Well I drained the oil this morning and cut open the filter. I'm afraid I think i've spun a bearing. I didn't screen the oil but it appears there isn't any metal filings in there although it does have a silverish tint to it. Cut open the filter and they are very hard to see but there are a good amount of microscopic like metal peices in the filter.

Now does this indicate the bearings spun in the crank or could it also be from the cam? Are there any other ways of making sure it is definetly a spun bearing besides ripping apart the engine?

Here are some pics, camera sucks so quality isn't good not sure if you can really see the metal peices:

 

I've seen a lot worse in the filter although it looks to me as if something is in the process of eating itself. It won't get better with age.

The shiny pieces (non-magnetic) are the surface material of the bearing. The copper-colored bits are a part of the bearing backing material. Any fragments that are attracted to a magnet are from the rods, the crank, or the block. There is a possibility that it could be the cam but it really doesn't make much difference. If you drive it, the problem will get worse until it unravels completely. If you take it apart now, you may be able to avoid some more extensive (expensive) fixes.

 

Not sure what to do now. What would something like this cost to fix? Might be time for me to say goodbye to the LT1..

 

The next step is up to you. I think that it would be prudent to take the opened filter to a reputable machine shop and have a knowledgeable person evaluate the situation. That would be better than relying on someone 3000 miles away looking at a fuzzy picture.

There are quite a few unknowns at this point in the process. If you have the tools, interest, and abilities there are a lot of pluses to going ahead with a rebuild. Since there is an issue of weather where you live, you would also need to think in terms of a place to work for a couple of months while everything is being machined and fitted.

About half of the cost is dependent on how much damage has been done and exactly what happened. The other half is dependent on your self-discipline. As soon as you get started there will be a flood of people who want to advise you on what you COULD do as opposed to what you NEED to do. For example, if you say you're going to a set of reconditioned stock rods for $100 someone will be happy to tell you that they can buy Eagles for only a few bucks more. No sooner than that advice has settled in your inbox, someone else will come along with a stack of horror stories about Eagle rods and recommend Scat rods. Someone who works without a budget will scoff at Scat and suggest Manley or Crower. The same pattern of advice will appear relative to every part of the motor. Ultimately, getting off your original game plan could boost the cost to easily double that for which you planned.

You are the only person who knows what you can afford, how you want to use the car, what your personal circumstances are, etc. If you formulate a plan that works for you and you stick to it, you could be out of this for less than the aggravation associated with trying to sell a car with a broken motor. If your desires exceed the reaches of your finances the motor will never get done and you'll end up selling the shell of the car for about what it costs to have it scrapped.

Good luck with the challenge. Hope it all works out in your favor.

c

 

i have to agree that you spun a bearing. Maintaining a high-rpm for a long duration of time while the engine doesnt have much of a load, or any load is not good and will definitely test your bearings out.

I think if you had messed the cam up it would probably have become apparent well before you did the long burnout.

 

My sig is a fine example of what you COULD do. This started as a stock rebuild.

 

I'm gonna bring it to a good shop around me to have them asses it. If its just the crank bearings that gave, then i'll probably just have the shop do it if it isn't anything over a grand to fix. I have never done bearings and I don't really feel like learning how to do them when its getting cold like this in my driveway.

I was looking on AI's site and I could get a 355 rotating assembly using the stock crank for a grand. But then again, i'm not to eager to pull the engine back out after 1000 miles of it being back in. What kind of machining would be required to put in a new rotating assembly?

 

Depending on the damage already done, the mains might need to be line-honed and the cylinders bored and honed. That could be about $500. A new timing chain and gaskets and you've done a minimal job. Again, it could be more or less depending on how much bad stuff has already happened. I'd go ask the shop. You don't have to buy it just because you priced it. If there's a decent repair shop in the area you might get a decent deal on an R & R so that you don't have to lay on your back on the driveway on Thanksgiving day.