8/20 - 730pm
I got my hands dirty today, taking apart some engines. I pulled apart the "core" engine that belongs to T up in Vegas, it's the exchange for the one I rebuilt for the guy who bought his brother's truck. (got that?) Interesting engine, has a mid 60s steel 396 crankshaft in an early 70s 402 block, with forged pistons. Built to last...and it did last quit a while, at least 15 years. Then it spun a main bearing, which caused it to spin two rod bearings. Also it had a broken ring, fortunately didn't tear up the cylinder bore there. But the block needs to be align honed, so I probably wont' use it any time soon.
I also pulled the 396 out of the wrecked truck, and took the heads off it. I'm thinking I'll put the heads on the 454 that I had in the 55 a few years ago, and put it in the truck, for some more get-up-and-go. It gets crappy mileage anyways, might as well make it a bit quicker, maybe it could run a 13 at the drags.
And I'll probably redo the 396 out of the truck with the forged pistons from the 402, they're the right size because the 402 is .030 over, and the 396 is .060 over, so the bores are the same size. There's some wierd piston pin noise (I think) in the 396, so that might fix it. Then I put this engine in the 61, it's more appropriate for a fake late 60s drag car than the 454 would be. after all the 454 was introduced in 1970, the 396 came out in 65, and the 427 (which is what I'd really like) in 66. but I'm a cheapskate...so I guess it'll be the 396.
at .060 over, the 396 is actually a 408, which I can fudge and call a 409, even though it's a completely different engine...and we all know the 409 was introduced mid year in 1961, the first "factory hot rod"...in the SS Impala.
Wife and I went for a walk to get the mail after she got home. She has blisters on her heels from not wearing socks with her sneakers on the last walk, so she wore her sandals, and didn't complain about anything hurting...that's good.
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