FruityOne

Updated! Sunday was a day of cleaning. I cleaned up what I could, and painted the intake with Ceramic paint, good to 1200* they say. I chose an aluminum color that is actually VERY close to the color of bare aluminum. Though the real aluminum actually has more of a white color to it. The color match is close enough.

Before:, After:



The camshaft install was a PITA. Maybe I'll remove the nose just because it'll be quicker the next time I do a cam change in the car. The heads are on and torqued down. The headers are mounted for a trial fitting, need to pick up hardware for the Y-pipe, and somehow fab up a straight pipe in place of the former cat-converter.

All thats left is final assembly for accesories, porting and siamesing the plenum, and port matching the base to the runners. My dremel just can't cut it (literally! ) So it looks like I'll be picking up some grinding stones that will fit in a drill. Easier that way.

Oh yeah, and my favorite thing in the world. Setting valve lash!!! This has me more scared than anything else I've done so far! The heads were a cake-walk.

3.8TransAM

Spend the dough on non-ferrous bits, read made for aluminum...

WOrk like butter sting like bee...

the ferrous bits do nothgin but clog and bog down

later
JEremy

PLANT PROTECTION

iTrader: (6)

Bill, are you gunna be at the 41 track day? The only car that I am more curious to see run is Jer's Formula.

FruityOne

Hehe, thats the WHOLE reason I'm so driven with this project right now.

The car WILL be at the track, legally or not! Its insured right now, but the paper work hasn't come through to allow me to sign the emissions waiver yet! Hence, plates still suspended, and I can't buy a new sticker yet. Grrrr......

I just started on the intake tonight, I ported and siamesed the plenum with a little template I made from the AS&M runners. Its not exact, but I doubt I'll see much difference if I go anyfurther with the intake. I rounded off the inside edges on the plenum to smooth it out a bit. I made a few boo boo's that are going to require a little JB weld and a razor to fix though. Damn that dremel can jump around if it catches just right!

All in all, not a bad attempt for my first try at porting. I only scratched the gasket mating surface 3 times. I got better the more i did it, and my last siamese was the best of all of them. The Titanium Carbide cutter bit works great. In about 2 hours worth of work on a dremel I had all of the intake hogged out and smoothed. Tomorow I need to match the ports on the base to the intake, and debur/grind and smooth out the rough edges from the carbide bit.

Still have to set valve lash though. And those damn header bolts I bought are TERRIBLE. I need a smaller head, as well as better bolts all around. They are Grade 8 hardware fromn Home Depot, and they suck pretty bad. I need to go to a 5/16th head so I can get a socket on them and not scratch the headers up. I sprung for Percy's Dead Soft Aluminum gaskets, I port matched those to the headers.
Teaser picture!
Before:

After:



I'm really hoping to see what she'll run. Weather she'll fall on her face, or roar down the track I'll find out. Realistically if I trap about 100mph I'll be decently happy knowing its on a stock tune. There are people with similar combo's trapping near 102 or 103mph, that would be awesome if I could do that.

3.8TransAM

cross your fingers and pray the rearend holds out in the Formula lol

ITs getting ugly need another to get rebuilt so i can swap it out

later
JEremy

FruityOne

Jeremy, have you looked into a LS1 rear end? It pretty much just goes right in.

The price for the conversion is about the same as the parts list for rebuilding my 9-bolt.

Soooo, I may be in the same situation. lol

3.8TransAM

9 bolt is strongest from the factory :-)

4th gen rear is a wider version of ours so its still a pos either way

later
Jeremy

FruityOne

Yeah, but 9bolts are SOOOO hard and expensive to find parts for!!

There are almost no suppliers for the parts, and those that do supply parts are REALLY expensive. A pumpkin cover for a 9bolt is like $150 minimum for the little group purchase on the drivetrain boards.

Maybe with the GTO coming over the 9bolt design will get cheaper to maintain, but damn. $325 for new cones(what I need), and more money for stuff I want, but don't need. If I rebuild the differential that means I can rebuild anything with a book!

I don't have the tools to check clearances or preload though, so putting it back together when I get the parts will be REALLY iffy. Thats why I think I'll go 10bolt LS1 rear end. 12" PBR brakes. YAY!!

GarageToys

iTrader: (6)

Just a tip: If you put 3-4 layers of duct tape on the gasket surface, then cut the ports out with a razorblade & just leave the rest covered with tape, the burr usually doesn't get through all 3-4 layers of tape if you slip. When you're done- peel the tape off and no scratches.

Also, I found that spraying the carbite burr with WD-40 every so often while you're porting unclogs the aluminum tidbits from the burr and makes it work tons better.

FruityOne

LoL, too late. The intake is done. That is a good tip though, I'll keep it in mind for later. I spent a lot of time on the intake today, cleaning up the entry to the runners. I didn't clean up the EGR area though, I didn't trust myself not to punch though it. Perhaps another day.

3.8TransAM

Quit wasting time with a carbide cutter on aluminum and spend 30$ and wack away without stopping longer than to dip the bit in some oil every now and then :-)....



Trust me u wont be sorry

PLANT PROTECTION

iTrader: (6)

(Moe's voice)
WAAAAAA!?!?

You sure bout that, GTO has IRS, I hope nothing interchanges with the 9bolts old tech. I haven't been able to find any info on the subject though.

FruityOne

GTO = Holden Monaro = Austrialian parts....

BW 9bolt = Australian parts...

I think the GTO comes with a Dana 44 or something like that. But if the market grows then maybe the 9bolt will become cheaper to rebuild.

Spend the money on what? I don't have an air compressor, or a die grinder. I'm pretty much limited to what a Dremel or drill can use. The drill is too heavy to hold for hours though. I'll eventually make a BIG mistake.

camaro_60181

I do!!!!
By the way the tpi looks nice.b

3.8TransAM

they make non ferrous bits for dremel apps too :-)

prolly a lot cheaper than the ones for die grinders( they get expensive i know). Carbide bits suck it bigtime for aluminum drove me nuts...

or worst case, cut down the shanks(evenly is the trick) to fit a dremel.....