Ping Rob Fraser

Mike,

The crank can indeed be fixed up and dressed.There is also metal compounds that are harder on the Rockwell scale and perfect for thrust bearing surfaces you may want to inquire on. Spray process is used all the time for a fix just like that. Also the bearing is no big deal. For Hemi's that are not over the top I use Clevite performance but I replace the main caps with "Pro Gram" machined caps and they hold up really well and they are available in splayed or conventional. Your builder should be able to explain all about it. If you want any info on them feel free to drop me a line to snipped-for-privacy@RobFraser.Net and I'll be glad to help you out as much as I can. If you need any help on putting the engine together if the machine shop is not I can give you some pointers that will help prevent meltdowns.

Sounds like a great project!

Respects, Rob

While we're on the subject of engines, do you have a recommendation for a reference book for a "normal" rebuild of a Chevy TBI 350 other than the factory service manual which I have? I'm not looking to do anything exotic, just going to tear my old full size blazer down to a pile of parts and see if I can rebuild / restore it. Just a low cost low pressure project to fiddle with. I've never torn into an engine that far before.

"Pete C." wrote in news:VwfMj.969$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr29.news.prodigy.net:

The Chilton books available at your local parts house are decent for this, with pictures and stuff. Really, there isn't all that much to an engine. But being careful, CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN, and checking everything is critical. Some tips for non-experienced folk:

1. Get some good 3M masking tape and a sharpie. Tear off about 2" of tape and wrap it around every wire you disconnet and label it.
2. Get your digital camera out and take pictures of _everything_ before you start, and as you disassemble.
3. Get a box of Ziplock quart & gallon freezer bags and for every part you take off, put the bolts for that part in a separate bag and label it. (Exhaust bolts, head bolts, rod bolts, crank bolts, valve cover bolts, water pump bolts, etc). Put smaller items that you remove in the gallon bags and label them, especially support brackets and what not for the accessories.
4. For lifters, the tried and true egg carton works great as a storage device.
5. Clean _everything_. This takes the most time and effort if you do it right. I generally will also repaint everything, and even some stuff like brackets, that weren't factory painted. A good coat of engine paint or powder coat on those parts makes the engine stay cleaner longer, and it's easier to clean.
6. Check every part for wear/damage.
7. I recommend against reusing the following items: any bearing, pistons, rings, valve springs, rocker arms, push rods, valve guides, lifters and camshaft. I typically replace the valves too. All of these items are high cyclic parts that have a difinitive lifespan. I also put a new water pump on. It's much easier to replace while you have the engine apart, than a month after you get it back together.

How much info do you want? Grab a copy of "How to rebuild your Small Block Chevy" by David Vizard Has a lot of info not in the service manual and pointers as well. I had a copy a long time ago.

The factory service manuals in '90 were better than those of today on diagrams and detail, so I expect that I don't need the Chilton's manual.

Yep, I've rebuilt an ancient hydraulic steering valve before, I figure if I survived that I can survive an old 350.

I've got the diagrams and electronics is one of my specialties so I'm not too concerned about the electrical.

Yep, I've been using the dig camera like that for a long time. The camera phones are handy as well, particularly when you need to search for oddball parts, having the pic handy like that is nice.

I hear a piece of foam insul board is good as well, poke the bolts or whatnot into the foam and label with a sharpie.

I'll have to collect a few.

I plan to clean every part as I go, media blast exterior stuff as needed and repaint.

The engine has about 165k on it and was running fine when it went out of service so other than whatever in storage deterioration occurred, hopefully many parts are in decent shape.

Any suggestions on the best place to get parts kits?

I figure this project will keep me occupied at pretty low cost, and if I get it operational, the 16 MPG or the Blazer is better than the 11 MPG of the current truck.

Thanks,

Pete C.

Will look for those.

Thanks,

Pete C.

"Pete C." wrote in news:5ypMj.1550$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr22.news.prodigy.net:

Local parts store. Sealed Power will have a kit with everything in it, including gaskets. Some parts you will have to buy separate if you replace them, like valves.