78 Grand Prix project

[G-Body_Vet]

Try to find a reprint of HO's wonderful High Performance Engine Building and Blueprint Assembly. Although dated, it is the Pontiac Bible.

Cheapest one I found was on Amazon for $49. That's a used soft cover too.

 

[67rstbkt]

It would definitely give you that extra .002-.003" of clearance you may need. I always find it funny when people come out of the wood works to "one-up" each other in those kinds of threads on PY.

I'm going to wait until I can get an accurate measurement before I decide. You really need the right tools when it's down to a thousandth or two. I like the Cometics, but everything I've been reading tells me that they are overkill. Plus, although my block has been decked and the heads are being surfaced , I'm concerned with how "perfect" the mating surfaces need to be. My block has some stuff around the water holes that did not come out. It's minor, but I'm not sure if it's worth risking it with Cometics.

I'm learning a bunch about this, which is good. At least I know all my options now. Hopefully, you won't have to deal with the issue, and if you do, you know all the options now too

 

[G-Body_Vet]

It would definitely give you that extra .002-.003" of clearance you may need. I always find it funny when people come out of the wood works to "one-up" each other in those kinds of threads on PY.

I'm going to wait until I can get an accurate measurement before I decide. You really need the right tools when it's down to a thousandth or two. I like the Cometics, but everything I've been reading tells me that they are overkill. Plus, although my block has been decked and the heads are being surfaced , I'm concerned with how "perfect" the mating surfaces need to be. My block has some stuff around the water holes that did not come out. It's minor, but I'm not sure if it's worth risking it with Cometics.

I'm learning a bunch about this, which is good. At least I know all my options now. Hopefully, you won't have to deal with the issue, and if you do, you know all the options now too

Yeah that's pretty crazy about the surface prep for Cometics. Hopefully my set-up gets built fairly pain-free.

 

[67rstbkt]

Yeah that's pretty crazy about the surface prep for Cometics. Hopefully my set-up gets built fairly pain-free.

Hopefully..... 😀

 

[G-Body_Vet]

I got a sneak peek at my heads today when I dropped off the valves. There's still a little casting flash to be removed and the pushrod holes need to be enlarged, but otherwise everything looks good so far.

 

[youngdeezy]

oh man, i know you had to feel good seeing your heads like that. you have a solid build going on....me likes 🙂

 

[G-Body_Vet]

oh man, i know you had to feel good seeing your heads like that. you have a solid build going on....me likes 🙂

Thanks, hopefully it all comes out right in the end. For the past 20 years that I've been driving, this is actually the first complete engine rebuild that I've done. I've always just swapped used engines into cars because I was always doing things as cheap as possible. That's what happens when marriage, divorce & child support hits you in the pocket .

And speaking of cheap, I just picked up a 200-4R from an '85 SS for $40! A guy was cleaning out his garage and practically giving stuff away. He has a few TH400's too for $80ea, but I already have one in the garage. The way gas is going I really want that OD trans. Even if I have to go through the trans it's well worth the $40 I paid for it.

 

[pontiacgp]

G_Body_Vet....if you have a 200 r4 from an 85 SS it should have a pink tag on it that says 5CQ and it's a transmission that people are looking for..that is an awesome score...I sold one for $400

 

[G-Body_Vet]

G_Body_Vet....if you have a 200 r4 from an 85 SS it should have a pink tag on it that says 5CQ and it's a transmission that people are looking for..that is an awesome score...I sold one for $400

This one is actually a 5CR. I think it's from something with an LG4 305 instead of an SS. There's some non-factory scribe marks on it from '01 and the case was painted gray....possibly a replacement trans in '01????

For 40 bucks what the hell right?

 

[pontiacgp]

for 40 bucks it's more than a bargain