3800 On today's episode of my horrible life choices, 00 park ave edition.

[SpeedSpeak2me]

So I picked up some lower control arms and stabilizer links. Was kinda shocked when they actually had them all on hand.
View attachment 161608

But I've yet to do anything with them. I thought I was getting better fuel mileage but I think it's just more the top half of the tank is way bigger. The misfire is gone but I still have a p0440 and it still 30% lean between longs and shorts. Quick boost test points me in the area of the throttle body but I almost think it might be in the egr tube or where it goes into the intake. You can hear it when it's running as well. I'm sure it's down on power with that the abs and the knock sensor code but every once in a while it'll grab some extra timing and get goin.

Beings it's an old Buick I'm still driving it around with the dash lit up like a Christmas tree. It'd be a damn shame if I didn't for a little while but it's only gonna last until I decide I'm gonna pull it into the garage and ruin it putting a blower on it

It’s been 90 minutes, those arms swapped yet?

 

[sktchy3.8]

It’s been 90 minutes, those arms swapped yet?

Lol nope, my motivation is shit the last couple days.

 

[Turbocharged400sbc]

So you're done now

 

[sktchy3.8]

So you're done now

Lol no. Just dragging my feet and driving it for the moment. I've got almost 750 miles on this pig already and I love the damn thing but I've been busy helping friends with stuff or running kids around in my free time and I'm trying not to spend any money on cars til we get through vacation this summer.

My thoughta at the moment are on the balancer. Seems there's alot of top swaps out there with L67 balancers so is that really as big an issue as it's made out to be? I could take the L67 balancer off the Camaro for this and go back to an fbody one on there and then run stock pulley for a while and just get gaskets. But I'm not sure if that's the best idea for either or if it even matters that much. L67 doesn't seem to give a shit bout the l36 flywheel on the Camaro...

 

[sktchy3.8]

One other thing. The torque app everyone uses is hot garbage. It shows trims buried at negative 20 and they're completely the opposite. Anybody using it to scan for knock is a complete idiot and it's only good for checking and clearing codes.

 

[GTPpower]

If it was supercharged, you'd be able to move your kids around faster and then all kinds of free time.

 

[Turbocharged400sbc]

I've never measured the balance offset weighs on our various balancers

 

[sktchy3.8]

Oh it's gonna be supercharged. I'm just trying to decide on how I'm gonna do it. Those zzp offset pulleys and a single belt look like they'd make the job a bit easier but then again if I'm gonna have the heads off what's pulling the balancer and putting the pulleys I need on it that I already have. Any way I go about it I'm figuring I've gotta throw a few hundred bucks at it that I don't want to right now by the time I get all the gaskets I need, credits, and miscellaneous little bullshit that always comes up.

But also, I've got a shitty feeling my vacuum leak is coming from the china wall part of the intake gasket, and if I'm gonna pull the lower I may as well go all in and do it. I've got three sets of intake gaskets, a set of head gaskets I could copper spray and probably work fine but nothing as far as the supercharger goes unless I go wild with some rtv. If I swapped balancers off my Camaro then I'd be in for beans and credits but I'm just not sure I wanna take that balancer off the L67 bottom end if it's gonna cause issues. But if it doesn't cause issues to put the L67 balancer on an L36 which seems to get done all the time it's hard to think it wouldn't work. I know GTPpower offered a balancer and head gaskets but who knows when either one of us will make it a couple hours in the right direction and I'll just do the offset pulley and not sweat balance at all before I spend money on a stock balancer.

 

[TurboTPI]

I ran a stock L26 bottom end with an ATI L67 balancer, no issues. I also ran that same engine with L32 rods and l67 pistons, no issues. All combinations ran the stock L26 balance shaft and flexplate as well. Never had any vibrations. And it lived a hell of a life beaten on daily with a blower setup as well as a turbo setup too.

 

[sktchy3.8]

I think the balance shaft being in place probably helps, figuring both my cars are probably going to stay on stock cam and power falls off at 5400ish anyway Im gonna try getting away with it. Now I just need to quit screwing around with little stuff on it and maybe park my Camaro inside at work so I have space in the garage for this one and get my ass to work on it.

 

[sktchy3.8]

Balancer acquired and fbody one stuck back on the Camaro. Had to notch my puller so I could get it off of there the wrong way without fucking it up.

 

[sktchy3.8]

Found me a can of liquid gold at the parts store this morning and had to snatch it while I could. They rarely get this stuff in and there was only a single one so you gotta get it whiles it's hot. I've got a partial can at home but I'm sure the nozzle is plugged up to hell at the minimum and this, some various rtv and a lil k seal should handle just about anything I need to do on this thing so we're getting closer.

Gonna have to get the self induced crank sensor bug out of my Camaro so it has a spot or leave my Yukon outside for a weekend and start goin on this thing pretty soon I think. In the meantime I'll just keep picking up little things like this here and there to try and be ready for when it goes under the knife.

 

[sktchy3.8]

Well, I've put over 1000 miles on it already.

Average mpgs says 19.3 which I feel is pretty close to accurate given the vacuum leak I haven't messed with. Still haven't fixed the front end but I probably should, should probably get a set of gaskets from the heads up for an ultra, but really we've just been dailying the hell out of it. Starts right up and goes every day and puts up with running through traffic and sitting in the school pickup line with the ac on with no probs at all. Mid 60s for oil pressure at hot idle and 70s when it starts turning faster.

Pretty decent unit I just need to find the time to tear into it.

 

[sktchy3.8]

Probably around 1500 miles now, haven't even bothered to check the oil since I filled it up when I first got it, seems to be holding coolant, still has the funny shake but isn't wearing tires, and finally started to stutter a little bit at cruise this morning. I've got all the gaskets I need and parts for the front end but I'm reluctant to tear it apart as much as I've been driving it. Nevertheless I'll get to it sooner or later, sooner if it starts more shit or if I decide to leave the red one alone for a while

 

[Turbocharged400sbc]

Just a heads up nowadays with composite gaskets. I ring the outside on both sides with the right stuff adhesive rtv.
The width of my pinky around the whole thing but a little bit closer to my pointer finger wide on the exhaust ports edge.
The thinested coat barely enough to see your fingerprint in

 

[sktchy3.8]

So your telling me not to paint em in copper spray until they're sticky and crank em down to 85 ft lbs then? Cuz that seems to have worked ok a few times now but I can see where it could maybe peel and clog the coolant system or be a royal pain in the ass if I have to tear it apart again. I've used composites in everything so far but this is the first time I've grabbed a pair of brand name ones and not the cheapest no name ebay junk I can find

 

[Turbocharged400sbc]

Copper spray has never really appealed to me with graphite composite gaskets which are already excellent in conformability.

Remember the copper spray is not an adhesive. It is a metal particle sealant which was used a lot on old single layer stamped steel embossed gaskets. This is to seal all the tiny microscopic Defects in a machine head and deck surface.
Modern MLS gaskets are supposedly coated on the outer 2 layers with modern ceiling compounds so technicly We're not supposed to need the copper spray to seal. The imperfections not to mention machining better RA finishes nowadays....


I've seen both copper sprayed and non copper sprayed composite gaskets pushed out underneath the exhaust ports....

I have stopped using permatex " the right stuff" RTV in a lot of situations because of how f****** stuck things get with it.... I will certainly never use that s*** on anything I need to take apart in the future.

On the 442s pwerplant one day it just dawned on me of where that s*** should be used and I believe the last 3 engines I've put together I've done that with...

Double D always told me there are grand national guys that Use construction adhesive And remove their cylinder heads with two six foot bars through the coolant ports

They might be on to something.

Also for ARP studs and composites I go to 87 on all of them and the center 4, I go an additional cross pattern to 94-96. I remember this because 87 grand national and 94 for first 3800 SII.
MLS are a different animal..

I basically do as above but forego the center for additional turns until after I measure and I've had to go up to almost a 104 to get it close to "FLATish"

Spend the money get yourself a straight edge and check your head while It's sitting on the bench across the valve cover surfaces and your rocker stands. Feeler Gages are mandatory but don't forget to measure with the butt end of a dial caliper down to a paint dot or two between outboard studs in the flimsy area.

Check while torqing it down.

For some reason. Along the way they got rid of the Additional step on the center four.
Probably saved money on the assembly line.

From my work it's needed.... The old timers had it right.

bs009
Brain droppings fer wki

 

[Turbocharged400sbc]

I really wish voice to text was better

 

[sktchy3.8]

I think I got the jist of most of that. I've got a straight edge and feeler gauges so I'm not completely shadetree lol. And if it's anything I've learned from 3800s it's to listen to what you have to say or end up doing it twice.

As always I appreciate the wisdom man

 

[Turbocharged400sbc]

The thing is, this should be mostly common knowledge. This sort of thing applies to every f****** engine out there.....
measure your g****** s*** and write it down.

If you know what it is when it's flat and relaxed. You can tell what it's doing when it's snugged up.

I honestly learned this stuff back when I was playing with the turbo four banger dodges.

Probably enough the same issue came up with the later dohc stuff, weird huh?

I still remember being able to shove a feeler gauge near the oil passage when the heads would stress or leave lift up and start pissing oil

The A604 was a much better transaxle than the 4t65e

 

[sktchy3.8]

I mean it is pretty basic stuff but in the days of the sloppy guys I guess I've kinda loosened my thoughts on such things considerably. But your right even if I don't have them machined it would be good to see that I've got it down on there flat to avoid issues and maybe save a bottle of k seal lol