The Surgury Was a Success!
Hello ExPo!
I'm very pleased to report, after quite a long anxious wait, the old rig is alive once again.:wings: Here's some specs:
-Swapped the 53 block for a 14mm main industrial block
-Bored .020 over
-Cummins Marine big bowl pistons and marine 370 hp injectors
-ARP 425 Headstuds
-Aurora 3000 on an ATS manifold
-Rebuilt P-Pump, 16* timing advance, stock delivery valves
-new lift pump, new water pump, any rubber lines were replaced, new radiator, flushed intercooler, flushed heater core backwards (to get rid of anymore stop leak), and a few more odds and ends.
-4" Diamond Eye with a muffler (ordered from Summit with a Diamond Eye tip to bring back the sweet turndown that I love very much!)
We reused the rods, crank and cam from the old engine. They all polished up really well at the machine shop.
TRANS:
-Full rebuild kit with new bearings and syncros, updated main shaft, fixed fifth gear, new seals
-500 hp Southbend single plate
The transfer case also got a rebuild kit with a new chain and bearings, and new seals since it was leaking a gallon a month out the rear seal.
We capped it off with the famous "BHAF", affectionately known as the big honkin' air filter.
Here's some pics, then we'll get on with the "initial drive" report.
If you can believe it, we crammed that motor back in the truck with the harmonic balancer, valve covers and fuel lines all installed, in LESS THAN 40 minutes. Not bad for my first R&R, if I may say so... In fact everything went back together pretty drama free, and, curiously, we must have lined the hood up pretty well because it shuts much easier now than it used to.
Initial report: WOW. This thing doesn't behave like it's almost 20 years old anymore. That Aurora 3000 is just an insane turbo. I wish like heck I could just bury my foot in this truck and see what it can do, but I'm trying to resist so I can break it in properly. That said, in fourth gear at about 40 mph, if I put my foot down, it'll snap from 9 psi to 35 psi in about 1 second flat. I mean I didn't know it was possible to get this much mass moving THIS fast. Wow this will be fun.
Interestingly, it smokes very little. In fact I'd say it smokes less than it did when I took the engine out. The marine pistons have a nice deep bowl that permits a lot of air in the cylinder, in theory, creating a very clean burn. I like it! Every 12 valve I see smokes like a freight train, and they don't have to be turned up to do that...
I will say, however, that a 500 hp clutch will take some getting used to. Obviously, in order to hold that kind of power, it's going to be a very chattery clutch. I would say, at least until I get it properly broken in, that long gone are the days of starting in 2nd gear. Any remote form of clutch slip just tries to knock my molars out of my head.
So the big stinky flatbed lives to ride again! I think maybe it will be time for a dyno run after my awesome 1500 mile initial oil change and headstud re-torque. THEN I can put some real specs up
Take care folks!
Graham
