this is what i found in my engine......... :(

**jiveass** · 12-04-2011, 09:52 AM

this is what all of the other rods look like...

here is #7 rod bearing

as you can see, it took a bit of the crank with it

looks like its off to the machine shop....illl have the rods inspected this week...hopefully they are still ok.

**Knight** · 12-04-2011, 11:18 AM

Well that stinks.....although I guess it could have been worse. Going back to your old username again?

**Firebirdjones** · 12-04-2011, 12:26 PM

Did you get the engine out? Looks like alot of trash is going to be in that puppy, it's all going to need flushed (block/heads) because the oil galleys are going to be packed with that crap.
Otherwise it's going to happen all over again.

**jiveass** · 12-04-2011, 01:07 PM

engine is out and almost competely disassembled...

**Firebirdjones** · 12-04-2011, 01:10 PM

Good deal. Look at the bright side, perfect oportunity to upgrade

**pajeff02** · 12-04-2011, 02:00 PM

Did the oil pump take a crap? I remember you posted that you had issues, but don't recall exactly what the problem was.

**jiveass** · 12-04-2011, 02:28 PM

oil pump was still showin normal pressure before removal...i did a high rpm donut and 30 miles later it started knockin.....i will upgrade to ls6 pump for sure...probably gonna go with a new rotating assembly.

**Firebirdjones** · 12-04-2011, 02:39 PM

A donut? Might have ran the pickup dry as that bearing looks more like oil starvation to me. Didn't spin the bearing it appears but it's definately lacking oil.

Put a corvette baffled pan on next time

Similar situation on my 454 pickup truck. Didn't spin the bearing but had a rod knock, still showed 60 psi oil pressure too. I had several issues that I believe caused it though. I had recently switched to a thinner oil (bad idea) and a long high rpm jaunt down the highway combinded just wiped the bearing out.
I believe the thinner oil was the main culprit.

**jiveass** · 12-04-2011, 03:03 PM

yea i been thinkin about the corvette pan as i am a fan of doin donuts...i run castrol 10w30 (dont gimme no grief, oil nazis) but i figure that should be ok for oil...never got into synthetic oil...

**Firebirdjones** · 12-04-2011, 03:10 PM

I'm sure you are fine with that oil.

In my case, 454 with 100,000 miles, so it's not a tight engine by any means

and I do alot of towing with it, primarily a 10,000 lbs. 28 foot trailer, up and down hills, so the engine also gets a little warm.
With that said, I always ran 20w-50 synthetic in hopes of keeping a good film protection. Ran great for many years like that, accross country twice etc....
I got fed up with not being able to buy my favorite synthetic 20w-50 in a 5 quart jug (it's offered in 10w-30 though) I never could understand that. So buying the 20W-50 in individual quarts at $7+ a quart, it was turning into $60+ oil changes.

I decided to switch it to 10W30 synthetic (same brand) so I could buy it in a jug and save about $10 on the oil change. Shortly after that oil change,,,,,,BAM!!!! rod knock.

Coincidence?? I'm having a hard time accepting that theory

No harm no foul though. I like the 502 crate engine I put in it's place much better

Anyway, hope it works out for ya, make a 383 outta that thing, about the same cost.

**tatertot91** · 12-04-2011, 03:50 PM

That sucks to hear, build it better

**jiveass** · 12-04-2011, 03:50 PM

ive found some refurbished cranks with matching bearings for about $250 and a set of new rods for $100....how much will a 383 cost?

**Firebirdjones** · 12-04-2011, 04:15 PM

Originally Posted by jiveass

ive found some refurbished cranks with matching bearings for about $250 and a set of new rods for $100....how much will a 383 cost?

Well when you mentioned you were going to do a rotating assembly I mentioned the 383 because in the end it's not much different then a complete 346 rotating assembly as far as cost. With that I mean crank, rods, pistons as a package.

Sounds as though you just plan to fix whats broken? When I hear rotating assembly, that's usually crank, rods, pistons, bearings, rings all in a kit balanced and ready to go. All you need is block work and drop it in. They can be found most anywhere for sale.

**Firebirdjones** · 12-04-2011, 04:19 PM

As an example I did a quick search at jegs and found.....

Complete balanced 355 rotating assembly $586
Complete balanced 383 rotating assembly $689

Not enough difference to worry about, considering the boost in cubes will make a very nice torque curve for the street, and HP aint bad either

**jiveass** · 12-04-2011, 04:57 PM

yea but i still gotta spend around 400 for the rest of the gaskets, oil pump, timing chain, ect..

**Mr. Luos** · 12-04-2011, 05:14 PM

That.....and you best have a GREAT builder to get the 383 all set up for you.
Don't take to your run of the mill machine shop....or you run the risk of wrist pin issues.

**jiveass** · 12-05-2011, 04:13 AM

i hate that these engines are so expensive to repair....its nothin like the old school. cant re-use bolts...damn...

**jiveass** · 12-05-2011, 04:19 AM

take a look at these rods....what do you guys think?
SB CHEVY SBC 4340 H-BEAM CONNECTING RODS 6.348 LS1 LS2 | eBay

**Firebirdjones** · 12-05-2011, 07:04 AM

Originally Posted by jiveass

yea but i still gotta spend around 400 for the rest of the gaskets, oil pump, timing chain, ect..

Originally Posted by jiveass

i hate that these engines are so expensive to repair....its nothin like the old school. cant re-use bolts...damn...

Yep, engine rebuilding isn't cheap when done right. You actually save more money (and time) with a rotating assembly. Trying to do it piece meal will cost more in the end.
I don't like the fact that they are expensive either. You keep reading how affordable everyone says they are, but I just don't agree. Being old school myself and growing up with $100 350 chevy engines forsale at every street corner makes the prices of these LS engines a little hard to swallow.
But, if you want to play nowadays, you need a fat wallet for just about any engine build.

Honestly though, after the rotating assembly, about $400-$500 in block work and prep, gaskets (which you'll need regardless) bolts, and a fresh set of cylinder heads (ported LS6 from Texas speed ready to bolt on) for about $1200, or a quick check at the machine shop of your stock heads and reinstall to save some coin....might just get away with a simple valve job if the guides are in good shape.
You could get away with only spending about $3000 (maybe less depending on heads) if you can assemble yourself. That's half the cost of any crate engine out there.
Frankly, that's dirt cheap for a fresh engine with new parts. Generally speaking when I build an engine from start to finish with new parts, spending $5,000 or more is extrememly easy. In higher HP applications $8-$10,000 is gone just like that. Just to put things into perspective for you....try building a 428 SCJ or some other rare engine with high dollar parts.
My opinion, after all the work it takes, it's not the time to skimp. Like Luos said, a good quality machine shop is a must, but you pay for good quality work too.
If you are going to keep the car, these decisions will make or break it for you. It's just hard to do this stuff on a tight budget, but I can understand the frustration.

**Firebirdjones** · 12-05-2011, 07:13 AM

Originally Posted by jiveass

take a look at these rods....what do you guys think?
SB CHEVY SBC 4340 H-BEAM CONNECTING RODS 6.348 LS1 LS2 | eBay

I guarantee those are china made. The issue with this stuff is that generally they still need to be resized because the big ends just aren't perfectly round, you get bearing crush but you also get very odd wear patterns on the bearings.
I find this even with more expensive Eagle parts.

You can't just buy these and toss them in for other reasons as well, namely balance issues. You would need the entire assembly rebalanced at a minimum. That's why the rotating assemblies are so appealing, they come balanced (although I have them checked anyway).
Are you looking to just throw rings at this thing and try to reuse the old pistons? The cylinders will still need honed, and might be slightly oversized or even out of round.
It would be best to drop the block off and have it checked first before buying parts. Tell the machine shop you want a 383 rotating assembly. Some cases they can get a better deal on that stuff for you. And they'll need the pistons first anyway before the honing process to make sure it's the correct size for the piston. A good shop will check each piston and assign it a bore.