Lucky number 13

 

No not 13mm that's actually a very common mistake. They are 1/2 head bolts. 13mm is close enough that it works but will slightly round the head if they are really tight or seized. The axle nut should be 36mm and the torque spec is 119ft. Lbs. but I've had greater success with good brand bearings like acdelco, skf, ***, national, and timken torquing them to 155ft. Lbs

 

Get the aftermarket remote start pulled out and reverted back to stock wiring and see if your dash comes back to normal, the ignition system is great in montes as long as you don't mess with the wiring for the switch or passlock. Also only put the single key in the tumbler. Extra weight is the reason GM issued the recall for that style ignition.
As far as the head leak... It's doubtful the head gasket is leaking. Probably LIM or timing cover gasket.
Cast iron heads and cast iron block. I've never seen a 3800 head gasket or cylinder head fail under normal circumstances. Tough engine.

 

I actually already have a L67 sitting in the garage, pulled from a Riviera. I haven't started the teardown yet, mostly because I want to make a to do list of all the other things I should replace while I'm in there.

How difficult will it be to revert back to stock wiring? ****, looking into it more, it may just be a battery issue...

 

It's not too difficult if you've got decent tools. Most installers do a hack job with taped solder joints, and basically just repair the wires after cutting out the old stuff. Use a good butt connector preferably water resistant style heat shrink. Just disconnect your battery before you cut and match up the colors.

 

Finally got the Monte insured and registered on the 10th. Drove into the city and got a quick bath.

 

Got going on the top swap. Here is the donor engine.



And almost done tear down.

 

Did a little shopping.



In hindsight, I should have just spend all the money, and bought all the things. Probably could have saved some cash on shipping.

The before photo.



Draining the overflow. Oil in the reservoir, but all the rest of the coolant was fine.



Slowly progressing. Ran into some hiccups along the way, one of which was rounding both bolts at the downpipe and resonator. So I just ended up dropping the entire exhaust onto the ground.



Current state.



Since that photo, I have been cleaning up the block and heads. I also have to replace the oil pan gasket, and may at this point just pull the engine right out. Probably should have done that to start with. And if I'm already pulling the pan, I may as well take a look at the bearings, right?