Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
#1
Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
... and this time it is getting done the right way, and on a budget to boot. The car I'll be using for this build is my '90 GTA Trans Am, and the engine I will be using is the original 305 that it came with from the factory. Can it be done? Well shall see. First things first, let me introduce the car below. The car originally came with a 5-speed from the factory, but a 700R4 now resides behind the engine. The engine, as mentioned, is the stocker (not bored .030 over), a true 305. Unlike the last build thread that I started, I am not going to go crazy with the port work on the Tuned Port Injection system, as I intend to keep it very simple this time as a lot of the port work that was done in the other build thread was honestly overkill, and really not needed. The headers I am fabricating myself out of an Edelbrock set that I have had in the garage, and will be running a single turbo. The heads are the early 416 heads that I had ported myself for the other project that I was working on that some of you are already familiar with, but I went into them again and opened them up even more. The cam is a Lunati roller grind (cam specs to follow), and the rockers are those comp cam roller 1.52's that I was also going to use for the other build as well. Engine management & boost control will be through the EBL P4, but before we even get there I got some suspension upgrades to deal with first. Stick around guys, this should be fun.
#2
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
These are the headers that I will be converting into a front mount single turbo setup. They have 1 5/8" primaries, and 2 1/4" collector. The log I will be using will be 2 1/2" inches in diameter, w/T4 turbo flange and 38mm wastegate flange. The crossover was fabbed up by Meineke a long time ago because I used the original Edelbrock crossover for something else, but I will be cutting up the Meineke one to be used in this setup because it's there. They are a tad discolored from the high temp header paint, as well as from sitting around for awhile, but they are very thick so the weld should take great...
#3
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Car: 1990 camaro rs
Engine: 5.0L 305 tbi
Transmission: 700r4
Axle/Gears: 2.73
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
hmmm interesting, i think i'll stick around to see this build
#4
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
Passenger header has been cut. The log will be similar to the BBS turbo header, with just a few differences that I feel will make it much better all around. I ran out of 347 filler rod so I can't do any welding tonight, but once I get my hands on more I will have the turbo header finished in an hour. Will all be ceramic coated when done.
#5
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
While I am waiting on the filler rod, gonna move on to the Tuned Port Injection system. From the factory, these systems are pathetic, and siamesing them is an excellent way of introducing a much quicker entry into the combustion chambers by shortening the distance from the plenum to the intake valve by creating more volume for the intake stroke to grab from. With the other build thread, some of you may remember how I went a little crazy with all of the porting. This time though I will only be porting the lower intake ports leading into the cylinder heads, as well as siamesing the lower runner ports, both on the lower intake manifold, as well as the runners themselves. The top of the runners, the plenum, and the throttle body will not be touched. I may "smooth" them a little to increase velocity, but I will not be opening them up any further than stock...
#6
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
Ignition. The stock engine came with the small cap HEI with external coil, which although some claim to be better, I find to be annoying. I will be swapping to the fat cap HEI with internal coil. In total, it is an '86 distributor off of a Tuned Port Injected engine, which now has an MSD cap & rotor kit, Flamethrower coil, and Flamethrower ignition module. The wiring needs to be adapted to the stock 7730 engine harness, and for that I ordered the Holley kit part number 534-138. I am ordering a set of MSD plug wires on monday, but the spark plugs I am still undecided on...
#7
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Car: 1991 Camaro RS
Engine: BBC 509 Merlin ii 9.6:1 pump gas
Transmission: ATI pro th350 sfi case. TSI 5500 st
Axle/Gears: Strange S60 4:10s
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
Im watching lethal. Im ready to learn!
Last edited by fasteddi; 02-04-2012 at 06:37 PM.
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#8
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
Camshaft. Some may remember I ordered the 224/230 cam for my other build, and although it worked great for me because I was running it these last few months, I cannot run that cam in this engine because this engine has a factory roller setup, and the other engine did not. Do not want to go too much on the cam though this time because I decided not to spin the engine to the moon, plus what I did to the heads make up for the less duration, so I decided on the...;
Lunati Hydraulic Roller - LUN-501A3LUN
218/218 .492"/.492" @ 112
Lift is a tad higher with the 1.52 roller rockers...
Lunati Hydraulic Roller - LUN-501A3LUN
218/218 .492"/.492" @ 112
Lift is a tad higher with the 1.52 roller rockers...
#9
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
Cylinder heads. I opened up the earlier 416's all the way, as much as they will go. The intake ports can fit a quarter and a half all the way through (wiggled), the exhaust ports have been opened substantially as well. The valve guides were taken all the way down. These heads will flow with the best of them. Yes, they are iron, but hey, this is a budget build, remember...
#10
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
Originally Posted by bigreed91
hmmm interesting, i think i'll stick around to see this build
Originally Posted by fasteddi
Im watching lethal. Im ready to learn!
#11
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Car: 91Z28
Engine: 5.7 ls1
Transmission: 4l60e
Axle/Gears: 3.42
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
I wanna see this is there anyway to build a turbo and still keep A/C?
#12
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
Originally Posted by SiCkRs
I wanna see this is there anyway to build a turbo and still keep A/C?
#13
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
Head Gaskets. I went with the same cometic head gaskets, same as the other build. Just going to coat them with some copper spray when they get installed. Static compression will be somewhere in the neighborhood of 8:7 once installed. Tempted to convert and run E85 with this setup, but I'm going to wait to see how she does on pump gas first...
#14
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Car: 91Z28
Engine: 5.7 ls1
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Axle/Gears: 3.42
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
Oh ok. Cool you are gonna do exactly what i wanna do with my car one day the turbo with tpi and A/C lol. You should make an extra kit and sell it to me ill pay it in payments haha.
#15
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
Originally Posted by SiCkRs
Oh ok. Cool you are gonna do exactly what i wanna do with my car one day the turbo with tpi and A/C lol. You should make an extra kit and sell it to me ill pay it in payments haha...
#16
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Car: 1991 Camaro RS
Engine: BBC 509 Merlin ii 9.6:1 pump gas
Transmission: ATI pro th350 sfi case. TSI 5500 st
Axle/Gears: Strange S60 4:10s
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
What size turbo are ya planing on useing when the time comes?
#17
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Car: 91Z28
Engine: 5.7 ls1
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Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
That is great! Im definately gonna keep checking on this thread.
#18
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
Originally Posted by fasteddi
What size turbo are ya planing on useing when the time comes?
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Car: '86 Grand National
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Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
subscribing.....AGAIN!!!
#21
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
Fuel pump. Going to reuse the sending unit that I worked on last year, and reuse the Earls fittings that convert the stock saginaw fittings to an fittings. Planning on running braided line all the way to the front, and replacing the stock fuel pump filter while I am at it. The fuel pump though will be the DW300 (DeatschWerks)...
#22
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
... a closer look at the cylinder heads. Need to re-lap the valve seats, as well as clean them up as they have been sitting for awhile. Some fresh high temp aluminum paint will do the trick. Before I do the paint though, I want to install screw in studs first.
#23
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Car: 1991 Camaro RS
Engine: BBC 509 Merlin ii 9.6:1 pump gas
Transmission: ATI pro th350 sfi case. TSI 5500 st
Axle/Gears: Strange S60 4:10s
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
Oh how those valve bodies look so familar to mine, since i worked on my heads 40+hours...
Looks great bro, keep it up!
Looks great bro, keep it up!
Last edited by fasteddi; 02-04-2012 at 10:10 PM.
#24
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
Originally Posted by fasteddi
Oh how those valve bodies look so familar to mine, since i worked on my heads 40+hours. Looks great bro, keep it up!
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#27
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Car: 89 RS 89 iroc 87 firebird
Engine: 3.1 Turbo/ 355 twin turbo
Transmission: a4 w/ 4500 stall/ a4 / t5
Axle/Gears: strange s60 /w 3:42's
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
#28
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Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
thats why i use the ferrous carbides with a can of WD40 or PB blaster lol hit it with a wire brush once in a while and its all good
#29
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
Definitely agree with you guys about porting aluminum heads, as the bits get clogged up immediately and you spend more time cleaning them than you do getting any work done. Porting the cast iron is much faster, I can literally get one head done in about two hours. What I meant about being too messy though... the aluminum particles fall right to the table when porting, but the cast iron particles turn into a powder and become airborne and get all over the place.
#30
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Car: '88 Trans Am GTA
Engine: 305 TPI
Transmission: 700R4
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
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Mine will be turboed 2 years from now. Can't wait to see what you get out of that thing
Mine will be turboed 2 years from now. Can't wait to see what you get out of that thing
#31
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
Originally Posted by lb9 GTA
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Mine will be turboed 2 years from now. Can't wait to see what you get out of that thing
Mine will be turboed 2 years from now. Can't wait to see what you get out of that thing
#32
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Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
Definitely agree with you guys about porting aluminum heads, as the bits get clogged up immediately and you spend more time cleaning them than you do getting any work done. Porting the cast iron is much faster, I can literally get one head done in about two hours. What I meant about being too messy though... the aluminum particles fall right to the table when porting, but the cast iron particles turn into a powder and become airborne and get all over the place.
#33
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
Originally Posted by DIGGLER
you are using the wrong burr. they sell a non-ferrous burr for aluminum. it is very fast cutting, however so you have to be careful with it. but it won't clog...
#34
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Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
i have one of them bolted up on the engine, i'll see if i can get you a pic sometime this week when i go back by the shop. i'm STILL bouncing back and forth on what i want to do with mine. twins or single.... twins or single.... twins or single....
#35
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
Originally Posted by DIGGLER
i have one of them bolted up on the engine, i'll see if i can get you a pic sometime this week when i go back by the shop. i'm STILL bouncing back and forth on what i want to do with mine. twins or single.... twins or single.... twins or single....
#36
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
Was looking (hoping) to find some last minute 409ss 90 degree bends w/14ga instead of 16ga, but it is what it is, so I'll be welding with 16ga. The ceramic coating should help when all is said and done in terms of strength. I just don't see any reason to go with 321ss at this point, and if I did, I certainly wouldn't weld it to the Edelbrock 409ss...
#37
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Car: 89 RS 89 iroc 87 firebird
Engine: 3.1 Turbo/ 355 twin turbo
Transmission: a4 w/ 4500 stall/ a4 / t5
Axle/Gears: strange s60 /w 3:42's
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
psst rob order the satinles sstuff from here http://www.mcmaster.com/
u can use the 304 stainless as they have it in .065 and .118 wall
much cheaper then the 321 .065 wall stainless i used on my v6 car theres prolly 1,200 bucks in stainless on my v6 car in just the headers
the thick 304 stainless will hold up just fine if welded right, and u dont want to ceramic caot the stainless get it nickle coated instead
u can use the 304 stainless as they have it in .065 and .118 wall
much cheaper then the 321 .065 wall stainless i used on my v6 car theres prolly 1,200 bucks in stainless on my v6 car in just the headers
the thick 304 stainless will hold up just fine if welded right, and u dont want to ceramic caot the stainless get it nickle coated instead
#38
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
... you mean nickel plated, right?
We'll see, as I already spoke to the guys over at Jet Hot and they will give me a pretty good deal when all is said and done. The flux welding is doing very good w/the 16ga metal, either that or I'm just that good of a welder lol...
Thanks for that link Dave...
Pics of the work coming up soon...
We'll see, as I already spoke to the guys over at Jet Hot and they will give me a pretty good deal when all is said and done. The flux welding is doing very good w/the 16ga metal, either that or I'm just that good of a welder lol...
Thanks for that link Dave...
Pics of the work coming up soon...
#39
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Car: 89 RS 89 iroc 87 firebird
Engine: 3.1 Turbo/ 355 twin turbo
Transmission: a4 w/ 4500 stall/ a4 / t5
Axle/Gears: strange s60 /w 3:42's
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
dont use jethot, u shoudl see what they did to a set of 4k$ custom headers we built for a customer. the shop switched to airbourne coatings after that mishap and there coatings are 100x better and there prices are much much better as well
#40
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Car: '88 Trans Am GTA
Engine: 305 TPI
Transmission: 700R4
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
If I can net a 1.4x sixty foot I am very confident I will see a 9.99, that's if the transmission and rearend hold it together. Got a lot in store for this one, so this build thread should make for a very fun ride for everyone. Be sure to start up a turbo build thread when you start on yours...
#42
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Car: 1989 Turbo Trans Am gta
Engine: 383 78mm turbo
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Axle/Gears: 9 bolt 3.45s
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
mhmmm.... what ever happened with the first thread??
#43
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
Originally Posted by Orr89RocZ
I use some wd40 or some basic oil while porting aluminum with the non ferrous burrs. Keeps them clean and goes thru metal like hot knife in butter
Originally Posted by noboostnogo
mhmmm.... what ever happened with the first thread??
#44
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
Picked up a mini-starter to help offset the weight of the turbo charger a little bit. Need to replace the solenoid though as well as clean it up, but other than that it is essentially still new...
#46
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
Originally Posted by SiCkRs
updates?
#47
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
We just started getting hit with snow, and from what I'm reading it isn't letting up until later tonight. Gonna do something easy today, as I am going to coat a set of 91-92 GTA taillights that I had lying around the right way with some nightshade. Just one coat of nightshade, enough to still be able to see right through it, but still see that it is tinted, followed by five coats of clear coat. Will buff once dry. Should look incredible when finished. Also got my hands on a 91-92 hatch, but now I need to get my hands on an 91-92 aero wing to complete it. Not going to touch the bumper/ground effects though, those are staying stock...
#50
Re: Chronicles of a 9 Second 305 Trans Am, Can It Be Done...
Originally Posted by Street Lethal
.... do I detect a little sarcasm there, Dig lol?
She'll make nines when all is said and done, there is no doubt in my mind.
She'll make nines when all is said and done, there is no doubt in my mind.