Hey Guys,

Well so much for just buying a toy to hop in and drive... Some of you may know that the 94 Z28 I picked up had a missing bolt on the head that was causing an exhaust leak. Well, I dropped it at my mechanic last night to have him do the work because I just didn't want to do it. I'd had my fill with the Fleetwood. I figure labor paid to him for that would help me keep my sanity.

Well, when the call came from him today, it was bad news as usual. It was TWO broken bolts (back two) and they were both broken less than flush in the head (they took the manifold off). With the aluminum heads and having very limited access, they correctly diagnosed the head would have to be pulled and sent to the machine shop to get the bolts out. About 800 bucks parts and labor if they do it... Damn!

So I told them to put it back together and use as much of the high temp rtv they could on both sides of the gasket to try and get me through the season. I got a call back after that saying it was ready and the goo seemed to do the trick. They also replaced the o2's and fuel filter that I supplied them with. I guess it was 200 bucks well spent. I couldnt even SEE the pass o2.

*opening can of worms*

So now what do I do? I wanted to keep it stockish, but it looks like it's already fighting me there. I hope the "mickey mouse" exhaust leak patch will hold til I park it the end of the season. My real question is this... It's got 97K miles on it now and I need to pull one head to fix the exhaust leak. I also have an opti to put on it and it needs a water pump. There's a good sized oil leak at the timing cover and possibly the rear main seal. That's more than halfway to a cam swap... Hmmm.... But cam swaps sometimes lead to spun bearings... It's gonna be the end of the season, so do I pull the motor and spend the winter rebuilding it in my basement as time and $$ allow? Or do I just suck it up, pull the head, have the machine shop get the rest of the bolts out and put the head back on? I figure going that far, I should at least upgrade the old springs to LT4's and probably do roller rockers... That'd be the minimum. And I think the smart thing.

If it were you, what would you do?

I'm leaning towards a pull and refresh (new cam, rings, bearings, rockers)... I think...

*can of worms is now open and wrigglin'*

 

me..i would definatly have a heads/cam package put in at minimum..as well as some headers since they are going to be off anyway. probably be pretty easy to bolt on the supercharger while you are at it. I see no reason why you shouldnt be at 450 rwhp by next season.

 

heh heh... Well, $$$ is one reason. I already spent waaaay too much on my last ride. I'd love to do all that stuff, but I gotta be slightly (and by slightly, I mean "a lot") more realistic about my spending. Gonna be buying a house soon...

*gears turning*

...but all that would be nice.

 

well then..at LEAST do headers + lt4 cam kit..why put your old manifolds back on..and since you already are a good way into your engine..do the cam + rockers. you have all winter.

 

How budget oriented do you want this to be? If you are leaning towards freshening the engine then go ahead and do that. Along with rings, bearings, throw some studs in the bottom end, along with some ARP rod bolts....just for a alittle extra reassurance, at a resonable price. Def go with a cam, I would get a custom...but I am sure an off the shelf could suit your needs. You could Talk to Lloyd Elliot about his head porting services for good results, also he may be able to pull the broken bolts out of the heads as well...If so that may be very cost effective for you. Heck the headwork from Lloyd for LE1 is $800, if he can get that bolt out for a few additional bucks and you did the labor yourself, you would be out the same amount of money you would have paid your mechanic. This is ultimately your decision, and if your anything like me your pocketbook may be the deciding factor on your mods/repairs done.