07-05-2019, 08:00 PM | #26 |
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Re: 79 350 overhaul
The second reason this engine had to come apart is because the compression rings in #6 piston were rusted tight in their grooves. I guess all that gasoline that was in the pan must have made its way down through #6 intake valve. 79's didn't have electric fuel pumps did they?
Anyway, pistons are in. I don't know how current this sheet is that came with the cam but they recommend Delo 400, Delvac or Rotella T for break in oil. I think I'll buy a 5 gal pail of one of them and keep on using it for my flat tappet engines. |
07-05-2019, 11:43 PM | #27 |
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Re: 79 350 overhaul
None of the current diesel oils have sufficient ZDDP in them for a flat tappet cam. The use of diesel oils is outdated thinking. You need either a specific break in oil or a break in additive.
Do you have the rear main seal installed in the block and rear main cap? And is it facing the correct direction?
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07-06-2019, 08:04 AM | #28 |
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Re: 79 350 overhaul
Since it's a small cam and stock valve springs I don't think break in will be a problem. I never used any type of break in oil when installing camshafts. I figured the paste that came with the cam was good enough.
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07-06-2019, 11:11 AM | #29 |
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Re: 79 350 overhaul
I pulled the rear cap and did apply the sealant where the picture shows to do it. The seal lip is pointed inwards so that the oil will get under it and push it outwards, like it is supposed to.
About the oil, my next plan is to get some cam oil that is specially formulated with extra ZDDP for flat tappet engines by the Boss oil company. It is available here locally at some Napa stores. How did the gas get in the oil? In my 66 it happened after buying a new gas cap. Air could enter like when it got cold out but come spring time when it is warm it would pressurize. I drilled a hole to fix that problem. I guess I'll never know how it happened on the 79 donor truck. Opinions are welcome on what colour to paint the engine? I have a white car that has a red engine and red interior so I think I have enough red. The 66 truck is green and I am leaning towards keeping the engine in its original 79 blue. |
07-06-2019, 12:25 PM | #30 |
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Re: 79 350 overhaul
Since you opened it to opinion's
I vote Chevy Orange. .
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07-06-2019, 02:05 PM | #31 |
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Re: 79 350 overhaul
Paint it ford red!
After many heat cycles the color will fade to a new looking Chevy orange. Fuel can get in the oil from carb flooding or a blown fuel pump diaphragm. |
07-06-2019, 03:34 PM | #32 |
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Re: 79 350 overhaul
Well it just so happens that I have a half can of Ford red and I would need to buy the blue so still time to decide on that one.
Because the rings were rusted in #6 piston tells me it came down through the intake and the oil was really diluted like by probably 80%. I think that had to have come from more than just a flooding carburetor while running and probably happened when it was parked. I do know that the pintle in the carb was bad. Thanks on the tip though on the fuel pump. How does one check if the diaphragm is leaking or not? Last edited by vince1; 07-06-2019 at 03:50 PM. |
07-06-2019, 04:01 PM | #33 |
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Re: 79 350 overhaul
Excess fuel doesn’t rust rings in to place. It washes the oil off the walls and causes piston or wall scuffing. And it’s not bore selective. It’ll wash all the cylinders. Musta been some water.
Easy to check a leaking fuel pump. It doesn’t pump fuel like it should. Just a pinhole in the diaphragm will reduce the pump output and still push fuel into the crankcase. Educate me! What’s a pintle in the carb? |
07-06-2019, 11:54 PM | #34 |
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Re: 79 350 overhaul
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07-07-2019, 12:03 AM | #35 |
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Re: 79 350 overhaul
Maybe you got confused with how the needle is made.
It has a viton tip. Similar words. |
07-21-2019, 05:36 PM | #36 |
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Re: 79 350 overhaul
I made a little strap to pick up one of the oil pump cover plate holes and wrap around the pipe to prevent the screen from falling out.
The timing chain seems a little tight but I suppose it will wear in fairly quickly. Some of the lifters seem a bit tight too but I think they will be OK. I cleaned up the head bolts and push rods. The push rods have a little bit of corrosion pitting where they went through the head so I think I'll just flip them upside down. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EGlb_VpTAw I like this guys video on how to adjust valves. |
07-21-2019, 06:33 PM | #37 |
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Re: 79 350 overhaul
That was an hilarious video!
Thanks for that! |
07-21-2019, 09:02 PM | #38 |
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Re: 79 350 overhaul
That is a good video. I think I saw it a few years ago and forgot about it. I have always done it the hard way but also with the intake off. You know he's legit 5 minutes in when he says not to soak your lifters. I have been arguing with people for years about that. You can get away with it on a Chevy but an Olds or Caddy won't start with the lifters pumped up. Then you learn. I hope I remember this Ellison Method next time I have to adjust valves. Your valves won't tick Vince if you follow that video. You can seal those valve covers right on and forget it.
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07-22-2019, 09:52 AM | #39 | |
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Re: 79 350 overhaul
Quote:
After that, change the oil and you should be good to go. I have used regular 10W-30 oil with stock cams, and even mild performance cams and valve springs (with slower old school ramps like Summit Racing cams). But you can get a little more insurance with Valvoline Racing 10W-30 which has higher amounts of zinc and phosphate than most regular oils. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/v...EaAiBiEALw_wcB
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Mike 1969 C10 LWB -- owned for 34 years. 350/TH350, 3.08 posi, 1st Gen Vintage Air, AAW wiring harness, 5-lug conversion, 1985 spindles and brakes. 1982 C10 SWB -- sold 1981 C10 Silverado LWB -- sold, but wish I still had it! 1969 C10 (not the current one) that I bought in the early 1980s. Paid $1200; sold for $1500 a few years later. Just a hint at the appreciation that was coming. Retired as a factory automation products salesman. Worked part-time over the years for an engine builder and a classic car repair shop. Member here for 23 years! This is the very first car/truck Internet forum I joined. I still used a dial-up modem back then! |
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07-24-2019, 07:16 AM | #40 |
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Re: 79 350 overhaul
I've got the heads sitting on with bolts ready to torque and then I notice the center hole on the RH head where it meets the intake manifold is half plugged with what appears to be carbon. The left one is clean. Where did the carbon come from and what is the purpose of that hole?
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07-24-2019, 09:13 AM | #41 | |
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Re: 79 350 overhaul
Quote:
Egr crossover / manifold heat riser port |
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07-24-2019, 11:18 AM | #42 |
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Re: 79 350 overhaul
I was wondering what those aluminum pieces in the gasket set were for. Now I know. The flapper has already been welded open.
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07-30-2019, 01:31 PM | #43 |
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Re: 79 350 overhaul
I hope the picture shows up.
So big learning process with this engine. I turn the oil pump and oil comes pouring out of a hole where the distributor goes in. I plug it with a slit piece of heater hose and a socket pushing it against the outside and proceed to turn the oil pump. Oil comes out all the pushrods on the left side but not the right side. I remove the hose and socket through which I was turning the oil pump and realize that for the oil to get to the right bank it has to go around a groove in the distributor housing. I guess the right side can wait till start up to get its oil. In the picture is my cam bearing tool. A friend faced and drilled a couple of cam journals for me. One of the 2" washers was ground off a bit for it to be able to be drawn through. I haven't used this tool yet but it will be ready for a next time. Can anybody identify what the two types of gaskets are used for? |
07-30-2019, 02:06 PM | #44 | |
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Re: 79 350 overhaul
Quote:
As you noticed, the rear bearing is grooved 360 degrees. Hopefully you didn't partially cover the journal holes when by installing the cam bearing too far forward or rearward. That's something I always check with a paper clip before installing cam and rear plug. The 4 shiny gaskets are to partially block the heat riser passages. Not sure why the holes are the same size in both pairs. The single gasket may be for an EGR valve. (??)
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Mike 1969 C10 LWB -- owned for 34 years. 350/TH350, 3.08 posi, 1st Gen Vintage Air, AAW wiring harness, 5-lug conversion, 1985 spindles and brakes. 1982 C10 SWB -- sold 1981 C10 Silverado LWB -- sold, but wish I still had it! 1969 C10 (not the current one) that I bought in the early 1980s. Paid $1200; sold for $1500 a few years later. Just a hint at the appreciation that was coming. Retired as a factory automation products salesman. Worked part-time over the years for an engine builder and a classic car repair shop. Member here for 23 years! This is the very first car/truck Internet forum I joined. I still used a dial-up modem back then! |
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07-30-2019, 04:26 PM | #45 |
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Re: 79 350 overhaul
Please provide the process of how you are spinning the oil pump ? What tool are you using ? How about a pic..
I bet if you used a pre-oiling tool (fits in the dizzy hole with a shaft in the center to turn pump) you would get the oil you are looking for on both sides of the engine |
07-30-2019, 04:43 PM | #46 |
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Re: 79 350 overhaul
Thanks for that suggestion. I think I'll do that and make such a tool. I was finding that just turning slowly with a 3/8 breaker bar was moving lots of oil. It does have me confused though with the grooves all around the cam bearings that I didn't see it up the right side. Am I correct though that oil from the pump comes up and around the distributor housing to the RH oil gallery? MikeB, what is the significance of turning the crank 90 degrees and trying it again?
I put the hose out to the Rhubarb plant to get some water in the stalks for picking tomorrow. I take out the garden tractor to see it flow and decide to take a cut around the outside. Then I see a Hungarian partridge running away with a bunch of little ones following her. I abort the grass cutting and come in for a beer. I hope this makes sense after that beer. Now that I can't cut grass maybe I'll find an old distributor at a junk yard and make a tool. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBseDyC0kLQ Last edited by vince1; 07-30-2019 at 05:05 PM. |
07-30-2019, 04:59 PM | #47 |
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Re: 79 350 overhaul
Proper tool:
https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/2364...E&gclsrc=aw.ds I'm not sure why oil flows to certain lifters at various crankshaft positions, but it may be that the lifters move up (or down) away from the oil gallery.???
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Mike 1969 C10 LWB -- owned for 34 years. 350/TH350, 3.08 posi, 1st Gen Vintage Air, AAW wiring harness, 5-lug conversion, 1985 spindles and brakes. 1982 C10 SWB -- sold 1981 C10 Silverado LWB -- sold, but wish I still had it! 1969 C10 (not the current one) that I bought in the early 1980s. Paid $1200; sold for $1500 a few years later. Just a hint at the appreciation that was coming. Retired as a factory automation products salesman. Worked part-time over the years for an engine builder and a classic car repair shop. Member here for 23 years! This is the very first car/truck Internet forum I joined. I still used a dial-up modem back then! |
07-30-2019, 07:21 PM | #48 |
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Re: 79 350 overhaul
Look at the pic of the proper tool MikeB provided above, the piece that has the groove in it allows oil to go to both sides of the block... very simple oiling design of the Chevy engine. Look at the dizzy, it has the same type of groove in it as well....this is at the top part of the tool. I made a tool out of a old dizzy, the housing of the dizzy will allow the oil to go to both sides just like the tool mentioned. The oil can not get though the lifters and up the push rods... Crank position at this point has no effect on oil getting up the push rods....
Last edited by YoungPup1977; 07-30-2019 at 07:29 PM. |
07-30-2019, 08:41 PM | #49 |
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Re: 79 350 overhaul
Yeah, I wasn't sure about my statement, but every SBC I have pre-lubed would only get oil to maybe half the push rods until I rotated the crank a few times. Seemed to be worse on a very high lift cam, hence my comment about lifter position.
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Mike 1969 C10 LWB -- owned for 34 years. 350/TH350, 3.08 posi, 1st Gen Vintage Air, AAW wiring harness, 5-lug conversion, 1985 spindles and brakes. 1982 C10 SWB -- sold 1981 C10 Silverado LWB -- sold, but wish I still had it! 1969 C10 (not the current one) that I bought in the early 1980s. Paid $1200; sold for $1500 a few years later. Just a hint at the appreciation that was coming. Retired as a factory automation products salesman. Worked part-time over the years for an engine builder and a classic car repair shop. Member here for 23 years! This is the very first car/truck Internet forum I joined. I still used a dial-up modem back then! |
07-30-2019, 09:34 PM | #50 |
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Re: 79 350 overhaul
I think I may have the problem licked with a piece of scrap 1" EMT electrical conduit and some electrical tape wrapped in two spots to build it up to the 1 1/4" of the distributor.
Last edited by vince1; 07-31-2019 at 10:00 AM. |
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