Doing LS swap on my late Dad’s 84 Chevy C10 to a LS 5.3 LM7 believed to be from a 99 Chevy truck. This is my first time motor rebuild back to stock. Just got motor back from machine shop/ got heads redone and block hot tanked, cam bearings,replaced, cylinder honed(no boring needed) but it is still very nasty looking. I have read that the motor needs to be thoroughly cleaned especially the oil galleries. Since i had the cam bearings replaced at the machine shop will the soapy water cause any issues. My plan is to clean it really good then blow it dry with a leaf blower and take my heat gun to blow heat down the oil galleries to get it dried quickly and to coat with we-40 to prevent any flash rust. I thought that using the heat gun on the cam bearing would dry the bearing seats out from the heat and should be ok.
Does this sound like a good plan?

 

I would suggest that you flush it as cheap as possible with cheap light-weight motor oil like 10 or 20w. Fill the cheap oil filter, like a cheap Fram, with motor oil and install it. Start the motor up and allow it to idle for 5-15 minutes.Slowly increase the throttle up to 1500-2000 RPM's.for awhile Allow the motor to get nice and hot slowly. You want to run this for half an hour or an hour, then drain it and remove the cheap oil filter as well.

You will be draining this motor oil/filter and refilling it with the proper grade oil and oil filter Perhaps 5w-20 if its very cold or 10w-30 motor oil. Back in the day the first 500 miles are the most important up to 2000/2500 miles.Don't go hard on it until you pass the 500 mile mark and even then you don't want to punch it until it passes the 2000/2500 mile mark and don't use any additives at all as you want those piston rings to seat in real good. You do not need to use non-detergent motor-oil, just save money on the cheap oil and filter. Had a classmate use STP on break-in, I had nothing to do with this, The rings never seated properly.

 

Thanks for the reply. Since I have not started putting the motor back together, was wanting to know about cleaning the block with hot soapy water to remove grit and grim left from the machine shop. My concern is cleaning the block in particular around the new cam bearing that machine shop installed and the oil galleries. Any further response to this would be appreciated.
Thanks again.

 

Sure you can flush it with WD-40 or something like it. I never said you could not,.but it has to be something like it and drain it out good.. Good Luck to you, Rumzy!

 

How about using fuel oil or kerosene? Just a thought.

 

I like this idea. Just don’t want anything to break loose from the oil galleries causing a problem with oil pump.

 

> it is still very nasty looking

i was told to expect that by my master

he said "never send off to a machine shop unless you know 100% you will get what you are expecting because usually you won't"

 

> Since i had the cam bearings replaced at the machine shop will the soapy water cause any issues.

Look at it first. Maybe it isn't dirty. You don't have to remove invisible grit. If it ain't there: it ain't there.

A leaf blower doesn't have enough pressure. Don't you have an 80psi air gun to blow it off with?

It shouldn't flash rust it should be nickel plated where it matters. And don't mess up the nickel plating with any caustic cleaner. Spray-9 ok. acids or alcohols or what: no. I'm not sure i'd even use wd-40.

The hair dryer can be dangerous. It can set the WD-40 on fire. Also if you a heat gun too close it can be hot enough to melt certain metals (nichrome wire is more than hot enough to melt certain metals). With a heat gun and air gun and wd-40 what can go wrong? a huge mess in the shop maybe a fire?

I don't think soapy water will test if the bearings are .001 right. I think the right thing is to use the proper weight oil and moving it by hand, and experience, would tell you if the bearings are nice. But without oil pressure you can't "see" if the flow is correct while running. Measurements? Dials guages, accuracy.

> especially the oil galleries

you want to use parts cleaning solven (ie kind used with solvent tanks) or at least engine cleaning solution for that if you have a confirmed "clogged galley" problem, not soap not wd-40 either.

you need to ask someone who knows about solvent cleaning tanks before doing it. "plaque" likes to stay around unless dealt with properly - even with the best cleaner. it's not hard but you aren't just going to pour some in and hit it with a hose and heat gun - with your shop on fire. no.