Stroker Engine Build - My First Stroker, Part 2

Though the next step in the GM service manual is the installation of the J 41476 Front and Rear Cover Alignment Tool (Crankshaft Seal Area), this tool can only be used if the crankshaft rear oil seal hasn't been installed in the cover yet. Already in place, the seal aligns the cover and takes the place of that tool (though we'll be using the J 41476 on the front cover in a moment). Therefore, the tool-to-rear cover bolts can now be tightened to 106 in-lb.

The rear cover bolts are tightened to 18 lb-ft; it'll be tough to reach them all while the engine is on the engine stand, but do your best. Later on, before you put on the flywheel, double-check the ones you couldn't reach. You can see how the J 41480 keeps the top surface of the rear cover exactly aligned with the oil pan rails while its bolts are tightened, ensuring a dead-flat surface for the oil pan to seal to.

As mentioned earlier, the SLP oil pump sits further forward off of the block (to give added clearance for the timing chain). Because of this, some material must be removed before the front cover will be able to go on properly. SLP details this process to some extent in the oil pump instructions, but more clearancing had to be done than was stated. You can see where we've used a die grinder to give extra room for the oil pump, the main areas being the circular surface about the crankshaft front oil seal and the area in the lower right of the photo. We should have waited until after this step to install the front seal as now it will need to be cleaned of shavings.

Alternate grinding and trial fitting the front cover to the engine, noting that clearancing is not needed to the extent that the cover sits perfectly flat against the block surface. Rather, the new GM front cover gasket is about 0.056 inches thick so will take up some of the space. With adequate room established between the front cover and the oil pump, we can install the front cover finger tight using ARP's new hex-head stainless steel bolts. These are available under PN 434-1501 for $29.27 and can also be had in 12-point and black oxide versions.

Our friend the J 41480 is now tightened to the engine block, leaving the tool-to-front-cover bolts loose at this time. Like when used on the rear cover, these bolts get 18 lb-ft of torque.

Unlike the seal in the rear cover, the crankshaft front oil seal is not actually contacting any crank surfaces at this point; instead, it will ride on the harmonic damper (to be installed later). Therefore, the seal isn't doing anything to help align the cover to the block. Enter the J 41476 Front and Rear Cover Alignment Tool (Crankshaft Seal Area), also made by SPX Kent-Moore. This is installed hand tight using an old crank bolt. Note the alignment tabs on the cover that the tool presses up against; this tool aligns the cover side-to-side.

To properly align the front cover vertically, the J 41480-to-front-cover bolts are tightened, ensuring the cover is flush with the engine block oil pan rails. We then secure our stainless-steel ARP front cover bolts to 18 lb-ft. With the front cover securely in place, the J 41480 and J 41476 are removed, and installation of the front and rear covers is complete!

Strange but true: the oil pan gasket actually comes from the factory riveted to the oil pan. The rivets are easily drilled out and exist only to aid in the oil-pan-to-engine assembly process at the factory. As such, they don't need to be replaced when the new gasket is installed.

Sludge buildup in the bottom of the oil pan may be substantial if your LS1 had a lot of miles on it--especially if the oil wasn't changed frequently enough. Take the oil pan baffle out and dump some solvent into the pan to loosen up any grime. Let it sit awhile and then clean the oil pan thoroughly. Go ahead and take out the drain plug and oil level sensor while cleaning (so that you don't damage the sensor with solvent).

With the pan squeaky clean, do the same with the baffle and then reinstall it, torquing the bolts to 106 in-lb. The baffle keeps oil in the vicinity of the pickup at all times (under forces of acceleration, braking, and turning) and you can see the oval-shaped hole where the oil pickup tube's screened inlet will stick through from above.

GM's new gasket technology has virtually eliminated the extravaganza d'goop that plagued assembly of earlier iterations of the small-block V-8 (see our sidebar on GM gasket technology). Pictured is the one and only place any such RTV sealer is required on the LS1: a dab on each corner where the front & rear covers meet the oil pan. Rubber tabs protrude from the front and rear cover gaskets that, on assembly, will contact the oil pan gasket and help seal things up, but this sealer is for extra insurance.

The new, one-piece GM oil pan gasket is laid in place on the pan and, in lieu of riveting the gasket in place to hold it during installation, the stock oil pan bolts are used. Here as elsewhere, GM's gaskets tightly grip the bolts so they will help hold the gasket in place during installation. We're reusing the stock bolts, but you can get a set of LS1 oil pan bolts from ARP in black oxide or shiny stainless if you prefer. Praise the Lord that the days of the poorly sealing, multiple-section small-block oil pan gasket are long gone.

When lowering the pan in place on the engine block, it'll take a bit of finagling to get the pickup to slip into the baffle correctly. Once in, the pan will sit flush on the block; if it doesn't, lift the pan up and try again. Tip: shine a flashlight into the pan's drain plug hole and look through the oil level sensor hole (the large hole in the pan visible here) to ensure the pickup is in place and is an adequate distance from the bottom of the pan. With a different oil pump and main studs, along with the bending needed to get the pickup tube mounted correctly, it's reasonable to be concerned that the pickup won't be in the right place. Too close to the pan, and it will suck itself to the bottom and you won't have any oil pressure. If you can't see in there well enough with a flashlight, you can always slap some clay atop the pickup, put the pan on, and see how far the clay gets squished.

Before tightening the oil pan bolts, pull and/or push the oil pan back and forth as necessary to get it as even as possible with the back of the block; remember, alignment is critical! Then torque the oil pan to 18 lb-ft on the big bolts and 106 in-lb on the two skinny, long rear bolts (which secure the pan to the rear engine cover).

After tightening all of the oil pan bolts, check your work with a straight edge; the J 41480 works well as it's steel and super-flat by design. The bellhousing-mounting surfaces at the rear of the engine block oil pan need to be within--get this--a quarter of a millimeter! Any extension of the pan surface past the block is unacceptable: that is, the pan can sit back from the block as much as 0.25mm, but can't protrude from the block at all.