According to my build sheet, the engine builder replaced all the seals and gaskets. However, with the upgrades that I am doing, I thought it was a good idea to replace everything again so I know exactly what I have.
New parts for this phase. Rear main seal and rear cover gasket...
Also, while researching some things about this engine, I found this cool little piece. It is inexpensive and it's suppose to help with oil flow. It comes from Sac City Corvette. I'll install this while the cover is off.
Got the engine off the stand so I can access the rear easily.
Rear cover is off.
Had to drill a small hole in the old barbell and use a screw to pull it out. Super easy!
Old vs new. It looks like they reused the original barbell. So, It's nice to know I am starting fresh here. You can see the new piece should be less restrictive.
The new barbell pushed in with a nice tight fit. It sort of popped right in place. I found SacCity because of the numerous people that use their front and rear cover alignment tools. I will be using their rear alignment tool to center up the rear cover before I torque it down.
Here is their tools...
Rear cover is on with the help of the alignment tool. I hand tightened the center bolts to keep it in place for the next step.
The next step is important for avoiding a miserable oil leak. You have to temporarily mount the oil pan to the block (without gasket). Then, use the oil to rear cover bolts to draw the rear cover down to the oil pan. This insures that the bottom of the rear cover is flush the the bottom of the block. The alignment tool gets you close, but this method gets it exact.
Rear cover installed and torqued to GM specs.
New rear main seal is easy to install. Start it by hand and use the alignment tool and a rubber mallet to get it in place. Be careful though, because it can only go on one direction. It's marked this side out.
