Quick top end swap - opinions/info anyone?

[jklnhd]

My '89 Merc leaks everything, out of just about everywhere, normally it wouldn't bother me except that it leaks right onto the exhaust and smoke rolls out the hood when I stop. It appears to be the lower intake gasket (where it bolts to the head) on the passenger side, but it might be the head gasket, its kinda hard to tell, so I figure I'll do the whole mess.
So heres the problem; I need to get the top end off, cleaned up, and back together in no more than 60 hours (home Friday to leaving for work Saturday). This shouldn't be a problem, but it will be, I know this because everything is always 1000 times more of a pain than it should be.

So heres my plan; I can get a pair of E7 heads and upper & lower intake (H.O.) for $100. Just need to get the egr plate and t/b (wicked cheap on ebay) and a donor t/b from CV/GM/TC/etc for the linkage. I can clean it all up, valve job, new seals, block off the smog pump holes, switch the throttle linkage, and have it ready to bolt on.

Okay having said that, any flaws yet?

Now it's stupid question time:
- Can I use the H.O. injectors & rail? (I can get them for an extra $25)
- Is there a write up on smog pump, a/c, and egr delete on here thats complete? If not, I'll give it a shot, see what happens (I searched, didn't find anything complete, kinda pieced it together from a few different ones).
- I can get the ECU for another $30, but as I understand it, the firing order is different (HO/SO) so I'd have to swap the cam and switch around some plug wires too. Right or wrong?

I'm not so much going for performance (not yet anyway), just want to get the leak fixed and ditch the stuff making it a royal pain to change the plugs. In the Spring I might change my mind, maybe mass-air build, theres a lot of empty space between the bumper and the radiator for a front mount and a couple snails, we'll see.

[mrltd]

It's the valve cover gaskets.

[jklnhd]

Valve covers don't leak coolant (I shoulda specified).

Replaced the one on the driver's side already (it did leak), I can't trace any leaks to it now. Passenger side doesn't appear to leak (it smokes on the driver's side).
The insulation is soaked in oil, it runs down under the car and about to the rear wheels. It blew through a couple quarts in the first tank of gas, since I replaced the gasket it hasn't lost any. The coolant needs to be topped off every couple of days, but it's only gotten down about 2" from the cap. So I'm kinda wondering why so much smoke, with so little leak.

Really, it was between this and a hack job 82 Regal for $200 more. I was initially trying to decide between an '87 GN and an '03 Marauder before I realized I was broke.

[gadget73]

Honestly if you can get all those parts and are planning to have the heads off, I'd snap up an HO cam and do the whole works. Its not that much more to pop the timing cover once you've got the heads off already.

You cannot use the HO rail, and the HO lower intake is the same. You can only use the injectors and ECM if you do the cam though. EGR I'd leave, it costs nothing and gives a smidge of fuel economy. The smog pump is useless though. Just seal off the vacuum lines, block off the connections on the back of the heads, and close off the pipe down to the converters. Belt is a 500K6 or a 560K6, whichever one doesn't happen to be the alternator belt. I can never remember which is which.

[jklnhd]

I think the belt is gonna be non-existant (bonus for 2-belt setup), the a/c comp howls and the lines leak (guy I bought it from says they'll hold up about a season worth). By the sound of it I think it's been run dry once or twice.
I was under the impression that the smog pump was somehow related to the egr setup. I'm still working on how exhaust gets to the valve for it to work. Everything else I've had with it (except the GT) had a pipe running from a manifold or two to the valve itself.

This smoking thing is pissin me off. Theres what appears to be oil down the entire driver's side floorpan. The insulation on the firewall and above the cats is trashed, so I think if I take it out it'll make it a little easier to tell where it's coming from.

btw, I got a line on an '88 5.0/H.O long block for $75. Combine with the other stuff I think it might just work out (note, I said might). More work than I had planned on, but I've done engine swaps in a day. Might as well do it right, which I guess would mean a donor AOD and a fresh rebuild, in which case I'll have to do a complete H.O swap so I won't be disappointed with the end result (lotta work just to end up with a stock vehicle). I really need a cheaper hobby, or a better job.

[gadget73]

Lower intake has a passage for exhaust gas. It runs up through there, through the small hole in the center of the upper and out to the valve. On a carb motor, it would be the passages used to keep the carb from icing up. Its exactly the same as your Mustang for what thats worth.

[jklnhd]

They can't make anything simple can they?
The exhaust leak is startin to sound cool though, just take it easy on the go button. Which reminds me, on the highway if I get my foot in it enough to drop it down from OD, a really thinned out cloud of smoke slightly wider than the car follows me. I can't get it to do it on the street though.

[1987cp]

1) is 200-250 horsepower going to be enough for you? If not, consider saving up for better stuff. On the other hand, if it's all dirt cheap and you don't mind swapping everything again in a few years for something better .....

[grandpaslincoln]

In my experience, if you have a set time limit, which I assume is set that way because this is the only vehicle you have to go to work with, then I'd just do the repairs necessary to stop the leaks for now until you have the time to take your time to do any upgrades. But, that's just my opinion.

[jklnhd]

The idea is to do it quick, if I can get the intake and heads, clean it all up, ready to be installed, do the tear down, clean up the block, put it back together with the new (used) stuff, and be done with it. No waiting on clean up or anything.

So its skipping again, the transmission needs more motivation to downshift than I think it should, now and then it clunks when downshifting (like any RWD Chrysler product when you put it in drive, only this is while moving). Throw in the exhaust leak, the everything else leak, the headlight switch is kinda temperamental, tires, brakes, speakers.

At this point, I'm thinking the only was I'm gonna have anything thats not coming apart at the seems is by doing a frame-off resto and putting it back together the way it should've been done from the factory. Of course time and money are the determining factors, I have neither, so it looks like I'll just be driving around the CEL lit and smoke comin outta the hood.

[1980c10]

Ahh dont get down, my car had lots of trouble when I first got it, just stay after it and fix one thing at a time and you will have it in tip top shape before you know it.

[gadget73]

Bump the TV pressure a bit. It will downshift more responsively. Won't fix the clunk, thats just an AOD thing. If you have bad motor or trans mounts though, it clunks worse. Bad U joints make it clunk worse too.

[jklnhd]

Ahh dont get down, my car had lots of trouble when I first got it, just stay after it and fix one thing at a time and you will have it in tip top shape before you know it.

Yeah its just irritating. The CS caught on fire (hey crappy alternator!!), managed to snap wheel studs on a 110 hp Mirage (with an automatic), sold my Si which had various minor issues (mostly from poundin the crap out of it though), the GT must be the slowest on-going project ever, bike leaks & clutch slips (bought it that way).
I don't mind the clear coat falling off, the cracked dash, mismatched tires, hood shake, turbo spool noise from the shifter (move it around it goes away), etc etc, but it'd be nice if I didn't have people telling me my car is smoking every time I stopped.
On one hand its kind of annoying, its like, the smoke comes out from under the hood, the hood it right on the other side of the windshield, umm... I can see it. On the other hand its nice to know some people are lookin out and have the courtesy to let me know.

[jklnhd]

Update: For whatever reason, the car smokes less, but skips more which results in smoke out the tailpipe, also smells a little like unburnt fuel.
Plans for this weekend include; removing the smog pump, possibly intake gaskets, maybe head gaskets, and custom high-flow exhaust system (temporary). Theres no work at work, which is cutting down my chances of buying anything other than whats absolutely needed.

*Note: local boneyard has '89 351 cop car and '90 CV/LX, got tomorrow off (work shut down for the day), gonna see if I can get a deal on some little stuff (dash pad, hangers for dual exhaust, headlight switches, oil cooler, possibly trans cooler, how hard is it to install a spot light?)

btw, how do you block off the holes for the smog crap in the back of the heads? Looks to me like its a tube into a block thats bolted to the head, like I'd need to get a freeze plug or a really big thread tap that won't fit between the heads & firewall.

[91waggin]

The little plates that go over the holes can be flipped so that the blank spot is covering the outlet after you cut the piping off with a hacksaw. Then bolt them back in place.

Alternately, you can screw in a 5/8x11 bolt into the holes themselves, since they're threaded. However, removing the carbon buildup so that you can actually get a bolt in the threads is a bitch.