace it.

All of these items we have mentioned are sound things to do. Put these high on your list of things to do.

Bill N.Y.

quote:

Originally posted by timnlana:
The new NAPA pump appears to have a connection for a vacuum line

?

There are no vacuum lines on a BBC fuel pump. A suction line a fuel psi line and maybe a bypass/ psi relief line. I don't know what that extra port is on yours.

Do you have the right pump in there? Do not hook it up to the blocked off vacuum line at the carb!

Could it be a vent? More likely then not you have the wrong pump. Check with Napa.

Bill N.Y.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill N.Y.:
Bill H. what's your thought on this as it's been a long time since I've done this on a BBC.

Bill N.Y.

My thoughts are there is no good way to do it short of totally removing the pan and doing a full clean and reseal of the gasket surfaces. Sometimes the other ways work, sometimes not. The pan gasket is often reluctant to seal after being disturbed, especially at the quarter century mark. In a motor home, they would be likely to be brittle and hard. At the minumum, I would try to remove the oil pan bolts and gaskets, drop the pan as much as possible, clean as well as possible with spray cleaner, and reassemble with new gaskets. Then change the oil. I hated to replace timing covers so much that every engine I assembled had the timing cover cut in half with an H shaped rubber gasket in the gap. And lots of red silicone rubber. That way, I could do cam changes and timing changes really quick. Like in the boat during beer break.

The first method you describe is legitimate and usually works. The second.............I dunno. I always try to take extra effort the first time to avoid a second time.

I wonder if that "extra feature" is a fuel return line fitting for TBI...my Bonanza had a pressure carb (an early version of TBI), and there was a return from the carb.

bill h, I agree - the old saw "There's never enough time to do it right the first time, but there's always time to do it over..." guides me. New gaskets, new oil, that's the way to go...