Doors, dash, and custom headliner

[Avidyn]

Almost done with my tear down. Still looks like a cracked head is the culprit. But, I haven't gotten them off yet.  I've never seen so much sludge in an engine. It's a wonder he had any oil pressure at all. The bottom end looked good though. Doesn't seem to be any damage down there. I'll get the heads pulled today to check them out. Hoping I get those 862 heads. It would make this a lot quicker.

[jaredts]

Without pulling the heads, what would make it look like it was the heads?  I don't doubt you, I'm just trying to understand.  The only things I know to look for are a visible crack or a blown spot in the gasket, both of which require pulling the heads.

[Captkaos]

An 03 usually has 12559862 heads.  Are they 12561706 heads, the early ones are the only ones I have heard with issues.

[Avidyn]

Captkaos - Sadly, they're 706 Castech heads. They actually came on 2000-06 5.3s and 4.8s. There are companies that make new 706 castings now that don't have the same problems. No worries though. Just bought a set of complete 862 heads off of ebay.$160 shipped. I'll throw some new seals in them and throw them on.

jaredts - On those heads once you pull off the rocker cover you can tell. There is a castech logo in the upper right hand corner under the rocker shaft. If you have that logo and they're a 706 casting, you look for signs of leaking in the oil drains. They're usually shiny areas or you can spot some coolant. On mine, I took the covers off, found the logo to verify, then pressurized the system. They had casting flaws which made porosity cracks in the drains. Mine had it in 2 DS and 1 PS. New heads to come though! Here's a couple shots of them before they were sent.





On another note. Picking up my headliner material today. Been doing a little work on the dash too. Got the cracks filled with foam, and will be fleece/glassing it soon. The door panels will be getting a start too. Picking up the materials I need for it today. Here's my inspiration for those.

[Captkaos]

You do know the valves in those heads are small.

[Avidyn]

Yeah, I know they're not very big. I'm not really looking for some huge power gains. A stock 5.3l should be plenty for this time around. Down the road, I might get into something a little more powerful. I'm alright for now though.

Anyone know where I can pick up a cheap 2WD 4L60E?

[jaredts]

Thanks for the info.

[Avidyn]

No problem. Here's the actual TSB from GM.

Engine - Coolant Loss With No Visible Leaks
 
 
Bulletin No.: 06-06-01-019B

Date: June 12, 2007

INFORMATION

Subject:
Information on Gradual Coolant Loss Over Time With No Evidence of Leak Found

Models:
2004-2006 Buick Rainier
2001-2006 Cadillac Escalade Models
2001-2006 Chevrolet Avalanche, Blazer, Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe, TrailBlazer Models
2001-2006 GMC Envoy, Jimmy, Sierra, Yukon Models
2001-2004 Oldsmobile Bravada
2005-2006 Saab 9-7X

with 4.8L or 5.3L VORTEC(R) GEN III, GEN IV V8 Engine (VINs V, T, M, B, Z - RPOs LR4, LM7, LH6, L33, L59)

Supercede:

This bulletin is being revised to include engine RPO L59. Please discard Corporate Bulletin Number 06-06-01-019A (Section 06 - Engine/Propulsion System).

Some vehicles may experience a gradual coolant loss over time. A very low percentage of cylinder head(s) manufactured with an embossed Castech logo may develop a porosity crack in a very specific area.

Inspect the cylinder head assembly to determine if the casting was manufactured by Castech. This can be accomplished by inspecting for their casting logo located on top of the intake port, under the rocker arm support rail and in the spring deck cavity portion of the cylinder head.

If the cylinder head(s) are Not a Castech casting, follow normal diagnostic procedures in SI to determine the cause of the coolant loss.



Refer to the illustrations on how to identify Castech casting and/or the very specific areas of the cylinder head(s) for a coolant leak from porosity.

Cylinder head(s) location of the Castech manufacturing casting logo (1).

Close up view of the cylinder head(s) showing the Castech manufacturing casting logo (1).



If the cylinder head(s) is a Castech casting (1), inspect the area around the five oil drain holes for witness marks indicating coolant seepage over time (2).

If No evidence of coolant loss is found on inspection of Castech casting cylinder head(s), follow normal diagnostic procedures in SI to determine the cause of the coolant loss.



The crack location can be found in any of the five cylinder head(s) oil drains. This can be seen as a clean or shiny area, on an otherwise stained surface (1). Pressurizing the cooling system at this time may reveal coolant, air, or a combination, weeping in the described area. If inspection reveals evidence of coolant witness marks (1), replace the entire cylinder head(s) assembly.

Hope that helps!!

 
 

[roadrage41]

I've got 706 heads, no issues. You can get a set of used heads on tech for a song, especially truck heads.

[Avidyn]

There's a good chance you don't have any issues. Not all 706 castings were by castech. And, not all castech 706's were bad. But, there were enough of them out there to cause GM to finally do something about it. :-)

[Avidyn]

So, I finally got a little more work done today. Almost finished with the headliner. It needs some filler and some fine tuning. Pictures of that to come soon. Got my dash started. Thought I had taken pictures, but I can't seem to fine them. Had about 5 pretty big cracks though. Filled in the cracks with expanding foam. Cut it down with a razor, then sanded the whole thing. (Sorry no pictures of after the foam). Wrapped the whole thing in my pretty red fleece. That's where I'm at now. Just gotta wait for it to cure. Here's a couple shots of it.





As soon as it dries, I'll get some filler on it to make it smooth and shaped just how I want it. Then I'll get to covering it. It's going to be tough with what I've chosen to use, but should be fun.

Also, started with my door panels. After putting together what I'd done...I didn't like it. AND, I forgot I've got manual windows.... and didn't make provisions for a window crank. Oops! So, off to find some regulators and motors, and some fancy switches. More on that soon. Let me know what you guys think!

[bake74]

     Did a good job on filling up the cracks, can not tell really where they were.

[Avidyn]

Thanks Bake. It took quite a bit of time filling them in. But, it was worth it. It'll be pretty awesome when it's all done. Just waiting on some "Rage" filler now.

On another note, I love it when the mailman brings me presents.