Engine rebuild update

[llong66]

Hello everyone! I have posted several questions in regards to my engine rebuild and have gotten a good start. I thought I would post some pics of what I have done so far. The first one is the block straight back from the shop, the others are of it painted and with the cam, crank, and pistons installed. The one pic it looks like rust on the piston top, but its just the way the flash reflected with the oil on it. The engine is a 96 6.5l turbo. I bought a new Scat crank, pistons, cam/lifters, the whole 9 yards. Its been bored 0.03 over. I am going with 0.010 thicker head gaskets and will be building a manual turbo master. Just to get it going, I found an inexpensive set of gauges, oil pressure and water temp as well as boost. I plan on redoing the dash with all gauges eventually with speed hut stuff. With the price of even no name EGT gauges, I went ahead and got the Speed Hut EGT gauge, man are they nice!! Built in warning light, I opted for blue lighting, which I will be using through out as I do the rest of the dash.
I have the rad out the alts, power steering, wiring, etc all unhooked from the motor currently in the truck and hope to get it pulled this weekend. I already have an electric fuel pump/filter assembly installed and function verified, man does it make priming EASY!!! I will be trying, initially at least to instal both batteries up front on the pass. side. I have my crossover and it looks like it might fit as is, but I wont know until I get it all together. About the only expense I see left is the exhaust instal. I am going to buy straight pipe, a 45 and hangers and install as much as I can up to the dog house and let a shop do the rest to cut down on cost.
The heads on my current 6.5 have less than 3k on them so I will just be re-using them, they were brand new SS diesel heads.


I will try and post more as I go and list any problems I run into. I had already read on a post here that the VRV gets in the way of the upper manifold with a factory turbo instal, so I have a friend standing by that works at a place that could probably make me a spacer if need be, just needs the gasket for a pattern....a high rise intake! lol.
Thanks for looking and please feel free to offer any comments/thoughts!

Greg

 

[Stonepicker1]

What is the block number?

 

[llong66]

The number in the valley? Its a 141. I had it maged and everything, the guy who did the work is familiar with the 6.2/6.5 motors and said he maged the s#!& out of it and it looked to be a good block. Only thing that needed a lil extra work was he did not like the way the cam felt after he put the bearings in so he did a lil work on the cam line bore, said thats not uncommon for GM blocks.

 

[Stonepicker1]

The 10237141 blocks were cracking at the outer main cap bolts. Which should be 12 mm.
In 97 GM went with 1255506 block. 10 mm bolts on the outer main caps. This made it a little stronger.

If it was me, I would put my money with the GEP 6.5L blocks. A lot stronger.

I hope the rebuild works out for you. Good luck.

 

[llong66]

Stonepicker1, I know about the switch from 12mm to 10mm bolts. I didnt want to go with a 97 or later block because, as you said, the smaller bolts leave more meat in the web area but they have the piston squirters and I have read alot about those weakening the lower cylinder area. The motor currently in the truck was a gov. repower 6.5, I believe it is a 93, I cant remember for sure, but when I had it apart replacing the heads right after I got the truck, it seems the block had the Navistar logo on it. Im not sure if I am remembering right or if this is even possible, but I am sure it was a 93. I didnt want to pull it and take it apart, spend the $$ only to find out it is cracked. The whole issue when I first got it is that I believe it had been over heated and allowed to run. One of the heads was cracked into the water jacket at the number 8 cyl and the cyl was scored bad, I cant remember right now, but that cyl was WAY low on compression. After all of that I just didnt want to take the chance the block was unusable after spending the cpl hundred dollars to have it cleaned and magged. Ive not gotten it out and apart yet, so I am not sure what went on with it, spun bearing, cracked crank, and I have no idea what damage it did. I am just praying that it didnt in some way damage a head, as I said in another post, they are more or less brand new SS diesel heads, less than 3k on them.
Thanks for the well wishes, Ill keep this thread going as I progress.