Hello All,
I'm now in the middle of assembling the engine for my BJ7. After spending
yesterday modifying the back plate to accommodate a new rear main seal kit,
drilling & tapping the holes for same, installing the crankshaft and
sealing/gasketing and installing the back plate, today we moved on to
installing the pistons. After gapping the rings and installing all six
pistions, we were satisfied with our days work. As we sat down to admire our
work, we noticed that the front oil galley plug wasn't there. This caused us
to worry about the fact that the rear oil galley plug wasn't there either. My
question to you all is should we go to the effort to remove the back plate,
probably ruining the gasket in the process, to install the missing plug and
then reinstalling the back plate all over again. We are aware of the
consequences of a blown gasket in this location - probably pull the engine &
gearbox, etc., through a very expensive new paint job to say nothing of the
mess undersie the fully restored car. Please humor me by addressing this
question.
Another question is how or if to trim the felt plugs at the front & rear main
bearing caps. They now project up about 3/16" above the block (when upside
down). I'll be installing a cork sump gasket and I'm concerned that if they
are not trimmed the gasket will be damaged while tightening down the oil pan
screws. Should these plugs be trimmed off (at what level) or compressed until
nearly flush or what?
Richard Bittmann BJ7 Tacoma
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