BUILD THREAD Project Olds Cool (Recognition!!)

[Z48LT1]

Donovan, thanks for your typically detailed explanation for the beast under the hood in response to my "simple" question. Have you run it yet? Was it in the car when you went to Starbuck's, no, wait, Dunkin' Donuts, no, wait, what's the coffee place you Canucks like, many pages ago. Now, of course, you're gunna grenade both your transmission and rear end the first time you put your boot in it (which will go first?). Or do you have surprises in those categories there, too? I'm not worried, I'm sure your meticulous planning and execution will reveal itself with optimized solutions down the road. Well done, my friend!

BTW, If "Canuck" is considered pejorative when used by others, lemme know and I'll edit this right away. I don't get out much.

BTW2, I recently read an article about the benefits of Vortec heads and the valve lift limitations and solutions that spoke of the cutting tool you mentioned. I'll try to find it and post a link for others.

Best - Gary

PS Found it - Here's the article on modifying the stock Vortec heads for additional valve lift, as well as other tech info: http://www.powerperformancenews.com...head-upgrade-easy-money-saving-benchtop-mods/. While refinding this article, I noticed there were many other articles by authoritative sources on these heads. Do your research, guys.

 

[Wraith]

Love the attention to detail on the engine, feeds my OCD and I'm sure, yours too.

 

[pagrunt]

When you put on the rockers did you have any issues with the socket getting stuck in the rocker body? I'm using the 1.52 ones & have the socket catching/get stuck in the body. Got any tips or tricks beside grinding a socket to clear.
Love how the engine came out.

 

[Rktpwrd]

glad you took a break from it for awhile, Donovan, I too know how constant work on the car and seeing a finish line, just to have another major hurdle thrown in your path, can have an effect on your energy and mental health. The Chief has driven me to that point and beyond (I actually had posted it on CL just before finding all the rust holes under the vynil), and has caused 2+year hold on the Regal. Now that your batteries are fresh, the excellent work has resumed, and the patch looks perfect (as always!).

nice write up so far on the secret under the hood! I've seen those cover adapters before, and had thought about getting a set, but never pulled the trigger.... maybe a future purchase for the Regal's 327 (have the same 062 heads), will have to see...

looking forward to more progress!

Thanks for relating your similar experiences Darin. It’s kinda funny how many of us have been down this same road.

Thanks for the compliment on the write up. They definitely take some time to compile and relay in some sort of manner that makes sense. Look for the next one real soon!

Great score on the engine, D..That's a deal too hard to resist.
It's a good feeling when you find something that is what the seller claims it to be.
Good choice on the cam, too. I like the Comp Cams roller rockers. I've had a set in my engine since Comp Cams first came out with them. Yeah, I know...I'm dating myself again.
I also like that you kept the engine stock/ corporate in appearance. Stealth mode.

I'm glad you got your fiery enthusiasm back to the ole' Donovan we got to know and respect.
Be well my friend.

People like you make this forum interesting and the great forum that it is.
Keep on truckin'.

Jack,
As always, you’re too kind with your words of encouragement and accolades sir!
Thank you! It feels good to be back in the swing of things again.

As for the cam and rocker arm selection, I think I would’ve like to go a bit bigger on the cam, but that’s a fairly easy upgrade if I see fit in the future. For now, the ‘ol girl has plenty of kick, it DEFINITELY increases the grin factor. More smiles per mile!
Lol
I too have been running those Comp rockers for quite some time. I have a set in the 455 in The Juggernaut, and they’ve been tried, tested and proven under my punishing right foot.
Before the Juggernaut hits the streets again for its debut, I’ll likely upgrade them to a set of Harland Sharp full roller trunnion ones. But for an economical priced rocker arm upgrade, they’re tough to beat IMO.

Donovan, thanks for your typically detailed explanation for the beast under the hood in response to my "simple" question. Have you run it yet? Was it in the car when you went to Starbuck's, no, wait, Dunkin' Donuts, no, wait, what's the coffee place you Canucks like, many pages ago. Now, of course, you're gunna grenade both your transmission and rear end the first time you put your boot in it (which will go first?). Or do you have surprises in those categories there, too? I'm not worried, I'm sure your meticulous planning and execution will reveal itself with optimized solutions down the road. Well done, my friend!

BTW, If "Canuck" is considered pejorative when used by others, lemme know and I'll edit this right away. I don't get out much.

BTW2, I recently read an article about the benefits of Vortec heads and the valve lift limitations and solutions that spoke of the cutting tool you mentioned. I'll try to find it and post a link for others.

Best - Gary

PS Found it - Here's the article on modifying the stock Vortec heads for additional valve lift, as well as other tech info: http://www.powerperformancenews.com...head-upgrade-easy-money-saving-benchtop-mods/. While refinding this article, I noticed there were many other articles by authoritative sources on these heads. Do your research, guys.

Gary,
That’s an excellent article, and is nearly identical to what I did to my heads. Thanks for posting that! I may in the future upgrade my springs to the beehive style, but for now I’m using the 981 ones as listed in the article. If I do the beehive spring upgrade, it’ll likely be in conjunction with a cam swap, possibly even to a hydraulic roller... But hell, I’ll just settle for getting the car painted by springtime for now!

You are correct, I probably went into a little more detail than you were expecting, but that seems to be my trademark so to speak. After all, there is a lot of information that I wanted to relate. Simple questions don’t always have simple answers...

As for your remaining questions about the rest of the drivetrain, stay tuned for the next few updates. I can only type and post pics for so long before my fingers fall off!

The answers you seek will be addressed, have no fear...

Also, no offence taken to the term “Canuck”. It’s been bandied around for long enough that we rarely even take notice anymore. I know it wasn’t implied with any ill intent, so carry on sir!

Love the attention to detail on the engine, feeds my OCD and I'm sure, yours too.

Thank you, most definitely.
I love working on those parts of the build that a little attention to detail can really make something stand out. I’ll play for hours with routing plug wires just so, or orienting things like the PCV valve and hose so it looks just right. Heater hoses are another for me. That’s MY OCD running rampant, and when it comes to things like that, I just let it eat!

When you put on the rockers did you have any issues with the socket getting stuck in the rocker body? I'm using the 1.52 ones & have the socket catching/get stuck in the body. Got any tips or tricks beside grinding a socket to clear.
Love how the engine came out.

Thank you sir, appreciate it!
If I think back on it, I recall it was definitely tight getting a socket in there. I’ve never gotten one stuck yet, but I can certainly see how you might.

My preferred socket set in the garage are mainly all thin wall ones. This is probably why I didn’t have an issue. I also like to use a deep socket on those, it just spaces the ratchet head further away from the rocker. Less chance of it binding up and possibly scoring up the top of the rocker.

If you’ve got a selection of sockets to choose from, maybe just experiment until you find one that fits well. If not, I’d say you’re back to grinding one, or worse yet, buying a thinner walled one.
Sorry, I wish I could be of more help for ya.

 

[SoFloG]

Glad to see the guts inside the art. I swore the whole time it was a stock 305. Shoulda known better when I saw those triple humps when you posted the air cleaner pics. F'n bad *ss

 

[SoFloG]

Glad to see the guts inside the art. I swore the whole time it was a stock 305. Shoulda known better when I saw those triple humps when you posted the air cleaner pics. F'n bad *ss

 

[Canon_Mutant]

Love your flush mount side lights. Just curious . . . how do you seal that edge to keep it from re-rusting? Obviously, the overlap seal didn't help from the factory but is there a coating you can put on that edge and sealer in behind that will protect over time?

Love all the cool little clamps you have to hold all this together. I've never seen this done at this level of detail . . . even with all the rebuild shows that are on TV now days. Perhaps you already have one but I would think you could land a lucrative job on any of them BTW. Though some of them are ridiculous, on the good shows, I haven't seen any better work on any of them . . . FWIW!

 

[Martin S.]

What kind of awesome work !!!!!! Really really nice progress. I´m really excited to the result.

BR
Martin

 

[olds307 and 403]

Thanks for relating your similar experiences Darin. It’s kinda funny how many of us have been down this same road.

Thanks for the compliment on the write up. They definitely take some time to compile and relay in some sort of manner that makes sense. Look for the next one real soon!



Jack,
As always, you’re too kind with your words of encouragement and accolades sir!
Thank you! It feels good to be back in the swing of things again.

As for the cam and rocker arm selection, I think I would’ve like to go a bit bigger on the cam, but that’s a fairly easy upgrade if I see fit in the future. For now, the ‘ol girl has plenty of kick, it DEFINITELY increases the grin factor. More smiles per mile!
Lol
I too have been running those Comp rockers for quite some time. I have a set in the 455 in The Juggernaut, and they’ve been tried, tested and proven under my punishing right foot.
Before the Juggernaut hits the streets again for its debut, I’ll likely upgrade them to a set of Harland Sharp full roller trunnion ones. But for an economical priced rocker arm upgrade, they’re tough to beat IMO.



Gary,
That’s an excellent article, and is nearly identical to what I did to my heads. Thanks for posting that! I may in the future upgrade my springs to the beehive style, but for now I’m using the 981 ones as listed in the article. If I do the beehive spring upgrade, it’ll likely be in conjunction with a cam swap, possibly even to a hydraulic roller... But hell, I’ll just settle for getting the car painted by springtime for now!

You are correct, I probably went into a little more detail than you were expecting, but that seems to be my trademark so to speak. After all, there is a lot of information that I wanted to relate. Simple questions don’t always have simple answers...

As for your remaining questions about the rest of the drivetrain, stay tuned for the next few updates. I can only type and post pics for so long before my fingers fall off!

The answers you seek will be addressed, have no fear...

Also, no offence taken to the term “Canuck”. It’s been bandied around for long enough that we rarely even take notice anymore. I know it wasn’t implied with any ill intent, so carry on sir!



Thank you, most definitely.
I love working on those parts of the build that a little attention to detail can really make something stand out. I’ll play for hours with routing plug wires just so, or orienting things like the PCV valve and hose so it looks just right. Heater hoses are another for me. That’s MY OCD running rampant, and when it comes to things like that, I just let it eat!




Thank you sir, appreciate it!
If I think back on it, I recall it was definitely tight getting a socket in there. I’ve never gotten one stuck yet, but I can certainly see how you might.

My preferred socket set in the garage are mainly all thin wall ones. This is probably why I didn’t have an issue. I also like to use a deep socket on those, it just spaces the ratchet head further away from the rocker. Less chance of it binding up and possibly scoring up the top of the rocker.

If you’ve got a selection of sockets to choose from, maybe just experiment until you find one that fits well. If not, I’d say you’re back to grinding one, or worse yet, buying a thinner walled one.
Sorry, I wish I could be of more help for ya.

I can tell you those Comp roller tips are loud under aluminum valve covers. My aluminum covers, which are Edelbrock M/T copy for the Olds V8 are seeping despite the Permadry rigid cover rubber gaskets. The 1.72 Scorpion true roller rockers were whisper quiet in comparison.

 

[Canon_Mutant]

Love your flush mount side lights. Just curious . . . how do you seal that edge to keep it from re-rusting? Obviously, the overlap seal didn't help from the factory but is there a coating you can put on that edge and sealer in behind that will protect over time?

Love all the cool little clamps you have to hold all this together. I've never seen this done at this level of detail . . . even with all the rebuild shows that are on TV now days. Perhaps you already have one but I would think you could land a lucrative job on any of them BTW. Though some of them are ridiculous, on the good shows, I haven't seen any better work on any of them . . . FWIW!