When I last left off, the engine was ready to install.
I did run into a few little issues at that point. First was exhaust manifolds. Upon sandblasting them, I found hairline cracks from past overheating.
So, another two weeks of saving my money and yet another order from Rockauto....
Something I'm kind of particular about is exhaust hardware. I like new stuff to go with new manifolds. Problem is, the stock bolts are 3/8X2.25 inches. That's not a bolt you can easily source locally since only 2" and 2.5" are common in stores. So McMaster Carr to the rescue. Nice new flange head bolts in the proper 2.25 inch length.
The old accelerator cable was stiff and shedding it's outer layer so I got one of those from Rockauto too. They are real cheap at under 15 bucks and go a long way towards making the truck feel nicer to drive.
Not having the budget for high end fluids, I chose to use generic stuff. Two gallons of antifreeze, two gallons of 90W gear oil and a quart of brake fluid. That's 60 dollars worth sitting there in the basket. Another paycheck of truck money spent on fluids. The gear oil is for the front differential, the transmission and the rear differential. No pictures of it, but I did a full drain and fill on those components. The brake fluid is for flushing the clutch hydraulics and brake hydraulics. The antifreeze because it tastes so good. That's a joke of course, but antifreeze is very sweet, like Koolaid, if you ever taste it. Not recommended though for health reasons.
This truck had the steel horseshoe type of front serpentine brackets. They had been cracked and welded and bent in the past and several small parts were missing. I remember when these trucks were coming through the dealership under warranty for failures of these brackets way back in the day. They were just a weak design. GM redesigned them in 1990 and replaced the entire setup with cast aluminum stuff which is fantastic compared to the steel ones. So, off to Craigslist to see what I could turn up. 40 bucks later....
Kind of fortuitous, when I was at the guy's house pulling the serp brackets off of his parts truck I noticed it had a brand new radiator in it. A further 40 bucks scored it. I said fortuitous because my original radiator was leaking and I was planning to get a new one for 100 bucks. So, 60 bucks saved by buying a used radiator.
Original top, used Craigslist bottom.
Let me back up a second and mention something. The power steering pump, alternator, AC compressor, and all pulleys completely interchange between the two styles of serpentine brackets. Therefore I reused my original stuff and saved some money.
One snag I did run into was that my power steering pump needing replacing. I took it apart to attempt a rebuild, but the inside was scored up very badly. So, rather than buy a rebuilt pump, I dug in my core pile and found a V-belt type of pump off of an 87 squarebody truck. After swapping the reservoir, it was a bolt on. The serpentine type of pulley presses right on the V belt type of pump. No mods needed and all hardware even interchanged. Win-win deal.
The only interchange difference I found between the V-belt and serpentine type of power steering pumps was that the V-belt pump has a slightly shorter shaft. The original V-belt pulley wasn't pressed completely flush with the end of the shaft to start with, whereas the serpentine setup it was. When installing the pulley I simply pressed it on near flush like the other pulley had been and everything lined up.
The engine final installed. It runs very, very well. Even my wife, who has zero gearhead background commented several times about how good it sounds.
I'm probably going to yank the air cleaner housing back off and powdercoat it all pretty.
