I ordered replacement manifold bolts today, will p/u fromdealer on friday (payday) about $48, but will be well worth it. Will also be going back the the salvage yard & get the rest of the taillights from that 85 sitting there. They look like factory black ots, where my current ones are all nice & shiny red. Will also snag a winsheild washer nozzle. one of mine broke, just because I'm getting close . Have figuered out a good cai set up beside the purge cannister, but not needing to relocate it. The filter will not be exposed to the engine compartment. Also need to start looking for a good place to mount the msd & buy the wire harness.


side bar: 10 bolts/studs for this car cost about $50, I ordered a
factory STB for the Grand Prix, total for that + hardware?........$16 WTF?

 

It's funny how every so often the factory parts are dirt cheap. When my power steering pump bracket broke, I called a local chevy dismantler, $90. I went to Pick N Pull, and but the bolts had siezed on the two serpentine belt f-bodies they had. In desperation I called the dealer. The guy says, yeah I can order it for you, it'll be like $12.

 

Sometimes they're cheap, sometimes they're not... I dropped my speedometer gear housing from my 83 a while back. Thing hit the ground and shattered. I went to the dealer expecting to pay more than I wanted to. But I still almost fainted when they told me the price --- 55 DOLLARS!!!! I was shocked. Of course the new one is made of Aluminum to avoid the unfortunate drop and shatter situation

 

got the base manifold on. put another coat of aluminum & cclear coat on before installing.
Am going to have to re-usse the 3.4 valve covers, clearance probs w.the metal lift bracket on the drivers side. Will be painting them like the 2.8's covers. Allready did gasket matching for all intakes & throttle body . Shiuld have more done tomarrow :lala:

 

got the base & middle manifolds, fuel rail & injectors, & distributor on. Had to use the driver side 3.4 valve cover & 2.8 pass valve cover.

I put two-three more coats of blue on the manifolds & then shot it w/the clear coat. Now it's all glossy looking & looks even better than before .

Gonna have to start hooking up some wires before doing the upper manifold & see how the coil bracket will go on when the wire looms are out of the way. pics soon

 

Way cool!!!
Yesterday I scored
Fiero Valve covers
Perfect Flat Hood-Firebird
Very very very very good front nose assembly-1985 style
Gas cap assembly
$60

Today I go back for the rest of the 1985 tail light assembly I hid, also. Had to make sure I buy the side I need!

Couldn't find the perfect passenger fender to replace the one my WIFE "adjusted!". And she still tells me it's my fault! How I do not know, as she parked in that spot evening prior & I parked away from her parking job.

I'll send ya pics of my painted 3.4 for the 1985 Chevy Blazer.
Chevy Orange block, aluminum intake & water pump/timing cover, Gloss Black Valve covers, yellow Accel Wires.
Why not paint your engine a different color?
Black blocks are to common.
I wish I had the time to paint the Firebird 3.4 Pontiac Blue when I did my swap.

 

New pics of the project on the homestretch!!!

Front of the intake

you can see where I put some of the permatex liquid mettal & filled in the useless void on the right side of the pic, & reduced/smoothed the opening for the IAC valve.


Base manifold

this manifold is there to stay! you can see the $50 hardware & slick paint job. The car now has the distributor, middle manifold & fuelrail w/injectors on.


Top of Intake

This is after I put about two more coats of blue & two coats of clear. Glossy, aint it


2.8 vs 3.4 valve cover

this pic shows the slight difference between the two different covers. On the 2.8 (silver), where the bottom hold down studs go, it goes straight across between the two. On the 3.4 (black, but painted silver now), it just has the stud holes, but then goes back in towards the cover between. I had to use the 3.4 cover because of the clearance needed for the engine lift point bracket. It also lets me usse the improved oil cap assembly

 

That's Pontiac Blue right?

 

no, just the 500* blue. I'm going to paint the TB poncho blue, though. For the ridges on the upper intake, I'm going to outline in black, & paint the circle black that the bird is going in.

 

got about 80% of the engine harness arranged & connected.
**Bonus** the O2 connectors from the 3.4 motor conect right up to the 2.8 harness

Am going to have to rethink the cai routing, the upper radiator hose & tranny coolant line are sorta in the way, just need a work around. Also need to find the ignition module, might be in the shed somewhere.

on the downside, I forgot about the coil/egr solinoid bracket, looks like sh*t, but I'll paint it later.

 

OK, have pretty much everything on the engine but the throttle body, will be painting it Pontiac Blue . I put a batt in, and musst have one something right, for the radio works , all ezterior lights, & interior dome. Dash lights aren't coming on though , neither are gauges. will have to consult the books on this one. accidentally put the key in the on posiion before I ha the metal fuel lines hooked up. fuel pump works . Still need to rout the heater hose to the intake, vaccum lines from the egr & the back of the upper manifold (the T-fitting).

Q: Haven't looked @ any pics yet, but where does the vaccum fitting in the back of the lower manifold go to?

Q: Where do the vaccum hookups on the T-fitting go to?

it looks like the power brake booster goes to the big fitting on the T-fitting, & the smaller one goes back by the egr/coil bracket.

 

If all the original hose asemblies are intact (just as was removed) they all fall back into place.
Clues-
Chiltons Time magazine sized Shop manuals vacuum drawings are great.
Go to dealer & get a print out of the EGR hose set up.
Give the guy a brew for his help.
That back by distb. 1/2" hose is mucho important.
MAKE SURE you have that hose securely on that fitting.
I used lots of motor oil to lube that hose.
Remember, have lots of 5/16" windshield wiper hose handy.
Those original plastic lines break. ALOT!

I spent one whole day attaching these vacuum lines.

 

1/2 hose huh?!! after hours of muckin' around, I attached the tb, searched the haynes & service manual for pics & nuthin . Finally, after listening to the bungles loose on sunday night radio, I finally looked at the sticker on the hood for routing. looked some moore at it. Loked some more after that. The junction @ tha back had a lot of hoses going to it. (Last night before going to sleep I was thinking about Karls most recent repl & it dawned on me--What about the pcv?) I gound this peice of hoes w/like 3 or so hose branching off, held it up to the sticker & it finaly sunk in ****This was the missing piece*****. Goes to back of manifold, goes to pcv, goes to tb, & goes to purge cannister w/that one other small hard plastic line. :lala: :lala: :lala:

now I jussst have to unbolt the upper manifold & hook up vaccum lines. & remember for those doing a 3.4 engine swap, you get plenty of extra hard p[lastic line w/it

 

You got it right, Red Rider!
Stick to the most simple answer.
That's why I suggest swap all the old stuff onto the newer block. Then it all fits right!
This logic works well in the swap.
After you start the ride, you'll be fine tuning everything.

Right now I am having trouble with my EGR assembly.
I think it's a weak vacuum signal to the EGR valve.
BUT it's gonna be 100*+ AGAIN!
That limits my problem viewing time.

My EGR "T" fitting broke & I replaced it with an aftermarket item "T" fitting.
It's "melted".
I've replaced my EGR valve with another & still have EGR problem sign.
Drat.
Oh well.

 

what kind of fittings do you need? have you used up all the extras from the 3.4?
I still have some extra if needed.


side: the engine is 90% done, and yes, I also used pontiac blue as soon as the site that hosts the pics is back up, I'l have pics to show

 

I think I have fixed my EGR on the Firebird.
I rerouted several hoses, replaced some, found another "T" hose fitting.
Closed the hood.
I think it's fixed.
After I removed my old worn, melted "T" fitting, I saw how tiny the vacuum holes were.
How could it ever work right?