hopefully you can enjoy my story

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Ok so here is the story with the blue wagon.. well all together i put about 6-7 grand into this thing and it doesnt even look like before these accidents has happened.. i know this.. high hopes for this wagon.. my first wagon.. its a good feeling as we all know.. So now about lets say 1months ago i hit a deer doing 80mph on the highway on the way to work(i was late)(do not have pictures of the first deer hit).. Did not take to bad of a hit.. All pass. side dmg.. Fender Bumper.. Aftermarket headlight.. rad. support which i think its more of and header panel but im not much of a body guy.. The grille.. and the hood got dmged.. i put a headlight back in.. Made an aluminum bracket to screw the bumper back on just to pass inspection.. passes inspection(thank god the guy had sympothy for me) i took him for a ride to prove there was nothing wrong.. So now im driving this wagon to work and around town hanging out.. Well about a week or two ago i hit TWO deer in ONE hit.. Dint not think it was possible but i did it.. So now that i got it fully insured after the first hit.. they totaled it on the second run in on the deer.. so now its an S title wagon ;-(.. sad day when the adjuster told me i had to either r-title ir or scrap title it.. so i went with the scrap title to make some of my losses back at least.. strip it clean of all the stuff i put into it to put in my new and improved wagon..







About the black wagon.. When i hit the first deer with the bluw wagon the starter was literally apart.. i pulled this starter about and i can twist it about 4inches just screws unthreaded.. and the battery was dead.. so my eger but wanted another wagon cause i would like to have a fleet of them one day which i know some of you guys do and that to me is a great acheivement.. anyways go on craigslist and start looking.. Found one in the boonedocks of philly.. woods everywhere.. anyways i get there to check it out.. body and frame in MINT.. so that was a plus.. half ass macco paint job.. the tailgate yo can see that was clearly changed.. but was not bad.. i take it for a test drive.. runs and drives great for it sitting i think he said for about two years.. a funeral place had it and he said he about it off this old guy who had died.. anyways got it for 1300.. the odometer didnt work.. clock stopped at 65,000 and he said he drove it for about 2,000miles.. ok give or take 67 68000.. drive it home no problems.. two hour ride down pour rain.. now mind you rotted out tires.. and just running a little rough.. nothing crazy.. it was pulling a little hard to the right.. next day i just go under it and yank on the tir rods and sure enough they are shot.. Replace them.. get a half ass alignment job.. i say that because i needed to get this one inspected as well.. no stickers at all!.. so it was a must.. he passed me for the tires because i told him i had my wheels and tires for the summer im gonna put on it.. so then begins the upgrades.. the headlights.. wheels.. and in the process of doing the tints(cutting designs in them).. i just basically got in thing and drove it.. well one day i decided let me check the oil atleast right?.. which should have done when i ot home from the trip.. thing was just about bone dry.. put two quarts in and off i go!.. well one day i smell oil burning like a bastard!.. pulled over and checked the dipstick.. just about bone dry.. and thats just going about 40miles.. so i look under the car right.. just about pouring out oil.. BUMMER!.. so i keep driving it.. dumping oil into it cause the blue wagon was out of comission.. so one morning on the way home from drinking at my buddy's house.. hung over driving.. all of a sudden i hear and feel this wagon runnign like CRAP!.. almost like a engine mount went.. put into the next gas station.. pull the dipstick.. SMOKING!.. couldnt believe my eyes.. i buy two quarts of the thickest oil they had.. poured it and got that baby home!.. so now i had to get the blue wagon running so i did the starter and battery.. now when i park the black wagon i notice my tires on my summer wheels are BALD on the outsides.. thats why i said before a half ass alignment job.. and 18" wheel ties are not that cheap.. got the blue wagon running again(deer situation mishab after i got it running).. so now i bought a engine from a place who pulls engines.. does not tell me how many miles or what it came out of.. i believe it was a surburban.. I get this engine and start taking off the valve covers.. about 1inch of sludge build up on top of the heads.. THANKS ASSHOLE!.. so pull the oil pan.. not really too much sludge built up so that was good.. so clean out the heads(did not take them off the block) the head gaskets didnt seem to be leaking(dont fix something thats not broken is what i learned out of my first wagon).. the only thing that looked like it was gonna be a problem was the rear main.. changed the valve cover gaskets.. oil pan gasket and the rear main.. its on a engine stand.. just do it right.. so i decided to paint the valve covers and oil pan black and the head and block "grabber green" and this is what it looks like

i start the process of ripping out the "blown" one and put that baby in on sunday..

this is why i have been so distant from the site.. once again sorry and should be seeing more of me and the progress on the work ill be doing..

im sooo sorry.. i just relized that there is a story section..

... and people think I'm weird with a purple engine!

I had to turn down the brightness controls on my monitor when I looked at your engine pics.

(only teasing)

Two deer with only one "arrow". Nice shooting!

Dave

lol sorry about that.. my phone is not the best

lakeffect wrote:

... and people think I'm weird with a purple engine!

I had to turn down the brightness controls on my monitor when I looked at your engine pics.

(only teasing)

Two deer with only one "arrow".  Nice shooting!

Dave

Sorry Dave but its not the engine color that makes us think you're weird!

HEY! BE NICE OR I"LL SENT THE SHEEP TO PUT YOU IN A NICE WOOL BLANKET!

Need any socks? Two for One, not a BAAAAAHD deal.

Dave

Where in NEPA do you hail?

I like how you painted the drums to look like disc brakes, nice lil touch that looks right.

Sprocket wrote:

I like how you painted the drums to look like disc brakes,  nice lil touch that looks right.

I noticed that too,reminded me of this guy that works at my local grocer.He has a old camaro,painted the rear drums to look like a drilled and slotted rotor.The last time I was shopping he has painted a red caliper on the drum with the word "BIMBO"painted on,LMAO when I saw that.

i figured since i was changing the wheels whats an extra 5 bucks to make it look a little pretty.. i just got called it night(well morning).. all i have to do today is take off the rest of the acc. brackets and unplug a couple more sensors and engine mounts and the bell housing bolts and strap up the trans.. and the freaking exhaust.. dreading that exhaust.. but pictures to come soon!..

i hail in the hazleton parts of n.e p.a

MacMasterMike.. i see your in scranton.. i might have apicture of your wagon.. my buddies always send me pics when they see a wagon on the highway.. and i have a couple of buddies in the scranton area

Cool i somehow figured you were from hazleton, dont know why. If it was a white caprice or roady then it was me. I was down that way a few weeks back to goto hometown and stopped at harry's. They had 2 caprice and to my surprise two custom cruisers in the yard at the time.

the light blue olds with the driver side dmg?..

some progress

literally the whole engine was leaking oil.. oil pan.. heads.. rear main.. back of the intake.. the oil cooler fitting wasnt even tight.. distributor gasket leaking.. just bad news all the way around.. cant wait to take of the heads of this old engine.. its stamped 5.7 on the back of the block tho.. it didnt have snot like a 5.7 would.. so must be rings.. valve seals?.. something

some more progress.. slowly getting there.. painted the fire wall.. swapped out a couple thing from the old engne to the "new".. exhaust manifolds.. fitting for the heater core.. oil pressure sending unit.. goose neck.. small odds and ends.. and thanks to my neighboor i had a huge garage and air at my hands.. very very nice people.. glad we still have good neighboors around.. i owe them dinner!

Sprocket wrote:

I like how you painted the drums to look like disc brakes,  nice lil touch that looks right.

Dang...that does look good. Slick idea!!

Love the progress too (and pics)

Chris

Important question: How do you keep your white leather sneakers so clean during an engine swap?  

I'm in the same situation with my engine. Got a replacement 350 and it had some sludge up top but mostly ok. Gonna wait for the current one to die before doing the swap, just more time to build up the newish engine!

morel.. i did the same thing.. but the engione blew before i can even button up the "new" old engine.. so it kicked me in my butt to move this process right along

Olds.. hahahahahahaha thats my neighboor.. she was helping me swap out the manifolds.. she was just basically supervising till her husband got home..

painting the fan.. pullies.. and thats the engine all buttoned up.. manifolds painted.. just something to last for a couple months really.. when i did this to my last engine the paint just came right off in months.. so i didnt go to crazy this time

Just in time for Halloween! Have fun and enjoy

Did you use a paint intended for high temperatures? That may be part of why it came off in the past.
Regular paint tends not to hold long.
If it's on the headers and heads, it will burn off wuickly. Pulleys should not be an issue, as they rarely would ever be subjected to the same levels of head as would headers.l

i used high temp on the fire wall and the engine and manifolds.. and the orange is just normal rattle can.. i know that the one bracket i panted is gonna be peeling in no time.. and the fan is just for fun.. should stay pink..

but i install the engine tomorrow guys.. dont know why but nervous.. its like my baby is getting operation on(and i dont even have kids)..

WagonLover wrote:

i used high temp on the fire wall and the engine and manifolds.. and the orange is just normal rattle can.. i know that the one bracket i panted is gonna be peeling in no time.. and the fan is just for fun.. should stay pink..

but i install the engine tomorrow guys.. dont know why but nervous.. its like my baby is getting operation on(and i dont even have kids)..

Its official,youre a wagon nut when you start thinking of your wagon as your child!

Flasheroo wrote:

WagonLover wrote:

i used high temp on the fire wall and the engine and manifolds.. and the orange is just normal rattle can.. i know that the one bracket i panted is gonna be peeling in no time.. and the fan is just for fun.. should stay pink..

but i install the engine tomorrow guys.. dont know why but nervous.. its like my baby is getting operation on(and i dont even have kids)..

Its official,youre a wagon nut when you start thinking of your wagon as your child!

hahahahahaha thats why we are all here i hope!.. i love these wagons like nobodys buisness.. i got it tattooed on me.. and love everytime i wake up and see it

so as you can see the engine is in..........
the catch.. i had to do it twice.. it was my own fault without a doubt.. but a lesson learned.. its why i do this kind stuff i suppose..
so i drop it in the first time.. get the bell housing bolts on.. engine mount bolts tight.. went to do the tourqe converter bolts.. wrong flex plate!.. had to pull it back out and put the one from the old engine on.. also the distributer wouldnt go in while the engine was in so i got to put that in as well.. but come to find out this engine is a truck engine cause the car distributer was bigger so i got a distributer for a 94 burban with a 350 in it.. and went right in.. the flange where the gasket goes lined right up.. slap her back in and passed out cuz i was only on an hour sleep from the day before.. i didnt get to bed last night till 930pm

so i had this engine running.. not for long... maybe two three minutes.. just to make sure it ran and go it to time.. so as i was buttoning up everything.. i relized that the throttle body did not have and nipple on the side to where mt T.V cable goes.. so i had to take off the TBI off the "old" engine. so i figured while its off.. i went on CFM Tech. website and ordered the fuel pressure gauge and the injector spacer gasket.. adjustable fuel regulator.. seen a couple of you guys talking about it.. so i am suppose to be getting them today.. waiting to install the gauge cause i just want this thing in motion so bad.. you get this far and just want to go!.. keep you guys updated hopefully tomorrow.

Nice progress. Paint the alternator purple, and bracket it's on yellow and it'll look like a bag of skittles under there!

Great progress and you will never need a underhood light with that glow in the dark engine.Almost done and ready for its roadtrip!

WOW that's BRIGHT! Will be fun at cruise-ins!

Flasheroo wrote:

Great progress and you will never need a underhood light with that glow in the dark engine.Almost done and ready for its roadtrip!

looking foward to my first trip!

ok.. i got the parts from CFM tech... they worked out great.. got it all buttoned up..


so i started it up and it had this loud screeching noise.. sprayed all the pullys down with lithum grease and still nothing.. i drove it to work with the noise.. on the highway it stopped!.. for the win.. keep going and now i hear an exhaust leak.. no biggie.. i got to work and pulled it in.. popped the hood.. i see half of my belt missing!.. what the fish!?!.. tightened up my exhaust leak.. i had to keep the belt on cuz its 2 in the morning and not one place for a belt is open.. so i drive it home.. the exhaust leak comes back and i am babying it cuz of the belt.. next thing you know the check engine light come on!.. can not win this morning.. so i get on my block finally.. i pull the belt off the blue wagon onto the black wagon.. as im lining it up.. i notice the crank pully is shorter and does not line up!.. ill fix it hopefully tomorrow morning but at least i got it running and now for the bells and whistles..

more random pics

Sprocket wrote:

Nice progress.  Paint the alternator purple, and bracket it's on yellow and it'll look like a bag of skittles under there!

Almost passed some coffee thru my nose,. LOL,..


The big aircleaner just doesn't look right not painted some bright colour,.

Nick