ChevroletR

I knew the surfacing would change it, but wasn't sure how much. No, I didn't use the rubber seal at the ends. I used the Permatex grey silicon, which I use on just about everything. It's what we used when I worked at the GM dealer and if they use it, I trust it! Besides the RightStuff, it seems to be some good, tacky stuff.

Oh okay, 3/8'' that sounds more like it! Could the block being decked and heads being milled cause an issue without the intake being machined to fit? I've heard of this before, and asked my machinist and he said just check fitment of the intake and see how it looks. I thought I checked it and I "thought" it looked good. Has anybody seen this before? Thanks

I know I used a criss-cross pattern on the intake as I always do, but I know I didn't torque them, just as tignt as I thought 5/16'' thread bolts should be! I had an issue where I was getting oil puddling around the intake bolts so I removed the intake bolts (only one at a time) and cleaned them and put ARP thread sealer on each one because I remembered they went into the oil valley. I'm still having oil puddling around the intake bolts, but I thought that might be because I couldn't clean the threads out of the residual oil and the sealer couldn't seal. As far as my vacuum goes...I'm running a .500'' lift and 262 advertised/218/224 .050 Comp Xtreme energy cam. I'm not sure if 15'' is suitible for that cam or not. I have plenty of power assist for my brakes. If 15 isn't suitible for my application, then I would also have to guess that my intake seal somewhere in those rear 4 cylinders (both sides) must be weak/not there. lol Guess the best/cheapest thing to do to start is take my intake off and take a look at what I have for gaskets/seal.

Thanks Tim, I knew you would chime in!! lol Anyway, I know it was a lot of typing, but yes, I replaced the modulator with a B&M piece about two years ago. And yes, I knew that cylinder 6 and 7 shouldn't of been affected...that's why I think I kinda eliminated that along with any thing with the intake being cracked (unless in more than once place!). Still could be warped though. As for the valve seals...no smoking on startup and I replaced them with brand new Manley valves and my machinist put in brand new bronze guides! I even used the little plastic cap to put over the valve to protect the seal upon installation (and oil). Mike, you really made a lot of sense about the intake gasket. I agree about the valve seal/rings too (I also hope not lol) that this issue would be only on the back four cylinders. I mentioned the same thing in my first post about maybe grinding away a little too much material between intake ports and it makes sense about what you said about the gasket getting sucked in somewhere, which in fact I hope is the real problem!!! lol That's why I posted that picture and when I looked at it again, the rear port divider definately looks thinner than the front one and the other head would have to have done the same thing. That's something for me to check for sure. And a friend once told me an older technican at the GM dealer he worked at used to do the dimple technique for gaskets! I thought he was crazy!! lol As for carb, I'm running an Edelbrock 650 AVS Thunder Series which seems to be running great on the car now. How much did you pay and where did you get your scope? Thanks

Alright so here goes...I also posted on ChevyTalk to see what I can come up with. Sorry it's going to be long, but I'm throwing out all the information that I think is related that will just be asked of me anyway. I'll try to split it up. My 383 is now three years old I built. It has less than 10,000 miles on it. (Not sure exactly because speedometer is a wee bit off) I put in all new internals including SRP Forged Pistons, PBM File fit my own rings The only thing that really isn't new is the Edelbrock Performer RPM intake that I bought used from a friend for dirt cheap. I'm running a Moroso 7 quart oil pan with built in windage tray and scraper with only a M-55 non-high volume oil pump and a really expensive (ouch) Milodon dipstick. My Monte has power brakes with an AC Delco master cylinder that's about 1 1/2 years old. I did most of my own head work including a three-angle valve job at school, port matching, (pockets were already ported) cut my valve spring seats for larger springs, and set my own valve spring height. The heads had new bronze valve guides installed by a very reputable machine shop, who also did all the machine work to my block (bore, splayed caps, line-bored, decked, freeze plugs, cam bearings, balancing, etc) The valve seals I'm using are ones he recommended because he said the posi-lock ones that I bought will actually keep my valves too dry. The problem I'm having is that when I pulled my plugs for the first time after maybe 1000 (maybe more, maybe less) miles, only the rear four plugs were severely oil fouled! (Cylinders 5, 6, 7 and 8) I'm talking crusted on with solid oil or whatever it was so the gap of the plug was next to nothing! I showed my teacher and he suggested my vacuum modulator since the vacuum for it comes from the rear of the intake. Sure enough, I checked my trans level when it was hot and it was pretty overfilled which I thought would cause the modulator to suck up trans fluid and burn it. So I drained what I could from the hole of the vacuum modulator and the trans fluid level is where it should be now. I even bought a new B&M modulator just to make sure my old one wasn't bad. I changed the plugs and along I went. I was also having some oil pan leaking issues at the time so I thought that was a cause for some oil loss. After I took care of the oil pan leaking, I still noticed the rear four spark plugs were getting fouled, but not as bad, and it was still using some oil...and still is to this day. I figured the spark plugs were getting fouled still because of maybe some residual trans fluid in lines...I don't know! I probably add about 1/2 quart every couple hundred miles. Which is a shame because I'm running 10w-40 AMSOIL! And we all know that's not cheap. The spark plug fouling is much better, still barely a little evidence of oil contamination. Still using oil though. When I was home for spring break I put a vacuum gauge on it and it has about 15'' at idle and doesn't flutter around like any mechanical issue. I would think vacuum is a good sign of cylinder seal. I know, I should have checked compression too, and leak down, but I didn't have the time and now I'm back up here at school and won't be able to check it again until May. What I was wondering was has anybody seen a cracked intake or intake gasket issue where it could suck up oil? If so, would the vacuum tell me this or would the oil be a thick liquid seal? I port-matched my heads and might of made the gap between ports a little thin, is there any possibility of ingesting oil there? Now that I went through Airflow class, I think about the way a dual plane intake is setup...One half goes to cylinders 1,4,7, and 6 and the other half goes to cylinders 2,3,5, and 8. If you don't believe it, this may help: Therefore how could the manifold suck up trans fluid or brake fluid (a leaky rear seal in the master cylinder into the power booster) and only foul spark plugs 5, 6, 7, and 8??? I don't think that would be an issue... I also installed this fancy dipstick from Milodon when I built my engine: http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autof... and it never came with any type of oil level indicator mark! It's been so long that I don't remember how I marked it exactly if I just put it back to back with the original dipstick and marked it (which doesn't quite ring a bell because chances are they aren't the exact same lengths) But then again I don't think I removed the old dipstick and put the new one in while there was oil in the pan and marked where it was from looking at the one I pulled out because I'm pretty sure I installed it while the block was still on the stand (cause it was a pain in the [censored] to get in). So like I said, I'm not sure what exactly I used to reference my mark, but is it possible that I'm just putting too much oil in it and it's burning it? I know I can probably check this by draining the oil and filling it up, but even though the oil pan I have is a 7 quart, does that mean that it should hold 7-7 1/2 quarts of oil with filter? I don't know how much I initially put in, but it was around 7. I'm sure there's a lot more I can add to this that I can't think of right now and there's a lot of checks I should be doing (compression/leak down/tearing the intake off) but the car is 650 miles away and I won't see it until May...just trying to get some feedback right now and things I can try in the future when I DO have the time and access to do it. I know it's hard for anybody to tell me answers, because of my lack of information and so much is going on here, but I mainly wanted to get as many things to check as possible and if anybody has seen/heard/experienced this. Wow...that's really long. Thank you all in advance Ryan Washington www.RyansCustoms.com

Yeah, I could get a $5 relay (or less, depending) and wire her up. I love hunting in junkyards, I'll keep my eyes peeled! I just had to put a fan setup on my moms 01 Monte Carlo (due to a slight slideoffjack misshap [oops]) and they are a dual setup, but you can't really separate them unless you cut the shrouds in half. A lot of plastic too. I think they're a little too small, maybe not in CFM, but would look a little goofy on our gigantor Monte radiators:

True true, I know what you mean by budget builds! When I finish the car down the road, I want to be able to drive the piss out of her and be able to drive it to work a few times a week with no problem cause I absolutely LOVE driving my Monte and I believe that's what they're made for-to be driven so I think if I'm gonna spend the money, I want a nice fan setup that I can rely on and last for a long time. I agree about using O.E. fans because they seem to always be reliable. For around $60, I guess it wouldn't be bad to last a few years now that the car is rarely driven.

Yeah I know that's what everybody is telling me. I don't have the cha-ching right now though, and like I said before I want to make sure my cooling system is the most efficient as it can get right now that way I won't worry about it so much and when I eventually DO get electric fans, they won't have to work as hard!

I guess to Scott and Tim then, would a clutch fan help my overheating/running really hot at idle issues? I would think, from your descriptions, that the clutch fan would benefit me at highway/moving speeds. But I guess you're also saying that the flex fan doesn't move as much air at idle either as the original fan-syle was, correct? Sorry I keep popping up with questions, it's just that I'm 650 miles away from my Monte until I get a week in May to get back home so I just can't walk out in the garage and stick the clutch fan back on her just quite yet! Thanks!!!

I am my own parts guy-worked for Advance Auto Parts for 5 years now! lol I think I'll try the fan first since it's free since I believe I still have one floating around somewhere

That's awesome, thanks again

Looked em up, they look good. Did you hear they were very good or do you have them on your car or a friend's?

lol thanks!

I went the Edelbrock route...and I've had it apart 3 times to set float level due to stalling at hard stops and sharp turns and hard starts...works fine when it's doing good though. Kinda wish I went the Holley route though! No big deal

lol

Very cool...yeah I think it looks good! Especially if you can get a very smooth look when you use filler in the "ripples." I can always take my bolts out and do them as I probably should

Never had any luck with my Q-jet...but then again I was 15-16 years old? A friend's dad helped me/showed me how to overhaul the Quadrajet and we used different pieces (choke, center-section, etc) from a few different other Q-jets and when the car hardly ran I put a new float in it...then it didn't run again and I said forget it. I really had hope for my Q-jet too!

Okay

That is interesting, thanks for that!

I got tired at looking at my old chrome-washed/faded rear bumper and decided to do something about it. I sanded it down, applied some filler in some of those wavy spots, sprayed with etching primer and sprayed two-stage GM Ultra silver I had laying around. I thought about taping off or removing the bumper bolts to keep their stainless, but they actually turned out pretty good and are still holding up around them where you would think they would chip/crack. What do you think? Good for me until I can afford a nice chrome piece after I graduate and get some money rolling in! Matches the primer nicely! Ryan Washington www.RyansCustoms.com

Hmm, thanks KC. I've never heard of that reason for a clutch fan before. It makes sense though that I think about it. I think I have one laying around and will have to try it. Not for my hot-idle purposes, but something to consider for sure! Thanks, you opened up a whole new revelation for me!

Wow, all you guys have awesome sounding Montes. Looks like I need to fill that extra engine compartment up of mine with some BIG BLOCK! Heckeng--your Monte sounds MEAN! I love it! Here's my $50 exhaust: http://s138.photobucket.com/albums/q267/...packExhaust.flv Was suppose to be a "temporary" exhaust until I can afford a nice 3'' Flowmaster setup...but it's been kinda "permanant" for the last three years. These are restrictive 2 1/4'' full pipes, no crossover with Thrush Glasspacks on my fairly low compression (9:1) 383, 1 5/8 Patriot mid-length Clipster headers, GM Iron 2.02 heads...that's about all that really affects sound that I can think of. Cam is in signiture. You either love them or hate them, but for $21.99 ea, they're hard to pass up. This past June in Gettysburg, PA, I won a muffler rapping contest at a Kustom Kemps car show (my dad's taste). I got the most applaud up against a flathead with open headers and some about 10 other cars...was pretty cool! Enjoy!

3,691 lbs with full tank of gas, no driver. I went to a recycling center and scrapped some heavy metal! Then I came back and weighed my toolbag and spare tire in the trunk and myself of course! And if you want to know it's a factory A/C car with no condensor, lines or compressor. Small block, aluminum intake, headers, cast iron heads. Bucket seats with console...non SS, steel Ralley wheels...anything else?

I've seen these aluminum water pumps that flow a certain percentage more and was wondering if that would be beneficial or not. My radiator is about 5 years old but I have maybe 10,000 miles on the radiator and it has seen at least 4 different flushes where I had to completely drain and fill the antifreeze due to freeze plug issues, and swapping engines, etc. I bought it at a swap meet and it was very clean from what I could see. Yes, I am running the factory 50 gallon drum shroud on her I see what you're saying now. Again, I think I'll go with the thermostat since it would be the cheapest thing to try and see what goes from there. Thanks all again! Ryan www.RyansCustoms.com

My 160 stat doesn't cycle either though...unless my gauge is 30 degrees off or so which is a long ways off because once my engine gets of 160, it won't go back even close to 160 either highway driving or any weather conditions. I think the 180 might do the same thing for me and no cycle either. Again, back to the comment about a faulty gauge, even if the gauge was off, I know for a FACT that my temperature in staging lanes kept climbing and didn't "stop" until I was able to go down the track. I didn't want to see how high the temperature would go if I would have kept sitting there, that would just seem dumb. See my point? If a cooling system can hold its own, I would think there would be a threshold, whether stopped in traffic or not, to how high the temperature would go and would remain there. Since my cooling system has a flaw somewhere, the temperauture keeps creeping up and up, and the idea I have in my head is if I have a bad temp gauge or not, either way I still have my cooling issue that I need to take care of. Another point is how did these cars keep cool before the age of electric fans? The engine is fairly mild, about 9:1 compression, and you would think the big block 4 core radiator would compensate for some modifications from stock. I don't see how the clutch fan helps overheating, I think it would flow less air at idle due to allowed slippage than anything. I can't imagine my 383 Monte with her factory 2 core radiator. I just don't understand...I guess that's why I'm hesistant to put electric fans on because I want to make sure it's maximized with what I have (water pump, which nobody has mentioned yet, thermostat, etc) so in the future the electric fans can do as little work as they need. Something to stick out there I guess