6.1 Swap

[rebelyell]

Started the oil pan install last night. I have the timing chain cover off and I'm going to replace the rear main seal/cap.

Ran into a few things I'm hoping you guys can clear my conscience on. Holley says to simply swap the #1 main cap stud with the #3 main cap bolt. Surely you have to loosen both main bolts, right? Looking at the FSM, the torque procedure is to remove the main crossbolts, torque the mains, then torque the crossbolts. The Holley instructions say nothing of the sort. Additionally, the torque procedure for the main cap bolts is #3, #4, #2, #5, #1. If I'm only loosening the main bolts on #1 and #3, do I still try and re-torque the rest of them? And what about the cross bolts? Am I supposed to loosen the cross bolts on #1 and #3, then torque the mains, then reinstall the cross bolts?

I pulled the 4 main bolts on the two caps and didn't touch the cross bolts. Do I need to go back and follow the entire FSM procedure or can I torque the new bolts in place and call it good?

What do I do?


And one final question. Which dipstick are yall using for a 6.1, tti headers, and a holley oil pan? I'm thinking about snagging one from a 5.7 truck, but I don't know how it clears TTI headers.

[anlauto]

I just switched the two bolts and re-torqued them 

This dipstick works great
(1)   5037757AA     - DIP STICK
(1)   5037683AB     - DIP STICK TUBE

[rebelyell]

If that's what you did, that's good enough for me. 

[rebelyell]

Can anyone confirm/deny that the lower dipstick bolt is an M6? I tried a bolt and a tap, but neither would work and I wasn't going to force it if it was a different thread.

Small update: The motor is painted and nearly ready to go. Need to get the DIY Hemi valve cover hardware installed and finish up the damper install. Not going to install the AC yet, but the power steering pulley delete is looking challenging.

I may end up going ahead and buying everything for the power steering kit. Not really wanting to do all that yet, but I might be backed into a corner unless I can fab a custom power steering idler pulley bracket.

[anlauto]

You're deleting power steering ?
Do you need one of these, I have three of them sitting on the shelf

[rebelyell]

For the time being, yes. I've got plans to add a Borgeson box with manual steering column coupler and use the stock PS pump with pressure reducer.

Don't those brackets only work for VVT engines? I think I'd have to cut out 1/2inch somewhere because mine is pre 2009 and non-VVT.

[anlauto]

That I don't know, sorry ...

[rebelyell]

All good. Thanks!

[rebelyell]

I ended up buying the power steering conversion kit from Bergman. I was going to do it anyway and it's way easier to install with the engine out of the way.

[rebelyell]

Now that the old motor is out, I'm really looking into the engine bay. It was painted black probably around the same time the rest of the car was painted orange...covering up the original plum crazy. I'm not restoring this car. I just want to get the engine in and running, but I can't put that shiny engine in this engine bay. I need suggestions.

Do I repaint the engine bay black? Should I try and match the single stage orange on the outside? I'm worried about the orange of the engine bay and the orange of the block being off and looking bad. If I repaint black, I can use the existing tape lines. The entire underside of the car is black too. It's got some sort of undercoat on it.

What do you guys think?

[soundcontrol]

Now that the old motor is out, I'm really looking into the engine bay. It was painted black probably around the same time the rest of the car was painted orange...covering up the original plum crazy. I'm not restoring this car. I just want to get the engine in and running, but I can't put that shiny engine in this engine bay. I need suggestions.

Do I repaint the engine bay black? Should I try and match the single stage orange on the outside? I'm worried about the orange of the engine bay and the orange of the block being off and looking bad. If I repaint black, I can use the existing tape lines. The entire underside of the car is black too. It's got some sort of undercoat on it.

What do you guys think?

My vote is to match the orange.

How did you get the engine so clean. Did you take all apart and blast it? Look like new!

[rebelyell]

My vote is to match the orange.

How did you get the engine so clean. Did you take all apart and blast it? Look like new!

Thanks!

I wire wheeled the entire block and repainted with VHT Hemi Orange engine paint. Degreased, degreased, degreased, and cleaned and scrubbed every accessory with the heads then painted with seymour paints Alum-Blast.

I think it's going to be a chore to match the orange and also figure out where to stop on the underside with the orange. Those are my hangups. Black seems easy and might make the engine stand out better? I want it orange, but I think it presents more challenges than I'm willing to face. Now that I'm thinking it through, I might be answering my own question. If I'm going to get absolutely trounced for painting it black it might sway me in the other direction. 

[anlauto]

OH...you must be a Chevy guy 

[rebelyell]

 

I had an El Camino in high school.


But really though, I'm concerned that painting the engine bay the same shade of orange as the outside is going to be very difficult to match and it might look off with the orange block. That's really what I'm worried about. I know that's what it needs, but I might save that for an eventual restoration.

[Dmod1974]

You'll hardly see the block when dressed and installed; and I highly doubt anybody is going to notice.  My car is Go Mango w/ a Hellcat engine, and you can barely see it with all of the accessories and headers bolted on.  Also, the engine bay doesn't need to match the exterior perfectly, and unless you clear coat it too, it never will.  My car got the full treatment, but most do not and it's no big deal.