RE: An update to my V6 to V8 swap.

[Road Trip]

Yeah it did!

Oh, and BTW, I still never got the front end professionally aligned, after correcting the steering problem. The left front tire is squealing and it has to be causing drag.

I'm wondering if that's mimicking some loss of power?

Very plausible. Think about how hard you have to turn in a corner in order to get tires to squeal
in protest? And if you are getting this audible complaint in a straight line then that's a non-trivial
parasitic drag that your engine has to overcome.

Also, fresh engines that are still breaking in their rings are still delivering extra heat into the cooling
system and also extra drag to perform this mechanical break-in function. Meanwhile, your power production
still isn't 100% until those same rings are finished developing an 'airtight' ring seal against combustion-level
pressure. A double whammy power-wise, if you will.

Once your truck is set up so that it rolls easily when you push it on level ground AND the engine is fully broken in
(and ignition timing is optimized to take advantage of those 8 fresh, carbon-free combustion chambers)
...then you will be pleasantly surprised by the truck feeling like it's always driving downhill instead of
how it currently feels like it's always driving uphill, even on a level road.

BTW, there's plenty of things in life that I started & quit (Piano lessons, other hobbies, etc) ...but
finally building an engine that ran better after I worked on it than before I took it apart gave me such
a sense of accomplishment that I've never been able to shake the hobby. It's been a multi-decade
addiction/excuse to learn how many things there are that I still don't understand as much as I would like. :0)

(Sometimes I feel Hendrix was singing about me vis-a-vis building engines when he sang this:
"Manic Depression is a frustrating mess!")


EDIT:
Get it running. See where it falls short. Fix that. Run it some more. Repeat process until satisfied
with the results. And don't bother counting how many iterations it took, especially when learning
the ropes. The pros have to do that in order to make a reasonable living, but it's different for us
DIYers.

We can redo our work a few times (as long as we're charging off some of the extra cost as
'tuition' :0) ...and then we can usually manage to still bring the project in below the cost of
just using the wallet wrench. Especially given how so many of the really experienced guys are
aging out of the grind and shuttering their shops.

Given the current trajectory, we may end up at a point where no matter how much money you
have, you won't be able to find a good shop that will even take on the jobs that will help keep
your truck running in it's prime when all the newer, too technical/more disposable trucks are
in the treasure yard you are driving by. (!)

Like @termite said:

Keep at it man. Progress is being made.

Best of luck. And keep those status reports coming in. Lots of folks are living vicariously
through your expedition.

Cheers --

 

[DeCaff2007]

Given the current trajectory, we may end up at a point where no matter how much money you
have, you won't be able to find a good shop that will even take on the jobs that will help keep
your truck running in it's prime when all the newer, too technical/more disposable trucks are
in the treasure yard you are driving by. (!)

Ahh, ya know, that's an interesting point. Last summer, I was finding pre-Vortec GMT400's in the yard like crazy. It was super easy to find parts (and more importantly, restore my interior to 99% complete and, except for ONE part, color matching).

Fast forward to THIS summer. I've been to the yard two or three times and there's hardly anything in the way of aforementioned trucks. If you're looking for late 90's to early 2000's Ford junk - that's too easy. Jeeps, Subarus, Nissan SUV junk... anything that gets people through a winter or two in the rust belt, then gets replaced with the next newer generation.

But I digress. Wait until next summer. There's possibly a surprise coming.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

Ahh, ya know, that's an interesting point. Last summer, I was finding pre-Vortec GMT400's in the yard like crazy. It was super easy to find parts (and more importantly, restore my interior to 99% complete and, except for ONE part, color matching).

Fast forward to THIS summer. I've been to the yard two or three times and there's hardly anything in the way of aforementioned trucks. If you're looking for late 90's to early 2000's Ford junk - that's too easy. Jeeps, Subarus, Nissan SUV junk... anything that gets people through a winter or two in the rust belt, then gets replaced with the next newer generation.

But I digress. Wait until next summer. There's possibly a surprise coming.

Yes I've noticed that too. Way more 800s than 400s, and plenty of phords and Rams.
When I first got back into going to the yards (the SW Houston LKQ and the U Pull And Pay, even though it's further away from me, used to be I'd save enough to make it worth it), I saw them get a 400 in almost every week. Even though I couldn't go between August of last year and this spring, I'd still check the online inventory listings. Missed out on some good trucks in the interval, but gotta have $$ and time, at the same time.... Since the first of the year, the 400s have been getting scarcer in the yards.

 

[tayto]

aftermarket junk distributor strikes again. this is why I rebuild them now. even the reman ones are hit or miss. about the only new units i've had good luck with are the gm performance ones (big or small cap) but they have doubled in price the last few years. i love "but i put a new distributor in it" seems to be a reoccurring theme here....

 

[DeCaff2007]

Well, the RCSB goes on the back burner, yet again.

My Wife's Jeep left her stranded in a shady part of town. THAT night went well, let me tell you. Long story short, I ended up waiting with her, in a dark parking lot (both of us armed) at 10 o'clock at night, for a fcking tow truck to show up... because we absolutely were NOT going to leave her Jeep where it was, overnight.

The tow truck finally shows and we weren't sure he was going to be able to fit where he needed to pull the Jeep from. Color me impressed, however, because wow that was one skilled tow truck driver.

The problem was that the starter solenoid seized up tight. No amount of pounding it with a hammer was going to knock it loose for that ONE last start to get it home, and believe me, we DEFINITELY tried.

Also, I now have a CEL on MY daily driver. I was going to ignore it, but it's causing some rather concerning driveability issues. For those interested, it's an 06 silverado 5.3l, throwing a P0102/0103. Before anyone makes any suggestions, the MAF sensor tests fine, according to this test:

How To Test The MAF Sensor (GM 4.8L, 5.3L, 6.0L, 8.1L)

GM 4.8L, 5.3L, 6.0L Index of Articles

easyautodiagnostics.com

 

[DeCaff2007]

Boy... this truck just isn't meant to be on the road.

I got both of our daily drivers fixed, so I took Mr. RCSB out for a drive. Started up no problem, ran well (albeit the alignment problem is still making it hard to control at higher speeds.

I went around a few blocks, Hell, I even went to a gas station and FILLED the tank. $48 . I noticed a slightly longer crank time after filling the tank.

After getting gas, I went up the road and picked up a gallon of oil (because I'll go through it). Came back outside and BAM... crank crank crank NO START.

WHAT THE FCK it was JUST running fine!@#$%.

Anyone want to wager on that brand new ignition control module being junk?

 

[0xDEADBEEF]

Came back outside and BAM... crank crank crank NO START.

Did it make a noise, or you just added BAM as an exclamation?

 

[DeCaff2007]

Did it make a noise, or you just added BAM as an exclamation?

LOL I'm sorry. It did not make a noise. Upon re-reading that, I can see how that was misleading. My bad.

However, my Dad and I just went down to the RCSB with a toolbox, a set of jumper cables, a timing light, and a little jumper wire for the fuel pump relay (just in case).

Jumped the battery and it fired up after considerable cranking. Drove straight home. It threw another CEL as I neared my driveway. Ok, that's fine. I went to swing around the intersection where I live and it DIED right there in the street. Will not restart.

We pushed it the rest of the way so at least it's legally parked. Code enforcement has been BRUTAL up here as of late.

It's nice out today. I should be out enjoying the sun and NOT wrenching on some impossible junk heap.

HELL with it. I'm very, very close to THINNING OUT MY ENTIRE FLEET, because I'm just so tired of getting nowhere with these cars. Only things that will stay are our two daily drivers, and the two oldest classics.

EDIT: FWIW, damn truck currently has the incorrect battery. It requires a group size 78, 800 CCA I believe is the minimum. Well, the correct battery that WAS installed now has both terminals stripped out. Can't get a battery stud to thread in there. Tried swapping it under warranty and the counterman gave me a very difficult time. I got pissed and walked out, accidentally leaving the correct battery there, at the parts store. Came back the next day and it was gone. So, what am I using for a battery? A spare, group size 75, don't know the CCA. It's all I had. I don't think that has anything to do with the current problem, but I just thought I'd mention it.

 

[92 Longbed]

I wondered about the low amount of fuel in the tank. Maybe the fuel pick up became uncovered and the engine starved for fuel at that high RPM? it would feel like a long time before everything caught up and it started making power again...

 

[Schurkey]

damn truck currently has the incorrect battery. It requires a group size 78, 800 CCA I believe is the minimum... ...So, what am I using for a battery? A spare, group size 75, don't know the CCA.

A 75 is a reasonable if not perfect replacement for a Group 78. If it has enough CCA to crank the engine at a reasonable speed...it's fine.

Decades ago, the guideline was to have a battery with the same number of CCA as the cubic-inch displacement of the engine. A 454 Chevy would have a 450--475 CCA battery.