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03-16-2011, 03:10 PM | #1 |
Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Damascus, OR
Posts: 260
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Painting 8.1 or any other LS engine?
So - I bought an 8.1 last month.
I want to clean it up a bit - paint it - but am not planning to rebuild it. Any advice on how to clean up this motor without damaging sensors? My neighbor has a sandblasting business, and I'm very tempted to use him - but don't want to leave sensors on block and get them blasted to heck. Any good ideas on sealing holes with sensors removed? How do you guys prep these things for paint? Is it best to use a small 90 with the pads?
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-Ben 1972 CST K5 - Undergoing frame off, 8.1/4L80E/NP205, 3/4 ton, 8" lift, currently a pile of parts that when assembled resemble a Blazer 1972 K10 - Rust Bucket, TBD 1976 C10 SWB, 350 / T350 My blazer build thread: https://ck5.com/forums/builds/72-k5-...17-update.410/ |
03-16-2011, 03:31 PM | #2 |
1965 Chevy C10, 2005 4.8L/4l60
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: DFW Texas
Posts: 8,546
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Re: Painting 8.1 or any other LS engine?
I wouldnt do the sand blasting at all, even on a rebuild. just use some engine degreaser, bag all the sensors on the truck, use rubber bands tight around the base. clean with wire brush where you can and a scotch brite pad where the brush wont fit.
I cleaned mine that way, used brake clean on a scotch brite pad,let it dry and sprayed with engine enamel...orange in my case.
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03-16-2011, 03:48 PM | #3 |
On a budget like Fred Sanford
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Topeka, KS
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Re: Painting 8.1 or any other LS engine?
^^^Agree. Wire wheel is your friend here.
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'85 Silverado swb: 383 stroker, 10.5:1, vortec heads, 232/238 roller cam, RPM air gap, performer 750 carb, stainless longtubes, 3" duals/super 44's, T56/4.11 383ci build / exterior refresh thread '98 Camaro z28: 370ci twin turbo 370ci build '01 Tahoe LT 4x4: 5.3, longtubes/ory, magnaflow duals, custom tune....wife's DD |
03-16-2011, 04:08 PM | #4 |
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Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Gilroy, CA
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Re: Painting 8.1 or any other LS engine?
I used purple industrial cleaner and a pressure washer on mine. Then painted with duplicolor engine paint.
And heres a hella fuzzy picture.
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1969 Chevy Project SWB Fleet, 20s, 5.3, t56, in the weeds. 1970 Chevy Truck cab on a 1979 Jimmy frame-8.1 liter 496 bbc/sm465/np203-jeds doubler-np205/d60/14bff Welded/42 tsls on recentered H1s 1998 Chevy Crew Cab K3500 SAS'd with hpd60, links and swayaway coilovers. 8.1l vortec DD/towrig "I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me. " |
03-16-2011, 04:20 PM | #5 |
Windy Corner of a Dirty Street
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Pueblo West, Colorado
Posts: 2,926
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Re: Painting 8.1 or any other LS engine?
I always just remove the sensors all together. You can buy bags of plugs from Harbor Freight to plug the holes once you pull the sensors out. Soak the engine with Simple Green then hit it with pressurized water and paint’er up! I think an 8.1L would look awesome is good ole Chevrolet orange.
The 8.1L has a dry intake with resuable gaskets so you can pull the intake off completely when you paint it. Here is a TBI 350 I did a few years ago. Simple Green and power wash then remove sensors, and painted it. After paint and reassembly. Rattlecan rebuild!
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Current vehicle collection: 1978 Chevrolet K10, 8.1L, NV4500, NP205 1989 Chevrolet Suburban, 8.1L, NV4500, NP241 1993 Chevrolet C1500 Sportside, TBI 7.4L, 4L60E 2001 Chevrolet K2500HD, Ext Cab, SWB, 8.1L, ZF 6 speed 2014 Chevrolet Impala LTZ 3.6L Vortec 8.1L because life is too short to tolerate underpowered vehicles
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03-16-2011, 07:35 PM | #6 |
Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Damascus, OR
Posts: 260
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Re: Painting 8.1 or any other LS engine?
Larry -
What about the other cast aluminum pieces on this engine? Are they "dry" seals as well? I would like to pull timing cover, valve covers, oil pan, and intake during this process - I'm toying with the idea of getting them either powder coated, polished, or chromed.
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-Ben 1972 CST K5 - Undergoing frame off, 8.1/4L80E/NP205, 3/4 ton, 8" lift, currently a pile of parts that when assembled resemble a Blazer 1972 K10 - Rust Bucket, TBD 1976 C10 SWB, 350 / T350 My blazer build thread: https://ck5.com/forums/builds/72-k5-...17-update.410/ |
03-16-2011, 10:48 PM | #7 |
Windy Corner of a Dirty Street
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Pueblo West, Colorado
Posts: 2,926
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Re: Painting 8.1 or any other LS engine?
What I mean about the intake being dry is there is no coolant flowing through it. The oil pan and valve covers have reusable gaskets as well. Depending how many miles and heat cycles your engine has been through will determine if they will actually be reusable. You’ll know when you take it apart as the gaskets will either fall apart or stay intact. The timing chain cover has a formed reusable gasket also but has a lot of sealant towards the oil pan side so I would just pull the cam sensor and paint it still on the engine. Actually, I would paint everything right on the engine but I personally am not into shinny stuff like polishing or chroming. If nothing leaks now, why bother pulling that stuff off and potentially creating a leak.
Also, this is a good time to change the crank sensor while the engine is out, especially if it has around 80 to 100K on it, as you will absolutely not be able to change it once it is in the truck. If your engine has aluminum valve covers you already have the latest design crank sensor. If it had black valve covers you would definitely want to change the crank sensor to the later design, which GM superseded the part numbers anyway so you automatically get the later sensor regardless of what year 8.1L you order the crank sensor for. The early design crank sensor has two o-rings (one at the top and one at the bottom) while the later only has one at the top of the sensor.
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Current vehicle collection: 1978 Chevrolet K10, 8.1L, NV4500, NP205 1989 Chevrolet Suburban, 8.1L, NV4500, NP241 1993 Chevrolet C1500 Sportside, TBI 7.4L, 4L60E 2001 Chevrolet K2500HD, Ext Cab, SWB, 8.1L, ZF 6 speed 2014 Chevrolet Impala LTZ 3.6L Vortec 8.1L because life is too short to tolerate underpowered vehicles
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