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iTrader: (14)

well after my fuel pump crapped out again, and i cant drive the car without one, i figured this was a good time to start stripping the car down for my 408 and tko600 swap. got everything off the motor and trans am have it sitting on its mounts ready to come out.

so far everything is going pretty smooth, on hose fitting was jammed in the intake and i farged it all up getting it out and i found my exhaust leak. all 4 header bolts on the rear 2 cylinders had fallen out, at least it was easy to find .

going to strinp the whole bay, weld up unnessairy holes paint it all black swap in me 1le heater box, new fuel lines and brake lines, c5 front brakes will go on towards the end.

more of a brake issue, but related to my swap. is the 4th gen brakebooster and master cylinder a direct swap in reguardes to general tubing location and thread sizes?

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

You might try asking on the Brake forum.

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iTrader: (14)

oh i did, i just added it in here as well.

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iTrader: (14)

sweet! motor and trans came right out Sunday with just a little bit of persuasion
just took the motor mounts off the k-member today, and all i have to say is, wow. i cant believe that the general would assemble things like this. i mean, why not weld a nut inside the k-member instead of just using a bolt and a nut and making the only access through the a-arm pockets? what a ball buster that was. has anyone here ever gotten them off without taking off the a-arms? i thought it was impossible but i managed to get all the bolts out and didn't even lose any nuts down inside the k-member. i sure the hardest part will be putting them back in . Just ordered my tko600 from forte's and i hope to have it real soon, cant wait.

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iTrader: (14)

well i have some progress pics, and a few small mods i did along the way.
a bit long sorry

got most of the paint off, lot of sanding and chemical strippers, but it seemed to be very resiliant and im going to have to crack out the sand blaster to finish it up


my battery tray was wasted, could stick my hands through it, and the rest was paper thin, took it out and put in a tray from summit, it actually fit really well and is has j-bolt hold downs, which is nice, except i forgot to put the one on the fender side in before i welded it up and now i have to loosen the fender to get it in all the way. didnt feel like putting it in the rear so this works for me



next, i bought a "direct fit" aluminum radiator from jegs a while ago and needless to say it is not a direct fit and left a lot to be desired as far as fitment, it was taller and thicker so i lowered the lower radiator support so i can tuck the radiator nicely under the upper radiator support. im going to a pusher fan to clean things up a bit so it and the power steering and oil coolers are all going to be hidden in the nose area and not visible from the top.


time passes...

finished up filling most of the xtra holes in the frame rails and here and there and got some paint going, looks pretty good for a rattle-can job

the paint was not totally dry yet and its drying a little weird but some hours later it looked almost flawless, im not looking for a perfect 10 for show quality paint because the car is a driver and not a trailer queen so things are going to get dirty again, but its a thousand times better them what was there before.

maybe it will dry up and i can start putting things back on until the motor and trans show up

1989formula355

iTrader: (2)

looks pretty mint, keep up the good work.

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iTrader: (14)

well got brake and fuel lines in and the tko arrived, put the pedals and booster back in, a/c delete box, wiper motor, fan, and little stuff, still waiting on the motor, and i cant finish the wiring till it arrives, can put the nose back on, cant figure out the oil and power steering coolers, damn i hate this, i cant do anything till it shows up... its looking good for this week
***fingers and toes crossed***

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iTrader: (14)

well, finally an update. after waiting much too long for the engine to arrive, i finally got it home today, unpacked the crate and got to drool over my new baby. IT came out very nice, and with the silver paint, maybe i can pass it off as an aluminum block .
408 stroker, puts out 520 ft/lbs of torque and 501 horsepower. Showed up built, broken-in, dynoed and fully assembled, except for the carb, its in a separate box. It came with a bunch of stickers, and a dvd of the engine on its dyno runs, ill try to get it up once i get to look at it.






and i wouldn't be my luck not to have a snag.

its going to be a great weekend to get it back in the car and finally get to do some work on the car, its been sitting for almost a month, and i cant really finish anything till the motor is in, so i grab my flywheel that been sitting pretty for a couple months by now, go to put it on and "clink". PITA, the flywheel is for a 1pc rear main, but the motor has a 2 pc crank with a rear main adapter, i guess i should has asked, and not assumed what it would have. Well that just make my day, and i think i invented a couple new words after finding my little issue, the whole town probably heard me.

so this blows another week, till a new flywheel arrives. got a little to do, just little bolt on bits and getting the engine in the shop, but i was really hoping to have the engine/trans in today. bummer .

so needless to say i have a very good, lightweight billet steel flywheel 153tooth for a 1pc rear main for sale in the classified section if someone wants one.

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iTrader: (14)

what a fun project this is becoming. its funny, i originally figured that i would have the car back on the road early August, and here we are , early August, and the motor isn't even in yet, but ohhh so close.
Finally received the correct flywheel for the 2 pc rear main only to find out that i managed to get the 1 out of a million flywheels that was drilled wrong from the factory. . another week down the drain.

So after finding out that more of the parts i have are not right, the extra parts pile is getting larger, I finally finished up with the clutch and trans today, its finally all bolted together ready to go in, but of course another snag. the Lakewood bellhousing comes with all its hardware, all grade 8 EXCEPT the little washers for the bellhousing to block, they are like cheap aluminum or something. I can even torque the bolts properly because the cheap washers squished out from behind any bolt i bring past 40 foot pounds. Its late, Home Depot has no hardend washers and the supply house that does, closed at 5. Going to have to wait till tomorrow night to drop the thing in, cant believe that im being held up by 6 lousy washers .

Im off next week, so if the motor goes in with no more large snags, i hope to have it running by the end of next week, finally!

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iTrader: (14)

well, it was a very tight fit, but it went in with no real snags.
Got the accessories on and ready to go, most of the plumbing is done, the trans and crossmember are in, and the wiring is almost done. Its finally looking like a car again, i was getting sick of seeing a huge hole where the engine should be. Got some new pics, and since i can never hold the camera still, they are a little fuzzy, i will try to get some better ones tomorrow.







i pic of the remote reservoir power steering pump, its kinda neat, cleans up the motor a bit and gets rid of the wraparound bracket and head bolt.



ohh its getting close,
need to finish the wiring, mount the coil, finish the brakes, plumbing the oil cooler and power steering, wire the trans and its ready to start

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iTrader: (14)

finally, its alive! After getting some fuel gremlins figured out I finally got it started tonight. The lack of a choke on the carb made it a little interesting getting it to start and stay running, but got all that figured out and idling away. I do have to say its MUCH louder than the old 355, and has a nice exhaust note despite the flowmaster. I have to figure out the fan switch and get that working, and put the front of the car back on before i can try to drive it. I'll have to play with my camera and see if i can get a vid up.
Finally all the hard work is starting to pay off

1989GTATransAm

iTrader: (3)

Looking good. It should be one fast car.

nickazz4

That looks awesome. Keep up the good work
Nick

Street Lethal

iTrader: (16)

Hey man, that's coming out freaking nice! What county/township are you in bro, as I'd like to see her in person when your finally done with it....

-Rob

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iTrader: (14)

hey thanks for the kind words guys

I live in Hunterdon County, just outside of Flemington.

Street Lethal,
Its getting there, hope to be finished up this weekend and take it out for its first spin and see if the rear blows.
Gotta wash the thing too, its totally FILTHY i swear the car is red but most of it looks tan.

Street Lethal

iTrader: (16)

^ Good deal! Don't want to rush you any, but, GET HER FINISHED UP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE LOL! Seriously though, I'd like to see that beast make some passes over at E-Town or Atco one evening, while the weather is still beautiful out. She's coming along beautifully bro....!!!

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iTrader: (14)

im trying, just a ton of little loose ends to finish, and figure out a cooling fan issue, but i should have no trouble getting the clutch/trans and everything broken in shortly. I just have to deal with the stock rear for the moment , i was planning a 9" for a winter project, ive never had the car at the track, but i will probably end up heading over and seeing what it will do.

Street Lethal

iTrader: (16)

^ I know, the electric fan system in these car's can drive you absolutely insane! After replacing the fan relay, switch, coolant temp sensor, checking the ALDL, checking the ECM, checking the fan itself, the damn fan still wouldn't kick on in my '91 Formula (temp would reach 230+ degrees). Do what I did, temporarily pull the thermostat and the temp should max at a constant 180-190 degree's during idle (provided there is no air trapped in the system), just until you get the problem figured out....

PM me when you decide to hit the track....!

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iTrader: (14)

i have to play with it tonight, i think the thermostat is stuck and the fan switch may be bad, or not in water cause i had to relocate it to the intake manifold, back by the dizzy. Got a little parts painting to do tonight as well, and get things all looking spiffy, and maybe i can get the cooling fixed and take the car out this weekend and scare the neighbors

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iTrader: (14)

well got the cooling fixed, turns out the fan switch went south. Picked up a hypertech low temp switch and the effect if great! The car can sit and idle for ever and the temp will not get over 180ish, drive down the street, through town, cruising about, stop and go traffic, and the temp stays right there, its WONDERFUL!

And i finally got to take the car out today! Still have some little things to fix/take care of, but got to go for a 30min ride or so and what a blast! Its like driving a new car, Im so happy i finally convinced myself to go ahead with the 5 speed! I can't beat on the car till the trans and clutch are properly broken in, about 500 miles or so, but the torque this motor puts out is stunning. Even at lower RPM's in 4th, the motor pulls like there is no tomorrow and i haven't even gotten up into the power band yet, max torque at 5700 rpm and over 500 lb/ft from just off idle all the way up. Of this is great I cant get enough of this. Totally worth all the headaches past and present!

Street Lethal

iTrader: (16)

^ Next stop, GSP South exit 123. Route 9 to Route 516, make right, Route 516 turns into Englishtown Rd., take a few miles til you hit Raceway Park. There, you will find a Blue '91 Formula waiting for you to take you on....

Just kidding. Congratulations man, as other than ***, there is no greater feeling! Be sure to post up some cool roll races over in the Street Racing forum, and bring that beast down to the track as soon as you get her dialed in....!