We measured the stock main stud nut height and compared it to an ARP nut and washer to see if perhaps the deflector wasn't being held far enough off of the crank. No dice: the stock nut measured 0.459 inches, and the ARP washer/nut measured 0.526. So we were already about 67 thousandths further from the crank than where the deflector would normally sit. Instead of spacing the deflector with some washers, it was decided since the oil pump pickup tube mounts on deflector's top,, we didn't want it moved any closer to the oil pan's bottom than it had been already. The solution: first, precisely mark the deflector where the rods came close to hitting it. This was on the driver side of the engine and rods 3, 5, and 7. | 
With the deflector off of the engine, whack the underside of the deflector gently with a hammer and chisel at the points just scribed. The soft-metal deflector will bend to give added clearance between it and the rod bolts. With the deflector back in place on the engine, there appeared to be a good 50 thousandths minimum space between each swinging rod bolt and the deflector. We were good to go! | 
Be sure to clean the entirety of the oil pickup tube (which GM refers to as the 'oil pump screen') thoroughly before installing it, including running compressed air and mineral spirits backward through it and cleaning any remaining crud out of the pickup tube's screened inlet. There definitely will be some leftover goop in here, as this screen prevents large-size contaminants from running through the oil pump. |
With the deflector lying in place, the correct o-ring is lubed with oil and slid into the inlet of the oil pump. SLP supplies 2 different o-rings--one black, one green--to use depending on pickup tube design. We're now ready to install the pickup tube (a.k.a. oil pump screen). | 
To get the pickup tube in place, a slight bend of its bracket was required so that the tube would reach the inlet of the SLP pump, which again sits further forward to clear the double row timing chain. The deflector was then torqued to ARP's 28 lb-ft spec using the nuts supplied in ARP's main stud kit. The pickup tube--already sitting in the inlet of the pump at this point--goes onto the oil pump with a new ARP bolt (part of the ARP main stud side bolt kit we mentioned last time) torqued to GM's spec of 106 in-lb. Before tightening, make sure the tube is sitting square in the pump inlet; you don't want to pull it in with the bolt. Once everything is secure, you may have to bend the pickup tube bracket a touch more to get the tube's screened inlet parallel to the oil pan bottom. | 
To remove the old front seal, hit it from the back with a hammer and screwdriver. Some liquid penetrant sprayed around the edges will ease the seal's removal. Once it's out, clean the mounting surface and lube it lightly with oil to help slide the new one in. |
To install the new GM crankshaft front oil seal (PN 12585673) into the front cover, SLOWLY tap with a rubber hammer around the perimeter and use a flat piece of wood pressed against the seal for the last eighth of an inch or so. Get it going in crooked, and it'll bend and be destroyed. GM wants you to wait until the cover is on the engine to install this seal, but if you do, you'll need a special J-tool tool to install the sucker (though it's probably much more foolproof that way). | 
The crankshaft rear oil seal comes out in a similar hammer-whacking manner, as well as with some prying in the three cast-in pry points in the cover outer surface. It'll be stuck in there pretty good, and while you can see how we've buggered the seal up substantially trying to get it out, it eventually heeded our desires. | 
To install the crankshaft rear oil seal into the rear cover, a special tool from Wheel to Wheel Powertrain was used (discussed in the tools article in our last issue). After lubing both the outer rim of the seal and the inner surface of the opening in the cover, carefully place the new GM seal onto the appropriate end of the tool; the seal has two lips angled in opposite directions, so put it on too rough and you'll mess up at least one of them. You may need to gently use a tiny flathead to push a third, outward-facing lip into the machined groove in the tool; if you don't, it can be crushed. Note the white plastic piece in the background; this is shipped inside the seal to keep the lips properly oriented during transit from GM to you. |
The tool will gently squeeze the seal into place as its bolt is tightened. Insert the bolt, push down on the tool a little to get it started, and when the seal is going in straight, start tightening the bolt with a wrench. Stop when it gets snug, then carefully pull the tool out of the seal. As we mentioned last issue, you can ship your front and rear covers to Wheel to Wheel and they'll do these seal installs for you; that way, you won't have to actually buy this tool. | 
Before putting the rear cover on the engine, we need to do something we skipped before: install a new engine block rear oil gallery plug (commonly known as the barbell restrictor). Lube its O-ring and slide the plug in until it's protruding from the back of the block just a touch (GM specifies a 0.8-1.4mm distance; the rear cover will push it in to the appropriate depth when it's installed). It's possible to reuse the stock one of these if it isn't too gummed up, but a new one can be had from your local GM dealer. | 
Wheel to Wheel's cover install tool includes an aluminum donut that keeps the inner seal lip oriented properly as the cover is slid onto the back of the crank. You can see we've got this donut in place (use extreme care when sliding it into the seal so as not to mess up any of the seal lips) and also have the rear cover gasket in position with the bolts holding it in place (the gasket tightly grips them). The cover is ready to be bolted on. |
The donut self-aligns itself onto the back of the crank by fitting over the same machined ridge that keeps the flywheel centered. However, to keep the lips properly oriented, some care must still be taken as the seal transitions from the donut to the crank surface. You can see our new ARP bolts (PN HM10AF20-12, $27.60) that have been started into the cover and its gasket. Though this area will be hidden from view after the transmission is in place, there's no harm in knowing that you've got quality stainless steel bolts holding the rear cover of your LS1 in place--even though their beauty can't be enjoyed save during clutch swaps. | 
With the cover in place on the crank, the ARP rear cover bolts are started by hand and Wheel to Wheel's aluminum donut can be removed. You can now see the aforementioned raised flywheel ridge that aligned the donut to the crankshaft. | 
Though theoretically it's possible to install the LS1's front and rear covers without using the GM alignment tools, we didn't want to take any chances of leakage and so borrowed the appropriate J-tools from SLP. Here we're installing the J 41480 Front and Rear Cover Alignment Tool (Oil Pan Surface) manufactured by SPX Kent-Moore. Install the J 41480 by placing it over the oil-pan-rail-to-rear-cover seating surface. Start the tool to engine block bolts; tighten to 18 lb-ft. |