This web page started out to document a simple header installation.  It has now gone far beyond that!  Things became more complicated after a broken exhaust manifold bolt was found.  I further complicated the issue after trying to remove the bolt myself (I failed) with a Sears power extractor.  I decided to let my local mechanic handle it, but, as time went by that Saturday, I got impatient and did the unthinkable.  I started playing with an "Easy Out" and wound up snapping it off in the drilled out bolt.  Big time "BAD" on my part.  It's said that "patience is a virtue".  Grrrrrrrr!!!.  The saga continues below.

April 15, 2004

Catalytic converters, manifolds, starter removed.  EGR tube unbolted.  Owned this car almost 6 years.  Never had an exhaust leak.  Found a broken bolt in the 3rd hole from the rear on the driver's side.  Of course, it's one that is required for the header installation.  See picture below.  Picked up a set of Craftsman Drill-Out power extractors.  No one in town has a new 3/8" right angle reversible air drill in stock. Scrambling to beg, borrow, or steal one.

Once the headers are installed, I'll be installing a 96 SS floor shift kit, including a steering column.  In preparation, I'm removing all of the steering column to transmission linkage.  This adds a little room to work on both sides of the car.  I'll also be replacing both transmission cooler lines and the power steering fluid cooler lines.  Both transmission lines are leaking at the metal/rubber connection and the power steering fluid line has a leak at one of the brackets at the bottom of the radiator.  Will call Dal on Monday.  I'm replacing spark plug wires while all that room is available.

Disaster struck today!  A friend, Gene Northington, was able to borrow a right angle drill.  Removed the shaft from the steering column to the steering gear box for better accessibility.  Had a lot of trouble center punching a starting point for drilling through the broken bolt, but finally was able to get the hole started and drilled to the proper depth.  Sadly, the extractor wasn't able to budge the broken bolt.  I tried an "easy out" using a 1/4" wrench, but it wouldn't budge.  Then tried a 12 point 1/4" socket and a 3/8" ratchet.   First try resulted in the "easy out" turning inwards about an 1/8 of a turn.  Tried a second time. 

Barely started to pull hard and the damn "easy out" broke!  There is a little stub sticking out, but not enough to grip it with anything.  Called my local mechanic and he will deal with it.  Arrrrrrrrrgh!  a real frustrating day!  Continued on with other stuff.  Removed spark plugs, wire harness, and harness brackets.  Removed linkage from steering column to transmission for floor shifter installation.

April 19, 2004

While I'm Waiting, Waiting, Waiting..................

May 4, 2004

May 6-7, 2004

After sulking for 2 days, I decided to get to work.  Learned my first lesson at this time.  If you are ever going to remove a head, or heads, first drain the block by removing both knock sensors.  Never assume that all the coolant has been drained just by removing hoses and opening the radiator drain.  Believe me, there's lots more left!  Removed water pump and Opti-spark.  Then removed harmonic balancer, crank hub, and the intake manifold.

I removed the harmonic balancer with a cheap NAPA puller.  The crankshaft hub was a different story.  You can remove the hub with the same NAPA puller, but you won't have the correct length and size bolts (7/16-14 coarse thread, 3" long) to fit the mounting holes for the harmonic balancer.  You'll also need a long bolt to push against in the center of the hub, to get the hub completely off the crank snout.  The stock crankshaft hub center bolt is only 2-1/2" long.  I bought a 4" long, 7/16-20 (fine thread) bolt.  Try and find these at your local NAPA or AutoZone store!  I had to call all over Birmingham to find them.  I bought 2 sets of them for less than $5.00.

Tip:  Take a look at the crankshaft hub removal picture on the right, above.  Note the timing marker line cast into the top of the hub.  It's right between the 2 top puller bolts.  This line should be in the 12:00 position BEFORE removing the hub.  The camshaft dowel pin (seen in the big hole in the middle of the timing cover) should be at the 3:00 or 9:00 position.  If it's anywhere else, you have a problem.  You'll have to get the #1 cylinder to TDC by manually rotating the crankshaft CW before you re-install the hub with the timing marker at 12:00.

Finally removed the intake manifold.  Remove the bolts in the REVERSE order of installation shown in the FSM.  This is to prevent the aluminum manifold from warping.  Now it was time to remove the driver's side head.  Make sure that everything connected to it has been disconnected.  It was a big PITA for me to remove the steam pipe bolt from the rear of the head.  I had to use a 2-1/2 lb. hammer to break it loose!  Remove the rocker arms and push rods.  If you are going to re-use them, figure out a way to keep them in the order they were removed.  They should go back exactly where they came from!  Remove the head bolts with the same procedure as the intake manifold.  Remove them in the REVERSE order of installation shown in the FSM.  When done, throw them away.  They should not be used again.  Now take a big screwdriver and stick it into the gap between the head and block.  Twist to get the head to unseal itself from the gasket.  Once it is moving freely, climb up in the engine compartment and lift the head off the pins that locate it on top of the block and get it out of there.  If you haven't drained the block, coolant will gush out all over the place.  I know!

There doesn't appear to be any damage to the head or the pistons in the block.  There's a lot of black, flaky stuff (carbon?) on top of the pistons.  I'll take each piston to the top and clean them off.  The gasket doesn't show any crossover between the pistons and no apparent coolant leaks.  Called a local machine shop about removing the broken bolt and easy out.  Will take it to them on Monday.

May 10, 2004

Dropped off head at Auto & Diesel Machinists around Lunch time.  They were busy and told me to call tomorrow morning.  Painted a new MSD coil.

Made a decision to go with the mild Crane 104227 cam.  Ordered it and related parts from Seth at Combination Motorsports.  Still researching other parts.  I've considered aluminum heads, but finally decided against them.  Both heads will go to Huntsville, AL to be tanked and cleaned up, surface milled, mild port and polish, gasket matching, guides checked, new seals fitted, valves checked, new .550 to .600 lift spring kit installed.  Intake manifold will get cleaned up and gasket matched, too.

May 11, 2004

Picked up the repaired head this morning.  It was very close to NOT being repairable to stock threads.  I have since thrown out every Easy Out I could find in the garage.  This is the second time I've broken one.

Called Seth at Combination Motorsports three times today, trying to get an email copy of my order or invoice.  Never got it.  They couldn't find my order.  No return phone call from Seth by late evening.  Thought about the situation and decided that, if this was their best level of customer service, I needed to cancel the order and do business elsewhere.  Will do that in the morning.

May 12, 2004

Still working on getting together a complete parts list of everything I'll need for the upgrade.  I have been asking questions on the Impala SS Forum and researching tons of past posts on cam upgrades.  I've reached the information overload state!  Massive amounts of information are available on the Forum, along with many different opinions on what to do and where to go.  My head is spinning!  Many, many thanks to all of the Forum members who responded to my questions!

May 13, 2004

I started the removal of the passenger side head this afternoon.  Make sure that you remove the bolt that holds the transmission filler tube bracket to the back of this head.  There is a hidden bolt that goes through the accessory bracket, into the head, behind the Power Steering pump.  I had to remove the pump to access it.  PS fluid had already been drained in preparation for installing a new PS cooler line.  Disconnected the steel line at the back of the pump.  I had to cut the hose from the reservoir to the pump to finally get the pump out of the accessory bracket.  Another new part to add to the list for Dal.  Remove the hidden bolt and the long bolt at the upper right of the accessory bracket.  There is one more bolt holding the accessory bracket to the block.  Back it out about half-way.  Now there shouldn't be anything preventing the head from coming off the block. 

If you think it's worth your effort, try to remove the steam pipe that is still connected to the back of the head.  I didn't and just bent it out of the way.  More parts added to Dal's list.  At this point, I finally got smart and removed both Knock Sensors and drained the rest of the coolant out of the block.  Be forewarned!  The Knock Sensors have 22mm hex heads.  Both of them turned in the mounting part and, ultimately, they had to be removed with a big pair of pliers around the mounting part, which also serves as the block drain plug.  They are probably damaged, so I have added 2 of them to Dal's parts list.

The removal process for the passenger side head is the same as for the driver's side.  You may notice a little interference between a core plug in the front of the head and the accessory bracket.  If you HAVE loosened the last accessory bracket bolt, the head will come right off the block without any problems  the condition of the head, pistons, and old gasket were identical to the driver's side.  No problems.

Camshaft arrived today.  Still working on the final parts list.  Confusion reigns at the moment.  So many opinions and so many choices.  Hope to get it sorted out soon.  My goal is a decent power increase without sacrificing durability and drivability.  I'm not looking for all-out horsepower.

May 14-17, 2004

I've done a lot more research and talked to a number of friends about the cam upgrade.  I've decided to stay close to the stock parameters of the Crane cam and retain the OEM timing set per Crane's Special Supplemental Instructions For Chevrolet LT-1 Engines.

May 18, 2004

Faxed GM parts order to Dal Slabaugh.  Ordered ARP head bolts, scew-in studs, stainless header bolts, assembly lube, Teflon sealant from Summit Racing.  Still trying to decide which valve spring kit to use.

May 19, 2004

Finally made up my mind after talking to Crane.  Picked the Crane springs because they directly replace stock springs.  No machining.  Ordered Comp Cams 1301-16 Pro Magnum Roller Rockers, Crane 10309-1 Valve Spring and Retainer Kit, and Crane 99097-1 7° Valve Stem Lock Set from Summit Racing.

See the complete list of parts and prices by clicking on the Parts List link below.

May 21, 2004

First batch of parts arrived from Summit today.  Last of the parts from Summit will be here on Monday.  Hope to get the heads, intake, and new screw-in studs, valve springs, retainers, locks to Huntsville on Monday night or Tuesday.  Ordered new cam and crankshaft sprockets from Dal Slabaugh today and all of the new GM parts should be here next Wednesday. 

May 22-23, 2004

Prepared to remove timing cover (below, left) by removing all of the oil pan bolts, except for one at the very rear that was loosened half-way.  I had to use a swivel adapter on 4 bolts that were hard to get at.  The front of the oil pan dropped about 2", allowing plenty of room to separate the oil pan seal (below, right) from the timing cover.  Be VERY careful separating the seal.  You don't want to rip it and have to replace it.  The seal CAN be replaced, but it doesn't look like it would be a fun job. 

In the timing cover picture, you'll see arrows that point to the timing marks.  Both of them are at almost 12:00 and the cam pin is at almost 9:00.  In this position, # 1 and # 6 pistons are at the top of their bores and # 1 piston is at TDC.

In the oil pan seal picture, you'll see that very small pieces of the seal are missing.  They were stuck in the groove in the timing cover that the seal fit into.  I'll be adding some additional sealant in the groove to make up for what is missing from the seal.  There was a lot of extra sealant at the corners where the seal meets the block.  I'll be putting more sealant here, too.

Removed pieces of timing cover seal stuck to the block.  Most of the seal was stuck to the timing cover.  Having a hard time getting the old seal off the timing cover with a razor blade, even after soaking it in all kinds of different stuff. 

May 24, 2004

Crane springs, retainers, and locks arrived from Summit today.  Can't take everything to Huntsville as planned.  Forgot that GM guide plates are coming from Dal Slabaugh and they won't be here until Wednesday.  I'll be pulling the old camshaft out tomorrow.

May 25, 2004

Ran into a problem today.  The a/c condenser is in the way of removing the camshaft.  I thought I'd have to break the lines next to the battery area, but found out (way too late in the day) that the condenser can be taken loose and raised up in the air to get the room to remove the camshaft.  Maybe tomorrow.

May 26, 2004

No progress with the engine today.  "Honey-do" stuff interfered.  All the GM parts arrived late this afternoon.  Packed up all the parts required for the head work and the heads and intake.  Headed for Huntsville to drop everything off with David Braxton at the Hooter's get-together.  I hope to get everything back by the middle of next week.

May 27-30, 2004

Waiting, waiting, waiting!

May 31, 2004

Prepared to remove old parts from the engine.  Got the a/c condenser loose and tied it up out of the way.  Also had to take loose the cross-bracing in the radiator area and the center bracket that supports the transmission and engine oil coolers.

Timing chain, cam sprocket, crankshaft sprocket, lifters, oil pump drive gear, and cam shaft removed.

June 1, 2004

Found out today that the heads and intake manifold weren't picked up until Friday.  Also, the fellow doing the work on them wasn't going to start until after the 3 day holiday weekend was over.  That means today.  Arrrrrrgggggghhhhh!  Still more waiting!  At this rate, I'm not going to make it to Las Vegas!  !@#$*$#@!

June 2, 2004

Preparing to install all the new parts.  Lifters are sitting in fresh oil.  Cleaning up the timing cover and other stuff.  Looking for something to use to push the new sprocket on the crankshaft.  Waiting!  I hate it!

June 7, 2004

Drove up to Huntsville this afternoon and picked up the finished heads and intake manifold.  They were done last Friday night, but I neglected to call, assuming they wouldn't be ready until today.  The pictures of the porting and polishing work don't look near as good as they do with the naked eye.  Honestly, I never expected them to look this good.  I have to get a razor blade out and start removing paint from a number of different spots on the heads and a couple of places on the intake manifold.  I also have to figure out how to get all of the grit out of the inside of the intake manifold.  Not a good idea for all that stuff to get sucked through the engine.  Progress, finally!

June 13, 2004

This has been a busy week.  Lots of things to get done around the house, but, finally, the cam has been installed, along with new sprockets and chain.  Crank sprocket was installed first and key tapped into place.  Made sure that the timing mark was at 12:00.  Rotated the cam so that the dowel pin was at 3:00.  Cam sprocket and chain installed with timing mark at 6:00.  Torqued the 3 cam bolts.  Installed the timing cover with all new seals.  Before the valves can be adjusted, the crank needs to be rotated 360° so that the cam dowel pin is at 9:00.  This positions the #1 piston at TDC.

March 11, 2005

Work on the engine is back in progress!!!  The top of the engine and pistons were cleaned of gook and carbon and looked good enough to eat off.  Heads were installed and torqued down.  Lots of other miscellaneous stuff done, too.  Many thanks to Duane Webster and Gene Northington.  Duane is sitting up in the engine bay and Gene is at the work bench.

March 12, 2005

The Grand Master of cam installations, David Braxton, made the trek down from Huntsville to complete the installation of lifters, push rods, and 1.6 Pro Magnum roller rockers.  Head bolt torque was checked again, after sitting overnight.  David rotated that engine around many, many times, double checking and triple checking everything.  Thanks, David!  Couldn't have done it without you.  We discovered that the following valve covers, even with modifications recommended on the Impala SS Forum, would not fit down over the roller rockers:  GMPP chrome, stock, and Corvette magnesium.  I have a pair of Corvette composite valve covers on my other car.  They should fit.  Intake manifold w/EGR block off and fuel rails installed.  Red powder coating looks great.  Robert Rodgers, not pictured, was in Birmingham for National Guard duty and stopped by to lend moral support.

March 20, 2005

The engine is back together, the headers installed, and rolled out of the garage to run for the first time.  Started immediately and sounds awesome.  The engine has a bit of "lope" at idle and the exhaust has a totally different note and sounds awesome.  Still lots of nitpicking cleanup to do.

March 23, 2005

Took the car out for the first time today.  No WOT launches for right now, but the power increase is very noticeable.  Very loud inside the car as the interior is out to install the 1996 Impala SS floor shifter, console, and steering column.