Hello to all, Just did a compression test and the numbers are just to low! So I think I'll just keep her and rebuild the engine. Having said that where is the best place for all of the parts needed for a complete rebuild of the engine and also the best performance updates that can & should be done on a 1990 348? Roger
I get the impression that the 348 engines are pretty robust. Unless you're a masochist, I would do the tests to determine if the problem is in the heads or bottom end. A lot easier to just get the heads re-done than the whole thing. How many miles on the odometer?
Absolutely agreed. Unless you're just itching to dig into the short block you'd be well served to do an oil analysis and a leakdown test before coming up with a plan. Good luck, in any case.
The car has 85,500 miles and I'm the 4th owner. In that time I've corrected almost everything that been an issue with the car. I've also have tried to sell or trade, but due to the age, miles, and the engines low compression I believe my only course is to hold onto the car and finish it to 100%, an that's by completely going through the drivetrain system. At this time I'm just looking for the best place out there to purchase parts and start building up the piggy bank. Roger
Roger, it's not a 4 door Chevy. If you fix everything that's not really broken you'll bust the budget. It really is a good idea to identify the problem areas before taking it apart. 85.5K isn't really that many miles.
Thanks Tim. I will be pulling the engine out soon and at least the heads are going to get done and at that time I'll do a leak down test and see if the lower ends needs attention. But I still would like to know what updates can be done to gain more performance from her, any ideas? Roger
Unload the ballast! The quickest (and cheapest) way to alter the HP:weight ratio, is to lose some of the weight. Seats, interior trim, carpet sets, overdone amps and subs, etc. etc. Then, move on to the A/C compressor, battery, etc.
You would be surprised how much the hinged plate covering the interior fuses weighs. Easy to replace with aluminum.
^ For sure. Check out the weight of the HVAC flapper door -- its like 6 pounds or something incredible.
