In my eyes, this is the final piece of the confounding puzzle. The. One. Damn. Thing. I have yet to touch.

I should have torn the block down when my Garrett turbo died. I knew I was rationalizing that nothing happened when it failed.

I'm just glad you are enjoying yours! You deserve it as much as anyone else.:likecat:

Thanks Jeff. I am enjoying looking at it sitting in the garage while it rains outside. WILL resist taking it out in the rain :likecat:

The two seals sitting on the head gasket aren't needed.

One's a 1.6 oil pump gasket, which is questionable anyways (all 1.8s only use RTV and the o-ring) and the other one is your driveshaft output seal that goes in the tranny.

Yeah not sure why I ordered a driveshaft seal, but apparently at the time, I thought it needed to be replaced.

Are ARP Main Studs "necessary"? Or better yet, do they help keep thrust tolerances at bay seeing as I don't have the girdle the newer engines have (04+?)

$100 isn't terrible, but I'm starting to be a bit more careful with what I buy instead of getting allthethings.

IIRC, Savington cracked a main bolt with an MBSP and stock bolts. I would (and did) go with ARP studs and no MBSP. I didn't line bore it (nor did I on the previous motor) and it's been fine.

--Ian

Yeah I've never line bored, and plastigage clearances have always come out perfect with 60ft/lbs used on ARP mains.

nice seal, does the oil pump work?

Cool, thanks for the info, had a hard time finding definitive answers on it. Saves me some money if clearances work out.

Would one put a seal like that on an oil pump that doesn't? It's the race model, so I ain't scared. Better than chancing the old pump and trying to R&D honing the relief valve.

Just finished reading this ENTIRE thread over the course of a week.
Wow. . . . . . . . . .

cannot find a way to describe the awesomeness and amount I have learned from it.
Keep up the amazing work

What ever happend to Jeff...? 24/7 shifts for Christmas sweeties...?

I think he was only here for the props. Haha.

He drove through a mud puddle and it got his car dirty. Could not stand the mess so he is busy taking his car completely apart to steam clean everything.

He's spent too much time playing with VWs so he's scared to come back here :giggle:

Jeff, props are back buddy.
Come back to us.

I wouldn't expect a whole lot out of our buddy Jeff til after the holidays.

Jeff? .....JEFFFFF?! At least post some before and after pictures of something you've cleaned at the bakery.

You have to tag him.

@Jeffbucc

Santa is having Jeff steam-clean the sled and restore all the broken raindeer

Har! We may have smurf blue turbocharged raindeer this year. :)

I'm pretty sure he's alive, he's been posting stuff on Facespace.

Although that was back in the 9th, and he was playing with a Honda... :noes: