Hello i have a 95 Z28 with LT 1 gonna pull the motor blown head gasket. I came across a device called the Happy Hooker by TPIS you can google it. Its suppose to cut the time in half and enable you to pull the motor out the top. Has anyone else tried this device and did it work? And also any advice on wether i should just rebuild the stock motor i got( 228,000 miles) with some mods or get a long block. Ive only got about 2-3 Grand to put into it and the work will be done by someone else as i don't have time i work to much. This depresses me im an avid DIY guy but i just don't have time. Thanks

 

first it would still be easier to drop the engine out of the bottom its only 6 bolts on the sf the brake cables struts and trans then the wiring and you dont need to buy some ridiculous happy hooker (which sound like something i wouldnt want in my garage anyways) that youll prob never use again

if the blocks ok just rebuild are you gunna do a complete rebuild or just fix the gaskets

 

Unless it is a female that comes to your house and can take those rusty exhaust manifold bolts off the car while the motor is still in the car I can not see how it can cut the time in half.

 

http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/attach...r-dsc00474.jpg
thats it i dont see nothing but headache

 

Why are you set against droping the engine? You can do it with the same tools you need to pull the motor. Unless you building the motor for racing buying a reman motor will always be cheaper then rebuilding a hign miles motor right. Right is the important word. Have you thought about tracking down a low miles used motor?

 

Ok i think you all answered my questions.. lol and i do plan on a total rebuild if i go that way. Boring 30 over polish the crank port and polish the heads add a mild cam and lifters new pistons and rings cj racing said i could do this for right around 3 grand a guy i know said he would pull it and put it back in for about 700(out the bottom). Sounds a little salty but i think it would be done right. Bottom line whatever i put in the car i want around 350-400 hp when im done with it.

 

I also plan on doing the bolt ons like throttle body either 52 or 58mm and cold air intake intake and so on myself

 

I do not see how if you pay someone and get a high miles motor done that cheap. Your going to have 1000-1200 in the heads alone with porting and polishing. You will need a complete valve job. New guides, reground seats, reground valves. Add in a decent CAM/lifters & rockers and there is another 1K. Your cranks will need turned with that many miles. polishing will be a waste of time. By the time you bore and line bore the block your going to have another $800 in it. You have not bough a single bottom end part yet.

That assumes you want to do it right. I have built a lot of motor as a pro and someone is quoting best case cost. High miles motors with blown head gaskets are never best case. I suggest going and buying a low miles used motor and rebuilding that. You do not have to believe me, go post in the LT1 section and ask some of the guys that have been thru it. If your paying someone to do it right 5-6K is a more likely number.

 

here's what I gleened from this thread

current engine has 228,000 miles on it- wow, do you know if anything has ever been redone with respect to the bottom end?

You have a bad head gasket

You WANT 350-400HP ( is that to the wheels or flywheel?)

you have $2,000- $3,000 but need to pay someone

You also want bolt ons

So, first things first, do you have $2,000 or do you have $3,000? It makes a difference

Next, without any parts being purchased, expect to pay at least $1,000 at a machine shop to do what must be done and that's a generic valve job, no special porting. ( I don't know the rates of machine shops where you live, around me, it would be more like $1200-$1500)

Then you need your rebuild kit and you will need upgraded parts and a bigger cam. You are already over budget and nobody has even assembled the engine back together for you or removed/reinstalled it.

With 228k miles I would not even waste my time or effort to simply replace the head gaskets. It's decision time for you and given your limited budget, and yes, it may seem like a lot of $$$ to you but in reality it's not, then I'd be looking for a replacement motor or long block. A short block is no good because of the miles on your heads. If you found someone who will do all the work for you for $700 then I suggest grabbing hold of him but be sure he knows what he's doing. You can get a reman'd long block LT1 for $1700 plus 2 way shipping from precision engine. So, figure $300 for shipping, plus $1700, plus $50 fluids, plus $700 labor and you are at $2750 and you have a stock reman'd engine barring no unforeseen expenses. You don't keep the core. But, since we're there, new plugs, new front seals on the timing cover, new wires and that's another $100 so now we're at $2850. You never really mentioned the $2000 figure did you?

Then, maybe just maybe you will have some additional $$$ left over and could get some Pacesetter long tube headers, a CAI and a tune and you'll be way past 300 flywheel HP.

But, if all you really have is $2,000 and can't do the labor yourself, then slap in new head gaskets and hope for the best. At some point all vehicles hit a crossroad where they must be rebuilt/refreshed and that's when they are either sold to unsuspecting kids, junked, or rebuilt as was the case with my 95 and now I'm doing an 89.

 

Sorry, this thread is about the "happy hooker"

Well, with the 4th gens, it's easier to drop from the bottom vs yank from the top.