Rebuilding Engine

[ChiefRocka]

Looking good man !!

Do you still have the big block truck ??

[Chevy Fleetside]

Originally Posted by ChiefRocka

Looking good man !!

Do you still have the big block truck ??

I sure do.

[Chevy Fleetside]

I haven't been able to work on the engine lately, but, I did Bite the bullet and get a new tool Box finally. It's only a Harbor Freight Box but Seems pretty sturdy. Also a side cabinet. It's the 72" Box. The lamps were my mother's So there is still a part of her in the house.

[88Stanger]

i like the box, the lights are a very important, more so than the anything else, and they look great!
nice work on the motor too.

[Chevy Fleetside]

Well gee, it has been over a year now but it looks like I might be able to get the engine back in the truck this Sunday. Funny how I got real busy during the pandemic that I couldn't work on the truck. I am still busy but making time for it as I need it for hauling and picking up materials.

[Chevy Fleetside]

Getting close to firing it up. Put the sheet metal on yesterday and really noticed the drop after that. Don't know if I want to go back to stock hide or not.

[Chevy Fleetside]

Well since my last post.. My son has learned how to drive a manual and we are building a truck for him.
I had the engine in the truck and it ran so smooth and purred like a happy kitty. After running it for about 10 mins I noticed a puddle of oil under it. I was using the old style canister and thought maybe the gasket folded over on me. I took that off and noticed the o ring was pinched and thought it was over. After starting it again it still leaked.

Well fast forward up to now. I pulled the engine back out and primed the oil pump when out of the truck because I didn't want to miss anything. I could have pulled the head because that is where it seemed to be coming from. There is a plug in the back of the block that screws in and it just happens to be half way under the head and it took time to puddle the oil in and start leaking out. If I jus pulled the head and didn't prime it I probably would have missed it.
I took the head back off and put some Teflon tape and some sealer on the plug and screwed it back in. Put the head back on just so I could prime the pump and make sure it was all ok.
It seems to be good now I am just waiting for new gaskets and will be painting more parts.

You can see the plug in the picture and it is halfway under the head.

[Chevy Fleetside]

Found some marking under the dirt and some factory paint runs maybe

[Chevy Fleetside]

It's all back together I got to drive it. It starts up when it's cold and idles I don't even have to pump the gas. Here is a picture for now the only difference will be the heater box will be black like the air cleaner when I get it back together. I also put the drop springs in the rear. wasn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be I did have to cut one bolt off

[The Rocknrod]

That looks great.

[AcampoDave]

Yep, real nice. Good to see some love for the 283.
Btw, something I noticed on the thread about the "most original 60-66 truck in existence" thead is many of those trucks had the alternator slide adjust bracket cinched up on the backside of the alternator boss. I thought it odd but I went out to the garage and put mine like that and it did fit really well.

[Chevy Fleetside]

Better picture of the paint formula

[Chevy Fleetside]

Had to post a picture of a 3-3 drop. Spindles up front springs in rear. 2nd pick is of stock height but with 400 lbs of motorcycle in the back.

[LostMy65]

Originally Posted by Chevy Fleetside

I figured it was time to rebuild the engine in my truck as it was leaking and burning a lot of oil, not to mention some knocking sounds. It is at the machine shop right now. I was trying to get engine color. I thought it was the green color but come to find it is the blue/gray color. Here are some pictures for you enjoyment as I know you guys like pictures. I will have some after pictures when the time comes. There was no bearing material on the rods except for the #4 hole. I could use the lifters at bowls.

Looking at these pictures reminded me of the smell. I know I'm weird, but I like that smell of an crusty engine.

[Chevy Fleetside]

This is an updated photo shot today.

[geezer#99]

I see a twist on cap on the oil fill tube.
How are you venting the crankcase fumes?

[Chevy Fleetside]

Originally Posted by geezer#99

I see a twist on cap on the oil fill tube.
How are you venting the crankcase fumes?

I put a PVC valve in behind the carb. That cap was there when I bought it.

[geezer#99]

Should replace that cap with a breather.
You need a source of air into the motor to make the pcv work.

[Steeveedee]

Looking at post #55, I see where there is provision for the crankcase vent from the factory. Did you end up reinstalling that, or just plug it? That had a pipe that went to the bottom of the air cleaner, for the closed crankcase system that model year.

[MikeN]

If his 283 has provisions for the road draft tube at the rear of the block (and I think all 283's have it) there is no need for a vented cap on the filler tube.

[gmtech68]

Just a thought. If you run a PCV and a road draft tube won't it try to suck dirty air up the road draft tube? If you have the clean air coming from the air filter it would be fine as long as the road draft tube is plugged off. Just me thinking out loud...

[Steeveedee]

Yup. Though if it got a freeze plug in it (I've known for people to do that), it'll need to be vented somehow. I'd really hate to see those nice valve covers get butchered for the crankcase vent. That block carried over from road draft tube days, before the vent went into a baffled valve cover. I was a mechanic in those days and converted many of the older vehicles to closed crankcase. I'm old enough now that I don't remember when the change came, year-wise. I think that '60 was the last year for the road draft tube, at least here in California.

[MikeN]

Passenger cars sold outside California had valve covers with no holes or vents at least through 1965, maybe 66.

[geezer#99]

The original road draft tube had a breather at the front on the oil fill tube.
Next version had a an inline pcv attached to the oil fill tube and the road draft connected to the air cleaner.
Another version was inline pcv attached to road draft connection and a breather on the oil fill tube.

[Chevy Fleetside]

Look Ma.. Hub Caps..