[SRGN]

Bickering for no reason. To do it right, teardown and line bore/hone. Or, roll the dice and potentially damage a crank by bolting on a cap from another block. Nobody knows if the block was line bored during the last rebuild, so a cap replacement could potentially go really bad. It's not my engine, not my choice.

Threenuts, if you decide to pull the engine I can tear it down with you one weekend if you want to take it for a ride to my garage in Bedminster. I try to have at least one free engine stand, only thing I ask is that you take everything with you when we're done. When the machine work is done, bring it back and I'll help you reassemble the short block. I have all the proper tools for disassembly and reassembly.

[Skidmark]

Originally Posted by SRGN

Bickering for no reason. To do it right, teardown and line bore/hone. Or, roll the dice and potentially damage a crank by bolting on a cap from another block. Nobody knows if the block was line bored during the last rebuild, so a cap replacement could potentially go really bad. It's not my engine, not my choice.

Threenuts, if you decide to pull the engine I can tear it down with you one weekend if you want to take it for a ride to my garage in Bedminster. I try to have at least one free engine stand, only thing I ask is that you take everything with you when we're done. When the machine work is done, bring it back and I'll help you reassemble the short block. I have all the proper tools for disassembly and reassembly.

I like this option. Nice offer.

[NeighborsComplaint]

Originally Posted by Skidmark

I like this option. Nice offer.

Nice to see a community come together and solve a problem instead of nit picking because a guy said align-hone when he meant align-bore. Actions speak louder than words bantering about. I offered a least invasive method that could be verified as a go or no-go before putting the oil pan back on and starting the vehicle. It's not bad advice when offered with the caution it isn't without some risk either. It's up to the OP to decide if the juice is worth a little squeeze or a big one.

[ThreeNuts]

Originally Posted by SRGN

Bickering for no reason. To do it right, teardown and line bore/hone. Or, roll the dice and potentially damage a crank by bolting on a cap from another block. Nobody knows if the block was line bored during the last rebuild, so a cap replacement could potentially go really bad. It's not my engine, not my choice.

Threenuts, if you decide to pull the engine I can tear it down with you one weekend if you want to take it for a ride to my garage in Bedminster. I try to have at least one free engine stand, only thing I ask is that you take everything with you when we're done. When the machine work is done, bring it back and I'll help you reassemble the short block. I have all the proper tools for disassembly and reassembly.

For some reason, most of these posts only recently showed up, I apologize for missing them, and am grateful for the offer. Thank you!

[mgarblik]

Glad you are up and running. Couple things to consider. First timing. I would verify TDC is TDC with a piston stop or at the very least a camera to look at the piston and the timing marks. That should get you close. I hate to pick on an engine builder I don't know, but a Pontiac V-8, especially with closed chamber heads won't run it's best at 2-3 degrees retarded timing. The combustion chambers are so inefficient, your fuel mileage and performance will suffer. I can't imagine this engine running well without at least 6-8 degrees advance at idle. To be safe, and avoid detonation, borrow or buy a dial back style timing light. Check your total timing @ 4000-4500 RPM. I think you would be plenty safe at 32-34 degrees. Then see what your initial timing is at idle, vacuum disconnected. Then see what your timing is with the vacuum attached. With todays lousy fuel, you may find the vacuum canister is adding 20-22 degrees of timing at high vacuum. That is where your detonation may be happening. On almost all rebuilds with old distributors, I have to mechanically limit the vacuum advance to 10-12 degrees to avoid detonation on lousy pump gas. This can be done by welding in a stop, installing a screw, or possibly sliding a small diameter sleeve over the post on the vacuum unit.

Getting your distributor and timing straightened out first will likely eliminate your "carburetor" problems. Get the ignition right first, then mess with the carburetor if needed. Good luck with it.

[ThreeNuts]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

Glad you are up and running. Couple things to consider. First timing. I would verify TDC is TDC with a piston stop or at the very least a camera to look at the piston and the timing marks. That should get you close. I hate to pick on an engine builder I don't know, but a Pontiac V-8, especially with closed chamber heads won't run it's best at 2-3 degrees retarded timing.

I verified that it was before installing the distributor - my only concern is if I was off by 180-degrees but, having never done that, I don't know what it does. I assume it wouldn't run if the rotor was on #1 and #8 cylinder was at TDC.

Your comment about the builder resonates, especially after the oil pump shaft issue. Maybe that's conventional wisdom for the big blocks that he's seeing on the regular. I have every confidence that he set-up the static timing correctly - that's a fairly standard thing on any engine at rebuild - but the Pontiacs have their quirks, and that timing issue may be one of them.

I was not as surprised by the bearing scrubbing - the car could sit for weeks or even months in the winter (in a heated garage) before I'd start it again, and I did have lifter clatter occasionally until the oil pumped up, so it's my use pattern that did it.

I've looked into pre-oiling systems but damn, they are expensive. Pulling the distributor to spin it is a job on these things. Shop owner suggested using synthetic to alleviate these, and yeah, starting it & warming it up once a week in the winter would probably help. What I need for that is one of those heavy hoses that shops used to use to pipe the exhaust outside with the door shut. I'd cut a port in the garage door.