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what a leaker

2396 Views 11 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  [email protected]
front crank seal leaking on the 300hp 69. Thought I'd do it the right way. Took pan off to my surprise a 4-bolter then off with the front cover and what do I see, an aluminum gear that should have plastic teeth on it, a chain swinging in the breeze an oil pan and pump pickup just loaded with plastic pieces. Sometimes I guess it's best to do things the right way
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front crank seal leaking on the 300hp 69. Thought I'd do it the right way. Took pan off to my surprise a 4-bolter then off with the front cover and what do I see, an aluminum gear that should have plastic teeth on it, a chain swinging in the breeze an oil pan and pump pickup just loaded with plastic pieces. Sometimes I guess it's best to do things the right way

The passenger car engines in those days all used the aluminum cam sprockets with nylon teeth but the pickup and larger engines came with the better iron sprockets. Just feel good your timing didn't slip and bend your valves.
obviously time to upgrade
obviously time to upgrade

I remember when the aluminum cam sprockets were still being sold. That was another giant screw-up G.M. made as those aluminum sprockets failed around 100,000 to 125.000 miles when the nylon coated teeth started breaking.
yeah , I changed a FEW IN MY DAY.......:z1-2:
Aluminum Sprockets With Nylon Coated Teeth

yeah , I changed a FEW IN MY DAY.......:z1-2:

The aluminum sprockets with the nylon coated teeth were supposed to run "quieter" than the heavier duty iron sprockets. Well, in all my 45 years of twisting wrenches I don't believe I have ever been able to hear ANY noise coming from the timing chain and sprockets as any noise they made was masked by the noise of the fan and other spinning parts. So I'm sure the aluminum sprockets with the nylon coated teeth was someone's bright idea of saving money.
probably the same guy that thought 8:1 compression ratios for corvettes,were a great idea
The aluminum sprockets with the nylon coated teeth were supposed to run "quieter" than the heavier duty iron sprockets. Well, in all my 45 years of twisting wrenches I don't believe I have ever been able to hear ANY noise coming from the timing chain and sprockets as any noise they made was masked by the noise of the fan and other spinning parts. So I'm sure the aluminum sprockets with the nylon coated teeth was someone's bright idea of saving money.
That was just a fakeout by GM. The real reason for the lousy sprockets was planned obsolescence. They were designed to fail at 80-100k so that the engine would be destroyed and the owner would buy another car.
That was just a fakeout by GM. The real reason for the lousy sprockets was planned obsolescence. They were designed to fail at 80-100k so that the engine would be destroyed and the owner would buy another car.
you could be right..there were so many things that were designed to never reach 100,000 miles in the GM lines
and then we get the people who know everything that say "thats the way chevrolet built it so thats the way it is best". or "then it wouldn't be original":catfight:
and then we get the people who know everything that say "thats the way chevrolet built it so thats the way it is best". or "then it wouldn't be original":catfight:
even GM execs will tell you they made some big boo boos in the past...Oldsmobile Diesel comes to mind......the last thing I care about is ..it being Original.. if I had a numbers matching C2, sure.. otherwise, I m all for making it suit your desires and needs
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