For all those computer techs out there who are "havening" read the chronicles of george, I am sure you get the title, for those who "havent not" it is a funny page about a help desk tech that works for a company in houstan...bottom line is it's funny!
Well I just got the 3.8 Turbo hauled it down in my trans am, and lifted the d*mned thing w/ my bare hands! I decided not to work on it much today (lifting it tired me out) but I did inspect it a little. This is where the subject comes in.
1. Should the cylinders look polished, very few verticle scores, or does this indicate a recent rebuild.
2. Do these engines normally have a gap-less piston ring?
3. Should the top piston ring be able to almost fall off?
4. Should the cylinder walls have a different diameter for the bottom inch or so, and the top 1/4 inch or so?
5. How can I tell cam duraton/lift
I have never pulled apart an engine before and I want to make sure everything is ok, and see how much work I will have to do to make this a monster of an engine
Thanks
Corry Lazarowitz


------------------
Corry Lazarowitz
clazarow@voicenet.com
clazarowitz@hotmail.com
1987 Pontiac Trans AM (GTA?) 350 or is it a 305?! TPI
SLP 1 3/4" headers, 3" cat back (stock cat
MSD ignition.
MSD Blaster SS coil.
3.73 Rear end gears
Accell 8.8 Wires
Bosh +4 Spark Plugs (Don't know if they really help but hell!)
Holley AFPR
Race Built Automatic trans ('vette servo, shift kit, tightly packed clutches)--just needs titanium gears now!
Newly gutted cat (the car gutted it's own cat!)
Hypertech Chip (Just found out I had it! :eek
More soon when funds are avail...

 

1 they usually look polished but should have a cross hatch patten from the hone

2 no

3 yes unless it's stuck or lost tension

4 no but it often happens

5 you can measure lift with an indicator on the rocker or cam lobe and multiply by the rocker ratio. duration is harder to measure if not impossiable.

------------------
ICON Motorsports

1st & 3rd
MM Black Diamond 538 F&AM

 

ok, do I need to worry about the different diameter of the cylinder walls?
Should I re-hone the cylinder walls?

Oh yeah, I knew I was forgetting something, do these motors come stock w/ crank fire ignition (Distributerless w/ a magnetic induction system behing the crank pully?)

Thanks for the other answers


[This message has been edited by Corry (edited May 22, 2001).]

 

If the cylinders have large ridges at the top and bottom (Where the rings don't ride) and/or they are tapered or egg shaped, you must get the block bored oversize and use new pistons.


------------------
'88 Camaro RS 2.8L
'88 Formula 350 (Too many mods to list...)

 

Well, I'm getting my brother to send me my inside micrometer set from PA, I'll post how big the difference is when I find out...or maybe I'll just buy a new set...

 

Alright, FINIALLY got inside micrometers I measured and the difference between the worn area, and the unworn area is about .003-.006" Can I just hone this out and use stock pistons?

How does everyone here feel about using old pistons/rods?

Whats a good not messy method of cleaning a block? I am working on it in a self storage place, so I can't make too big of a mess! However, I want to clean/polish/shine the entine block, heads, and intake. Why? Well, as I said, this is going into a Fiero, and I am sure that when my brother builds this 400-500HP fiero, he'll want to take it to shows, so I want the car to stand a chance in winning places, and a shiney enging compartment never hurt Honestly, GGetting this thing running/powerful is top priority, but I'd like the car to shine on the track, and at the shows

 

what you want to measure is the out of round and taper from top to bottom. look in your manual for the number.

------------------
ICON Motorsports

1st & 3rd
MM Black Diamond 538 F&AM

 

Unfortunately, you're beyond the service limit for stock pistons at 0.003" oversize bore. Even a light hone will not clean up the bore at 0.005", so the most accepted method is to bore, ohne lightly to size, and install oversized pistons and rings. I've seen them running with a lot more taper and out-of-round than that, but as long as you've gone this far you might as well do it right.

------------------
Later,
Vader
------------------
"Let the bodies hit the floor!"
Adobe Acrobat Reader

 

Wow, I didn't realize it was that bad! I think before I go do anything rash I'll re-check the block, make sure I had the mics parallel to the top of the cylinders...A slight angle off and it would cause at least a .002 difference Wow, I thought the rings could soake up more than a .003 difference. Shows I got lots to learn from this project!
Thanks, I'll go measure again tomorrow

EDIT: Actually I haven't gone far at all My brother bought the motor off E-bay. He got me $$$ to rent a storage place down here, and engine stand, tools that I forgot to bring from home, and eventually the shop manual/rebuild kit. I drove from Denton to Hurst, and hauled the motor which was already in pieces, in my trans am hehe I was looking for the proper bolt size to bolt the block to the stand, and since we have no real hardware stores in the area (that I know of) I went to pep boys to get the grade 8 bolts. I told the guy I wasn't sure of the bolt size, but I had the block out in my...CAR. He looked at me funny and said, Car? Don't you mean truck? I said nope, it's in that '87 T/A out there It was good for a laugh from the manager at pep boys Still though, we want to pull ~400-500 HP from the motor...My brother lives up near Carlisle PA, any vette fans know this as the site for a large vette show, I believe the largest outdoor event of them all. Turns out a lot of those 3rd Gen 427 Vette owners can be really nasty/unfriendly/arrogant ******! So he just wants to calmly pull up w/ his 6 Cylinder Fiero, low RPM so miniumal turbo noise, and get them on the race track....and beat the **** out of 'em (That's not his only motivation, but it certainly helps!)


[This message has been edited by Corry (edited May 31, 2001).]

 

Yes, all 3.8L Turbo's hads DIS iginition (distributorless type).

------------------
1987 GTA L98 MD8 GH3
355 '97 Vortec 4-bolt block, TRW(suck) forged pistons 10:1 CR, TFS 23*, LT4 Hot Cam, Ported plenum and intake, SLP Siam Runners, Edelbrock TES, gutted Cat, Flowmaster, Home-made cold air system w/ K+N cone and AFPR, TB bypass, AirFoil, !AIR, !A/C, 2300 stall.

"Stop Lights timed for 35Mph are also timed for 140Mph"