Thanks! It's been a learning experience for sure. I've never even owned a 4WD, so this is a big leap for me.
POST 4: ENGINE ARRIVAL AND INSPECTION
After deciding I wanted to go with an 8.1, I started the prowl for an engine. I found a good deal on a low miles '09 Propane motor on eBay, and after talking to the seller and watching a video of it run, purchased it. Imagine my surprise when he called me back the next day to tell me the motor was unavailable, as it had already sold and hadn't been updated in their inventory. I really should have adjusted fire after that incident, but I gave the seller a chance to make it right and he located another 8.1L out of an '04 C5500 with low miles. It was another propane motor, out of a Schwan's truck conversion.
Well, it may have been low miles, but I think every single one of them was a New England winter mile. I picked up the motor from FedEx freight stacked on two broken pallets and an old tire, with a giant refrigerator box just dropped on top. When I got the box off, I was less than pleased. Every square inch of this thing was covered in corrosion, the packaging was terrible, and several important branches of the harness had been cut to get it out (most annoyingly, the electronic throttle wires had all been cut for some unknown reason). Despite the sellers assurances, the O2 sensors were gone, as was the TAC module and electronic pedal, and a slew of other accessories. The same corrosion that infested the motor had also locked up the A/C compressor, and the alternator made very audible noises when turned over by hand. Surprisingly, I didn't break off any bolts removing the exhaust and accessories to unload it out of the truck.
As the motor arrived (note the great packing job on the PCM):
Getting it out of the truck (about as high as my cherry picker will go thanks to the egregious amount of broken pallets underneath):
When I finally got everything out of my truck, I had to wheel it into the garage and get it all tucked away, as I was leaving for another month-long trip to Arizona the next week. Since my Poncho 400 was taking up the casters for my Chevy engine stand, I improvised with some 2x4s and a Lowes furniture dolly.
Working in the tight confines of my garage, I managed to pop off a valve cover and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Despite the terrible external condition of the engine, it looked like new inside. Thank you propane!
Speaking of that tight garage, here's my buddy Joe (a Navy flight surgeon), helping me get everything shuffled. I quickly decided this garage arrangement wasn't going to cut it, and the 'bird got rolled up inside my enclosed trailer for some long term storage while the 'burban gets sorted out. Nevermind the 50lb sandbags trying to straighten out GM's 40 year old fiberglass hood mistake:
