Apparently I got screwed...
08-14-2014, 12:52 PM
#151
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Car: 88 Chimera
Engine: 1994 LO5 5.7L
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 2.73...?
Re: Apparently I got screwed...
Well the ebay plug is on its way (free shipping too!).
And today's task is engine identification.
Which I kinda accomplished.
First is the headers:
Casting # 10110810
Date code: E274 (May 27, 1994)
10110810 – 350, 65cc chambers, swirl port truck/van TBI headers
Now the fun part!
This image clearly shows (GM) 5.7LG SGI stamped into the engine! Its a 350!
For the life of me though, I cannot find the casting number anywhere!
The only other number I found cast anywhere is this:
(G?)52(8/3?)9
Not too sure what it means
Anyone have any idea where the casting number should be? It doesnt seem to be in the usual place.
And today's task is engine identification.
Which I kinda accomplished.
First is the headers:
Casting # 10110810
Date code: E274 (May 27, 1994)
10110810 – 350, 65cc chambers, swirl port truck/van TBI headers
Now the fun part!
This image clearly shows (GM) 5.7LG SGI stamped into the engine! Its a 350!
For the life of me though, I cannot find the casting number anywhere!
The only other number I found cast anywhere is this:
(G?)52(8/3?)9
Not too sure what it means
Anyone have any idea where the casting number should be? It doesnt seem to be in the usual place.
08-15-2014, 02:20 AM
#152
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Car: 1989 Chevy Camaro IROC Z28
Engine: L98
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: Stock
Re: Apparently I got screwed...
The way I see it, you might as well fix it. There aren't a ton of these cars left. It's always a labor of love. I pulled my old 1990 out of the grave, and probably dumped triple what it was worth into it. But I loved it every step of the way and learned allot.
The reason we love GM, is parts are cheap. Remember pretty much any 82-92 long block (350 or 305 depending on what you have) will work with your intake and heads. Contact your local scrap yard and look on CL. You can get a good motor for roughly $500. One time I got a TPI 350 for $75. A motor swap is not the end of the world. Rent a engine lift buy some beers and get it done.
On the power front, it just needs some love. If you haven't already, buy the Chilton and Haynes and take the time to set up the vacuum correctly.
Good Luck!
*sorry forgot it had an LT1, you will need a newer long bock unless you plan on reverting to TPI/TPI
The reason we love GM, is parts are cheap. Remember pretty much any 82-92 long block (350 or 305 depending on what you have) will work with your intake and heads. Contact your local scrap yard and look on CL. You can get a good motor for roughly $500. One time I got a TPI 350 for $75. A motor swap is not the end of the world. Rent a engine lift buy some beers and get it done.
On the power front, it just needs some love. If you haven't already, buy the Chilton and Haynes and take the time to set up the vacuum correctly.
Good Luck!
*sorry forgot it had an LT1, you will need a newer long bock unless you plan on reverting to TPI/TPI
08-15-2014, 08:42 AM
#153
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Car: 86 IROC
Engine: 5.0 TPI
Transmission: 700-R-4
Axle/Gears: 2.73 open
Re: Apparently I got screwed...
The way I see it, you might as well fix it. There aren't a ton of these cars left. It's always a labor of love. I pulled my old 1990 out of the grave, and probably dumped triple what it was worth into it. But I loved it every step of the way and learned allot.
The reason we love GM, is parts are cheap. Remember pretty much any 82-92 long block (350 or 305 depending on what you have) will work with your intake and heads. Contact your local scrap yard and look on CL. You can get a good motor for roughly $500. One time I got a TPI 350 for $75. A motor swap is not the end of the world. Rent a engine lift buy some beers and get it done.
On the power front, it just needs some love. If you haven't already, buy the Chilton and Haynes and take the time to set up the vacuum correctly.
Good Luck!
*sorry forgot it had an LT1, you will need a newer long bock unless you plan on reverting to TPI/TPI
The reason we love GM, is parts are cheap. Remember pretty much any 82-92 long block (350 or 305 depending on what you have) will work with your intake and heads. Contact your local scrap yard and look on CL. You can get a good motor for roughly $500. One time I got a TPI 350 for $75. A motor swap is not the end of the world. Rent a engine lift buy some beers and get it done.
On the power front, it just needs some love. If you haven't already, buy the Chilton and Haynes and take the time to set up the vacuum correctly.
Good Luck!
*sorry forgot it had an LT1, you will need a newer long bock unless you plan on reverting to TPI/TPI
08-15-2014, 09:28 AM
#154
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Car: 88 Chimera
Engine: 1994 LO5 5.7L
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 2.73...?
Re: Apparently I got screwed...
*sorry forgot it had an LT1, you will need a newer long bock unless you plan on reverting to TPI/TPI
Its actually a 1994 C/K Truck 350 engine with nasty swirlport heads.
The block probably just needs to be reconditioned (honed, new piston rings etc) and a fresh coat of paint!
06-19-2015, 10:06 AM
#155
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Car: 88 Chimera
Engine: 1994 LO5 5.7L
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 2.73...?
Re: Apparently I got screwed...
Year later update!
Winter came and the car was sitting outside tarped up to keep thr rain from leaking in through the TTops (yeah, I have THAT problem too)
Floor pans were rusty but I was able to pull out the carpet and weld in some patches. Just have some cleaning up to do.
The drivers side rear brake cylinder bit the dust and spewed brake fluid everywhere, so getting it stopping again is my next task.
Everything survived the winter though, jumped it with the Cobalt and roared to life!
Still working on getting it tagged and insured. Might go with Antique tags since it lets me bypass the VA state safety inspection, and theres a 1/2" hole in my cat that will surely fail me!
2 tires are completely shot but my FIL apparently has a shed thats full of tires for some reason... and we found 2 that fit so going to get those mounted and balanced this weekend.
Who knows, maybe I'll go for a drive around the neighborhood this weekend!
Winter came and the car was sitting outside tarped up to keep thr rain from leaking in through the TTops (yeah, I have THAT problem too)
Floor pans were rusty but I was able to pull out the carpet and weld in some patches. Just have some cleaning up to do.
The drivers side rear brake cylinder bit the dust and spewed brake fluid everywhere, so getting it stopping again is my next task.
Everything survived the winter though, jumped it with the Cobalt and roared to life!
Still working on getting it tagged and insured. Might go with Antique tags since it lets me bypass the VA state safety inspection, and theres a 1/2" hole in my cat that will surely fail me!
2 tires are completely shot but my FIL apparently has a shed thats full of tires for some reason... and we found 2 that fit so going to get those mounted and balanced this weekend.
Who knows, maybe I'll go for a drive around the neighborhood this weekend!
06-19-2015, 02:33 PM
#156
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Car: 1989 Chevy Camaro IROC Z28
Engine: L98
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: Stock
Re: Apparently I got screwed...
That's Awesome Man!
Glad to hear your fighting the good fight. There really is nothing like the sound of the v8 kicking on after a while non-op. Really cool to hear you kept working on it; I would love to see a picture album if you could post one to imgur. Does she finally have some power? I recall you saying it was a bit down on ponies last time you posted. Even still, these things will get asswards in the rain.
Thanks for the update!
Glad to hear your fighting the good fight. There really is nothing like the sound of the v8 kicking on after a while non-op. Really cool to hear you kept working on it; I would love to see a picture album if you could post one to imgur. Does she finally have some power? I recall you saying it was a bit down on ponies last time you posted. Even still, these things will get asswards in the rain.
Thanks for the update!
06-19-2015, 02:38 PM
#157
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Car: 88 Chimera
Engine: 1994 LO5 5.7L
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 2.73...?
Re: Apparently I got screwed...
I have 90% of the tuning equipment, just need to get some EEPROMs, and finally I'll be able to tell the computer the 305 is gone, and a 350 took its place a while ago!
Still not tagged or insured, but hopefully that will change later this summer so I can start tuning it.
Paintwise- its still Josephs dreamcoat... I was looking into rattle-canning it for now to make it all one color as I get the metallly-bit up to snuff.
Flat black/gray always looked nice
Still not tagged or insured, but hopefully that will change later this summer so I can start tuning it.
Paintwise- its still Josephs dreamcoat... I was looking into rattle-canning it for now to make it all one color as I get the metallly-bit up to snuff.
Flat black/gray always looked nice
06-19-2015, 04:58 PM
#158
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Car: 92 Formula WS6, T-top
Engine: 5.7L T.P.I.
Transmission: 700r4
Axle/Gears: Limited slip, 3.23 10 bolt
Re: Apparently I got screwed...
I was wondering last week what ever happened to the "apparently I got screwed" guy.
06-20-2015, 04:08 PM
#160
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Car: '89 Iroc-Z
Engine: 5.7 TPI
Transmission: 700 R4
Axle/Gears: 2.77
Re: Apparently I got screwed...
Keep at it and don't give up. When everything is said and done, there will not be anything on this car that you cannot fix!
06-20-2015, 06:42 PM
#161
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Car: 88 Chimera
Engine: 1994 LO5 5.7L
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 2.73...?
Re: Apparently I got screwed...
Brakes all fixed.
Exploded cylinder replaced... new pads all bled.
And apparently a tornado warning is going to destroy it all.
And hes 4 on the floor again!
Exploded cylinder replaced... new pads all bled.
And apparently a tornado warning is going to destroy it all.
And hes 4 on the floor again!
Last edited by tyeo098; 06-20-2015 at 06:49 PM.
06-20-2015, 08:08 PM
#162
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Car: 92 Formula WS6, T-top
Engine: 5.7L T.P.I.
Transmission: 700r4
Axle/Gears: Limited slip, 3.23 10 bolt
Re: Apparently I got screwed...
Great work, this looks like it will be an awesome car when done, and you'll know you did it yourself. Nothing like it, you can't buy satisfaction like that at the car lot!
06-20-2015, 11:42 PM
#163
06-21-2015, 02:54 PM
#164
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Car: 88 Chimera
Engine: 1994 LO5 5.7L
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Axle/Gears: 2.73...?
Re: Apparently I got screwed...
I'm still at it!
Much to the dismay of the car apparently.
Now its running like doodoo
Going to see if some new cables plugs cap and rotor will get it firing right:
June 2015 firebird: https://youtu.be/HCWCJyx_38o
Much to the dismay of the car apparently.
Now its running like doodoo
Going to see if some new cables plugs cap and rotor will get it firing right:
June 2015 firebird: https://youtu.be/HCWCJyx_38o
06-21-2015, 05:15 PM
#165
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Car: 92 Formula WS6, T-top
Engine: 5.7L T.P.I.
Transmission: 700r4
Axle/Gears: Limited slip, 3.23 10 bolt
Re: Apparently I got screwed...
Feel your pain bro. I'm single with no kids and I still have to limit my purchases to one or so per month. Sucks not having enough money, that's really the only thing holding me back.
06-27-2015, 10:25 PM
#166
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Re: '88 Formula Chronicles
What fin decoder site gave you all that info?
I just picked up an 89 RS z28 and would be interested in getting this info for mine.
Thanks!
I just picked up an 89 RS z28 and would be interested in getting this info for mine.
Thanks!
Ok so, my father and I were on our way to NY when he started telling me a story of his his friend in high school bought a nice Thunderbird off an old lady who had it squared away in her barn for a few years...
Needless to say I started perusing the local craigslist, and by the time we had reached our destination in NY, we had settled on buying a 1988 Firebird formula... particularly the one shown below!
PO gave us some newish kinda tired which he took off and put on with the help of his big truck and a tire iron. That was interesting.
He also noted that this was not the original engine, but an LT1 from a '92 Camaro. Small block 350. Neat.
Now apparently the PO was trying to pull a fast one one me... and topped it up with oil and charged the battery, becuase I was able to drive it home, but by the time I had gotten back (about an hour) you could see exactly where I had been by following the oil smoke cloud. Dipstick as well showed I was kinda low on the slippery stuff. Stop by walmart, buy more and more oil (and more oil) and provisions to change the oil at our house.
That oil filter is a PITA to get off. (According to my father :P ) but we were able to change the oil and add some stop-smoke to it.
Total work done:
Oil/filter change
Breather filter change (was dirty)
Vaccummed
Fluid top off
After all this was done we decidied to take the T tops off and go for a cruise. Stopping here and there at the small town's general store, generally showing off.
The engine feels like it has an anchor tied to it. I drive a S/C 4cyl Cobalt, so I was kind of expecting... more... from a V8.
Stop at the dollar general in town to get some food, get back in the car to start it up, and it starts... then dies. Starts.... then dies. Battery is exteremely low. Keep in mind we were starting and stopping it all day, as well as playing with the lights (driver side light motor gone dead) but we were able to get a jump.
As soon as we took the donor battery off the engine started to have trouble... then died. We called our lovely neighbor who dropped a fresh battery off for us to use to power the car back to the house.
Alternator is deadsies.
All in all, for 800$ I was glad it rolled. Everything else should be fixable.
Notable problems I have noticed now, engine related:
Smoke from tailpipe under load. Light smoke when idle, but give it some gas for the Jamed Bond effect
Smoke coming from breather
PCV was dirty/oily and replaced, along with breather filter
Dead alternator
When adding oil to the car doing the oil change, I noted that under the valve cover was an awful sludgy mess. We ran some motor-medic de-sludger when we changed the oil, but it seemed to persist post-change.
In doing some research, this may be what is causing my smoke problem, clogged oil drain ports. But I wondered, if the port is clogged... and that is where I added the oil... how is the oil getting to the rest of the engine? I sure didnt have 6qt of oil sitting in the driver valve cover... it was going somewhere?
With regards to the power, I'm thinking that some cyl's arent firing right. Maybe the timing is off or it ate enough oil to prevent the plug from sparking...
PO gave me a sob story how his father had used the car a lot, then the original motor went bad, and he rebuilt it. Took it for a 5 mile drive then went blind in 1 eye, couldnt drive it anymore, got depressed and wanted to sell it.
So supposedly it was recently rebuilt... I'm guessing not very well. Its been sitting for a while though.
Heres a video of the engine running while we were troubleshooting, the air filter was removed.
Firebird Engine - YouTube
Please ignore my ramblings...
The odometer says 140xxx, but I'm assuming that is for the original motor, and not whatever this one has on it.
PO said this was recently rebuilt: " has the 91 lt1 350 engine rebuilt new ring bearings racing cam runs and drives great no rust needs to be painted has a couple small dings"
But I'm slowly finding out that that is a giant pile of lies.
The interior isnt TOO bad, the upholstry on the seats are toast, but I was planning to ditch the rear seat anyways and drop some cool bucket seats in the front. Water gaskets all around the car are dryrotted, and it seriously needs a coat of paint!
I was thinking when I saw a thread here... if PO thought it was an LT1, and used LT1 rings in the build of a gen1 sbc... arent those rings smaller? Wouldnt that cause oil to slip by them?
Some info from a Vin Decoder site:
And here is an MMS I sent to my gf showing a little more...
Firebird interior - YouTube
I'll to wait until July 4 to take more
How did y'all determine it was a 350? I never got that much... Gen 1 SBC was all I got, and a bunch of other words lol.
Here is another video I found on my phone. Shows it smoking like a chainsmoker...
Firebird smoke - YouTube
EDIT: And I guess I found out why the engine was replaced?
People on LS1tech can be meeeeean! (To the car at least)
They all figured out the engine was the 'wimpy' L03 and informed me to just crush the car to put it out of its misery....
Well thats no fun.
My dad isnt convinced its a 305 with 'that huge intake on it' but... I guess it is.
Is there anyway after repairing the engine, if its worth it to, to squeeze a few more ponies out of it?
Needless to say I started perusing the local craigslist, and by the time we had reached our destination in NY, we had settled on buying a 1988 Firebird formula... particularly the one shown below!
PO gave us some newish kinda tired which he took off and put on with the help of his big truck and a tire iron. That was interesting.
He also noted that this was not the original engine, but an LT1 from a '92 Camaro. Small block 350. Neat.
Now apparently the PO was trying to pull a fast one one me... and topped it up with oil and charged the battery, becuase I was able to drive it home, but by the time I had gotten back (about an hour) you could see exactly where I had been by following the oil smoke cloud. Dipstick as well showed I was kinda low on the slippery stuff. Stop by walmart, buy more and more oil (and more oil) and provisions to change the oil at our house.
That oil filter is a PITA to get off. (According to my father :P ) but we were able to change the oil and add some stop-smoke to it.
Total work done:
Oil/filter change
Breather filter change (was dirty)
Vaccummed
Fluid top off
After all this was done we decidied to take the T tops off and go for a cruise. Stopping here and there at the small town's general store, generally showing off.
The engine feels like it has an anchor tied to it. I drive a S/C 4cyl Cobalt, so I was kind of expecting... more... from a V8.
Stop at the dollar general in town to get some food, get back in the car to start it up, and it starts... then dies. Starts.... then dies. Battery is exteremely low. Keep in mind we were starting and stopping it all day, as well as playing with the lights (driver side light motor gone dead) but we were able to get a jump.
As soon as we took the donor battery off the engine started to have trouble... then died. We called our lovely neighbor who dropped a fresh battery off for us to use to power the car back to the house.
Alternator is deadsies.
All in all, for 800$ I was glad it rolled. Everything else should be fixable.
Notable problems I have noticed now, engine related:
Smoke from tailpipe under load. Light smoke when idle, but give it some gas for the Jamed Bond effect
Smoke coming from breather
PCV was dirty/oily and replaced, along with breather filter
Dead alternator
When adding oil to the car doing the oil change, I noted that under the valve cover was an awful sludgy mess. We ran some motor-medic de-sludger when we changed the oil, but it seemed to persist post-change.
In doing some research, this may be what is causing my smoke problem, clogged oil drain ports. But I wondered, if the port is clogged... and that is where I added the oil... how is the oil getting to the rest of the engine? I sure didnt have 6qt of oil sitting in the driver valve cover... it was going somewhere?
With regards to the power, I'm thinking that some cyl's arent firing right. Maybe the timing is off or it ate enough oil to prevent the plug from sparking...
PO gave me a sob story how his father had used the car a lot, then the original motor went bad, and he rebuilt it. Took it for a 5 mile drive then went blind in 1 eye, couldnt drive it anymore, got depressed and wanted to sell it.
So supposedly it was recently rebuilt... I'm guessing not very well. Its been sitting for a while though.
Heres a video of the engine running while we were troubleshooting, the air filter was removed.
Firebird Engine - YouTube
Please ignore my ramblings...
The odometer says 140xxx, but I'm assuming that is for the original motor, and not whatever this one has on it.
PO said this was recently rebuilt: " has the 91 lt1 350 engine rebuilt new ring bearings racing cam runs and drives great no rust needs to be painted has a couple small dings"
But I'm slowly finding out that that is a giant pile of lies.
The interior isnt TOO bad, the upholstry on the seats are toast, but I was planning to ditch the rear seat anyways and drop some cool bucket seats in the front. Water gaskets all around the car are dryrotted, and it seriously needs a coat of paint!
I was thinking when I saw a thread here... if PO thought it was an LT1, and used LT1 rings in the build of a gen1 sbc... arent those rings smaller? Wouldnt that cause oil to slip by them?
Some info from a Vin Decoder site:
And here is an MMS I sent to my gf showing a little more...
Firebird interior - YouTube
I'll to wait until July 4 to take more
How did y'all determine it was a 350? I never got that much... Gen 1 SBC was all I got, and a bunch of other words lol.
Here is another video I found on my phone. Shows it smoking like a chainsmoker...
Firebird smoke - YouTube
EDIT: And I guess I found out why the engine was replaced?
People on LS1tech can be meeeeean! (To the car at least)
They all figured out the engine was the 'wimpy' L03 and informed me to just crush the car to put it out of its misery....
Well thats no fun.
My dad isnt convinced its a 305 with 'that huge intake on it' but... I guess it is.
Is there anyway after repairing the engine, if its worth it to, to squeeze a few more ponies out of it?
06-27-2015, 11:11 PM
#167
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Car: 92 Formula WS6, T-top
Engine: 5.7L T.P.I.
Transmission: 700r4
Axle/Gears: Limited slip, 3.23 10 bolt
Re: Apparently I got screwed...
Here's one. You might check 2-3 though, they aren't always 100% accurate. For example, this one says "S" is base Firebird, and "W" is TA/ Formula. But mine is a Fomula that has the S. Other vin decoders reveal S as Formula.
http://www.transamworld.com/3genvins.php
http://www.transamworld.com/3genvins.php
Last edited by TheExaminer; 06-27-2015 at 11:18 PM.
06-27-2015, 11:15 PM
#168
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Car: 92 Formula WS6, T-top
Engine: 5.7L T.P.I.
Transmission: 700r4
Axle/Gears: Limited slip, 3.23 10 bolt
Re: Apparently I got screwed...
And heres an RPO decoder, will at least tell you what came on the car originally if you can find the sticker. Should be on your door, console lid, or rear glove box lid.
http://www.marshu.com/images-website...-car-codes.pdf
http://www.marshu.com/images-website...-car-codes.pdf
06-30-2015, 09:41 AM
#169
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Car: 88 Chimera
Engine: 1994 LO5 5.7L
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 2.73...?
Re: Apparently I got screwed...
Well summer came in full blast and the girlfriend had to have ceiling fans installed, and a family member is an electrician who gave us a GREAT deal on installing them (seeing as we had no fixtures for them).
But alas, even when splitting the cost with her I'm all out of dollers to rework the ignition system on the bird.
But alas, even when splitting the cost with her I'm all out of dollers to rework the ignition system on the bird.
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