Junkyard Gen 3 lower end

2002 CHEVROLET 1500
116,000 MILES
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BPADRNOS
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I got what I was told was a 2002 LM7 w 116,000 miles on it. Pulled the cam and lobes and journals look great but I can see copper coming through on the bearings. so I am going to change those out along with the lifters. But what is your opinion on the bottom end? pull the rod caps and plastigage the bearings at a minimum? just leave it alone and go with it? This is going into a 64 Coupe de Ville so it's just a cruiser so not looking for big power, just want dependability.

Thank you and great YouTube videos.

-Brian
Feb 3, 2021 at 5:59 PM
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STEVE W.
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I would go through it completely, if there is copper showing it was likely run hard to get that much wear. Plus you would have a known starting point with the internals as you can flush out the block, check the bores for wear and at a minimum replace the bearings and rings with a light hone of the bores. Then go over the heads the same way, clean them, and at a minimum new stem seals and lap the valves to see what the seats look like. It won't be a new engine but refreshed enough that it should run well and give dependable service.
Good luck with it. Those are a nice car to make a cruiser out of.
Feb 4, 2021 at 12:43 AM