[Blk 76]

I have a black 76 with original paint that still looks good with a 455 engine. I need to pull the engine to get to a broken exhaust manifold bolt and figured while its out I would replace the water pump, fuel pump, motor mounts, trans mount, plugs and plug wires. Is there other things that I should consider? Should the intake gaskets be replaced? The engine runs really good so I see no need to go into it. Since my car is original should I repaint the engine while its out? The car has about 80,000 miles on it.

[twobirds]

yes, take everything off the engine,[leave the intake on] clean everthing good with brake clean or acitone,get all the grease off,order some paint from BILL HEARSH,for that year, and shoot it with a mini aresol bottle,get some BILL HEARSH inner fender paint and you wont regrete it.!! have fun.

[2manyT/A'S]

If the timing chain/gears hasn't been done,now is a good time.

It's only about 10 more bolts.

You can check it by turning the crank pulley bolt & observing how far bolt turns before rotor (in distributor) moves.

[vidguy]

Stay focused don't let the might as wells get you.... My car is half apart after asking myself the same question...

[Rack776]

Originally Posted by twobirds

yes, take everything off the engine,[leave the intake on] clean everthing good with brake clean or acitone,get all the grease off,order some paint from BILL HEARSH,for that year, and shoot it with a mini aresol bottle,get some BILL HEARSH inner fender paint and you wont regrete it.!! have fun.

Be carefull not to get Paint thinner or acetone on the rubber seals or into the motor,
I'd wrap those areas with a rag first, I also would stick to the plan and dont get
carried away with dooing too much, remember its easy to pull a car apart for
a resto its harder to buy, fix & replace parts to put it back together,
My friends 67 mustang has been apart for 15+ years because he took the
battery tray out & found rust, its now a body shell with 10 years of dust on it.

Good Luck sounds like a nice car!

[72blackbird]

If you're going to pull the engine out, do yourself a favor and change the rear main seal as well- it can be a PITA but this will more than likely start to leak after you detail the engine and engine bay and then you'll wish you had done it. Be sure to change the seal on the front timing cover too.

A reseal on an original engine with low to mid mileage can lead to a rebuild and blow the budget on a minor project, but if the engine is worn out nothing will change that fact- it will still need to be rebuilt. But if it still makes good power and has about 25k-50k mi left, the reseal and repaint will make those last miles trouble free before the engine fades and needs a rebuild.

Geno

[MescaBug]

You might want to change your brake lines also. It's not very costly. If you think they need to be changed, that is.

Pre-bent front lines are a pain to change with the engine in...

[1971/455/HO/4-SPD]

Originally Posted by vidguy

Stay focused don't let the might as wells get you.... My car is half apart after asking myself the same question...

I'll second that notion! Make a list and stick to it!

[GTOLou]

Originally Posted by 72blackbird

If you're going to pull the engine out, do yourself a favor and change the rear main seal as well- it can be a PITA but this will more than likely start to leak after you detail the engine and engine bay and then you'll wish you had done it. Be sure to change the seal on the front timing cover too.

A reseal on an original engine with low to mid mileage can lead to a rebuild and blow the budget on a minor project, but if the engine is worn out nothing will change that fact- it will still need to be rebuilt. But if it still makes good power and has about 25k-50k mi left, the reseal and repaint will make those last miles trouble free before the engine fades and needs a rebuild.

Geno

Hmmm, does it leak now? Do a search on rear seal replacement. May not leak now, but might leak after it's replaced...

[Blk 76]

It sounds like replacing the rear seal may cause problems is that what I am hearing? I do not need any more work or more problems. I will have to look at the rear seal it may have a leak there. What problems could it cause to replace the rear seal? BG

[72blackbird]

Blk 76,
If you have the original asbestos rope seal in there with 80k mi on it, it's not a question of if it leak, it's a question of when. If you want to go through the motions of pulling a motor, pulling the oil pan and replacing the rear main seal after you've just painted and installed it, don't touch your rear main seal at all. Anyone who's been working on Pontiacs for a long time knows the old rope seals aren't known for their longevity.

The new graphite rope seal from Best Gasket installs exactly like the old rope seals, but comes with a blade and specially formed holder to make installation a breeze.

Geno

[performerrpm]

iam in agree-ance about the rear seal/pan gasket change while its out. if in doubt you could put the viton rear seal in ive heard nothing but good about them gonna try one myself too.

but like said i wouldnt get to carried away but i do think the areas id look at and areas that really isnt that much cost or work with the motor out is

>original purpose...exhaust bolt
>degrease/paint
>timing chain @80k miles wouldnt hurt and the gasket kit will have a new front seal
>oil pan and rear seal would be at the top of my list

not really any easier since its simple in or out of the car but if you suspect the valve cover gaskets are leaking change them too. id use rubber gaskets on the pan and valve covers the cost of all this couldnt be more than 100 bucks depending on which gear set you buy, id do double roller over o.e.

[Blk 76]

What happens to an engine when the rear seal is replaced that would cause it to need to be rebuilt? This engine runs real good but is there a way to know if replacing the seal will cause it to need the rebuild? BG

[2manyT/A'S]

Basically,to do your rear main seal properly,you need to lift the crank out of the block & if the pistons are left in the bores,this can be a bit tricky.
You are going to need a few extra sets of hands and lots of patience.
It's real easy to damage something.

[72blackbird]

Replacing the rear main seal with the pistons/rods still in the block is a bit tricky, but can be done- it's definitely a two-man job to get the crank out with all of those rod bolts in the way. Installing a new rear main seal will not require an engine rebuild, but the only way to know that is to pull your heads off and check the cylinders for taper in the bore.

If you know for sure your engine has good compression and doesn't need a new rings, keep the heads on and work around the rods and pistons to get the crank out and install a new rear main seal. But most mechanics and engine builders will recommend an overhaul since you already have the motor out, and stock rings typically wear out at around 100k-125k mi depending on usage.

Geno

[Ben M.]

Might as well just pull the entire engine apart and rebuild it at the rate of things you guys are suggesting he should do.

Seriously, if it's just a broken bolt to replace, JUST replace the bolt. Otherwise you start down "well that needs attention" road and "might as well do this..." lane and that leads to a project on eBay or craigslist that "ran good when parked" but hasn't in 5-10 years. If you are going to do all of the other things, just save yourself the time and headache and get the engine redone.

[performerrpm]

i think all of the stuff mentioned can be done in a weekend aside from getting it pulled and reinstalled. the things mentione may just as well be what keeps him from re pulling it next year or so. pulling a whole motor for one bolt just to put it back seems like a wasted oppurtunity

[Blk 76]

I have another project going and I might want to consider just fixing the broken bolt and do the seal and detailing later. How difficult is it to remove the left exhaust manifold on a 455 in a 76 TA with the engine still in the car? It looks like a real pain, does anyone know how bad a job it is? BG

[72blackbird]

I think you could get to it if you pulled the hood, fender liner and fender off, but the downward angle that the exhaust bolts point at would still make drilling it out difficult at best (probably why any machine shop will only work on a detached head). If you don't pull the motor, you're going to have to pull the head to work on it.

Geno

[pontiacstogo]

You might want to consider replacing the heater core...