@Caman96 - no I did not replace my drain plugs. I resealed the old ones and installed them. They weren’t too bad. My dad and I really like that 5/8” heater hose nipple on the intake though.
@Orpedcrow - no worries. I need to check your threads and see how you’re doing. It’s been a busy week.
Regarding the transmission noise, it’s gone. All it took was getting some fluid movement and it cleared right up.
Now we have a new, albeit solvable, issue. The baffles in the valve covers are rattling and making this god awful noise. Hear it here:
xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media
We at first thought it was valve train - and maybe a little bit of it was. We wet set the valves while the covers were off. And now they are set right.
After comparing the old covers to the new ones we noticed some movement on the new baffles. The old ones don’t flex like the new ones do. They rub just enough to make noise. I am going to remove them, bend them open, and have my neighbor spot weld them in place. In the video you can hear my dad bend it out of the way and the sound goes away.
In this video you can see how well the truck runs:
xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media
And we tried to bleed the coolant system tonight but the thermostat wouldn’t open. I’ll get a new one and throw it in some water to make sure it works.
Overall, we’re pleased with how smooth this thing runs in the driveway. I can’t wait to get it down the road.
