Thread: Last minute tips/tricks/suggestions?

As some of you know im getting ready to top-swap, I have everything i need besides some stupid small stuff. Im not going to lie, This is my first project that's this big, so i have some small noobish questions. I understand how to do everything and have been reading a lot. Anyone have any trick or tips on anything im going to come across that haven't been discussed

some small tips i have gathered

-pour oil into lifter valley to clean out coolant, if it spilled
-using copper rtv spray, spray both sides of head gaskets
-dab of rtv on each corner of the orange lim gaskets
-un-clip coil pack wire harness and crank engine to get oil on parts before starting
-sc gasket can be installed dry

feel free to correct anything that i mentioned

some Q's that i can think of...

what types of rtv am i going to need?
do the head bolts need rtv or can they be installed dry?
when pouring oil into lifter valley, do i need to remove the lifters first?
do the cylinders really have to be TDC when installing my roller rockers?

any advise will be greatly appreciated

Originally Posted by 99prixgt

As some of you know im getting ready to top-swap, I have everything i need besides some stupid small stuff. Im not going to lie, This is my first project that's this big, so i have some small noobish questions. I understand how to do everything and have been reading a lot. Anyone have any trick or tips on anything im going to come across that haven't been discussed

some small tips i have gathered

-pour oil into lifter valley to clean out coolant, if it spilled
-using copper rtv spray, spray both sides of head gaskets
-dab of rtv on each corner of the orange lim gaskets
-un-clip coil pack wire harness and crank engine to get oil on parts before starting
-sc gasket can be installed dry

feel free to correct anything that i mentioned

some Q's that i can think of...

what types of rtv am i going to need?
do the head bolts need rtv or can they be installed dry?
when pouring oil into lifter valley, do i need to remove the lifters first?
do the cylinders really have to be TDC when installing my roller rockers?

any advise will be greatly appreciated

I would unplug the injectors instead of the ICM to get everything oiled up. I'd rather not be spraying a bunch of fuel into the cylinders, all it could so is cause wash down, and expel a bunch of unburnt fuel out your exhaust.

I use Ultra Black RTV for most things, unless it's on something that's going to get really hot, then I'll go to copper.

New GM head bolts (you do have new ones, right?) come with sealant on them already. If you're going to studs, you need some thread sealant on them.

No need to remove the lifters, they're constantly bathed in oil anyway.

The valves need to be closed when you install the rocker, and having the piston at TDC does that for you.

thank you

and yes i have new felpro head gasket bolts. As far as the roller rockers go, how does that work? because on my rebuilt heads the valves are already closed. Am i going to want to get piston #1 TDC and then do the rest by firing order?

fyi, i dident turn mine to tdc. dont know what it matters but mine are fine.

Originally Posted by 99prixgt

thank you

and yes i have new felpro head gasket bolts. As far as the roller rockers go, how does that work? because on my rebuilt heads the valves are already closed. Am i going to want to get piston #1 TDC and then do the rest by firing order?

They're going to be closed with the rocker off, of course, but what about when you go to put the rocker on? If the cam is in a position where it wants the valve open, it will start to open the valve as you tighten down the rocker. This will screw up your torque reading.

ahh i see how that works now, thank you everyone! and yes intercooler is on my list for later . Anyone have any tip on getting the harmonic balancer bolt out? Ive been impacting it for about an hour and it won't budge. Is my impact gun big enough? its a 120psi gun. I used penetrating oil too. Ive heard of people using a torch but that kind of worries my since my oil pan gasket is leaking and there is some coolant around, plus i don't see how that works because if you heat up the bolt it-self it will only expand.

get a better impact. mine at home wouldnt do it, but when my brother (mechanic) brought his nice one home it came right off.

either that or figure out a way to get a big ass breaker bar on there. do you have the flexplate locked with a vice grips?

Originally Posted by 99prixgt

-pour oil into lifter valley to clean out coolant, if it spilled

Oh, it will spill... Lots and lots of coolant, lol.

Originally Posted by 99prixgt

-using copper rtv spray, spray both sides of head gaskets

If you got the OEM replacements from Felpro, don't! Felpro says not to spray them. I didn't and they're just fine. They're fiber gaskets and they're meant to go on dry. You're supposed to spray metal gaskets, not fiber gaskets. Just make sure you scrape the gasket surfaces on the block real well.

Originally Posted by 99prixgt

-dab of rtv on each corner of the orange lim gaskets

Yep. Both above and below the joint.

Originally Posted by 99prixgt

-un-clip coil pack wire harness and crank engine to get oil on parts before starting

If you want to unplug the fuel pump, go for it. But like Scimmia said you don't want it squirting fuel in without burning it. I didn't even bother and it was fine.

Originally Posted by 99prixgt

-sc gasket can be installed dry

Umm... yep. Not sure what you'd coat it with.

Originally Posted by 99prixgt

what types of rtv am i going to need?

My first time doing intake gaskets I used normal RTV. This time I got high temp copper RTV since I was doing exhaust work too that required RTV.

Originally Posted by 99prixgt

do the head bolts need rtv or can they be installed dry?

If they're OEM style bolts, they have everything on them they need already. Install as is. Make sure to follow the proper torquing procedures.

Originally Posted by 99prixgt

when pouring oil into lifter valley, do i need to remove the lifters first?

No.

Originally Posted by 99prixgt

do the cylinders really have to be TDC when installing my roller rockers?

Just need the valves to be closed otherwise they may come loose over time. The way I did it was to tighten all the rockers down and go ahead and torque them to spec. At this point you can see which rockers in that bank are in the open position. I made note of them and turned the crank until they were closed, then hit them again with the torque wrench to be sure they were at the right value.

I bought felpro head gaskets for the L36. They work right? The gtp ones were way to expensive.

l36 felpro gaskets work. put them on dry. did you buy head studs? those would be a fantastic investment for you..

Originally Posted by Bio248

l36 felpro gaskets work. put them on dry. did you buy head studs? those would be a fantastic investment for you..

I didn't get head studs. I got the felpro head bolts. I figured ill get the studs when i do ported heads.

see, that's why studs would have been smart. You pay once, and keep reusing them, so if you're planning on taking the heads off again for ported heads, paying for the bolts is just money down the drain.

^true statement. Ported heads won't be for a while though, at least until i get a job lol

i bought them when i did my top swap, they are GREAT. resuing them once pays for themselves already in not having to buy another set of bolts.

I didn't really care about head studs when I was installing. I'm not planning on pulling the heads again on this engine for a long time, if ever. Some say it makes installing easier, but the pegs on the block made lining everything up cake. I didn't want to bother with teflon paste or any of that mess, and I knew the OEM bolts just seal up like they should.

I haven't regretted it so far.

yeah, that was the only problem with studs. i had a hard time sealing them at first. i had a slow seeping leak for a little while, never got into the oil or anything. i sealed them up well when i had my heads off the last time and it has been fine since.

You can also hold the gas pedal all the way down when cranking and it should cut the fuel.