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I am aware. But I also had to pull the oil pan to change it that was weeping like crazy On 4wd the diff had to be dropped and motor lifted. On my back in a driveway in 30 degrees. Pulling the motor just allowed me to work on everything like a “ gentleman “ haha all at once in a heated garage. It really wasn’t all that badOuch, thats a whole lot of extra work . You dont need to do all of that to pull the oil pump.
Im glad your young, You wont be doing all that when you're over 40... lol...
mechanical experience is not crazy. in my early 20's i did some 1/4 racing with a mustang. Small block ford more straight forward then this, less parts. I did not build that motor on my own but with help from a friend who was older then me. I learned a lot watching my friends at the time. I have never actually paid anybody to fix any of my cars, I have always tackled everything my self. radiators, breaks, leaks, suspension, diagnosing, the usual stuff. I never worked as a mechanic or have any certifications.
I would say this has been the largest job I have done. yes
I did not look at the cam bible thread. I will def check it out though.
I dont think pulling the motor was horrible. I think I made the right choice especially with having to replace the leaking oil pan. Here in New York its cold around 30. Laying on my back and bent of the fenders in the cold and wind didn't sound fun. I figured I could get the motor out in a day and a half and get it in the heated garage, take my time and work on it in a t shirt. i only have a half garage which can be seen in the pictures. some good music playing and just taking my time.
Also i noticed some guys do the job without removing the oil pump. Me personally I am not gambling on that chain not accidently jumping a tooth on the crank gear behind the oil pump. for some reason i just didn't trust the zip tie trick and keeping tension on it. i am not saying its wrong I just dont like it. I personally wanted to see the marks on the crank gear and on a chain. Knowing the motor was a top dead center there was no guessing it's straight forward. I also felt if I was going in there and pulling that cover I wanted to replace what i could. Tensioner, guide, chain, oil pump, water pump etc.
The wiring harness can be intimidating, all the connections and spaghetti but a deep breath and one thing at a time you get through it. It all falls into place reassembling.
If I had to do it again that's a tricky question. 2wd car I would say leave it in in the truck. better access to lower the pan and pull the pick up and the oil pump and check that timing. I know there is a trick to drop the pick up with leaving the pan on as well. I would say if you don't need to worry about changing the oil pan and its warm out haha do it in the car. But i 100 percent do not regret my decision i think for my case it was def the right move. I do think that though it is very convenient working on the motor on a stand as opposed to over the fenders. so I am on the fence with that answer.
I didn't mean to go off on a rant but figured I would respond as best I could.
Great job W all the pics and documentation, in my mind I could do what you did, but father time takes its toll the older we become, hindsight it's a whole lot easier removing the engine to be more thorough on the rebuild process.I am aware. But I also had to pull the oil pan to change it that was weeping like crazy On 4wd the diff had to be dropped and motor lifted. On my back in a driveway in 30 degrees. Pulling the motor just allowed me to work on everything like a “ gentleman “ haha all at once in a heated garage. It really wasn’t all that bad
I beg to differ. 73 and still doing it, just not as fast.Ouch, thats a whole lot of extra work . You dont need to do all of that to pull the oil pump.
Im glad your young, You wont be doing all that when you're over 40... lol...
it did snow 6 inches while i was doing it... woke up to it feb 13th.. i am sure i have a picture let me check. hahaI probably would have considered doing the same thing in his situation.
#1 He's in NY as he pointed out. And ya can't always predict the weather. What if it parts were back-ordered and in the meantime it snowed 4" and a polar vortex parks over NY. Temps dropped to the teens for who knows how long..and the potential of blowing snow or blowing dirt/dust around with the oil pan off. How do you seal that part up? No fun doing a job like that in the winter outdoors. I've done similar. The 'safe' bet is to take yer time and do it right in relative comfort ..if ya can.
#2, he can be more thorough on a stand, as he pointed out. There's a good chance he could have run into more shavings that need to be flushed out or required greater disassembly (??). Or found some other unforseen problem. OR... a guy can really look it over in totality, and decide weather it makes sense to throw in new bearings, take things a step further, or re-ring it(??). And then do so taking time to do every step right ..and not have to worry about crap blowing into the block sitting outside.
#3, Torque rating figures are designed for room temp range...not 25F, lol.
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Damn you could of kept it down there,lol.Last couple of days we're getting close to 8 inches of the white ****,it did snow 6 inches while i was doing it... woke up to it feb 13th.. i am sure i have a picture let me check. haha
40 psi at idle is still to low IMHO, I like 50 and just bumping the idle to 750 - 800 rpm gets it there.
I went back and found a previous thread on December 23, where he had planned on buying Mopar parts.(except for water pump and a few other items)Yes what Cam and lifters?
How loud is it sitting there idling at 800!?40 psi at idle is still to low IMHO, I like 50 and just bumping the idle to 750 - 800 rpm gets it there.