Last night I drove 210 miles round trip to buy a slightly used (only 4000 miles) professionally rebuilt 230ci. My worn out 250ci still got 18.5 MPG on the trip which was mostly interstate driving. I'll credit the good MPG to the T5 overdrive transmission which allowed me to handle hills easily at 65-70 MPH. The new 230ci is the blue one in the pics. The orange 250 beside it also needs testing.
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A recent wedding in the family didn't allow me to have much truck time. I did buy a practically new carpet that came from a 1973-87 Chevy truck. Today I made a dolly for the 250ci engine I bought recently. I placed a Harbor Freight mover's dolly under the cradle so I can roll it around the garage.
Since my current engine runs so well, I decided to keep it in the truck while I have another 250ci engine built. Today I bought a 250ci that is reported to be in running condition. I plan to build a makeshift run stand and check oil pressure and compression before making any final decisions.
My attempt at using a ridge reamer was unsuccessful. However I did manage to remove the pistons anyway.
The camshaft slid out after removing 2 retaining screws. The lifters were tapped out from below using a wood dowel.
I'm keeping the 250ci engine in my truck for now even though it needs a rebuild. That way I can move the truck around and go for short drives. My truck's original 230ci engine has been sitting under a tarp for the last 2 years. I discovered I can rebuild the 230ci with a crankshaft from a 250 engine. So I have started to tear down the 230ci to see if it's in good enough shape to rebuild. This is the first time I've ever torn down an engine and it's been a fun experience so far. If the 230 is worthy of rebuilding as a 250ci, I'll post my progress on a separate BLOG page. You can see from the photos that this engine was never properly maintained.
My 250ci burns oil. I can deal with that for a while I guess. Then I started noticing the oil pressure light would flicker while idling at the traffic light. Hmmmmm!?! So I installed an actual pressure gauge to see what kind of pressure I had while driving. The numbers are really bad. So bad that I really can't depend on it lasting very long. The pressure at idle is 10 and while driving pressure is 20.
My 250ci was donated from a parts truck I bought. The mileage is unknown but it did run pretty good when I tested it 2 years ago. I've run about 30 gallons of gas through it and it's been using a lot of oil. Tonight I checked the compression and the numbers are the same as they were 2 years ago. I hope to reduce the oil consumption by adding some cleaning agents to the oil pan and then switch to a heavier weight oil. Cylinder #3 seems to be the problem.
Cylinder #1 - 125 Cylinder #2 - 125 Cylinder #3 - 110 Cylinder #4 - 125-130 Cylinder #5 - 125 Cylinder #6 - 120 My original rear view mirror was too small so today I installed a nicer mirror that I pulled off of my 1966 parts truck. A friend stopped by with an extension he made for my PS door mirror arm. The PS window division bar was blocking a portion of the mirror. The extension moved the mirror into a better position. I also installed the rear fender support rods.
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See my BLOG entries from prior months below:
April 2024
My Hobbies are:Auto Restoration Categories |
- Main BLOG Page
- Steering Column Page
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T5 Info Page
- Thinking about installing a T5? READ THIS FIRST
- My T5 videos
- Making a Custom Shifter
- Complete T5 Driveline - Installation from Engine to Rear Axle
- S10 T5 Transmission Jeep Shaft Swap - DIY and skip the adapter plate.
- Camaro Drive Gear Relocation
- T5 Tail Stock with a Cable Speedo Connection
- World Class and Non-World Class versions of the T5 - How to tell them apart.
- How to determine the T5 gearing
- A possible solution for cable speedometers.
- T5 Transmission Identification - What the Tags and Markings Mean
- What's the difference between a Camaro T5, an S10 T5, and an Astro T5?
- T5 Transmission Tear Down
- T5 S10 Transmission Rebuild
- T5 Transmission Rebuild
- T5 pre-purchase inspection and questions
- T5 Resource List
- T5 Case Inspection
- Bell housing differences
- T5 Drive Gear and Driven Gear Combinations
- A Camaro T5 with the S10 Conversion
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Tips & Tricks Section
- DIY Wiring Tips
- Oil Pump Priming Tool
- Piston Stop Tool
- Broken Bolt Extraction
- DIY 3 Point Seat Belt Installation
- 1963 Chevy C10 Steering Column Removal
- 1963 Chevy C10 Steering Column Disassembly
- 1963 Chevy C10 Steering Column Rebuild
- 1963 Chevy C10 Steering Column Installation
- Easy Clutch Pedal Adjustment
- Making the Steering Column Safer
- Power Steering
- How to improve gauge cluster lighting.
- Stripping Paint - Polycarbide Abrassive Wheel
- Jeep Cherokee Door Check Modification - Very Simple
- Keeping the hood aligned
- DIY All Cable Ebrake System for 1963-1972 C10
- Alignment Tools - Easier than you think
- Conversion to dual master cylinder brakes 1963-1966 C10.
- Steering column modification
- A simple way to remove old control arm bushings.
- An easy way to adjust brake shoes
- How to remove a pilot bushing from the crankshaft.
- Cutting spot welds
- E-brake clip removal made easy
- Harmonic Balancer Installation - Tapping threads in the crank
- POR 15 with less mess.
- Engine Run Stand
- Engine Dolly - EZ to make
- Steering Wheel Restoration Page
- Sway Bar Info
- Power Brake Booster Page
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Other Projects
- 1934 Chevy Coupe Build Page
- 1934 Chevy Master 5 Window Coupe
- 1963 Body repairs
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- Hot Rod 283 SBC Build
- Grand Cathedral Game
- 1968 C10 Short Fleet
- Rockwell Drill Press
- 283ci SBC Engine
- Safety Stand for Lift
- Coat Hook
- Engine Run Stand
- 1963 Short Fleet Project
- Metal sculpture figures
- Shop Project
- Shop Sign
- Lean-to Shop Addition
- Air Compressor Project
- 2 Post Automotive Lift
- 1963 Chevy Custom C10 SBFS BBW
- Metal Top Outdoor Work Table
- Bearings to grenade
- Bar Stool Go Kart
- Special Bolts Plaque
- Vise Stand
- Grinder Stand
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Random Pics
- 2021 Stovebolt Jamboree Pictures
- 1963 Custom Comfort Seat
- Flywheel differences
- Carb spacer
- Bimini 2019
- T5 shifter ideas
- Engine Torque and HP
- LUGNUTZ DIY Shop
- Alaska 2018
- 2019 ODSS Homecoming
- Chevy 3 speed transmission ID
- 2018 Stovebolt Homecoming Pics
- Anvil
- Pallet Rack Shelving
- Reference PICS
- shop plywood walls
- Welding Stuff