911rsq

It does kind of set you back a bit, but it should be an easy fix once you get those heads off. And from the looks of it, you won't have to pull much more than the heads and the intake to get it done. Good Luck. I LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUV to see cool projects get completed.....

86z/92rs

Well I finally widen the pushrod holes using ½ inch titanium drill bit. I drilled half way so you can see how much material was removed from pushrod hole. It was an easy procedure and I did it with the heads removed from the engine, plug up all holes and once completed drilling, I used my shop vac and then use my air hose to blow any materials away. Here is the picture of the head:

86z/92rs

The heads back on the car. Once the monsoon season ends here in San Diego, I will devote my time on the car if work permits and my wife does not nag me to take them (kids and their friends) to Big Bear to play in the snow.

911rsq

that looks really good. I wish my project was that far.........
congrats on gettin the pushrod prob fixed. did you ever take it up with the machine shop that did the work????

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Go play in the snow. Time with the family cannot be made up later. The car will wait.

vortec77

Hey 86z, Did you have the Machine shop cut the valve guides? I have vortec heads to and ive read before doing my project that if you have vortec heads and you are going with a cam that has lift larger than .450 you should have your valve guides cut for valve guide to seal clearance.

86z/92rs

The shop is rebuilding the old 305 heads for free, I supply the parts.

I took the family to Big Bear Mtn during the 3 day weekend (Presidents Day) I am in the Navy and know how it feels to be away from my wife and kids for 6 months. I really love the homecoming..

Yes they did do that. I told them I was using the LT-4 Hot Cam w/1.6 R/R. They replaced the guide seals and installed new springs to accomodate the high lift.

86z/92rs

Well since I am waiting for my adjustable pushrod tool to come, I went ahead and put the Edelbrock’s Vortec Air Gap manifold w/ 454 TBI. I closed the hood with TBI on minus the air cleaner bolt and nut. The hood closed with no problems at all. Will put play dough on top of the air cleaner and see how much room I have to play with and whether I have to shorten the air cleaner bolt. Here is a picture with air cleaner on the TBI.

86z/92rs

Here is a picture with the air cleaner off:

Aredross

That darn compressor seems to be the bane of most engines.
It just sits there and mocks you
"Hah you cant paint me and I wont shine no matter what freaking chemical you put on me!"

MaxxMitchell

iTrader: (4)

Discharging my system and repainting it black

Fire that baby up, looks like your close to getting it going.

Hopefully you get in some fun time before you leave

86z/92rs

An update, I installed the 305 TBI since the 454 TBI did not have the throttle shaft in place. This was required to mock up my (work in progress) Earl's braided steel fuel line, fuel regulator, and pressure gauge. I am now in the process of trying to find a combination bracket throttle/tranny/cruise control bracket that will work with the manifold as well. So far I had to do some fab work on the existing bracket on the ignition coil to fit the manifold. Use my trusty dremel tool to get the job done. NOTE, when I installed the air cleaner in the previous post, I forgot to put the metal ring which goes on of the TBI. I installed the open air cleaner without the air cleaner stud bolt attached and the hood still close but there is no room for the air cleaner stud. I will either have to go with a shorter air cleaner or get a cowl hood.

86z/92rs

Finally got my adjustable push rod and went to work to find the right geometry for the roller rockers. I set #1 cylinder at TDC and adjusted the pushrod then set the valve lash on #1 intake. I gave it ½ turn once valve lash was set. From the picture, (I high lighted the bottom of roller rocker and bottom top of screw in stud red for a better look) the rocker is close to the bottom of the screw in studs. Should I raise the rocker arm more? So far I took measurement of the adj, pushrod and it comes out to 7.500 inches. I am looking for some recommendation on this subject.

fireturd350

iTrader: (8)

Check out this article.

http://www.circletrack.com/techarticles/4635/index.html

Basically you need to look at where the tip contacts on the valve stem. If it's rolling off you're likely to get a bent valve, pushrods... etc.

86z/92rs

Thanks for the link.

vortec77

I know when i installed my 1.6 rollers rockers It came with installion instructions, on how to install it the manufacturers way and recommendations. Did Yours?

86z/92rs

I bought the 1.6 midlift roller rockers. It came with one but somehow lost the instruction. Thanks to fireturd350, I now know the correct size pushrod to get.

86z/92rs

Well with help of fireturd350, Vader and RB83L69, I am able to correctly set the valve lash on the engine. For those that are wondering which route I went to set the valve lash, I went with easiest route, 1 cylinder at a time. I rotated the engine, (easy to turn since the spark plugs and tranny have not been installed) and when the exhaust on that cylinder starts to rise, stop and set the intake, 0 lash then ½ turn. Rotate engine again until the intake starts to rise, stop and set the exhaust, 0 lash then ½ turn. I feel a lot comfortable doing it this way. I used an adjustable push rod to get the proper size I needed for my application. Size came to 7.500 that with Vortec heads, stock roller lifters with 1.6 R./R. I recommend the use of an adjustable pushrod if you plan to build/change lifter/ change cam or change the size of you rockers.

86z/92rs

Since funding is not available for a T56 tranny, I went ahead and installed a corvette servo, 2800 stall converter, and a tranny cooler. Will be using the stock radiator and looking for some advice as to whether I should plumb the tranny cooler with the stock radiator or run it straight to the tranny.

86z/92rs

Since the stock bracket that holds the tranny, cruise and throttle cable will not fit with the Edlebrock Vortec air gap manifold, I went and purchased and Edlebrock bracket specifically made for the Vortec manifold. The part number is EDL-8032 from Summit $26.00. The problem I have come to see so far with the replacement bracket is the cruise control housing and base plate bracket. The housing is to big so I cut the stock throttle housing and have it welded to the new bracket. (see pic 3). The base plate with current holes had the plate over the lip of the valve cover and unable to bolt correctly. (see pic 2) I used my trusty dremel and cut away enough material so the base plate would clear the valve cover. (see pic )

911rsq

I talked to my local race trans builder about this when I was going with an external trans cooler. He said to never run it back into the radiator if you can avoid it. He said it won't cool the fluid off any as it is often times just as hot as the trans fluid....Makes sense to me.....

fireturd350

iTrader: (8)

Well when I asked Dana, he told me the same thing. That the only reason you might want to run the fluid into the OEM cooler is if you drive in a cold climate. He said it would warm up the fluid as the thermostat opened and coolant flow'd through the rest of the radiator. But since I only drive the car in warmer temps I bypass'd the radiator also and just ran straight into the aftermarket cooler. Which makes it nice down the road if you ever have to swap out radiators because you can use one from a manual car that allows for more rows for antifreeze cooling.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

I've also been told not to mount it on the radiator itself, because heat will actually radiate from the engine radiator to the tranny cooler. However, when you're sitting in traffic, it'll get more flow mounted on the radiator than it would up on the grill.

In one setup, I solved that by putting one on the rad and another on the grill (no built-in radiator tranny cooler). No temp gage, but it stays pretty cool to the touch.

vortec77

What about oil coolers. Im debating if i should hook up oil cooler lines for the engine oil. Ive had a couple of 305's w/out oil coolers and they lasted a while.

911rsq

They rock....mine's got it from the factory...

JPrevost

Cool project and good work so far. Also, just cut up the stock hood underbracing to get more room for the air cleaner. That's what I had to do and I also didn't run the spacer ring.
JFYI, I have a similar setup, very similar except for the cam and a few other minor things. 2800 stall converter, yup, got that too.
As for the trans cooler. The best way to run it is into the aftermarket cooler and then into the stock radiator cooler. By doing this you've linked the 2 into a heat exchanger which will try and keep the temps similar. If you look at normal trans temps and engine temps you'll notice that they both are very close to each other. So when one is hotter than the other they'll help eachother out. Trust me on this.
The reason the oil cooler doesn't need to go into the radiator is because the oil is already in the motor with the coolant where they exchange heat (the engine is the heat exchanger). IF your heat exchangers are very close like they usually are in our cars then they are doing a less efficient heat exchange using air as the transfer... this will work FINE so don't let me scare you into doing it MY way . I just wanted to clear up the thinking about the systems and their integration.
Just so you know, I bet that carb is going to be bolted onto that motor sooner than you think. No way is a mail order chip going to get your engine running healthy. Too many variables with TBI EFI to trust some nobody that hasn't even had hands on experience with the vehicle. For $120 you can have your chip burning equipment... and if you feel that after trying some things out that you'd rather go car you can resell that equipment and get most of your money back. I just see mail order stuff for speed density setups FAR from stock as a complete waste of money, time, and effort. Good luck though and I hope it works out well for you.

91RedFirebird

That exhuast pipe right under the oil pan can't be good for oil temps. I was planning on a remote oil fliter and a small cooler. Well if I find a good place to put the filter anyway.

fireturd350

iTrader: (8)

Looked pretty nifty from what I saw. Makes me want to start back in on my swap.

86z/92rs

More photos to add, anyone know of a website where I can upload some photos?

fireturd350

iTrader: (8)

I think it's time for a website at www.cardomain.com

I have a website through their other site www.sounddomain.com currently have 140+ pictures and still adding without problems, plus it's free.

86z/92rs

Thanks for the website. Will post more as soon as I finish my fuel lines.
Finally finished installing the external afpr. First time installing a afpr, using AN fitting and braided lines. The hardest part of the installation was where to place the external regulator. I was informed that it had to be placed as close to the return line on the TBI as possible. Situating the regulator behind the TBI was my first choice but room/space was not available. Only possible place was in front of the TBI. Routed the return line on both the driver and passenger side and found that passenger side required less hose. Fabricated 3 clamp brackets w/rubber insulation to hold the fuel lines. Overall I think I did well except next time I will buy some AN wrenches. For those inquiring why I went with the afpr, if TBI set up is a no go then will go with a carburetor setup.

Sorry the picture would not display. Have reposted it further down.

86z/92rs

Sorry about the large image. Now time to work on connecting the starter/sensors and wire harness.

Spdfrk1990

Nice!

fireturd350

iTrader: (8)

Looks good! Is that 6 AN or 8 AN? I'm assuming the gauge is on the in line. Why did you place it before the AFPR instead of after or right next to it? Might be a little nicer with it right next to the unit when setting the pressure. What type of gauge is that? I was looking at the cheap Jeg's Liquid Filled ones. Did you use an additional fuel filter under the hood? I assume the hose cutting and assembly went pretty easy?

LOL, sorry about all the questions but I plan on doing mine in the next few months.

BTW you have reached your bandwidth for this month and it's only the 3rd!

86z/92rs

Will try to re-post pictures again. Fireturd350, those are 6 AN fittings with a Summit liquid filled fuel pressure gauge on the in line feed (part# sum-800130....$20.00) from what I have read, the fuel pressure gauge should be placed on the feed line. Tried to get the fuel regulator on the driver side but when routing the fuel line, it required more then it would on the passenger side and reading from the articles, when placing a AFPR you want it as close to the return line as possible. I still have about 3 1/2 feet of line left to play with if I need to redo the setup or if I have to go with a carb setup. No additional fuel filter and cutting the stainless steel braided line were easy. I just taped the area tight that needed to be cut and used my trusty dremel tool with a cutting wheel to cut the line. Used the air hose to blow any debris that might be in the line. Then used electric tape to covered the fittings since I did not have the AN wrenches. I still manage to scratch some of the fittings but that's what I get for not having the right tool.

86z/92rs

Here is an update on the engine, I installed the slp y-pipe and ran into a problem. The pipe is touching the passenger side sub frame connector. I tried loosing all four bolts that connects to the headers and maneuvering the y-pipe but no luck. Hopefully when the pipe is connected to the cat it will drop enough to give it some clearance. SLP headers are ceramic coated both inside/out and I painted the y-pipe w/ 1,200 degree ceramic paint. (Same paint used to paint the engine block.) Installed a drain plug for the tranny which which you can get at your local hardware store. Purchased some heat shield material from Ebay and made a shield for the starter, spark plug boot as well as all the wire harness located below the headers. Cost me $20.00 w/shipping for the material which was cheaper than buying them separately. Still need to make a shield for the O2 sensor harness. Upper part of the engine is coming along, mainly worked on the passenger side of the engine. Still need to get some replacement hoses but even with my underway period (Navy, anyone going underway with the USS Tarawa, I will be in her well deck aboard assualt craft 1630) overall a lot has been accomplished. Still have to get the following items wired; 454 TBI/heated O2 sensor. Install the following; electric exhaust cut out/ radiator/ Zexel posi/ 373 gears/ aftermarket lca/ rear relocation bracket/ aftermarket panhard bar/ stainless steel brake line hose.

86z/92rs

underside shot:

86z/92rs

Y-pipe touching the passenger side sub frame connector:

86z/92rs

shot of engine with most of the emission item installed minus egr valve:

86z/92rs

Harness with fabricated heat shield:

86z/92rs

Repost of AFPR 3 Pics

86z/92rs

Passenger side shot:

86z/92rs

rear shot:

86z/92rs

It’s been a while but wanted to report a small set back on getting the engine to run. Installed a tbi rebuilt kit and somehow broke the tbi pod while installing the injector. Will make a run to the local pick your parts and get another one. Working on the car has decreased since my last status report on the engine. With pre-deployment exercise and school, it’s been hard to work on the car. Currently on vacation so I am devoting much of the time getting the car running.

86z/92rs

The engine is finished. Would have started the car tonight but will wait until tomorrow, 4th of July to fire up the engine. Keeping my finger crossed and hope there are no gremlins in the engine bay. Also installed Eibach sport line rear springs UMI lca and pan hard bar (did not install the relocation bracket since I need to have that welded) Next project will be to install the posi with 3.73 gear

86z/92rs

Well started the engine on 4th of July and flames were coming out of the TBI. Thanks to 88IROC350TPI and thebigwelsh, I set the engine back tdc and removed the distributor cover and notice the rotor was facing towards the back of the engine. The engine started up. Sound good but the engine would not run long enough to idle so as to set the timing with timing gun. To all that have helped me to achieve my goal on my vortec 357 TBI THANK YOU. Still have a long way to go before I can get it tune/dialed in correctly but at least I the car started before going on deployment this July.

defpony

awesome, nice thread.

86z/92rs

I just returned from a 7 month deployment in Feb. Glad to be home. Here is some further update on the progress of the vortec 350. I started the engine using the 454 TBI w/85# injectors. The engine was dumping way to much fuel even with the pressure turned down. She would only run for less than a minute and die out. I started her couple of times with same result. R/R the 85# with 55# and r/r oil and oil filter. The engine continued to run unless I turned off the ignition which was a good sign. She ran at 2000 rpm for less than 3 minutes. The car sounded really good at 2G’s and since I had no provision to hook the tranny cable, I did not put the car in gear. Hopefully in 2 days I will have the proper TBI with correct throttle shaft hardware to reconnect the 3 cables. I videoed taped the start up and need to find a website I can use to download the video. Following still need s to be installed, Catco 3” cat, 3” electric cutout, and Zexel posi w 3.73 gears.