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Think I'll attempt a thermostat change tomorrow and finish flushing the engine. I think there is enough room to do the job with the TB off but leaving the elbow in place.

... and I've been busy out the back of the place. Finally making progress on my pizza oven but then I strained the shoulder so have not made any more progress since last weekend. Only thing left to do now is enclose the sides, make some cabinet doors and then finish the bench tops (tiles). (forgive the shitty phone pic)

Makes a good fire though and cooks a pizza in a few minutes

Nice pizza oven!!

Thermostat change done. spent ages trying to get the original hose off but cut the bugger in the end and put on a new one. Much faster, should have done that from the start. Got the system bled, easy job with the funnel on it. Using straight water and will do another flush and fill with additive this evening. New thermostat is controlling the temp around the 82° with the fluctuating a few degrees up and down as it adjusts flow. Road test soon. Definitely not a job you would want to do with a stock elbow and no spacer under the blower.

Holden202T wrote:Nice pizza oven!!

Cheers mate

Did another flush on the Calais and topped off with water and Pentrite 10 tenths additive. Engine coming up to temp nice and not running to cool. Call that a win.

Too bloody hot in the house today so went down to the garage and stripped down a brand new 304 GMB water pump ready for modification. When I pressed out the bearing assembly I found this... The bore is badly galled up on one side. I suspect it's not been pressed in straight and if the shaft isn't running true in the bore than it's going to fuck the seal in short order. I bought 2 pumps at the time so have pressed off the impeller on the 2nd pump and removed the back plate ready for mods.

Started a new thread about tuning for colder plugs as I've recently encountered a fouled plug issue during a cold start. Just adding a link here to the thread for future reference.

Tuning for colder Spark Plugs? Cold Start/Idle?

Also found the cause of my weird exhaust noise. Broken exhaust manifold stud, front passenger side.

Anyone know what size threads are used in the head? Might just pick up a few bolts. Re-use a few of the original studs where needed and replace the rest with cap screws. Hoping like hell I kept some of the exhaust manifold studs when I scrapped the old V6 motor.

Also spent some time digging around my other V6 spares from our old VS and managed to find the old throttle cable so I managed to sort out this.
Just need to attach it to the pedal under the dash and that is sorted.

Now back to painting...

Anybody know of the ecotec V6 and Buick 3800 V6 motors use the same exhaust manifold bolt/stud size?

I have lots of the 3800 V6 ones but no ecotec ones in my buckets of spare bolts.

pre eco is 3/8 UNC, eco is 5/16 UNC