Headers got a new coat of high heat ceramic paint. Rustoleum 2000, great stuff.

STEP 1 of install is complete, the block is in. Wasnt the easiest job to line it up with the torque tube shaft.

Motor is basically complete. Cranked it to prime the oiling system. Rotated smoothly, so far so good. All thats left is installing the cooling and power steering systems.

I had a couple people ask me what my custom exhaust setup looked like, so here is a picture. It weighs A LOT less then a complete xpipe with traditional mufflers. These are NOT cherry bombs. Its a moddified TSP xpipe with a pair of Dynomax 3in bullet mufflers and turn downs. The placement of the mufflers isnt the best for low speed exhaust scavenging but I put this together for wot performance. I gained .3 and 3mph at the drag strip with this setup. Oh yeah...its loud.

Wait, so you cranked the engine to prime the oil rather then priming the pump? Yikes.

:thumbs_up:

Turned the starter basically, plugs out and fuel pump disconnected. You turn the motor till oil gets too the heads.

Yeah, thats not good to do. You want to prime the oil pump. Cranking the engine to prime the oil isnt safe. Engine oil is needed the most on start up, so you might as well be cranking with no oil in it at all. Just for future reference.

There is already assembly lube all over the rotating assembly and valvetrain. This seems to be the common practice for these motors. The block always had oil in it until the end when installed the oil pan so it wasnt ever completely dry. The crank wont get damaged with no load.

Oil pump was packed with vaseline too to help with suction on first startup and also act as lube.