327 - Oil Galley Leak - Fixed!

I searched the Internet for Stag sealant but I think it's a produce unique outside the US.  I visited a couple machine shops and both recommended Permatex High Performance Thread Sealant.  This is Teflon tape in liquid form.  The oil galley plug is a pipe plug and the threads are unique for pipe.  They're not coarse or fine thread, they are pipe thread.  Pipe taps are also different from standard taps because they are tapered.  The threads were cleaned with the tap, thread sealant was applied to a new plug, then we waited 24 hours before we tested it.  Success!

After we verified the leak was fixed we started the reassembly process.  The block face was cleaned then the head gasket was positioned and set dry.

The head was also cleaned and prepared for installation.

Because the push rods and rocker arms were not removed from the head, it was decided to apply torque in stages so as not to damage the push rods.  Tool tight was followed by 25, 50, then the full 65 foot pounds of torque.

Before installing the intake plenum, high temperature blue silicone was used around all the water ports.  This is insurance beyond the standard intake gaskets.  In this picture you can see the blue silicone applied in two places on the right head.  The second intake gasket was installed immediately after this picture was taken.

The plenum was set then torqued to 35 foot pounds.

The fuel filter, distributor, coil, plug wires and hangers were all reinstalled.

It took a lot of work to fix this oil leak but we did get to see the internals of our 327.  All-in-all it wasn't that bad. 

Now it's time to focus on the fuel injection unit.

327 - The Oil Leak, Up close and Personal

 First of all I'd like to thank Ausy Pete for coming up with a possible solution to fix our oil leak without removing the head.  I tried it but unfortunately it didn't work.  The plug was just too deep.  It was a great recommendation though.  As you'll recall this is where we suspected our oil leak was located.  I spun the oil pump again and sure enough this is it, an oil galley plug.  This will require major dis-assembly of our 327.  Double click on the following pictures to see the details.

I used plastic wire ties to hold the push rods in place.  This head is coming off then going right back on within a day or two.

Look at the size of these valves.

 I don't know about you but this is just about the prettiest set of pistons I've seen in awhile.

And here's the culprit.  It was only installed tool tight, nothing near the recommended 20 ft pounds.  I'll clean up the threads then apply a small amount of Permatex Ultra-Blue (a high temperature oil resistant silicone), torque, then start the reassembly process.  A nice set of Fel-Pro gaskets has already been purchased so we are ready to reassemble.

Thanks for watching.

327 - Firing Up Our Fuel Injected 327 - Strike One

Strike One!  It didn't start.  Ty & Bonnie T., Dennis & Annette K. and Dewayne & Jane J. joined Gerri & I for the first attempt to start the 327 Corvette.  This is one of many video's Gerri took throughout the day but it gives you a general idea of how things went.  The video is about 3 minutes long so if you're on a slow connection you may want to pass.

After lots of trial and error we finally concluded that lack of fuel was the issue and we believe it may boil down to this.  There were two versions of the drive cable and housing for the high pressure fuel pump.  There was a long version and a short version.  The difference between the two is about a half inch.  Below is a picture of our set and it's mismatched.  The housing is long and the cable is short.  We believe that when it's installed the cable end to the high pressure pump is not engaged.  The engine cranks but the fuel pump doesn't.  Thanks Ty for noodling that one.  I am not sure how long it would have taken me to figure it out.  I will order a proper set today.

A more disturbing issue exists though.  During the prefiring preparations we ran the oil pump to make sure the engine was well lubricated.  We found an oil leak and it appears to be coming from this oil galley plug (double click on the photo for a good look).  This plug, when installed properly, requires sealant and 20 ft lbs of torque.  If this is the source of the oil leak it will require removal of the head and that will require the removal of many other components.  If you know how to tighten this plug without removing the head please be sure to let us know.  I am not happy about this.  More to follow.

The fuel injection unit is now back on the bench.  While we wait for the new drive cable and housing I am sure we will be exploring and learning more about how this unit works.  I will say the education we are receiving is a definite plus.

Thanks to Dennis, Dewayne and Ty for all your help.  I am sure these guys would agree that when it did run it really did sound awesome!