So I was able to get the bolt from the block out. What a job. Guess that will post pone a long block purchase, for now.

So haven't found much luck finding what will drill that hardened steel easy out but wondering if I can drill around it with small holes and somehow get it out that way. Will end up enlarging the thermostat housing hole but think potential heli coil might work at that point.

 

If you can heat it red and then let it cool it will take the temper out and make it a lot easier to drill. If you can't heat it then start hitting it with a punch. It should break it up.

 

See red!

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

 

Amen! Gotta be slow.

 

The otherthing when dealing with broken bolt or studs and needing to drill them out is to use reverse drill bits.
This way when drilling and releasing pressure it may start to un-screw.
Dave ----

 

Wow, that sucks! when I bought my truck whoever put the engine together used anti seize on all the timing cover bolts, but I've found on the bolts that go through to coolant, the coolant pushes the anti seize out of the threads and farther up to the bolt head. I noticed that when I took the engine apart the first time and then again a year later when I did a cam swap. When I changed my water pump in November after an unexpected failure I used pipe thread dope on all the threads to seal them. It also acts as a very low strength thread locker. Hopefully that works better than anti seize for that application.

 

Glad to hear the block will live. If the remains of the thermostat bolts won't cooperate, the worst you're looking at is a new intake manifold.

Make sure you clean up the bolt holes with a tap, but you probably already knew that.

If you can remove the broken screw extractor, a helicoil would be a good fix. Another option, if there is enough meat in the castings, is to drill and tap to the next larger diameter bolt. You'll have to redrill the thermostat housing to match. The thermostat and gasket holes will also need to be sized up, but that would be a good solid repair.

Another trick is to use studs instead of bolts. Bolts are always deliberately shorter than the hole, to avoid bottoming out. If you use studs, you can usually catch some undamaged threads in the bottom of each hole. I've used this method several times with marginal female threads and it works great.

 

If the hole is too big or oval for a helicoil use a Timesert or Keensert.
The thermostat housing ears are weak enough, i wouldn't enlarge the hole.

As many on here know, im a big advocate of Loctite PST anerobic (pipe thread sealant with teflon) for all water pump bolts.
Bolts can't seize if moisture or humidity cannot start the corrosion process.

 

Ended up having to replace the intake with a oem used one. Got everything back together and no leaks.

However, I must of messed the carb up somehow because it idles now at 1700 steady and when you put in drive or reverse its lower, but it's still off and the when I took for a drive i hate to use the brake to slow it down constantly. In addition when I tried to punch it, it didn't downshift. The carb is a Holley 1850 but I didn't do anything except removed the kick down lever onside of carb, throttle cable, and choke cable to remove intake and swap carb over to new intake and then hookedit back up. Checked all vacuum lines etc and don't think I left any off or switched them up because I was pretty good at marking where stuff when etc.

Figure I'll do some research on this forum before I start tinckering since it's such a great wealth of knowledge.

 

Sounds like a vacuum leak.

With no kickdown, I'd look at the vacuum modulator hose.

Then start by spraying some carb cleaner around the baseplate and the manifold to head junctions.

 

Was thinking back to when I removed the throttle bracket that it had one bolt not tightened down on the intake so I loosened the bolt some and it allowed the bracket to move forward effectively moving the throttle closed more. So now it idles back to what it was before I tore into this project. Not liking Loose bolts I retightened and then gently bent the bracket.

However, still won't downshift so plan to get some new vacuum hose and carb cleaner to check for all that.

What's hard is this is a California emissions truck and when the PO changed the VV to the Holley, which is a 4 barrel carb now with adaptor to the 2 barrel intake, there apparently is a lot off stuff no longer needed. But, doing some good research around this board, since it has the DS 3 distributor and computer and if there is no feedback carb now, it probably won't give me advance or much power until I do a DS 2 conversion. Too bad there isn't just a DS 2 kit to make it simple!

Also need to get one of these: E3TE-9f491-BA.

 

Okay so not sure if I should start a new thread here but just wanted to check on a couple rock auto part numbers on converting to DS 2.


For the module, I come up with LX 203: More Information for STANDARD MOTOR PRODUCTS LX203


For the distributor I come ups with DST2895A: More Information for WPS / POWER SELECT DST2895A


Then of course I'll need the wiring harness, which I can go with Painless one or source a used one.


Just want to confirm if I am on the right track.


Thanks for everyone's responses. Greatly appreciated.

 

The module is correct and the distributor looks correct. Just make sure you order the distributor for the engine size you have and it should be just fine.

Also, when you get the new distributor make sure the new and old distributor gears are the same material.

 

I dont recall there ever being a steel cam in a DSII vehicle from the factory.

The mismatch usually occurs when someone retrofits an efi roller engine to carburetor & DuraSpark.

 

The only reason why I mentioned it was hence the aftermarket reman. You never know with that stuff.