Chevythunder-2010 Project Iron Horse LS6
This page is only as an guide and not a specific means of fabrication and installation, use the information at your own risk, as the author is not responsible for any damages from use of such information or lack of information here within.
Getting the prep work done is about half the battle, with the engine on the stand (instead of a cradle as shown above), pulled the crankshaft out and set aside. I decided to do some very important things in prepping the block, with some do-it-yourself steps that will help in the engine longevity.
When you are pulling all the covers, pans and what not off the engine, put each group of bolts from each item in a bag and mark it as where the bolts go. This will save you countless time later when you get ready to reassemble your engine.
I call this BAG and TAG!
When you get ready, and during the time your block is in the machine shop take the time to clean the bolts thoroughly. Find any bolts with severely damaged threads that can not be dressed with a thread file, toss them and get new ones from GM.
Clean bolts are not only aesthetically pleasing, but clean threads will guarantee proper torque clamping loads as well.
The one set of bolts you will not save will be the cylinder head bolts, these are ONE TIME USE only! You may want to consider replacing the main cap bolts and rod bolts with high performance items such as those from ARP. This is highly recommended for ANY performance build. More on that in the next page.
WARNING!!!!!
It bears repeating over and over. WEAR your safety glasses with any cleaning, grinding or cutting operation! Period! No IFS, ANDS, BUTS or MAYBES!
All it takes is for one (or more) of these little buggers from a wire wheel (or from a work piece) to find its way into your eye and possibly permanently handicapping you for life! Plus since these can be thrown a great distance, up to 10 feet or more , no one should be in the same area when you are performing these tasks- Cutting, grinding or cleaning! Safety glasses that are ANSI/OSHA approved are the minimum requirement (such as shown above).
Removing the oil plugs, there are 5 spots on the block that the oil plugs need to be removed, or if you don't have the tools to remove them, be sure your machine shop does this before soaking the block in the tank.
Front, right hand side under the timing cover, this is the only pressed in plug
on the block, all others screw in. GM part #
9427693
Right around the corner on the left hand side, is a screw in plug GM
part # 11588949
On the left rear of the block is two screw in plugs above the oil filter
location. Large plug GM part # 12561663,
small plug GM part # 11588949
The last screw in plug is located just the right and above the crankshaft sensor
mounting bolt. GM part # 11588949
The last location is the oil bypass plug or "barbell". This has to be
removed using a small pick.
Buy a new one, they are cheap! The o-ring side goes towards the rear of the
block. GM part # 12573460.
The next thing I did after a careful inspection and not seeing any cracks in the block, is to clean the threaded holes for the cylinder heads and the holes for such things as the front and rear covers, oil pan, cam retainer, oil pump mounting and valley pan.
Now it must be mentioned here is not to use a thread tap, but a thread chaser. The difference is that the chaser will not remove any metal, it just cleans the threads of any debris and sealant material that has accumulated. Using a thread tap will reduce the amount of metal used as the clamping force between the threads of the bolt and block to provide the proper torque and hold. ARP sells the two thread chasers that are used for the most crucial areas of the block. They are not cheap and both will set you back around $100. If you don't plan to do this yourself and want to farm it to your engine builder, be sure to inspect the block carefully that it has been done. The holes must be clean, free of any debris and must not have any liquid of any type in the bottom of the holes. Failure to heed this may very well result in the block being cracked or the very least, no proper torque load and cylinder head sealing or engine failure.
ARP part number 912-0001 (M8 x 1.25) for the smaller bolts. Part number 912-0011 (M11 x 2.00) for the head bolts. Note ALL Gen III's use METRIC bolts exclusively.
Working with the M11x2.00 chaser, run the tap through and then blow out with compressed air (wearing safety goggles), run tap through again, clear out any debris with a spray solvent and blow out with compressed air again, and then inspect for any debris. Repeat if necessary to inspect to see that all debris is completely gone. Work the smaller thread chaser the same way.
The next step to do is the deburr the main bearing caps and the cap saddles on the block. This is done to remove any sharp edges left over from production and to remove any stress risers and this will also allow the cap and the bearing to set truer and thus increase the bearing life and distribute the journal load across the bearing evenly.
The object here is to take a small file( such a a three point) and very lightly file at roughly a 45 degree angle along all the edges where the bearing meets the cap and saddle, and where the main cap sets on the saddle as well. You should end up with what is shown in the pictures below. Do not remove any more material than is necessary to get a high lighted line on both cap and saddle.
Another point of interests in deburring is the lifter drain backs on the block found on each corner of the block. This is will require the use of an Dremel grinder and a flex extension. The object here is to remove the casting flash and increase the rate of the oil flow back to the oil pan. Remove just enough material to clean this area up. Don't overdo it! See picture below.
Another item that must be cleaned before installation is the oil pan. The best way to accomplish this is to remove the four 10mm bolts that hold the baffle in place and then fill the sump half way with a degreaser such as Purple Power from a automotive parts store, then fill the pan the rest of the way with water. You will have to prop it up and make sure the pan is level so you can fill it to the brim. While you are at it, toss in the oil pump pick up as well and get most of it submerged. Then let it set for a couple of hours, then submerge the other end of the pick up and with a small brush and scotchbrite pad, drain it part way and start removing the sludge, and then drain some more and repeat until you have cleaned the bottom of the pan, rinse thoroughly with water an repeat if necessary. Do the oil pick up the same way, repeat if it is still dirty. The point is to remove all the debris so it does not find it's way into your newly built engine.
NOTE: Follow your local jurisdictions laws and regulations in the disposal of waste water and chemicals before starting any cleaning project!
Your oil pan should look like this when you are done cleaning. the same goes for the oil pan baffle.
Don't forget the oil pump pick up, it also must be squeaky clean as well. Purchase a magnetic drain plug for extra insurance.
The truck pan (shown above) will not clear the front end components such as the tie rod ends and centerlink on mist GM muscle cars, you must use the F -body pan.
Other Items of Interests
Cam Retainer plate
GM Part # 12589016
The cam retainer plate that fits behind the front cover also acts as seal (orange sealing surface) for the front oil passages that feed oil to the lifters, cam and main bearings. As cheap as this replacement part is, it is false economy to reuse this. The seal goes bad and then you end up with low or no oil pressure to the vital engine parts. Buy a new one, you have been warned.
Crankshaft Information
There are three different choice in regarding crankshafts to use for this project. I will outline the pros and cons for each one.
5.3L Crank: Readily available, pulled from the project engine. The journals are in good shape and all it would need is to be polished and reused. Turned freely in the block with no binding, so alignment is no issue. The big deal? Since we are going with a bigger bore with larger pistons, the crank will have to be balanced to make this workable. Since the crank counterweights are lighter for use with the smaller bore 5.3L, weight would have to be added to achieve the proper balance. Drilling and added heavy metal is not cheap, not as cheap as lightening up a heavier crank (such as a 6.0L) just by drilling alone.
5.7L Crank: The better choice, since the 5.3, 5.7 and 6.0L share the same stroke and main bearing sizes. Balancing would be to free up horsepower and increase reliability. The downside is that a good LS1 crank is not cheap and I would stay away from those that have been turned more than 10-10 under size.
6.0L Crank: This is a alternative if you can pick one up cheap, and that means cheaper than what it would costs if you had a crank that needed to be turned and balanced and if you had already purchased standard main bearings for that crank. Good quality main bearings are not cheap! Since the 6.0L is a larger bore engine than either the 5.3 or 5.7L engine, the crank weights are heavier and using this for the LS6 project means that the crank will have to be lightened by drilling to achieve the proper balance.
I bought a 6.0L crank on Ebay from a late model, very low mileage engine that was undergoing some performance mods, for around $150 with shipping. The only thing that will have to be done is to have the 58 tooth reluctor removed and have the machine shop install the 24 tooth wheel in its place.
NOTICE: Another issue is whether not the crank has been stored on its side or not for a long period of time or not. Crankshafts do flex and it does not take much bend from laying on its side to need to work to correct this minor but vital alignment. See how the crank in the picture above is sitting? This is how it needs to be stored OR in a special box with blocks to support the crank weights.
Early and late model 24 tooth reluctor wheels:
From what I have read, the early 24X tooth reluctor wheel ( right hand-still attached to the crank) did have some issues with the sensor reading and signal interpretation, resulting in engine performance issues. GM realized this and came out with an replacement (left hand) that had a space between the two sensor wheels, as you can see the original 24X reluctor had no gap. You gotten this far, buy the new style reluctor for around $15 (part number 12559353) from Scoggins-Dickeys at http://sdparts.com/details/gm-performance-parts/12559353 and save yourself grief and regret down the road ( I did).
Need a custom harness, like the ones I sell on Ebay? Click here
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