97 SS Rebuild thread

[TrybalRage]

Starting a thread so I can track and record my progress.

I bought my 97 SS back in 2007, the original owner was kind enough to save the original window stickers for me.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5344/17499488316_e1ed7eae36_z.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8797/17990411311_ec5d700f5c_c.jpg

When I bought the car it already had over 200K miles on it, I had grand plans of rebuilding it over time. Instead, life happened. New job, new state, apartment living for a few years and finally I am in a house again. Even here, it has sat for the past two years - I was doing a plug/wire replacement and tried to remove the exhaust to get better access, ended up snapping a stud on the exhaust flange... then discovering a broken bolt in the head.

I'm not about to remove/replace just the top end for a broken bolt, because I know my luck I'd just spin a bearing right after getting it back together. So it sat.

Finally, a new neighbor and I were standing around in the garage talking about the "plans" for the car and he just says "F it, lets pull it out right now". I already had the radiator and some stuff removed in preparation of this before losing steam. So I let myself be talked into it, lol. We pulled the motor out from the bottom with nothing but a regular floor jack, a 'mini' floor jack that needed a ramp to sit on to get enough elevation, and a couple of furniture dollies.

So here's how she currently sits.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8768/17499442316_491ecd687c_c.jpg

Think I need to talk to Strano? I think these might be original...

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5462/17338040888_03b9465e5c_c.jpg

Plans are for a short block refreshing/rebuilding using as much of the stock parts as possible... I'm not going to be racing it so I just want reliable. I am a red blooded American however, so top end I'm thinking a mild LE or AI setup to get close to 400 when done. Stainless long tubes are pretty affordable these days, so I'm leaning for TSP parts there.

I'm debating dropping the money on a tubular front end, K member and A-arms both, mainly for accessibility and a clean look, it's a hobby car so I don't mind saving a bit more to do it right. Rear suspension also use tubular parts and add some subframe connectors (this car is ridiculously stock).

Not sure on the rear yet - since I don't plan on racing or running extraordinarily sticky tires I'm wondering if just refreshing the stock 10 bolt with some 4:10 gears would be worth it. Other stuff will come up as I get to it as well.

Hopefully now that I can see this thread to remind myself to make progress I can get more done. Money's always a factor, only in the time it takes to put it together... home ownership sure does suck a lot of it up. It's either finally start doing this or I start trying to justify a 2016 model... and I could do this for a lot less. It's going to be slow going though.

[popo8]

Very nice start... let me just add this in there. Fastbird has a tubular kmember for sale right now. ALSO, L.E. is a sponsor and member here... so I suggest going with him. Plus, he is cool as shyt. Lol.

Finally... id upgrade from the 10bolt. I did recently see a member selling am 8.8 set up for an fbody here.... def better insurance from the 10bolt...which have broken under stock power...

[TrybalRage]

Yeah, I used to have a 9C1 Caprice years ago, chewed up the rear on me just pulling away from a stop sign on the way to work one day. Fairly sure that was a 10-bolt as well... been a while since I was involved with B-bodies. I suppose it can happen with anything, but sure ruined my morning.

[SSlowBoat]

Yeah, I used to have a 9C1 Caprice years ago, chewed up the rear on me just pulling away from a stop sign on the way to work one day. Fairly sure that was a 10-bolt as well... been a while since I was involved with B-bodies. I suppose it can happen with anything, but sure ruined my morning.
B bodies have a 10 bolt that can actually handle power. It's a 8.5" the 10 bolt. F bodies have a 7.5" 10 bolt, the pinion is so small it pushes the ring gear away and then kaboom.

LE is the man for top ends, even his LE1 561 castings flow great, and are a good price.

Best of luck on the build, looks like a nice car

[TrybalRage]

Well, in two years I've accomplished nothing with this car. Moved to a new state, picked up new hobbies, and finally decided to get the car into the garage so I can start tearing it down again. Had to put the front K member and engine back in so I could get it on a trailer for the 800 mile trip from GA to PA, so got that back out, engine off, on the stand, and started tearing it down.

Unfortunately found some bad stuff - when I went to drain the oil pan, almost a full gallon of water came out first... not sure where that came from! Was a running engine before the exhaust manifold bolts broke off... so... don't know if something froze last winter or what. Got it down to a short block now and nothing is jumping out at me as being 'wrong'. Will have to tear it down all the way and let a machine shop take a look at it.

https://i.imgur.com/ewiBX9x.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/vtH86zu.jpg?2

[TrybalRage]

Maybe it's time to resurrect this thread! I posted about the used motor I picked up for my transplant - idea is just to get rolling under it's own power in the short term - that I got for $250.

http://www.ltxtech.com/forums/showthread.php?31631-So-I-haven-t-sold-it-what-to-look-for-to-just-get-a-running-engine-in

So rather than continuing there, figured I'd move back to my project thread.

Last night rented the tools to pull the crank hub off the 97 motor, got the timing set and cam out. Cam looks good for the mileage, but there is a very very small nick that appears to line up with the oil hole in the front bearing. Hopefully it won't be an issue. Started tearing down the 93 motor, got the headers off, air injection system off, popped one of the valve covers and it seems pretty clean inside.

Drained the oil and it looks good as well. Dirty, but no evidence of metal or water. Pulled a couple of plugs to spot check them and they look good as well.

I'll try to get some pics up as I move forward.

Anyone want a super rusty set of edelbrock shorties? Theres a small hole near one of the collectors, but could possibly be ground out and welded shut. I'm not going to use them.

[J_D]

Please keep us updated. :)

[TrybalRage]

Got the cam out of the 97 motor, all swapped into the 93 motor.
https://i.imgur.com/nE4de0p.jpg?2

Tried to clean up the intake as best as I could, got it installed on new felpro gaskets and the timing set installed.
https://i.imgur.com/6oosTuA.jpg?1

Got a box and a pile of old parts growing off to the side. Going through my bins of 97 parts trying to pick out what I'm going to need/reuse here.
https://i.imgur.com/d0SktpS.jpg?2

Theres a bunch of things I'm going to have to get new - both the water pumps are in terrible condition. The tensioner pulleys on both are rusted and squeak when I spin them by hand. 97 knock sensor looks pretty gross, so probably won't re-use.

[TrybalRage]

Reached a point where the motor's just about all together, got a new water pump, sensors swapped, wiring mostly done.

My old exhaust manifolds have snapped off flange studs, the headers that came with the new motor have significant rust, and I'm not sure what to do next. I was planning on taking the manifolds to have new studs installed... but at the cost and while I have the motor out of the car I'm debating throwing some stainless headers on there. Of course this would require exhaust, tune, blah blah. So I'm a bit frozen by indecision. Since I'm in PA emissions is a concern.

[Cathead]

I might have some stainless BBK shorties, with A.I.R. tubes for emissions equipment. If you're interested, I'll check in my shed this weekend.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[SSlowBoat]

Reached a point where the motor's just about all together, got a new water pump, sensors swapped, wiring mostly done.

My old exhaust manifolds have snapped off flange studs, the headers that came with the new motor have significant rust, and I'm not sure what to do next. I was planning on taking the manifolds to have new studs installed... but at the cost and while I have the motor out of the car I'm debating throwing some stainless headers on there. Of course this would require exhaust, tune, blah blah. So I'm a bit frozen by indecision. Since I'm in PA emissions is a concern.

youre in pa, thats very easy to get around. as long as when it plugs in it doesnt have a light youll be fine, or if you drive "less" than 5k miles a year

[TrybalRage]

Slowly making progress.

Had the broken studs on the exhaust manifolds replaced at a local exhaust shop. Emissions stuff, wiring harness mostly on. Pulled the K-member out tonight and got the motor bolted down to the motor mounts hand-tight. So many little things to hook back up... brakes, wiring to the chassis, then radiator, etc etc. Still have old unlabeled bags of bolts and stuff and no idea where they go :\

There may still be 5 year old fuel in the tank, haven't tried to pump it out yet. Need to get a new pilot bearing and then can assemble the clutch components and get the transmission attached before I roll the whole works back under the car.

[TrybalRage]

Current situation:
https://i.imgur.com/17KVGGH.jpg?2

Unfortunately though, since I'm assembling from boxes of parts, I have a couple of brackets that I cannot yet identify where they are supposed to be.

I think this might be transmission related:
https://i.imgur.com/E4dNBRM.jpg?1

And I seem to recall this supporting the wiring harness or something?
https://i.imgur.com/8X2NjST.jpg?1

[Cathead]

The bracket in the top picture goes from the block to the back of the A/C compressor

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[TrybalRage]

The bracket in the top picture goes from the block to the back of the A/C compressor

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

OK, thanks! I didn't disassemble the supports on the new motor which is probably why I didn't find a need for this one.

[TrybalRage]

Got the clutch installed and transmission mated to the block last night... no installation tool handy so just time, time, more time, and some wiggling to get it all bolted together. Since I'm on a budget (and just trying to get rolling) re-used my old flywheel and pressure plate. They had some surface rust on them from sitting, but hand-sanded lightly with some 100grit and then shot with some brake cleaner and they looked pretty damn good. Going to do a fluid change on the trans before I roll it under the car.

[TrybalRage]

Productive weekend with an extra set of hands to help.

Got the motor and trans installed. Playing a fun game of 'find the bolt' to put everything together.

Now that I've got it in, unfortunately, I'm re-thinking a lot of the cooling system stuff. My old setup had a ton of dexcool mud in it, so my old radiator, heater core, overflow tank, etc are all 'compromised'. Don't really feel like polluting the whole system again, so ordered a new radiator from rock auto. Wish I had thought of this before putting the motor in since now my heater hoses are pretty much blocked off, so for now just going to run a bypass hose on the water pump to exclude the heater until later. Tried to pull the tube out of the overflow tank and broke it :shiner: so now trying to figure out what to do with that. Replacement tanks are cheap enough, but none of them seem to come with the metal tube.. so maybe just a generic aftermarket tank is in my future.

My antilock brake unit has (had) a sensor plug on top of it that has been snapped off, don't know when that happened. I know I was having some brake issues before I parked it - random antilock kicking in, that sort of thing. Maybe just delete the whole setup and go with a basic brake system.

Now that it's getting so close I'm getting nervous. Putting an un-tested facebook marketplace engine in here with all this work... a dozen sensors that haven't been used in 5 years... if it fires I half expect a christmas tree of lights on the dash.

[TrybalRage]

New radiator + hoses in.
https://i.imgur.com/Z0KVUgL.jpg?1

Getting close, hoping to try and get her to fire this weekend.
https://i.imgur.com/wccqKM6.jpg?1

The gantry crane I built two years ago might be the most useful thing in my garage.
https://i.imgur.com/FwQFEF9.jpg?1

[TrybalRage]

Getting close to trying to fire... hoses done, ghetto heater core bypass in, driveshaft installed, new fuel filter installed. Hooked the battery up temporarily to try and pump some of the old fuel out of the tank while the filter was out, discovered 2 unfortunate things...

1. The tank is 3/4 full of 5 year old gas. I'd burn the pump out trying to get it all.
2. The security light never turned off, and I was reminded that near the end of it's last time running, I was starting to get intermittent issues with VATS.

So I pumped out maybe 2 quarts of old gas. Not sure how much more I should try and get. Doesn't phase separated gas have all the bad stuff at the bottom?

Unfortunately since radio shack isn't a thing anymore, I had to order some resistors from amazon. I say 'some' because the cost of what I needed ($6) vs a 1200 count kit ($12) just didn't make sense for me. So now I'll be stocked up on resistors for life, I guess. They should be here tomorrow, so once that's done... I guess crank it and see what happens.

[TrybalRage]

ITS ALIVE!!!

Damn that feels good.

Wrapped up a few things last night. As I mentioned, 5 year old gas, so I jumped the primer connection to get about a gallon or so of the old stuff out - didn't have other extra fuel containers. I added a bottle of iso-heet, usually I think this kind of stuff is snake oil but it came up many times in online discussion about old fuel, and it was only $3. I also added about 5 gallons of fresh 93 octane to dilute the old stuff a little. Hooked the fuel lines back up and primed some more to get gas up to the injectors.

Made a nice little soldered rig with a resistor to bypass VATS - it didn't work at first for some reason so I yanked it off and added it again just twisting the ends of the wire together, and finally the security light went out.

Cranked it for a few seconds and it FIRED! Woooo!

Unfortunately there was also a clanging/clunking sound that at first had my heart sinking... thought I just went through all this trouble to install an unknown motor with bad bearings or something. But after a little investigation just found the sheet metal shield at the starter/flywheel was bent slightly around the starter opening and was making contact with the teeth on the flywheel. Pulled it out and hammered it flat, put it back in and no noise. Yay!

The night unfortunately ended on a sour note. I got one of those lisle no-spill radiator fill funnels, never used one before. Filled the system with the bleeders open before starting it, but had coolant in the funnel to continue to fill the system once the thermostat opened. My temp gauge, however, does not work anymore, so I had no idea how hot things were getting. All of a sudden, the level began to rise... and rise... and rise... I expected it to drop at some point when the stat opened but it never did! Then I made the fatal mistake of... shutting the motor down. In retrospect, I KNOW BETTER. Non-circulating coolant will boil over. I know this. But it's all I could think of in the moment.
Holy shit what a mess. All over the motor, all over my garage, all over my tools. Probably lost a gallon all over the place. Hopefully I didn't just toast my opti. Looked like a volcano gushing out of there. What a mess.

So I need to fix the temp sensor. Properly fill the system, start taking care of other things. Check engine light is on, so I'll need to pull codes. But it RUNS! And sounds pretty smooth too. So stoked.