Small wins continue to push Gus forward.  This weekend I finished hooking up the transmission lines to the transmission cooler.  It’s a good think I pulled the lines apart and double checked them as one had a crack near the entry to the th350.  A quick stop at Andy’s Supply in Boise and the crack was taken out and the line repaired (Boy, do they give great service!).

My radiator hoses were a challenge.  I stopped in at my local Schucks and wandered back to their radiator hose area.  After seeing that none of their hoses would work, I finally selected two that I could cut, bridge and fit.  After cutting the hoses and bridging both radiator hoses (inlet and outlet) with a metal tube, I finally got a fit I can live with — however, it’s not a solution I’m thrilled about.

This is one of those situations I’m gonna let digest for a few days while I tackle some work projects and deal with replacing the waterpump on my 540i (which over the last month has seen the thermostat go bad [$100], the alternating belt break [$25], and the waterpump go [$150] — each requiring an online purchase and a week wait).

I’ve been a little side tracked from Gus due to a recent neighbor’s problem with a mail box — her son hit another neighbor’s mail box with her car, damaging the mail box (it’s actually two mailboxes and paper boxes that sit on a single pole).  By now, the whole neighbor knows me as the ‘guy with a jeep’; so, it was only a matter of time before it was my welder to the rescue (ok, it was a bit more complicated than that).

Now, back on track, I’ve made some progress on some trivial details.

Oil Filtering System: When I bought my V6, the seller included an external dual oil filter system.  I decided to install the system because (1) I would increase the available oil in the system, (2) having the filters external of the engine would reduce engine oil temperatures, and (3) having two oil filters would help with the engine oil temperatures even more.  Since I’m of the opinion that my last engine blew up due to oiling problems (though that was a much older 225 engine), I’m hoping this helps stalls potential problems.  I’ve also been on the phone with TAPerformance and they suggested the use of a specific pressure spring for use in buick engines with high pressure attachments.

In the image, you can see how the oil filters will sit above the filter base and the hoses will wind down to the oil filter and the forward, passenger side of the engine.

Combination Valve: A Combination Valve is simply a proportioning valve and a pressure differential valve that is combined into one unit.  I got one from a junk yard early 90s cherokee.  I grabbed the valve, the valve bracket and some of the lines.  The lines between the valve and the master cylinder were long enough that I can attach the valve to the frame.  So, I welded a small bracket to the frame and now the valve bolts to the frame.

In the image, the valve looks very close to the front of the tranny, but fortunately, there’s plenty of room.