The Long Awaited: The Myth, The Legend, The Douchebaggery

[SlimKlim]

PROGRESS BITCHES.

New timing guides on. I ran into a weird parts documentation issue with the exhaust side guide, resulting in me getting a guide for an S52, that has a different dowel pin in the motor. Meaning I had a solid 1/2in of play behind the freaking guide when it was installed.





Luckily FCP was very willing to make it right, helped me figure out the PN I should've ordered and overnighted me the correct one.



Then I was finally able to get the LTC back on.



Then I dealt with a couple "little things," mostly just hitting the valve cover (the visible part anyway) with some fresh paint, and fashioning these bad boys.



They are not pretty. I have since painted them black, but right as I was dusting my 4th beautiful coat of color a gust of wind caught the cardboard tehy were sitting on and flung them across the driveway, so now they really look like shit.

However, they work. The OEM clips have been responsible for the death of 2 cooling fans, these aren't gonna let that happen. In this photo I haven't drilled a hole through the front edge yet for the mounting bolt, just btw. Also, yes I am using a rubber spacer so I'm not bolting aluminum onto steel.

I was going to replace the clutch and brake arm bushings but realized I can't remove the seat without having power to the car. Jake has done that job before so I think I might try to do it when he can drink a beer and give me instructions, It was more complicated than I expected when I peeked up in there.

Last night Cory came over and that's when we started making real progress.

We got the "Jesus bolt" torqued back down to 305ft-lbs using the most bitchinest of all torque wrenches. It was at least 5ft long and weighed 50lbs. We also used a belt chain wrench to hold the pulley in place while torquing it which worked beautifully, but my dumb ass let it mar the inside edge of the AC hub on the crank. I'll just file the inner edge a bit so there aren't sharp edges touching the belt and it should be fine. If not I'll find a pulley off a dead motor somewhere, no biggie.

Then the cylinder head went back on. We miraculously got it on the "first try", but trying to line up the dowel on the block with the hole in the cylinder head while holding the 60lb head up is not an easy task. Especially because you're trying to "sink it" without letting the dowel touch the mating surface of the head.

Imagine trying to have sex, in pitch blackness, while hanging upside down, with a dick full of Novocain. It's probably a lot like that.

Once the head was on we got it torqued down, did the timing (hopefully correctly), installed the vanos unit and then called it a night.



Next steps:

1.) Torque Vanos banjo bolt
2.) Install Cam and Crank Position Sensors and Water Pump Pulley
3.) Connect sensors on head
4.)Put drain plugs back in and pour some preliminary oil all over the camshafts.
5.)Install Valve Cover and spark plugs
6.) Reconnect wiring harness and ECU
7.) Install Manifold, fuel injectors, spark plugs
8.) temporarily install headers
9.) Install new air intake parts
10.) Install cowl, hood and wipers
11.) Drop in radiator, hoses, tank
12.) connect power, test start, bleed cooling system
14.) Tow to shop, test fit and tack in V-band flanges, remove headers/midpipe and weld, then do the final install.
15.) Profit?