I think I have one more update in me for today. I tend to feel unproductive when I'm sitting at a computer, but I'm not yet up for going to the cold garage, and these updates are long overdue.
My big ancillary project has been the run stand. I realized this spring that it had been two-and-a-half years since I'd received the C5 stuff, and I hadn't yet run the engine. That was partly because I was itching to get going on the build, and partly because I needed to supply all of the fluids first. It's only about $100-$150 worth of fluids, but I was needing every last bit of budget for building materials. Anyway, seeing that I might easily end up getting beyond three years without running the engine, especially since I restarted the whole project, and feeling the need for some engine sounds, I decided to build a little run stand that would bolt to the drivetrain.
I had bought the Holley 700 cfm DP at a swap meet for $10 at least a year earlier, but hadn't done anything with it. So, I bought a rebuild kit, three bowl screws that were missing, the correct jets, check valves for the squirters, and one new fuel bowl. I guess I needed some fittings for the fuel log as well, so I'm probably into the carb for about $100. Not too bad if it doesn't need anything else.
I already had the MSD box to run the LS ignition.
The VDO gauges, Carter fuel pump, Holley FP regulator, Summit FP gauge, and various wires/relays/switches were leftover from a previous build.
The plastic coolant reservoir is from a 2000 Suburban that I parted out so that I could keep the 5.3 with a matching title (this will be relevant later!).
The radiator is a leftover from a C4 corvette.
I used the factory C5 frame sections to bolt to the front subframe, and then leftover tubing from my first attempt at this build to make the structure. It all bolts on and comes apart in pieces.
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I keep it sitting in the garage covered in plastic, but on HF furniture dollies, so I can push it out into the driveway, hook up my fuel cell and a battery, and run it. At least that was the idea. I finished the whole thing the week of Thanksgiving, but it hasn't run yet. I have spun the engine with the starter to look at the oil pressure (GREAT oil pressure), but that's it.
I have tried twice, because since Thanksgiving we have had only 2 reasonably nice days when I have had time to do anything with it, and failed for a different reason each time.
The first time, the carburetor became a fuel fountain as soon as a started filling the bowls. It poured so much fuel into the engine that I had to pull the plugs and spin it with the starter a bunch to squirt/blow out the fuel. And, of course, that day the rain clouds were coming just as the engine was getting filled with fuel, and the weather wasn't nice again for more than a month.
In the meantime, I sorted out the carb issue. I had made a stupid mistake assembling the carb, of course, and put the primary float damper spring on the wrong way so that it was pushing the float down into the fuel rather than lifting it, so the needle never shut and I had quarts of fuel filling my engine (which I didn't know right away because the air filter was on, another mistake). That was an easy fix.
My second try was the first week in January, when it was again very nice (over 45 degrees, and not raining), and I, having solved the carb issue, was ready to give it another go. I took the 15 minutes to set things up in the driveway, and pushed the starter button to turn it over for a few seconds and get oil pressure (which I had done several times already, both checking oil pressure and voiding fuel), but the engine only made a partial turn before making a bad noise and no longer turning. Additional tries resulted in the same. I had 40 minutes to see if I could solve the problem, before I would have to start getting everything back into the garage, but I couldn't find anything wrong and the rain was coming.
I got into it a little more then next day, and found the problem:
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That's right, the ear is broken off the starter. Suddenly. I know that this is a weak point for some early LS1 starters, but I can't imagine why it broke when it did. It must have been nearly-failed for a long time. I just happened to have parted out a 2000 Suburban, and had the starter, which not only fits, but also has that weak point fixed. I can't imagine why GM would put a stronger version on the smaller-displacement, lower-compression 5.3 of the same model year. Maybe the starter from the Suburban was a replacement, the original having broken years ago. I don't know. But, I had a replacement starter on hand and installed it. I was lucky that the broken ear on the starter did not break or crack my aluminum LS1 block. Sometimes they do that, I've heard.
I don't know when I'll have another nice day to try again running the engine, but it doesn't look like it will be this month. I will say that I'm more mentally prepared for something to go wrong next time. Kind of expecting it, actually.