Walla Walla to Denver in one week!
After leaving Walla Walla the engine in my truck started to knock
(I think I might have had a hint of it a day or two before, but it was faint and I didn't really know what or where it was).
Anyway it got loud enough to hear at highway speed
(lots of road noise so you know it was pretty loud by then).
I became concerned (who wouldn't?) and pushed on a little farther to a friend's house just outside of Baker City, OR
(it is about 75 miles along HWY 84 from the Oregon-Idaho border).
Turns out that the previous owner changed the timing chain and gears, but didn' t remove the stripped teeth from the old fiber timing gear from the oil pan (Oops!).
So my oil pickup screen was plugged, resulting in low oil pressure.
For those that haven't figured it out yet; the knock was from a spun rod bearing that didn't get enough oil.
Ended up with a 1/4 of the rod journal gone.
Also had a piston skirt broken off (gee with that much slop is it a suprise?).
Luckly my friend had a SB 305 (chevy) that he gave me in exchange for my SB 400 (chevy).
Now, while I don't have as big an engine, it was basically a drop in replacemnet
(swapped a few external like the intake, carb, alternator, and engine mounts, etc.).
I figure even with the loss of displacement I ended up on the better end of the deal since my friend will need to completely rebuild the SB 400 before he can use it
(of course he wasn't using the 305 currently anyway).
So thats the story (oh and the 305 doesn't burn oil quite as bad as the 400 did).
Also got a cam in the 305 already and it seems to have a bit more low end torque
(at least it takes a heavier foot on the brake at a stop light ....whump---whump----whump.......).
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