project " shoe string budget"

kenp313

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Feb 14, 2016
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I know there are plenty of build threads on here already but I would like to share my story
I purchased my truck about two years ago and with in months of having it, it started blowing white smoke at startup in the morning and after driving it hard. I thought it was excess fuel from Stat up when left on a high tune (that was an ignorant ass diagnosis). I later took it to a shop after noticing I was loosing coolant. The the shop diagnosed it as being a lifted cup and bad injectors. I diced with all the money that is being spent to fix the cups that I wanted to make sure it never happened again. The shop and I decided it was best to send the heads out to industrial injection to have a set of torque lock injector cups installed. So I gave the shop a hand full of cash ($7500) and dropped off my truck.

The truck was at the shop for 8 months. When it was time to finally get it back I got a call saying that it wasn't blowing white any more.......but the turbo was bad and I needed a new one. I decide while it was being done I would go aftermarket. I went with a fleece cheetah (awesome turbo and amazing sound). The truck was finally ready to pick up.

I drove my happy as 3+ hours to the shop to pick it up. Shop was closed so I got the keys out of fuel door (I believe) and started it up.BOOM.....what do I see......white f@$!ING smoke. So I drove it home and kept driving it around until a week later I seen coolant leaking out of the passage side exhaust manifold


I decide to disassemble the passage side of the engine and diagnose the problem. I took the p/s head to the machine shop and have it pressure tested. SH!t....it's cracked. Sooooooooo I never needed to spend 1800 for torque lock cups. After I found the bad news I order a new head and call industrial and had them send me a tap and install tool because I was going to put the new cups in myself.

After getting together the money for all the parts (mentioned above) I fixed er up and drove er to KY for vacation....(no more white smoke).. . I stopped at a fuel station and seen that the bottom of my truck was covered in oil and I had some blow by. When I returned from KY I though I may not have tightened up a hold down or a banjo so I tore the passage side down again. Got the money for the parts and got it fixed. And BAM..... sill smoking g out vent tube and leaking oil......... I got on the forum and someone suggested a compression test. I went out and purchased a compression tester and checked the cyls. The all had from 300-310. In my furious state of mind I decide to pull my truck into my (less than 1 car ) garage and tear that sob out of the truck.

I inspected the parts that I pulled off and noticed several cracked pistons. Not terribly cracked but they were still cracked . I took my engine to S&W Performance machine where I found out that my cyls were all oval. Sooooooooo I had them bore the cyls, grind the crank and cam, deck the block, and install cam bearings. I ordered all of my rebuild parts from HENRY @ CREATURES OF THE NIGHT PERFORMANCE..... that was an excellent experience very easy and all my dumb questions were answered by Henry.


I am now in the process of my SHOE STRING BUDGET REBUILD. I am doing this on a 4k budget and quickly burned threw the budget I will be sharing my pictures and experience through the build. Feels like I texted my life story on this damn phone.
 

kenp313

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Feb 14, 2016
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SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING
BRANDON- HELPED PULL THE ENGINE
WILSON - OWNER OF S&W PERFORMANCE MACHINE
HENRY-COTNP (ANSWERED ALL MY IGNORANT QUESTIONS AND HAD GREAT DEALS ON MY REBUILD PARTS)
HIPP11B:hug: -HELPING ME WITH ENGINE BUILD PROCESS
FORM MEMBERS- ANSWERING QUESTIONS AND GIVING ADVICE
 

CentolaCCSB

It will probably break
Nov 2, 2015
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Mass
So since you started having problems how much money do you have into it with parts and labor? Just curious
 

kenp313

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Feb 14, 2016
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I purchased the truck for 16k
Injectors torque lock cups from industrial, 8in stack& labor=$7500
New fleece turbo, mbrp down pipe and overnight shipping est $3k
Misc gaskets trying to solve problem (multiple head gaskets and all gaskets involved several times $800
New head $500 presure test old $100
Tool and tap from industrial $275
Block crank and cam machine work $1035
Lbz rods new pistons with rings pins clips, all bearings, master hasket set, arp flex plate bolts $2300


Too damn much and i only put 6k on the truck since i owned it.
 
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kenp313

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Feb 14, 2016
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I know having all of that done sounds nauseating!!

Its sickening and absolutly disheartining. Im 24 and not made of money. I just feel like i cant give up because im so far in. That would be like going all in then folding
 

TheBac

Why do I keep doing this?
Staff member
Apr 19, 2008
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Mid Michigan
I purchased the truck for 16k
Injectors torque lock cups from industrial, 8in stack& labor=$7500
New fleece turbo, mbrp down pipe and overnight shipping est $3k
Misc gaskets trying to solve problem (multiple head gaskets and all gaskets involved several times $800
New head $500 presure test old $100
Tool and tap from industrial $275
Block crank and cam machine work $1035
Lbz rods new pistons with rings pins clips, all bearings, master hasket set, arp flex plate bolts $2300


Too damn much and i only put 6k on the truck since i owned it.

Thats not a shoestring. More like a nylon rope.

Why did you think you needed the screw-in cups on a stock engine?
 

kenp313

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Feb 14, 2016
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I did the cups in the beginning when i was blowing white smoke. The shop suggested that would be a perminant fix.


As far as the shoe string goes. I have a 4k budget to rebuild this year. The majority of the things listed are from the 2 previous years
 

hipp11B

New member
Apr 1, 2015
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Georgia
I was happy to help brotha, can't wait to get it finished and back on the road, you deserve it man!


Lbz, built trans, efi by Danville, Danville 68, full egr delete, mbrp down pipe, 5" mbrp to 7" stack, ppe guages, custom traction bars, airdog2 165, ppe fuel rail mods, s&b, afe blade runner, Arp head studs..died March 2015

Parts collected for the build. SoCal super damper, SoCal billet flex plate, SDP S400 kit, II 85% CP3, PPE manifolds/up pipes, PCV reroute. Slowly but surely lol
 

kenp313

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Feb 14, 2016
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todays progress

Today's progress me and hipp11b
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hipp11B

New member
Apr 1, 2015
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Georgia
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Lbz, built trans, efi by Danville, Danville 68, full egr delete, mbrp down pipe, 5" mbrp to 7" stack, ppe guages, custom traction bars, airdog2 165, ppe fuel rail mods, s&b, afe blade runner, Arp head studs..died March 2015

Parts collected for the build. SoCal super damper, SoCal billet flex plate, SDP S400 kit, II 85% CP3, PPE manifolds/up pipes, PCV reroute. Slowly but surely lol
 

AJH

Member
Sep 7, 2015
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16
Memphis TN
What shop did you have work on your truck? You gave them $7500, they had the truck for 8 months and they didn't fix anything. Did they crack the head? :confused:
 

kenp313

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Feb 14, 2016
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I'm guessing the head was already cracked

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kenp313

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Feb 14, 2016
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It was cracked in the exhaust valve I'm just putting 2 &2 together. Blowing white sweet exhaust. Replace cups problem persists. Replace head and install cups - no more coolant in combustion chamber

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kenp313

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Feb 14, 2016
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The worst part is that it didn't cost them a dime

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kenp313

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Feb 14, 2016
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Today me and hipp11b installed Mahale 20 over pistons, lbz rods, and arp rod bolts. We would have got done more but 2 a$$ holes forgot to put the lifters in before they installed one of the heads and did 3 passes on the studs. Glad we found it b4 we got much further

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TheBac

Why do I keep doing this?
Staff member
Apr 19, 2008
15,674
1,941
113
Mid Michigan
Eh, shit happens. At least you caught it that soon. It just cost you time.

Building one of these engines is actually pretty fun. Sure is educational.