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Knock problems continue

the convertor was stock until a couple months ago. i didnt power brake the car often. thats why i dont understand why ive got this damage, unless an almost 90,000 mile engine just starts to reveal its wear as it ages.
 
Maybe the change explains it. Maybe It didn't have enough clearance when installing the new convertor. From TCI website:You should have 1/8" (.125") to 3/16" (.1875") between the torque converter and flexplate before pulling the converter forward and bolting it to flexplate.
So, too tight and maybe it was jamming itself forward on the crank hub and putting strain on the thrust bearing?
 
i dont know. my dads GN is in the shop getting an engine rebuild for the exact same problem and hes always had the stock converter.
 
I just changed my torque converter to a 10" and noticed my converter was swapped out at some point for a rebuilt stock type. When my car was hot I used to get a light tapping noise from the bell housing area just over idle when accelerating. I found a witness mark on the flexplate that was in the general vicinity of the starter nosecone but I couldn't understand how it was hitting there. Then it occurred to me that the old converter might have ballooned and bent the flexplate so much that even after the old converter was changed out the flexplate was bent just enough to cause it to hit the nose cone when everything got hot and expanded. I changed the flexplate while doing the new converter and the noise is gone now. Is converter ballooning common with these turbo Buick engines? I suppose with all the power they make and drag strip usage it's certainly possible I just never heard of it being chronic or anything .
 
well unforeseen complications on the 1968 grand prix ive been restoring (and also neglected to post here about more than once, due to general laziness) means ill probably be better off getting the TTA running first. my dad and i would like to do the crank and bearing replacement here at home, but neither he or i have rebuilt a short block before. any info/advice/links would be fantastic. were going to start work on pulling the engine tonight.
 
P1020881.jpg


i sure hope it all goes back in the way it came out!
 
weve been labeling and taking pictures. im slightly bummed about losing my a/c charge to get the lines out of the way to get the intercooler out. is there no way to keep your charge? we had to disconnect at the compressor.
 
I lost my gas too,but because I got caught up in the removal and figured I'd get it gassed up in the spring. Had I slowed down I should have taken it the dealer and had them suck it down and reclaim the R12 later.
 
the lc2 should be an easy pull to be honest. If you take out everything in front of it in a TTA these should be a lot of room. Although I have only lifted mine off the pass. side mount to look at the main bearing.
 
Had the same problem so I unbolted the front clip and that worked fine ... some claim you can reach in if you put the hoist in from the side (driver or passenger side front wheel...) I tried that but didn't work for me.

Otherwise it's straight forward just a lot of work removing and installing stuff ....

Couple of photos on tb.com when I dropped mine back in place last year ... Engine back in TTA #1078 - TurboBuick.Com
 
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fortunately jb enterprises has a hoist that will work, jack said i could borrow it next weekend if we cant come up with anything else. id rather not take anything else apart if it can be avoided.
 
I have a modified picker that is basically a 4' length of boxed steel tubing that I drilled and fitted to replace the picker's original adjustable arm. Works fine for the TTA.
It reduces the lifting capacity but drastic times call for drastic measures!
 
I did a similar mod to my cherry picker. Only problem I had was when the mast was extended I had a 500 Caddy on the hook and brought it up too high and the back end came off the ground! Put a nice dent in my garage door and a stain in the back of my pants let me tell you! I wouldn't expect too much trouble with a light little V6 on your hook but keep it in mind.
 
man id rather not risk it. besides, ive got a 455 in my grand prix that im sure will have to come out sooner or later, and that could pose a problem. ill have to return it and try to get a longer one, or simply borrow jack's and worry about the grand prix later.
 
my explanation is weak,let me snap a picture and show you what I did. It does not alter the cherry picker except when you need to add some length.
Hold off taking that back if you can.
 
If you were to extend the mast and also extend the legs that should keep it "grounded". Only problem then would be if the legs didn't fit under the car with the added length. Some of them have legs that angle outward rather than straight out so the longer they are the wider apart they'd be and may hit the tires on a narrow car.
 
we didnt have any clearance issues underneath the car from the front, but that boom is extended in that picture to a lifting capacity of 500lbs. ill have to see what youre talking about ws6, and what you did to keep the thing stable and balanced.
 
This is what I did...it's crude looking but added 15 inches of boom length without compromising stability. Of course I have to transfer the lift chain and hook everytime I install the 40" boom, but it's a fold-away picker and won't close with the extended boom. I bought this boxed steel from a local fabrication/welding shop and just drilled some 5/8" pin holes in the appropriate locations.You'll need at least 60"

It lifted a fully dressed LC2 back in with plenty of space in the front of the car.

Frankly I use it just about everytime I pick an engine and I just helped my father in law pick and place a fully dressed 402 big block in his '72 Monte Carlo.Without it the picker was hitting the front bumper.

..original...

tta2009001.jpg



modified boom...

tta2009002.jpg


If your worried about weight of a Pontiac block, get it down to just the long block and button it up in the engine bay.
 
WS6 said:
This is what I did...it's crude looking but added 15 inches of boom length without compromising stability.
Click to expand...

what i dont understand is how you can add 15" without compromising stability. that means pulling the engine 15" further away from the hoist's center of gravity... unless you did something to extend the legs?
 
Oh,I'm sure I compromised the center of gravity,per say. But it's not "tippy" loaded up with weight. Now maybe mine has longer legs by design,but it does not want to tip forward with a load on it with the extended boom.Like I said, the heaviest load I had on it with that boom was that dressed out 402.
I guess I take on faith that this picker was over-engineered so knuckle heads like me wouldn't hurt myself or the car.


EDIT;

If it were me and I felt my cherry picker was too unstable with an extended boom, I'd weld on some round stock tubing on the backside that I could hang some counter weight on. That or have someone stand on the back of the picker while I was going in or out of the engine compartment with an engine hanging off of it.
 
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I have in the past been forced to use a picker beyond its capacity. The cylinder it strong, but balance can be a problem. Adding some weight to the rear of the unit can give you an additional safety factor. An anvil setting on the back prevents tip ups. Tractor weights, cinder blocks, mother-in-laws can also keep that engine assembly out of cool parts such as nose, headlights, core support and that pan crushing concrete floor or driveway. Good luck with the pull and successfull rebuild. Don't be aprenhensive of an engine rebuild, just be very clean and check every detail and tolerence closely.
 
oh im sure ill find a way to weigh the back end of it down. ive been putting it off working on the grand prix, though. ill get back around to it eventually :)
 
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