About time ... MY build thread!

[kenmosher]

OK, OK ... I know ... it's been too long in the making, BUT ... grab some popcorn!

Got started on putting the ol' girl back together! Finally got the "curse of the daughter's S10" out of my shop (ball joints, tie rod ends, bent control arm, transmission, and assorted and sundry other parts later ... each thing seemed to lead to another thing, or something else breaking)!

Now the GN gets some attention after sitting way too long. So here's where I got today:

• Stripped the intake manifold down completely
• Took all the sensors out of the manifold and examined/tested them. They all tested out, but a couple look pretty ratty, so made an order with a couple places to get new ones while they are still available.
• Order to Rockauto for fan switch, coolant sensor, thermostat neck/O ring, Fel Pro print-o-seal intake gasket/tray. Ordered a new 160 thermostat from Kirbans.
• Drilled out the EGR passages in the intake that we filled and ported long ago *sigh* … gotta have them because come this fall it'll have to do emissions on the rollers. Ridiculous for a car like this (very low miles per year/collector) but I'm about a mile inside the rural "extended" emissions area with the new laws that passed last year. If I'm lucky they'll be repealed (there's a movement afoot since our air quality is fine here) but just in case...
• Put together a box for the powder coater full of odds and ends.

For the powder coater, I've decided to get some high temp coating for the intake (silver) and go black on the doghouse (with the machined flat "fins"). Repowder coat the brackets, the heater pipe, the water pump pulley and the crank pulley to fix the nicks and scratches and marks. I have my own little Eastwood "hobby" power coater rig, which does a really nice job (I did the bracket for the alternator/idler in black), but my little toaster oven isn't big enough and I'm getting a super duper deal from the PC guy for some "trade", so figure let him deal with it instead of me getting a bigger oven.

Started examining the short block and after debating, I think to be safe I may just break out the box of brand new GM lifters I bought back in 1989 and squirreled away. The lifters that are in their now concern me a little because I think a couple may be collapsed ... they don't have any "give" when you push on the cups.

BTW .... Any thoughts on that? You guys think those lifters might be bad, or are they just stuck? Or full of oil (hard to believe after this amount of time)!

The cam is barely broke in (about 10 dyno pulls on it) and you can't even see a pattern on the lobes or the lifters yet. I always (probably over do it) with the moly lube and break in oil, so it all looks like new. That's why I'm thinking new lifters (with good anti-scuff lube on the feet, cups and pushrod tips) might just be a good way to go.

Hopefully get my stuff back from the coater next week and then I can start reassembly. Gonna take my time (heck it's been this long already, what's a few more weeks...? ). I can't wait until it's back together and in the 'fiddle' and detail stage again, instead of major mechanical stuff.

I have a set of 16" ARE GNX look alikes that I plan to have refurbed and powder coated to replace the 15s on there. Maybe go silver center instead of black this time ... still noodling that one. Any opinions on that?

Anyway .. thought I'd share!

[larrym]

Gonna take pictures

[kenmosher]

Yup... not much to see right now though

[charlief1]

Well if it helps I've been working on mine now longer than I ever thought I would. Last mod the the frame has been started so hopefully I'll be able to put the frame out of the car and swap them out soon. Wouldn't have had to if the frame wasn't rotten though.

[kenmosher]

Been playing with my powder coater rig. Coated a bunch of smaller stuff ... water pump pulley, some brackets, the doghouse, etc.

If I had a bigger oven, I'd just do the manifold myself but it won't fit in my toaster oven that I use. Pictures forthcoming...

[kenmosher]

A couple pieces out of the oven.

[Keller]

Originally Posted by kenmosher

If I had a bigger oven, I'd just do the manifold myself but it won't fit in my toaster oven that I use.

Bet it will fit in the kitchen oven.

[kenmosher]

I've actually been looking at Craig's list and found a couple of old electric ovens for $40-50. If I don't get satisfaction from this guy I may be picking up an old one so I can do this. I just don't really want it out there cluttering up the shop.

[charlief1]

Build a small extension to the shop then Ken. A small tin room you can keep the heat out of the shop with if you use it during the summer. Just has to have a door and be fairly water tight.

[kenmosher]

Now THAT's a project that I've actually been thinking about ... a little attached shed for the air compressor (that damn thing is noisy!). Just a couple more square feet for the oven and we're there!