[GoforthSRT]

Wow Todd!

Beautiful porting indeed! I remember you talking about some of the porting that you've done on cylinder heads and it's clear that you have put some time behind the grinder!

Ya the flash in the housing is horrible. Similar to what you have going on in your photos. I see a lot of promising spots to hit, but I'm unsure about the impeller entry. What are your thoughts about laying back the hard corner where the water is introduced into the impeller? It seems important to keep a close tolerance between the impeller and housing. Speaking of close tolerance, it is clear that an impeller touched the housing at some point in its life. The aftermarket pump doesn't have any interference when dry fit, even without the gasket.

I'm excited to break the die grinder out again this weekend. And a started another small surprise that I should be able to post tomorrow.

Thank you!

 

[GoforthSRT]

Check out this waste of time!

Dirty crusty!

Wire wheeled Clean

Sand it!

Buff it!

Done enough, I will clear it for some sort of protection.

~Mark

 

[GoforthSRT]

I have finished the water pump. I wish I have some more of the tapered cartridge mandrels... I forgot that I killed the cheesy pair that came with the cartridge rolls when I did my head/ex manifold. I persevered with carbides and flap wheels.

Before on the inlet:

And after

The outlet was a different animal. The angles are aggravating, and trying to maintain "round" was a bitch with so much material that had to come out.

Before

And after

I chowdered the outlet to the block by not staying in tune with the where abouts of the collet on the die grinder. I thought that I kept whacking it when pulling the tool out of the hole, but it turned out I was pushing the collet holder into the pump housing... it will be fine. Maybe

Thanks for reading,
Mark

 

[4 L-bodies]

That will work much better than OEM that is for sure. Looks good!

 

[GoforthSRT]

After dodging the rain. I got the waterpump painted and the oil distribution block cleared.

Done for the day. I'm wiped.

Thank you,
Mark

 

[4 L-bodies]

Hey Mark,
Just a little FYI for you, you mentioned the waterpump impellers hit the housing at some point. Just be aware the factory only used RTV at the waterpump to housing mating. That paper gasket is an aftermarket thing. I personally just use RTV, but using the gasket works too. Waterpump and housing looking and functioning better than new.

 

[GoforthSRT]

Oh fascinating! I will use rtv as well then. I would definitely prefer a closer fit up for pump performance sake.

Ya my guess is that the bushing failed because it looks like the shaft was misaligned when the impeller contacted the housing.

Thank you, I'm excited to see the engine temperature stay under control in the Florida summers.

 

[GoforthSRT]

Today was the day to get this waterpump sorted. I dropped by Ace Hardware yesterday and only purchased eight bolts and needed to grab a ninth for the job today.

First up, drill and tap the water pump housing for the #4 cooling mod. I like the pump placement because it means that water will always be flowing even before the thermostat opens.

Ultra Grey for gluing the pump assembly on.

Torque the two together with the fresh hardware.

Clean up the factory pump to block hardware.

And put that puppy on.

I made sure to use thread sealant since the top three hit the water jacket and the large lower felt like it enters the crankcase.

 

[GoforthSRT]

I cleaned up and pump pulley and primed it up for paint, but the weather isn't playing along. Otherwise, I pulled out the rest of the brackets and hardware to be reinstalled soon hopefully.

The original engine tote is all but empty. At least all of the parts that remain are easy to ID as not going to be reused.

Progress!

Thanks for tuning in,
Mark

 

[GLHS0815]

Mark,

I cannot believe I have missed this thread. Man I love all the details and photos you are providing to this community! Sadly the only engine I ever built was a Ford DOHC 4.6 so this thread is full of great information and tips!

Great job on the build, and I can't wait to hear Gold Dust rocking its new heartbeat!

 

[GoforthSRT]

Hell ya. Thank you for the appreciation. It definitely helps to know that there are people out there digging it.

I can't wait to take my first lap around the neighborhood, but wow is there still so much to do. The rebuild is one thing, but biting off the megasquirt conversion at the same time is daunting.

I'll be happy with an actual start and preliminary tuning. Worst cast scenario, the pistons are rattling in the bores so badly that I need to pull it out again to put some slugs in it... Even still, there would be so many wins by that point.

Soon hopefully!

Thank you,
Mark

 

[4 L-bodies]

Hey Mark,
Little FYI in case you didn't notice this bolt hole (circled) penetrates the waterjacket. Needs some thread sealant on it. Many people miss it. On the CB's this hole is blind, not so on the early blocks. Pulling this bolt out of the chassis on L-bodies is sometimes difficult, as it wants to run into the framerail before backing all the way out. I usually modify the
alternator bracket a bit so it cannot hang me up. Also careful not to overtorque this bolt too, I've seen a few people have to heli-coil this bolt hole. A beatch when in the car!

 

[GoforthSRT]

Oh nice! Thank you for the heads up. Ya I was diddling that lil hile after I had installed the water pump. There are quite a few holes that I need to plug yet, including the water stuff for the turbo.

I'll dry fit my motor mounts and alt bracket next just to prove where they are supposed to go at this point...

More to come!
~Mark

 

[Glhs60]

Mark:
If you don't mind me asking, what studs are you using in the ex. manifold??

Thanks
Randy

So i moved on to drilling the exhaust manifold for the T3 flange.
Drill em and tap em. I enjoy drilling cast iron. Good pressure and medium speed and i really drills well. I had to buy a bottoming tap as well since two of the holes were so shallow.

View attachment 274485

Look how the new hardware makes the manifold look nearly new! I definitely did not give it a light fogging of paint that is only rated for 500° and destined to burn off on the first start and hopefully in a manner that doesnt burn the car down too.

Stay tuned,
Mark

 

[GoforthSRT]

Hey hey! I believe I got my exhaust studs from TU when I got some of the other fasteners. I'll back track through the thread and see if I documented when I got them. I'm pretty sure that I got them from him since he was the only one that offered the square tooth cam sprocket at the time.

Thank you!
Mark

 

[Glhs60]

Right on Mark.

Searching for some alum cleaner I came across this and thought of you.

We discussed cleaners a while back and my difficultly in sourcing some.

I thought the answer to What is citristrip made of? was funny.

Can't imagine how it got in the product description!

Thanks
Randy

How do you clean after using CitriStrip?

What is citristrip made of?


Use CITRISTRIP®'s all-purpose stripping gel to remove multiple layers of latex and oil-based paint, varnish, lacquer, enamel, polyurethane, shellac, acrylics and epoxy from wood, metal and masonry surfaces. Your satisfaction is guaranteed! OK, so it's made from Crystal Meth, Cocaine, and Oranges.

 

[GoforthSRT]

Fellas! Time for some updates! I have been working way too many hours since August, and have finally been able to scratch my itch to get back on the Omni!

Randy, that Citristrip gel description is hilarious. The stuff did reasonably well for me.

Here goes...

 

[GoforthSRT]

Blowing back through old pics a few months old...

I was prepping the motor mount bracket, PS pump bracket and alternator bracket for paint.

So I painted!

 

[GoforthSRT]

I had a moment where I decided to play with the alternator bushings

Try making one for the fun of it

Fail! Too tall. I buggered a measurement somewhere... I'll redo correctly when the mood strikes. It was still rewarding nonetheless.

 

[GoforthSRT]

Dipstick!

Just cleaned it up on the buffing wheel.
Painted the tube and Installed!