techweenie
Newbie
I recently bought a 98 K3500 with the 454. Overall the truck is in really bad shape but I thought the motor was ok. It just appeared to need a tune up and valve cover gaskets. As it turns out I found coolant mixed with the oil under the driver side valve cover, so I assumed it had a blown head gasket and tore it apart. I didn't see any obvious signs of a bad head gasket, but the intake gasket was definitely leaking internally. The heads have already been worked over in a machine shop and are ready to go back on. It doesn't knock so I'm praying the bottom end is still ok. That is only the beginning of the problems.
Every possible internal part of this engine is severely caked with oil and carbon residue. I bought a 1 gallon dip can of carb cleaner and got the push rods and rockers sparkly clean with a little scrubbing. My budget is non-existent so I started disassembling the lifters and cleaning them. That took 2 days soaking in gasoline, another day soaking in PSC1000, a little soaking in the carb dip, and a lot of persuasion. In the process I found six out of eight on the driver side have rough rollers. They take noticeably more effort to roll and are not smooth at all. Ordering new ones is way more than I wanted to spend to get this thing on the road, and I'm already way over budget.
I'm starting to get very frustrated with this project because every part I take off reveals more and more problems. While trying to get the fuel rail off I managed to break the heater hose fitting clean off the intake manifold. Tried to use an EZ out and what was left of it just crumbled but wouldn't clear out the threads. Took that to a machine shop and waiting to see if they can fix it. Went to replace the FPR and found the housing dented and existing FPR damaged. Still has stock injectors so I have a set of Bosch units waiting to go on. I couldn't separate the exhaust manifolds from the y-pipe so I had to undo the first exhaust joint and rip the whole assembly out the bottom of the truck. Try doing that with the truck on the ground and a seized EGR tube. Took that mess to a muffler shop and had the manifold studs replaced and O2 sensors backed out, one of which ripped some threads but was fixable. Since the trans support crossmember had to come out I went ahead and had it powdercoated. None of the exhaust hardware could be salvaged. It took me two days just to find replacement manifold to head studs! While under the truck I pulled the front prop shaft only to find the slip joint completely seized and one of the u-joints had crumbled to dust. Also found a few leaking drivetrain seals, torn CV boot, and ALL of the steering linkage joints literally wobble. So now the truck has been in the middle of my driveway for about a month with exposed cylinders and fewer and fewer parts still attached. Weather and work have not been cooperating either.
All I need is for this thing to run and drive reliably for maybe two years. After that it's getting a solid front axle and will become a mud truck. It's got all the potential, but finding it is not easy right now. Given the current situation with the lifters and knowing the stock cam sucks, coupled with the ultimate goal of slinging mud, what do you guys think I should do? I can't afford to spend money on stuff that would be nice to have, but I also can't afford to do things twice. Should I pull the bottom end and tear it down (it has over 200k miles)? Is there a cheap place to buy good lifters? I'm really just overwhelmed right now and need some opinions.
Every possible internal part of this engine is severely caked with oil and carbon residue. I bought a 1 gallon dip can of carb cleaner and got the push rods and rockers sparkly clean with a little scrubbing. My budget is non-existent so I started disassembling the lifters and cleaning them. That took 2 days soaking in gasoline, another day soaking in PSC1000, a little soaking in the carb dip, and a lot of persuasion. In the process I found six out of eight on the driver side have rough rollers. They take noticeably more effort to roll and are not smooth at all. Ordering new ones is way more than I wanted to spend to get this thing on the road, and I'm already way over budget.
I'm starting to get very frustrated with this project because every part I take off reveals more and more problems. While trying to get the fuel rail off I managed to break the heater hose fitting clean off the intake manifold. Tried to use an EZ out and what was left of it just crumbled but wouldn't clear out the threads. Took that to a machine shop and waiting to see if they can fix it. Went to replace the FPR and found the housing dented and existing FPR damaged. Still has stock injectors so I have a set of Bosch units waiting to go on. I couldn't separate the exhaust manifolds from the y-pipe so I had to undo the first exhaust joint and rip the whole assembly out the bottom of the truck. Try doing that with the truck on the ground and a seized EGR tube. Took that mess to a muffler shop and had the manifold studs replaced and O2 sensors backed out, one of which ripped some threads but was fixable. Since the trans support crossmember had to come out I went ahead and had it powdercoated. None of the exhaust hardware could be salvaged. It took me two days just to find replacement manifold to head studs! While under the truck I pulled the front prop shaft only to find the slip joint completely seized and one of the u-joints had crumbled to dust. Also found a few leaking drivetrain seals, torn CV boot, and ALL of the steering linkage joints literally wobble. So now the truck has been in the middle of my driveway for about a month with exposed cylinders and fewer and fewer parts still attached. Weather and work have not been cooperating either.
All I need is for this thing to run and drive reliably for maybe two years. After that it's getting a solid front axle and will become a mud truck. It's got all the potential, but finding it is not easy right now. Given the current situation with the lifters and knowing the stock cam sucks, coupled with the ultimate goal of slinging mud, what do you guys think I should do? I can't afford to spend money on stuff that would be nice to have, but I also can't afford to do things twice. Should I pull the bottom end and tear it down (it has over 200k miles)? Is there a cheap place to buy good lifters? I'm really just overwhelmed right now and need some opinions.