What did you buy for your G body today? [2019]

[MrSony]

Don't they sell a "repair kit" or "problem solver" type deal for Buicks? A Band Aid for buying a new timing cover......

I bought a new cover. From TA. I measured the gears' protrusion from the gasket face to use the appropriate shim for .002 clearance. For example, they stick out .004, use a .006 gasket/shim. You measure it across the gear face with a straight edge and feeler gauges. One side measured .002 and the other measured over .010. I had to use a .005 shim for the gears to even turn all assembled. TA swears up and down they mahcine their chinese raw casting covers to "exact specs... But if you want to pay $450+ for a blueprinted one..." Something is ****y. Either the gears are malformed, the pocket was machined off, or somehow my steel booster/wear plate is warped. All I know is I spent $200 to have less oil pressure than before. I'm going to "surface" the old gears, pump cover and wear plate via sandpaper and either a chunk of flat steel or some plate glass on my counter and try and use a thinner shim.
Short story Long.
If that fails i have new gears and a spare wear plate.

 

[TURNA]

There is a reason the Buick V8 was the first to go!!

 

[MrSony]

There is a reason the Buick V8 was the first to go!!

Factory covers were fine. No one buys aftermarket covers Unless they have to or are naive. Always something wrong with them.

 

[pontiacgp]

I bought a new cover. From TA. I measured the gears' protrusion from the gasket face to use the appropriate shim for .002 clearance. For example, they stick out .004, use a .006 gasket/shim. You measure it across the gear face with a straight edge and feeler gauges. One side measured .002 and the other measured over .010. I had to use a .005 shim for the gears to even turn all assembled. TA swears up and down they mahcine their chinese raw casting covers to "exact specs... But if you want to pay $450+ for a blueprinted one..." Something is ****y. Either the gears are malformed, the pocket was machined off, or somehow my steel booster/wear plate is warped. All I know is I spent $200 to have less oil pressure than before. I'm going to "surface" the old gears, pump cover and wear plate via sandpaper and either a chunk of flat steel or some plate glass on my counter and try and use a thinner shim.
Short story Long.
If that fails i have new gears and a spare wear plate.

instead of buying parts and dicking around with it why not just use the new gears and a spare wear plate

 

[pontiacgp]

Factory covers were fine. No one buys aftermarket covers Unless they have to or are naive. Always something wrong with them.

it's the design of the buick engine with the oil pump hanging off the front cover of the block that sucks, not the original cover vs aftermarket

 

[MrSony]

it's the design of the buick engine with the oil pump hanging off the front cover of the block that sucks, not the original cover vs aftermarket

If not properly maintained and serviced, yeah. They aren't idiot proof like a sbc. Or I guess a sbo.

 

[Oldscarnut]

I bought the Olds V8 frame mounts and a new Flexplate for my project, which is to replace the Buick 3.8 with an Olds Ramrod 350. I had the engine ready to go in when I noticed the frame mounts and my engine mounts would not fit. Apparently when they speak of 5.7s for G Body, they mean SBC not Olds unless you see the "R". It boggles your mind when retrofitting an engine 12 years older than the car, which parts to buy, the 1980 El Camino stuff or the 1968 Olds stuff. The answer, BTW is yes to that. Many on here have helped me a lot to get the right stuff, Olds or Chevy, TH 350C, cross members etc. I can actually see the end now once the new parts arrive! One more engine hoist maneuver and it will be back to one piece with only a few thousand checks and double checks to hook up correctly! I wish Publisher's Clearinghouse would hurry up and get me my $5000 a week!

 

[Turbo Zach]

I bought a new cover. From TA. I measured the gears' protrusion from the gasket face to use the appropriate shim for .002 clearance. For example, they stick out .004, use a .006 gasket/shim. You measure it across the gear face with a straight edge and feeler gauges. One side measured .002 and the other measured over .010. I had to use a .005 shim for the gears to even turn all assembled. TA swears up and down they mahcine their chinese raw casting covers to "exact specs... But if you want to pay $450+ for a blueprinted one..." Something is ****y. Either the gears are malformed, the pocket was machined off, or somehow my steel booster/wear plate is warped. All I know is I spent $200 to have less oil pressure than before. I'm going to "surface" the old gears, pump cover and wear plate via sandpaper and either a chunk of flat steel or some plate glass on my counter and try and use a thinner shim.
Short story Long.
If that fails i have new gears and a spare wear plate.

First question should have been. What was your oil pressure after you freshend up the engine? What is it now?

 

[fleming442]

it's the design of the buick engine with the oil pump hanging off the front cover of the block that sucks, not the original cover vs aftermarket

Ummm, they use the same design on the Series 2 and LS.....

 

[Turbo Zach]

There is a reason the Buick V8 was the first to go!!

The front cover and basic engine is the same as a 3.8 Buick just two more cylinders. They used the 3.8 Buick up into the 90's and then they replaced it with the Series 1 and then 2 and 3. The Series 3800 engine is modeled after the original 3.8. But the oil pump plain sucks!