and she's toast...well, maybe not!

[Fordeatinz71]

well, today at lunch i fire up my GMC (at 79,999 original miles, lol) and she started making a rubbing sound that reminded me of another 305 i had seconds before it spun a main bearing...so i quickly turned it off (had good oil pressure) and popped the hood...pulled the dipstick and i had to put some muscle behind it...it was covered in RUST!  there was water all in the oil!  checked the coolant and it wasn't contaminated that i could tell...took off the oil cap and it was rusty too...it's not that i don't check my oil, because i do from time-to-time...but the truck sat for a few months...i just started driving it again...and yea, i hadn't checked it in the week that i'd been driving it. 

i had my wife bring me oil and put in a couple quarts and started it again...same rubbing sound.  went back to work and she met me after work to follow me just in case it didn't make it.  i told her not to come up there, i knew my ol girl would make it home...she's never left me stranded.  anyhow, i get on the freeway (we were in a rush as my wife needed to get to work...she was running late already) so i gave her heck (figured the wee-oh-five was toast anyhow)...she ran like a CHAMP the whole way home. 

got home, stopped at the mailbox (i always leave her idling here)...got out and the rubbing noise was GONE!  anyhow, i'm not gonna drive her to work anymore i don't think...so at 80,013 original miles and 25 years (production date 05/83) the original 305 is gonna get snatched out and replaced with my 355 i have waiting for it...she's gonna be sitting for a bit because i plan on rebuilding the transmission while the engine is out and most likely painting under the hood...

gonna start pulling the front clip (so i can work easier and pull the engine/trans/t-case as one unit) here soon and getting her prepped for "surgery"...gonna miss her...i wanted to build my 355 into a 383 and have a really nice motor for her but i'm not gonna have that opportunity i guess...anyhow, just thought i'd share...

[Lt.Del]

Yeah, 383, yeehaww, awesome!!!    oh, hmm, sorry, I got carried away.

[VileZambonie]

Rubbing sound? So what was making the noise?

[Fordeatinz71]

lol, well, i wanted a 383.  heck, i might still build it...the truck is gonna be down for a bit waiting on a tranny anyhow. 

anyway, Vile, i never figured out what it was.  i might have described it wrong, it just sounded kinda like steel wool on metal.  like maybe some of that rust on my dipstick was either clogging the oil pump (although i never lost oil pressure) or getting up into the cylinders.  it never smoked or anything, and is running fine right now (although i did feel a slight wobble a few times from it that was RPM dependent...made me think about the harmonic balancer...not sure though), but she deserves a rebuild...so that's what i plan to do.  now if i can just learn to rebuild a transmission so i can do it all...like i plan to. 

[JJSZABO]

.  now if i can just learn to rebuild a transmission so i can do it all...like i plan to. 

You've got GUTS!!

I wont touch an automatic trans - too many small passages, too much fluid, bands, many clutches, planitary gears (sounds like a bad song from the Beasty Boys ).  This is one area that I leave to the pro's. 

Good Luck Ford

[VileZambonie]

Don't be scared. Buy yourself the book for your trans like the ATSG manuals and look on ebay for a few special tools or you can make your own tools. I made a post a while back on some of the tools you can make really cheap. Get a nice clean area and lay your parts out accordingly. No better way to learn than doing it yourself

[smitty77]

I think I'm going to attempt this soon with my 700R4.  A close friend thinks I'm nuts, so I have even more incentive just to prove him wrong.

Where's that post Vile about the tools?  I haven't yet done a search....

[JJSZABO]

Here you go Smitty:
http://forum.73-87chevytrucks.com/smforum/index.php?topic=5497.15

Let us know how it goes.

[Fordeatinz71]

UPDATE!  after a little more investigation, i found out what was making the "scrubbing" sound...my harmonic balancer slipped and is now rubbing on the timing cover...as for the rust particles on the dipstick?  your guess is as good as mine.  truck still runs fine and doesn't smoke...the coolant is also clean and green...

[VileZambonie]

Moisture will do that. Just put a new dipstick and tube in it and get a new balancer for now. If it's still running good wait and build your 383 like you wanted to.

[Fordeatinz71]

thanks for the advice, Vile...i think i might just do that.  she's running way too good to be written off just yet...lol