gbrettin

BTR sent me version 2 shaft rocker arms because the tooling steel on the v1 tends to break where the circlip groves are. v2 does not have any machining on the shaft and uses washers. BTR also sent me the v2 rocker arms that has improved oil control. I have a good rep that I deal with there and he took care of me. Paul from BTR ALSO next day shipped LS9 small bore gaskets which have 7 layers of steel. 7 layer mls greatly helps with not pushing coolant (that and head studs). I'd likely be ok with the regular gasket... but there's no reason not to use the 7 layer now.

When putting the new shaft rockers on I was having a hard time getting the rocker arms to seat correctly. Turns out that the heads needed to be chased out where the bolts went in. Easy fix and all of the push rod lengths are dead nuts on. Infact, I had a touch more slop in last time.

Last thing I put on was the LOJ oil pan and Motion Raceworks valve covers. Man, that's a nice unit. The capacity is huge and it works perfectly in my build. LOJ put in oil traps so that oil starvation doesn't happen. Another nice thing is the oil dipstick being right up front on the passenger side. The Motion Raceworks valve covers get the chef's kiss. They are designed to prevent oil from reaching the catch can, which is obviously ideal. Check out the video if you get a moment.

Next steps will be getting the accessories on and possible mounting the PS pump. I'm trying to bite off smaller tasks in-between classes and work. Having the car in the garage helped out a TON.

Edit - I tried scrubbing the rest of the swamp scum off the block and it is embedded into the paint. I guess swamp particle will enjoy the ride on my refreshed block.