Blog post #2

  So the engine work had to be done before I could start on the high top. I wanted to make sure I had a running van or else it may as well have been a shed. I was able to secure a 49k complete engine from an associate of mine. Apparently the 5.0 v8 are not very popular compared to the 5.7 and he had this low mileage one sitting on the shelf.  Since I didn't want issues moving forward I decided to do major maintenance on the new engine which included head gaskets, water pump, oil pan gasket (I made sure to check the oil pump bolts), and basically every other item on the engine except for the front cover. I even replaced the valve stem seals which was actually an easy job with the tool kit I borrowed from a friend. I made sure to use all AC Delco parts from ROCK AUTO. They are absolutely the cheapest place to get quality parts.  In my opinion the small block Chevy is easy to work on but some things are a pain. The intake has to be installed and torqued very carefully or there will be air leaks. There are upgraded gaskets made by Fel-pro that I opted for. After I reinstalled the engine I did have some trouble setting the distributor.   I eventually got it right and the engine ran.  The gas in the tank was so old  (7 years!) that the truck smoked from the exhaust until I ran it through with some new gas and cleaners. I thought for a while that I had done something incorrectly with the engine.  After the gas ran through I changed the fuel filter and there is no more smoke.  The cat however did not live through it and was glowing bright red in the daylight. I have a new cat and O2 sensors going in.  In addition to all the hoses and stuff related to the engine I went through the brake system, flushed and cleaned it.  There is actually very little rust on the van which I am happy to say and the only issue with the brakes I saw was a leaking rear drum cylinder which I replaced on one side. I am hoping it's not the axle seal and will find out when I drive later.  If it is, no big deal, less stuff to break later right? On the exterior, to make the van pretty again I did some minor paint repairs and fixed some door handles.  The fender had a big dent which bothered me, so I searched around for a used fender with the exact paint code.  I'm a big fan of doing this with bolt on panels and have done so many time in the past. I found a fender 1.5hrs away for $60 bucks with same 228a paint code (autumn wood metallic). You cant beat that with a stick. Anyway here a few pics. Moving on!