Crankshaft Kit

[HotRodPC]

There is several things different in the Th350 and Th350C. I'd save that convo for it's own thread when you get ready.
So do you had the heads off the motor yet? How do the cylinder walls look? Any crosshatching pattern left? How about a ridge at the top of the cylinder? These are things to note while the heads are off and to figure out if it's a good candidate for a rering job. A rering kit is hella cheap and if it can be rerung with new bearings, you'll be way ahead of the game and have a farily well patched up motor that should last you a few years for what you're using the truck for.

 

[GOBR]

I have the passenger side put back together now I'm about to clean up the mating surface on the driver side and slap it back on. Passenger side wasnt blown but the gasket was in REAL bad shape. Driver side had about a half inch missing between 3 & 5. #5 burns oil thru the valve seal. Lots of gunk in the motor thats dried up. It sat for a year before I bought it. Very small ridge at the top of the cylinders but its mostly dried up gunk or what not. They were on the last motor and when I tapped the pistons out the old rings took em off. Cylinder walls look good. No patterns tho. I beleive he said this engine had over 150k on it...... As of right now I just need it to run until I get my tax return (bastards held it for unknown reasons, should be here in the next couple weeks) and can go to the pull-a-part and get a shortblock. A buddy of mine said he can get rebuild kits for cheap. Said about $250 for a kit with forged pistons. I definetly cant afford machine shop work so whatever I get it will have to be in good enough condition to NOT have to be bored.

Ill have to see when I get to that point. This engine (aside from the random knock) looks good. The oil is kinda sparkly but not much so thats good sign. Whats a good way to get all this sludgy milkshake out of here? When I pulled the dizzy it was god awful! Also Im gonna pour my oil in thru the heads and lifter valley before I install the intake and crank it over a few times without the ignition switch on just to pump it thru and blow whatever out of the cylinders (water).

Ultimately this engine will NOT be the one that gets rebuilt. It will be another at another time. I wish I had $1600..... Guy at the local speed shop has a complete vortec engine with harness and ECM all accessories on front with 3 month warranty. That would sit pretty under the hood!

Its kinda ironic, my last black truck was a 02 Silverado and I couldnt keep a trans in it lol. This black trucks a lil more expensive...... I hope it dont turn into nothin lol

 

[crazy4offroad]

Whats a good way to get all this sludgy milkshake out of here?

$30 for the hot tank treatment at a machine shop woud be the best way IMO.

 

[HotRodPC]

Put it all back together. If you have some used oil from another vehicle that is just used oil, drain your oil, put the used oil in it with a half of can of SeaFoam. Drive it for about 200 miles. Drain it and fill with new clean oil and filter. By the next oil change, you should have it all out.

 

[GOBR]

Naw no old motor oil. Guess Ill just use this new stuff and change it next week again. All I got left now is to put the intake on and the accesories and drop in the dizzy. Only been on it since bout 3 and Ive been takin breaks and eatin and even watched a movie earlier lol.

 

[GOBR]

Finally finished, well, still gotta set timing and carb and add antifreeze. Other than that it runs 50x better than it did. Ill be watching the oil pressure gauge closely tho. Its 330am here and Ive been workin on this thing off and on since 3pm yesterday afternoon. Time to go to bed!

 

[HotRodPC]

Awesome !!! Hopefully, with some fresh oil and getting the mayo out of the crankcase, the oil pressure will come up. Maybe the gunk was clogging up the oil pressure guage line or sending unit and giving a bad reading. One could only hope. Cross your fingers !!!

 

[GOBR]

Yeah but now it wont crank........... I readjusted the rockers, check TDC and where my rotor was, messed with the dizzy. It cranked one time today and the headers get so hot right off that the garage smokes out........... I dunno maybe I need to sit back and think about it for a minute.

 

[HotRodPC]

You got it all right, and didn't fill a cylider with water I hope. Have you filled the motor with water or coolant yet??? Sounds stupid, I know, but I know of a guy who had this problem. Had a cylinder fill with water and it locked it up.

 

[GOBR]

Naw I aint added nothin yet but it turns over but its just weird

 

[GOBR]

Alright, no oil pressure at all once it warms up. Guess its time ro rebuild one. DAMN I dont feel like pullin this motor again lol

 

[HotRodPC]

Alright, no oil pressure at all once it warms up. Guess its time ro rebuild one. DAMN I dont feel like pullin this motor again lol

Sorry Dawg, that does sound like some bad bearings or oil pump. How bad is that knockin and is it consistant?

 

[GOBR]

The knock isnt there when it has pressure. It comes when the oil pressure drops and even with no oil pressure it doesnt knock at idle. It comes in around 1500rpms and up. If I keep runnin it Im sure the knock will be very noticeable. These engines can take ALOT of abuse but Im on very very short money so the less parts I need the better. When the time comes around Ill pull the engine and see what all I need to get. If the crank looks good Ill just get the re-ring kit and a new oil pump and screen.

As much oil as it burns my city could pay me to drive around to kill mosquitos lol.

 

[crazy4offroad]

It comes in around 1500rpms and up.

Definitely sounds like a rod bearing. Problem is it's hard to tell if it has had a 0.010" turned crank & bearings installed, or if the cranks has suffered any galling of the journals from what has happened so far. I think Advance has an 0.010" turned crank & bearing kit for around $150, maybe less if you just wanted to do that for the time being.

 

[HotRodPC]

He should be able to tell when it he gets it apart. The bearings will be marked on the back. Also, if the crank only has a couple of small grooves in a journal or two, for a patch job, I'd run it, or if you're real energetic, just have the crank polished. It might take another .002 off the crank but still well within tolerance. Bottomline, I'm just saying, do check prices and availability for worse case scenario, but wait til you get it apart to pull the trigger on any parts. If it were me, and it's just a patch job, no new top end, you know the top end isn't gonna last much another 50,000 or so, then I'd just do the bearings only and they should last 50,000 with a few grooves in the crank. Then doing that, I'd run 20w-50 high mileage oil. Just a little thicker to help fill those grooves in the crank.