Re: Nate's Micellaneous Vehicle Thread
 

Man, you do a lot of work! Hats off from the other side of the pond.

Did you find out why the rebuilt 454 locked up?

Re: Nate's Micellaneous Vehicle Thread
 

I don't have many pictures. As soon as it passed the DMV inspection, the car went straight to a younger sister (she likes to brag to her friends that her brother custom engineered a car for her). I do have a picture of the car on its maiden voyage. I drove it to my favorite fishing spot; 100 mile round trip only 1 day after getting the exhaust installed because I needed the emissions monitors to run for the DMV Engine Swap Inspection. I've never been that nervous before, but I figured if something was gonna go wrong it would happen in the first hundred miles. I'd rather have it happen to me, not my sister. Thankfully the only thing that went wrong was a check engine light reminding me that cheap knock sensors are cheap for a reason....:banghead:

I also have a picture of the engine the day I fired it up. That day was a rollercoaster of emotions. I didn't realize that the 3.4L was designed to run off of 5psi of oil pressure when hot. That barely reads on the 3.0L gauge, and I thought I lost pressure completely. Thankfully that was not the case, but it scared the poo out of me.

I'd say the exhaust is slightly louder than a typical 3rd gen. I'm not exactly sure why. It sounds good and can still be classified as "quiet", but it seems to have a slightly deeper and louder rumble. It obviously has a conversion crossover pipe, aftermarket catalytic converter, but it does have an OEM muffler. It is either using the stock 2.25" pipe, or it may have been stepped up to 2.5". I can't remember.

Re: Nate's Micellaneous Vehicle Thread
 

I have a large family and work two jobs (mechanic and fleet manager). Something always needs fixing and I see it as a way to gain experience and hone my skills.

I haven't done a deep inspection the 454. Initial inspection suggests that something went wrong with the piston or the rings in cylinder 5. I've attached pictures I took with my borescope. The engine oil smells horribly burnt, but doesn't seem to have any metal in it. 7 of the cylinders look fantastic. Cylinder 5 looks like the piston rubbed or the rings were too tight. I plan on doing a teardown/autopsy after I swap the motor.

What's weird is that the crosshatch is still visible in several areas. I don't know if it ingested water, got washed out from a stuck open injector, etc.

Re: Nate's Micellaneous Vehicle Thread
 

Makes you wonder, doesn't it? If the rings were gapped too tight you would expect carnage along the complete cylinder wall.

Maybe the piston is too tight in the bore. Or the piston is manufactured with the wrong taper or ovality.