CR3171 Finally going back together!

[Aussie Mike]

Been working on the Motor and box. Getting them ready to bolt back in.

Did a couple of mods the the C6 Corvette sump and bolted it back on. One catch I found is that the C6 Corvette sump has a bolt hole that isn't drilled on the LS1 block.



I carefully drilled and tapped the block to suit.

I also added an oil return fitting for the catch can but I didn't take a pic. I'll snap a pic when the whole system is in place.

One thing to remember when refitting the sump is that it's a stressed member. It provides some extra stability to the bottom end. For this reason it needs to be fitted properly. You need to bolt it up with the bell housing in place since the bell housing also bolts into the back of the sump. Get the bell housing bolts in and snugged up but not tight before torquing up the sump bolts down. This will keep the back of the sump and the back of the block in alignment. Bolting the sump without the bell housing could cause the bell housing to distort when tightened into place. The sump gasket is an O-ring bonded to an aluminum plate so you can't crush the gasket. It also pays to put a blob of silicon sealer on the corners where the front and rear covers attach to the block. These are spots where the surface isn't smooth and there is potential for a leak.

The gearbox is stripped for a freshen up. I've got a few new goodies to go into it plus some refinements from the other gear boxes I've done.

A job I did while the box is apart is to modify the bell housing for clearance. The C6 Corvette sump has the best ground clearance of all the wet sumps. This leaves the lower edge of the bell housing as the lowest point. The lip on the sump hangs about 8-10mm lower than the sump.



The Mill makes short work of the lip. I only skimmed it down till it got to the outer shell of the bell housing. I didn't want to remove too much material and impact the strength. It's still about 6mm at the thinnest point.



It was quite hard to take a pic of but the sump to bell housing is now a nice smooth transition.



Hopefully I'll get the box back together this week and have the engine and box in the chassis on the weekend.

Cheers