Growing up doesn't have to suck

[ivin74]

Since I finally got the all hose clamps I needed from the salvage yard, I was able to install the heater hose connectors. I definitely wanted this to be done before the engine was back in.


3/4" heater core connectors and 1/2" rear heater core connectors. The hoses to the two nipples on the water pump are 5/8":

View attachment 248936


About 12" each of 3/4" and 1/2" heater hoses and box of 3-way Ts and factory hose clamps (factory from GM, Ford and Honda )
View attachment 248937


Semi-comfy seat on cross member in engine bay:
View attachment 248938


The 1/2" tubes were too close, so I trimmed them down:
View attachment 248939


Minimal, but adequate gap and perfect alignment:
View attachment 248940

Chris
Can you share the link to the t's

 

[iamdub]

Chris
Can you share the link to the t's

Sure:

https://jagsthatrun.com/collections/best-sellers/products/traditional-hose-tee


Only $10 more than ACDelco Ts and he should have a few pairs left in stock.

 

[iamdub]

Been too busy to upload pics and post updates so I have a lot of catching up to do in this thread. I'll break it up into a multiple posts. I have to anyway because of the pic-per-post limit.

Going back to last weekend, I hit the shop around 10AM Saturday morning starting with an empty engine bay. I installed the LS3 valley cover with new gasket then hung the engine on the chainfall so I could get the engine stand outta my way. Then I installed the torque converter-

Filled it with a little over a quart of Dexron VI full synthetic:

All the specs I read online called for 1.125" +/- .125" recess. After sliding it on, turning, removing and repeating a couple times, I came up with 1" every time. I expected it to be closer to the 1.25" max spec. But, it clicked/clunked as it should every time and was at least in spec, so I moved on.

Up close:

 

[iamdub]

When a Honda fanboi helps you drop the engine into your GM truck:

EVERY bolt has it's own place @tgui:

This is why I install the heads after I have the block bolted up. Super easy access to the top four bellhousing bolts and the nuts that hold the various brackets:

After using a set of drill bits to measure the gap between the flex plate and converter pads, I determined that the thinner shims provided by Circle D would net me right at the spec'ed .125" gap. I hot-glue the shims to a drill bit to hold it in place while I get the bolt started:

...Works like a champ!

 

[iamdub]

Comparing the Doug Thorley Tri-Y to the stock manifolds:

Wrapped the headers to protect them from scratches and slid them in to rest on the engine mounts while I continued on with the new OEM "LS7" lifters, new OEM lifter trays and Cometic .045" head gaskets:

 

[ivin74]

Looking good, looking forward for a cold start video. Lol

 

[iamdub]

Head work performed by Wall2Wall:

Marked each bolt hole with a "0" mark and 70° mark:

Then installed the heads, torquing the bolts to their initial value of 22 ft. lbs, following the specified sequence. I marked the bolt heads 90° counter clockwise from the "0" mark on the cylinder head, then tightened them all in proper sequence until those marks aligned, achieving the first torque-to-yield spec. The black on the valve stems is just ink from when I was checking the wipe pattern when measuring for pushrods:

Then turned them all, in sequence, 70° further to their final TTY spec then slid in those fat pushrods:

 

[iamdub]

Old, crushed steam port gasket:

New gasket found at Napa. I grabbed eight of these in case I find a four-port steam tube one day:

Heads on, steam port block-offs and tube installed, headers and front accessories installed:

Headers and Y-pipe underneath:

...And from the back:

 

[iamdub]

All the rest is just reassembly of stock components in the reverse of their removal, so no need for boring pics. All reassembly took place throughout that Saturday and the following Sunday.


On Sunday evening, around 1900, after priming the oil and fuel systems and filling it with two bottles of coolant system flush and hose water, I went for the first start:

It fired right up with no hesitation or stumble or lifter tick- all why I prime those systems first. I topped off the coolant and let it come up to temp while keeping an eye on all the vitals:

 

[iamdub]

After a short drive around the block to watch the vitals and test the trans, I stopped in at the local Community Center for another vid. Tropical Storm Cristobal was still visiting so we were getting intermittent bands of rain. Also, neighbor wasn't around to help me reinstall the hood:

...And that sexy idle vid I posted elsewhere earlier in the week:

 

[Sam Harris]

Beautiful sound!! Great work!

 

[iamdub]

Yesterday was tune day.

I had a tune scheduled for 1630. Tuner lives an hour away so I had to get that exhaust finished up cuz I'd have a headache driving it that far with the racket it makes.


Doug Thorley Y-pipe has the ball-and-socket connection, my Tahoe has the flared flange:

Used a grease pencil to mark the collector where I wanted to cut it, before the tapered-down part:

Cut off the ball-and-socket from the collector and the flange from the factory Y-pipe and beveled the edges of each since it was a butt weld:

Finished. Cleaned the welds and sprayed with high-temp primer and paint. I also sectioned out a couple inches between the flange and flex joint:

It's still much too loud for my liking, but at least it's now coming out the tailpipe instead of under the floorboard. I have an electric cutout on the way so I'll be chopping up the exhaust again. I may install a second flow-through muffler in series with the current one to quiet it down or maybe reinstall a factory muffler. With no cats, I'm sure a stock muffler would still have a meatier sound to it.

 

[Rocket Man]

Yours is idling at 500 with the stock tune? How about after?

 

[iamdub]

Took it on it's first actual drive an hour away to the tuner. Temp stayed at 210 and oil pressure did as expected. Even sat in traffic due to a disabled semi on the incline of the Mississippi River Bridge. I filled up with a fresh tank of Chevron 93 about 15 miles away from the tuner and checked the surge tank to see if it was still bubbling (still purging air, not leaking head gasket!).

On the long stretch of flat, straight highway near my house, I set the cruise at 70 and recorded my gauge readings, including the MPG:

Tuner doin his thang:

On the way home, on that same stretch of highway at same cruising speed:

...And at 80:

It's not the fresher fuel since it's always gotten around 18 on that stretch (that's always been my test circuit for this). I shot a text to the tuner to ask if there's anything he did that would explain this (something intentional like lean cruise?) or if there's just that much more power/efficiency at that RPM with the mods. It's his day off so I don't expect to hear back for a while. Either way, good numbers

 

[iamdub]

Yours is idling at 500 with the stock tune? How about after?

After I cleared the codes from the PCM (all eight coil codes and random misfire code from cranking with them disconnected during priming), the idle smoothed out a lot and I never got another SES light. It was idling around 550ish but intermittently fluctuating when I first got to the tuner. I think he set the idle to 575-600 and tweaked the idle timing to get as much lope as possible but without causing it to load up on fuel or surge and surely not stall. It drives so much better, almost like stock even with the converter. Before, it was a bit finicky, would not respond then surge so it had to be fixed some. It still sounds really good at idle through the muffler, but not nearly as good with the A/C on since the idle bump smooths it out some. I'll upload another vid or two when I get a chance to record some.

 

[pwtr02ss]

******* sweet! How’s the power feel compared to before?

 

[iamdub]

******* sweet! How’s the power feel compared to before?

It actually pulls now! I took a couple vids of WOT from a dig both with TC on and off and it screeched the tires in both. Granted, a lot of that is the torque management that was reduced by 75% or 80%. The tuner left a little in to give the trans a half-assed chance at living, at my concordance. I had the phone resting on the column just ahead of the wheel to record the gauges and I had to hold myself forward with the wheel the whole time. It was a slight ab workout. It used to be a slug until around 3,000 RPM then it was like "VTEC just kicked in, yo". Now it's a much more linear, yet increasing pull.

On the way home yesterday, I casually passed a younger couple in a 2019+ Hemi RAM. I wasn't trying to instigate anything, but my loud ass exhaust said otherwise. We rolled to a stop light and I saw him in my mirror checking out my Tahoe. He dropped his window a few inches to listen and was talking to the hottie in the passenger seat while pointing with a finger off the top of his steering wheel. I waited until he turned his head to talk to her then dropped mine into first and waited. We each had a few cars ahead of us in our respective lanes but I had a few less in front of me so I started moving first after the light went green. I got up to about 20 or so, still in first gear, and as soon as I had a decent gap to my right, I mashed it and went around the car I was following and quickly shifted back to D but stayed in the throttle. Of course, he had switched to my lane and was trying to stay on my ass but never gained on me. No, I didn't pick up the road and run away with it, but I slowly pulled on him. I don't believe I've ever outran anything decent in this heap, so that was a solid win. Felt good.

 

[pwtr02ss]

It actually pulls now! I took a couple vids of WOT from a dig both with TC on and off and it screeched the tires in both. Granted, a lot of that is the torque management that was reduced by 75% or 80%. The tuner left a little in to give the trans a half-assed chance at living, at my concordance. I had the phone resting on the column just ahead of the wheel to record the gauges and I had to hold myself forward with the wheel the whole time. It was a slight ab workout. It used to be a slug until around 3,000 RPM then it was like "VTEC just kicked in, yo". Now it's a much more linear, yet increasing pull.

On the way home yesterday, I casually passed a younger couple in a 2019+ Hemi RAM. I wasn't trying to instigate anything, but my loud ass exhaust said otherwise. We rolled to a stop light and I saw him in my mirror checking out my Tahoe. He dropped his window a few inches to listen and was talking to the hottie in the passenger seat while pointing with a finger off the top of his steering wheel. I waited until he turned his head to talk to her then dropped mine into first and waited. We each had a few cars ahead of us in our respective lanes but I had a few less in front of me so I started moving first after the light went green. I got up to about 20 or so, still in first gear, and as soon as I had a decent gap to my right, I mashed it and went around the car I was following and quickly shifted back to D but stayed in the throttle. Of course, he had switched to my lane and was trying to stay on my ass but never gained on me. No, I didn't pick up the road and run away with it, but I slowly pulled on him. I don't believe I've ever outran anything decent in this heap, so that was a solid win. Felt good.

That’s great to hear! I’m hoping to get this thing to feel a little closer to my Yukon. After getting out of it and in the avalanche, I feel like I’m driving my s10. So slooow.

question...what’s your thoughts on the cam I already bought in a 6.2? Will it do better or worse than in the 5.3? I haven’t fully committed to the 6.2, even though it’s a deal I’m struggling to pass up. I would like to keep the “stock” idle. I don’t know if cubic inches help or hinder that cam. I haven’t seen any videos with that one in a larger engine. 99% are 5.3

I’m pumped and happy for you that you got it back on the road. It sounds like a beast now

 

[Tonyrodz]

It actually pulls now! I took a couple vids of WOT from a dig both with TC on and off and it screeched the tires in both. Granted, a lot of that is the torque management that was reduced by 75% or 80%. The tuner left a little in to give the trans a half-assed chance at living, at my concordance. I had the phone resting on the column just ahead of the wheel to record the gauges and I had to hold myself forward with the wheel the whole time. It was a slight ab workout. It used to be a slug until around 3,000 RPM then it was like "VTEC just kicked in, yo". Now it's a much more linear, yet increasing pull.

On the way home yesterday, I casually passed a younger couple in a 2019+ Hemi RAM. I wasn't trying to instigate anything, but my loud ass exhaust said otherwise. We rolled to a stop light and I saw him in my mirror checking out my Tahoe. He dropped his window a few inches to listen and was talking to the hottie in the passenger seat while pointing with a finger off the top of his steering wheel. I waited until he turned his head to talk to her then dropped mine into first and waited. We each had a few cars ahead of us in our respective lanes but I had a few less in front of me so I started moving first after the light went green. I got up to about 20 or so, still in first gear, and as soon as I had a decent gap to my right, I mashed it and went around the car I was following and quickly shifted back to D but stayed in the throttle. Of course, he had switched to my lane and was trying to stay on my ass but never gained on me. No, I didn't pick up the road and run away with it, but I slowly pulled on him. I don't believe I've ever outran anything decent in this heap, so that was a solid win. Felt good.

Love to read/hear stories like this !!

 

[ivin74]

All the rest is just reassembly of stock components in the reverse of their removal, so no need for boring pics. All reassembly took place throughout that Saturday and the following Sunday.


On Sunday evening, around 1900, after priming the oil and fuel systems and filling it with two bottles of coolant system flush and hose water, I went for the first start:

It fired right up with no hesitation or stumble or lifter tick- all why I prime those systems first. I topped off the coolant and let it come up to temp while keeping an eye on all the vitals:

Sounds sick