2.8 repair/modification

[dusterbd13]

The truck is a 1987 GMC S15, 2.8 V-6, automatic, TBI injected. Due to recent fire damage (fix the oil leaks before they ignite on the manifold at 11:00 PM on a rainy night at the mexican restaraunt....) i started tearing down my 2.8 tonight to fix the oil leaks and minor damage. the worst of it appears to be the AC hose, heater hose from the manifold, battery cable, and a little melting on the smog pump crap. while i was tearing into it, i got to thinking about stuff that should/could/needs to be done while its apart.
the list i came up with, and questions.
1. fix oil leaks at intake manifold and valve covers. does the distributor need removed to get the intake out?
2. change out heater hose.
3. replace plug wires (god bless lifetime warrenty)
4. lash valves (doesnt look any harder than doing the solid roller in the duster). any preferred method?
5. can i delete the smog pump? cap off where it goes into the exhaust manifolds, and install a shorter belt. reduce weight, make the truck that much easier to work on. will it kick a check enging light or put it into limp home mode? furthermore, is it possible to relocate the alternator down to where the smog pump was, or will that minor of a weight shift and relocation not be worth the hassle?
6. remove charcoal canister, as its cracked pretty bad. cant be holding vacuum any more like that. just remove the vacuum line and cap off the line to the tank, right? same questions apply. will it kick a check engine or limp home?
7. reset base timing. chiltons says zero. any benifit in bumping it to say 10 before?
8. clean, paint, etc.
9. port intake for 5.7 TBI installation at a later date.
10. relocate the battery under the bed.

anything im missing? assume that the truck doesnt have to pass inspection (saftey only), but does have to be stone axe reliable and not do anything funny. drive just like (or better than) it did before the fire.

thanks.
Michael

[geoffinbc]

1. Yes you need to remove the distributor. It does not stop the manifold from separating from the heads or block but you cannot get it up high enough to clear the studs. You should remove the distributor anyway and replace the O-Ring and also inspect the gear. If you have a Chiltons or Haynes it might tell you it is ok to cut the gaskets to clear the push rods. DO NOT CUT the gaskets it will severely screw up the alignment of the gaskets.

2. Easy job just use bulk 3/4 or 5/8" hose depending

3. Easy

4. I do the valves one cylinder at a time. Add 1 turn preload after zero lash. Doing it one cylinder at a time ensures you don't forget one.

5. You can delete the pump but you cannot just use a shorter belt. I have tried before and the tensioner wont work properly. You need to replace it with a idler. It is much easier to replace any damaged parts with something from the junkyard. The pump helps extend the life of the cat converter. Don't bother moving the alternator it is not worth the hassle.

6. Also replace with a junkyard part.

7. 0* Is for the 4.3L only. The 2.8L needs to be set at 10*BTDC. Remember to unplug the ESC bypass wire under the passenger side dash.

8. Make sure it is engine enamel and not regular enamel paint.

9. Easy to do once the intake is off. Take it to a machine shop. Here is a how to. http://members.shaw.ca/betterthanyou...3tb/28to43.htm

10. You can do this if you wish just make sure it is in a good box. I like to throw in a circuit breaker of fuse to protect the wiring from a possible meltdown.