Updates

Got the passenger head off, can clearly see on the gasket where the leakage was. Liners on that side all look like theyre properly in place. Drivers side head bolt #1 (against the firewall) was a HUGE PAIN. I tried my hardest with impact swivels and all sorts of arrangements, but ended up having to clearance the firewall a bit with a hammer (pictured below). I got that bolt off and called it a day. Will get the rest of them off next week.

I also did a more thorough inspection of my tappets and camshaft and have decided that I will be replacing the entire valvetrain. There was sporadic pitting and cupping of the tappets as well as some uneven wear on the cam lobes. I saw in another thread about a guy that bought the allmakes brand stuff (cam, tappets, pushrods and rockers) from the UK for about 350-400usd shipped. Will probably go that route.

 

Good times. Not sure if you have seen this link, lots of great info about determining what you should replace include why replacing only the rocker shaft and not the rockers and the shafts is a bad idea: RPi Engineering - V8 Engines Regarding the replacement parts, Crower makes some nice cams for these engines and it may be worth looking into different sources to get something that will give you more power while you are at it.


Hey, you get my 1,000th post!

 

Definitely will be replacing the shafts and rockers. I'll look into a cam, but around $80 for a stocker is going to be hard to beat. If I could find a nice performance cam for around 200 I might be interested.

 

I believe this cam would be a good choice: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/cr...iew/make/buick Only problem is that the snout is machined for a distributor drive gear so it needs to be modified for a D2. D&D fabrication offers them but I imagine the machining costs push it over your $200 mark. In reality, the gains from the aftermarket cam are likely not going to be too noticeable in the truck. The engine will be noticeably more powerful just from having new stock pieces that actually open the valves all the way for a change!

 

I've been doing some research. I saw a post on discoweb that said a guy got a 229 directly from crower that was pre-machined to fit directly into a D2. Said it wasnt far off the 158 price either. I'll give them a call at some point to see if thats true.

I am leaning slightly towards putting a 229 in there while I've got it opened up. We'll see.

 

Just placed an order with crower cams:

1x 53229 (229 cam ready to drop into a LR, built with short snout and machined to accept thrust plate)
their upgraded lifters
upgraded valvesprings and retainers

The saga continues... and becomes more expensive.

 

Updates:

No pictures today unfortunately.

Driver's head is completely removed. Next up is oil pan and timing cover. Will be tackling those tomorrow. The deeper I get into this thing the more "while I'm in there" items I come up with. I'm now considering replacing the con-rod bearings while the oil pan is out. What say you guys?

Also is there a preferred method of prepping the block side of the head?

 

great write-up, I enjoy following it. good luck with the continued work and keep keeping us posted!

 

Let me answer some of your questions within context of your posts:
You: "I also did a more thorough inspection of my tappets and camshaft and have decided that I will be replacing the entire valvetrain. There was sporadic pitting and cupping of the tappets as well as some uneven wear on the cam lobes. I saw in another thread about a guy that bought the allmakes brand stuff (cam, tappets, pushrods and rockers) from the UK for about 350-400usd shipped. Will probably go that route."
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Yes, that Florida guy who did all this, and more, buying parts from UK, I helped guide him through it all, because he said that he never had even a valve cover off of an engine before. When he finished all work, he said the engine sounded like a million dollars; nice a smooth, quite, with more power than ever. With you valve train in the condition you describe it, it must have a good amount of miles on it, so it needs replacing. Be careful when you buy the camshaft, because there are a lot of Chinese and Indian made cams available for Rover engine, cams that have soft steel lobes. Be sure you get one NOT made in China or India, one that has been heat treated for hardness, one that will last longer than a week-end. Crower cams are good cams, as far as I know.

You are buying "upgraded valve springs and retainers," but that is a waste of money. when you have machine shop examine your heads, for warping, for valve guide wear, having them grind/reseat valves and seats, installing new stem seals, etc., you could have had them test your existing valve springs---they usually are just fine; don't need replacing; don't need upgrading.

You: "I'm now considering replacing the con-rod bearings while the oil pan is out. What say you guys?" Absolutely, if engine has 100,000 or more miles, don't even think about it, but replace connecting rod bearing inserts, they are simple to replace. Don't leave in old bearings, waiting for them to wear to point where they hammer flat spots on the crankshaft journals, making the crankshaft having to be removed, turned on a lathe, or replaced, which will cost a fortune. Further, what I just said is also true with the main bearing inserts; just as easy to change as the rod bearing inserts. Money well spent, to save your engine for many more miles to come. Now, since you have heads/pan off, are taking off rod bearing caps, to replace the rod bearings, why not pull the pistons/rods up; out, so you can replace the rings? New rings would be a good thing on engine that you are doing so much other work on. Some pointers, if you do intend taking the pistons out: Be absolutely certain that you mark bearing caps, pistons, rods, so that when you put them back in, you get them all back in the same position, location, that they were in before you took them out. Also, prior to your taking the pistons/rods up and out, get some lengths of rubber auto. hoses, just large enough for a tight fit onto the rod bearing bolts, after you remove the caps, covering them, so that when they are pushed up/out, they won't score up the cylinder liners, or the journals on the crankshaft. This is important, to protect those areas you don't want to score up.

You: "Also is there a preferred method of prepping the block side of the head?" Before doing any of this, shove rags down in cylinder bores, so you don't get crap down onto crankshaft journals. Key word is Gently, do it gently. Don't scratch, score, or decrease the good level surfaces where the heads sit. Best to use chemicals to clean it up, rather than harsh abrasives. Buy good chemical cleaner from auto parts store, such as NAPA; tell them what you intend doing, cleaning up, so they can give you best product. Don't use sandpaper, use maybe, gently, a bit of steel wool. If you have to scrape at all on surface, do it very gently; don't gouge up the surfaces.

If you want my other guidance; help, PM me messages. Be glad to help all I can.

 

Thanks for those responses. They were very helpful.

I've sent a PM to you with another quick question.