shakenfake

Okay so, almost have the engine out just need to finish disconnecting the trans and the engine mounts and I think I am ready to pull her.

Anyone have any tips for the trans bolts? I have got the very top one off and 3 or 4 of the bottom ones, the ones that are giving me trouble are the one at the top driver side and the mid level ones on both sides. Just was a frustration battle, had work then went to the gym then came home and worked on the engine. Taking tomorrow off hopefully can pull this bastard out, dropping off my computer on Tuesday to get tuned. Really contemplating if I should buy the HPTuners and Tune or just get the tune, if I had got the new shift at my job I wouldn't even think twice but I haven't yet so

Damn I am tired lmao

shakenfake

I guess first engine swap ever is going pretty good though, I'll make sure to try and update as I go. I already know one thing that I messed up and that is the fact that some of the bolts I have taken off are unlabeled so I am going to hate my life putting stuff my back together.

shakenfake

Woke up this morning with a fresh mind and semi fresh body. Went outside and did the last four tranny bolts in 45 minutes! Had taken me hour and a half plus last night trying to get those off. Got the motor mounts off and finished taking off the ac compressor. I did break a heater core hose yesterday so now I have to find a fix for that as well as get the egr block off plate for the intake. Started raining and had to call it a day just as I was pulling the engine but I did have one problem. My transmission will not disconnect from the engine. Anyone have an idea to help? I don't think I should try and pry it off as that may ruin the surface. Is there a fourth torque converter bolt? Am I missing something?

RedXray

I'd replace all the heater (including the Y branch hose) and radiator hoses and those pesky plastic heater hose quick connects at the core. Take some time and clean the engine bay and shoot some cheap rattle can satin black on the frame rails. The VHT (satin) Roll Bar paint is a perfect match to the overpriced GM brand frame paint.

To make the bellhousing bolts reinstall much easier... using a jack holding the transmission drop the jack to lower the rear of the engine. Using a long 3/8 drive extension with wobble sockets (15mm and 13mm) to install those upper bolts and nuts. I like using a small piece of masking tape to help hold the bolt/nut into the socket. Then with the long extension fish the bolt/nut home. The toughest will be the fuel line bracket that mounts on the upper (driver side) bellhousing stud. You may have to climb into the engine bay to start that nut to hold the bracket.

Double check and make sure you've gotten all the converter bolts. The bellhousing can get stuck on the two locator dowels between the engine and transmission. They get gummed up through the years making it hard to separate. Shoot some penetrate around those dowels then carefully pry apart from one another. Don't go crazy if it will not move... you've missed a bellhousing bolt. If you missed a converter bolt it will still separate and try to pull the converter off still attached to the flywheel. If you pull with the converter still attached to the flywheel you may damage the transmissions pump.

shakenfake

There are 8 bellhousing bolts and 3 converter bolts correct? I did plan on cleaning the engine bay up a bit and spraying the frame as well. I am going to have to go through pulling the radiator hoses off again so I am going to wait until I swap radiators to do that, feel like that will be a little more efficient but it probably goes both ways I guess.

shakenfake

This is not engine related but I put the 01 Denali cluster in a few months ago and finally got around to solder in the transistor to get the airbag light to turn off. Just something I did today to stay busy. No pictures of my solder job but it was a pain in the ***, for some reason the solder wouldn't stick to the pads, I assume they were oxidized, so it took me about 30 minutes to solder in one leg of a transistor. About an hour and a half job.

IIGW

Not a pro tip, more of a hack, but ive done several clusters over the years, where I just remove the surface mount LED for the airbag, brake, or whatever you don’t want to light up again.

shakenfake

Yeah I did think of that if worst came to worst. I prefer to keep the functionality of the light though. Only OEM looks for me!

shakenfake

Finally got the engine running. Was starting to get rushed by my girlfriend as she was tired of waiting to hang out and started making silly mistakes like not tightening the start bolt and completely forgetting the battery ground

Alas I got everything on and the engine runs but I have a vacuum leak and an exhaust leak, I think I know where these are but I will inspect everything Thursday and see what can be done.

Also my tach does not work at all, it reads 0 any idea of what this could be? Another weird thing is that the auto headlights would not come on strangely enough.

wretched73

iTrader: (1)

Check your grounds, I've noticed most electrical gremlins on these trucks is from a bad ground.