Project - Stump Puller (94 Lightning)

[GeorgeG.]

It's finally starting to come together. I had to order some head bolts last minute but I've been getting things cleaned up and ready to install. I got the heads back with the TFS upgraded springs. This should support the .510/.534 lift much better than the stock springs.



Also got some brackets cleaned up and painted.

[naynay]

brackets look good. are you going to paint the engine, hint hint?

[scootro]

looks good!

[GeorgeG.]

Originally Posted by naynay

brackets look good. are you going to paint the engine, hint hint?

Oh yeah, I was actually prepping those for paint, hence the inserted plugs.

Originally Posted by scootro

looks good!

Thanks

I got the new timing set replaced. You can tell there was quite a bit of slack, the new chain is tight! I got the engine block, front cover, water pump, and oil pan painted. New oil pump installed. I'll post some pics tomorrow. I started on the oil pan but ran into a stripped bolt hole and ended up breaking a bolt.

[GeorgeG.]

The rain, and life in general, has been kicking my ass every step of the way. It's been delay after delay but I'm slowly making progress. Here's couple more before/after shots. I went ahead and cleaned up the engine bay a little while the engine was out. Degreased and pressure washed the frame and painted.





I started along the passenger fender and removed almost everything and scrubbed it down. Washed the fender linings, heater box, and the firewall. I picked up another firewall plate (by the steering wheel) to replace the bent up one. I just need to reroute the tach wire and nitrous wires.



All in all, I think it'll look much better once it's done.





I'm a little disappointed in the header paint. I guess I can't expect too much from an $8 can of spray paint. Hopefully it'll cure after it bakes on there but I already rubbed some of it off while maneuvering the engine in the truck. I really like the black header look. I'm just hoping it'll hold up. If not, I may do some research on the longevity of wrapping them.

[GeorgeG.]

Well, I suck at taking pictures. I have a few but nothing really interesting along the way. After a few setbacks, it's in and running. I think I'm going to remove the chip and see if it'll run on its own. I also have a few kinks to iron out. These are kinks that were there prior to the tear down. The NOS is disconnected. I closed the fuel fitting as tight as it would go before stripping. I had to keep the plate there since the TB would've hit the intake vacuum tree without it. I need to find a better looking air intake tube and a mounting plate of some sort to get rid of the stock air box. The brakes are shot so I can't even drive it at the moment.



And a link to a video on my FB since my last attempt at YouTube failed.

https://www.facebook.com/george.gonz...69837663896819

[GeorgeG.]

I needed a break from the engine issues so I did a little work to the interior yesterday. I took out the plastic center console and installed a jump seat and spot cleaned the carpet.

[line-em-up]

Looks nice. How did you clean up the intake to make it look new again?

[GeorgeG.]

Thanks. I used a high temp aluminum paint. This was after degreasing, scrubbing, and power washing.

[line-em-up]

Wow. It sure turned out nice. The time I have tied using aluminum paint (not high temp), I realized that it would smudge easily.

[GeorgeG.]

Well after battling what I thought was an exhaust leak, I decided to pull the headers off. I used a hose and listened around headers and was sure I had a leak between all four primaries at the collector. Unfortunately though I didn't find any cracks. I did, however, see an issue with the gaskets I used. Although there weren't any signs of the gaskets blowing out, there was barely enough gasket material to cover the port and some of the ports came really close to the edge. The hose-to-ear test didn't indicate any leaks though. I have the proper gaskets on the way.



I also noticed that my flanges are not true to a straight edge. Do you think they would straighten out when tightened down?

[shumpertdavid]

Remflex gaskets, problem solved.

[Z06killinsbf]

Did you get the header welded up? I will own one of these trucks one day, nice job so far

[GeorgeG.]

I did. I posted a pic on page 1 of the crack. I had it welded but I found out today that the weld didn't completely seal the crack and the middle piece that welds the four primaries is also cracked. I'm 99% sure that when I filled the little pockets with water, after the repair, that nothing weeped through so I assumed the repair was good and installed the headers. Today, I decided to use something with a little more penetration power so I filled that middle pocket with brake cleaner and BAM! It dripped out of the inside.

I'm not sure a muffler shop can repair it. I'm so over this that I don't want to risk a repair not holding up or missing something else and having to remove the exhaust a 3rd time.