So, I'm super glad that I am able to do this LS7 thing in parallel with keeping the car 100% driveable. I've been enjoying it a lot recently, driving it 2-3 times a week to work. Just ordered a bunch of tools and some little things to do. I'll have a jack, ramps and stands here soon. Ordered some longer and bigger pushrods to try an experiment with, going to change the plugs for the first time in maybe...5 years I think, and I need to fix my coolant tank after breaking the car last weekend up Angeles Crest Highway. Good news is, the car is phenomenal. With the slicks and Ohlins it really is an experience. My buddy just got an E92 M3 so we swapped for part of the drive and that was a blast too. Very neat car. Was really fun seeing my car driven in anger from behind.
I've been fighting the cooling in this thing for years. The radiator itself may be big enough, but the expansion tank and overflow are undersized for the LS cooling system volume. I can babysit it and keep the water full, but before long it pushes water out, and through the years I've had a number of problems that prevent the cooling system from holding pressure and cooling properly. Before ACH I gave it a tuneup to fix a radiator cap leak due to the expansion tank corroding away, and put over a half gallon of water in it that mysteriously disappeared. Thinking it would be good to go, in fixing the cap leak the next weakest point failed. Luckily it was only 32 degrees at the top of ACH and the car was cooling well. It lasted about 4 hours of driving before the tank finally failed beneath the cap and started overheating and sprayed water and steam out the filler neck. Was exciting.
So now my buddy is going to build a stainless tank for me after I told him what I wanted. It'll hold a lot more water which hopefully will keep water in the engine and not pushing out the overflow.
I hinted at some garage updates in the last post. I'm loving this garage. Believe it or not, my girl was the one that pushed to get the floors coated. This was an awesome process. It was completed within one working day, and everything goes back in 24 hours later. Also got the car clayed and waxed the day before I went up ACH and it came out great. Now it is absolutely caked with gravel and dirt lol. ACH was filthy up there from the winter weather.
Responsibly got my corona virus mask on as you can see, but the tank was not happy with me at all. I let the thing cool down for an hour in a target parking lot and dumped a gallon of water in. I hit 240*+. I say plus because the water was so low that I think the sensor just became uncovered. Managed to drive it home and it never got over 185 and the tank held pressure again. Either the stopleak that fixed Samberg's shit radiator plugged the tank up for now, or it only splits once pressure hits a certain level, 212+. Once it gets an air path to the water in the tank it is a runaway failure because it locally boils and then the steam pushes the tank apart.
Actually not too bothered about it. I've wanted to do this tank for years, and this gives me an excuse to slow down and get it done. Looking forward to breaking in the garage with the first car project.
