Alright, first race event of this season is last weekend of the month. I wish to be in it

Heads dont sound like they will be done tell middle end of this week


A. Start pulling this engine this week, bolt new block back up, bolt power steering back up, hook heater lines back up, all but top half. Hope to have it back together and running right before first race.

OR

B. Race as is with the whipped 3.1 and possibly blow it? Race is on other side of town, I have no way to tow it myself.


BTW, can I remove engine w/o pulling radiator?

 

I choose A, unless you wish to put the GTP to the towing test

And yes, you can pull the engine w/out yanking the radiator. Either do it my "alternative" way, or have the cherry picker come in from teh side & raise & remove that way, helps to have a buddy check for clearances

 

What exactly are you racing? Street grudge race? Auto cross?

I doubt you'll blow the 3.1 if it's stil running. We have only 200 or so miles to go to roll 'er over 200 thousand on ours and I beat on it regularly.

Eric

 

I will be doing autocross. I dont dare streetrace cause I dont belive in it, and this car doesnt have enough power to get out its own way, let alone get infront another.

Yep, rolling around 200k (speedo broke and replaced, no clue on miles). I get scared pushing the engine to 4500 rpms

 

Why? What's wrong with the 3.1? Is it knocking? Timing chain about to burst? Burning oil like crazy? Spitting metal out of the intake? I say give it a go, one last race- then you'll have a "final 3.1 race time" to use when you put the new motor in, for comparison.

Might as well remove the radiator, you'll have disconnected it anyway. Of course the a/c condensor will still be there. You might want to put a piece of plywood between the radiator and/or condensor and the engine, so if something slips, you don't burst your radiator/condensor with the engine.

 

Afraid of 4500? When I mat ours and let the tranny shift itself the stock tach hits 6000! Sure it's got some unknown occasional knock, but it keeps on ticking!

Eric

 

*I don't know what autocross is but, Id run it one last time and gather some data.
As for pulling the motor: Take the hood off, lift the motor right out, you already have like a foot of clearance between your radiator. And leave the power steering pump in, take the AC compressor out (assuming you have access to an r-134 injection kit). You don't ned a license to buy the 134.

 

If you want a license for R12, just hop to http://www.epatest.com and have at it. Of course, you'll need an air compressor and vacuum pump to be able to evacuate the a/c system completely before you put new refrigerant in...

And you can, of course, just remove the whole A/C system as a one-piece unit (without opening any lines), and put it back when you're done. http://www.geocities.com/tomp_3rdgen for pictures. Look carefully at picture 8, and you'll see an empty evaporator box, and a missing condensor. Too bad I never thought of taking a picture of the a/c system by itself on the grass.

 

ok, 3.1 knocks and has major lack of power. Wont spin a tire. Timing chain is brand new! I dont think I've even changed oil since I put it in.

I have ac, but pump is bad and blows oil. dismount from engine, lay off to side. Already had 134a in it.
I knew power steering had to stay connected.

I have never done any racing, this will be a first for me and the car.

 

Dale are you going to be racing with the SCCA autocrossing guys in Little Rock?

 

Well you need about $60 and you can go racing.

Go start your AAA membership $30

Buy a quart of Duralub and put 20w50 in it.

Fill her up with some good gas and put that pedal to the floor and never let up. Blow it up or win the race. No other option will put a smile on your face.

I wont debate snake oil but Duralub works, seen it work, proved it work, it has save two engines that should of meltdown down into goo but suffered no damage.

Course that is just me. I would go if I was close enough. If NASCAR had an on ramp, Id merge into traffic. And I'd blow the cylinder out of it trying my best.

If you want to win, you gotta be willing to blow it.

Take $60 and put a smile on your face for weeks.

 

It would be neat to live near the salt flats. Id go and see if I could every rev out 4th all the way and then 5th.
I have a T5 Before the questions start. reving out 4th is in the 140mph range 5th is 200mph+ if you could rev each gear out to 5500.

 

With the standard 1:1 4th, and assuming a .73:1 5th, on a stock 3.42:1 rear with 245/50R16 rubber, that's 123mph and 168mph respectively. 123, probably no problem.. 168 would be a little tough though =P

References:
http://www.f-body.org/gears/
https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=162853

BTW, I vote on doing the swap first.

 

85/89, yes plan on SCCA'ing here in LR. Do you know someone thats already involved in it?

Gumby, thanks for offer for AAA, but I ABSOLUTELTY REFUSE to have/deal with AAA ever again!

autocross/scca, driving in circles in parking lots, or on a desginated curvy track.

 

I dunno man. Option A. I would get that motor down and put those new heads in with everything else you've got. If you're 3.1 won't spin the tires I'd say there is something really wrong! My 2.8 can break them all day but mine sounds really good. 164k and sounds decent all the way to 5500. Can't wait to get my 4.11 gears. Look at it this way too. If you pull the bad 3.1 out, you can rebuild it if need be. Blow it now and you could punch a wall or shoot a rod out the hood, either way you will have to trash the block.

As long as you can physically get the heads back, it only takes a max of 4 hours to put that motor back together.

 

Well if the 3.1 is that sickly than don't do it, wait for the transplant.

I want to try Solo II myself one day.

Eric

 

Problem with AAA is people expect to much but $30 for a tow is cheap.

Allstate has a similar program now too.

 

Gumby, it was other things I wont discuss on here. The tow program was the ONLY good thing about them.


Well, answer seemed to be A, and thats somewhat what I was leaning to myself. Heres as far as you can go w/o draining any fluids. 2.5 hours. Hood off, Smog off, alt off, intake off, vc off, distrib out, coil off, egr off.

Tommorow comes breaking exhuast bolts, and draining fluids

 

Check out, http://www.arscca.org/ Its the arkansas Scca website. You can get in contact with the race organisers. I dont know anyone who participates in the auto crossing in AR. If I lived up near LR I'd already be in some type of SCCA racing. I wish we had a road course up here though.

 

soon we'll have another member of the empty engine bay club

 

Dale! Is that an old Forney 180 amp arc welder I see in the background? I had one of those in high school! Paid $45- for it, had to replace some of the sockets- I seem to recall to change settings you plugged the leads into different plugs and a high and low.

Does it still work?

Eric

 

Are Forney welders any good???

I think their mig wire sucks. That cheap chicago electric harborfrieght stuff works good. its really bugged me as the wire was almost useless. I mailed them about it but was ignored. It just would not flow at any range, feed and was gloppy.

I thought I was doing good buy spending more and getting the brand name wire.

 

all I get is comments about the welder..

Yes its an old AC stick welder, converted to DC. It welded a battery tray in the camaro just a few weeks earlier. IMO it doesnt weld good but that could be for many reasons. Person using it, its old, its stick.

 

Dale- GREAT JOB ON THE CAR PROGRESS!

Oh, and you have a cool vintage arc welder as well. And it brought back memories of my mis spent teenage years. Sorry.
I recall it will weld as good as the person holding the stick could weld- those things have real copper windings, not like the aluminum windings found in cheap modern stick welders.

GUMBY- Forney is still in business? I thought they were gone years ago.

Eric

 

Thanks eric. Like I said, I dunno what its deal is, but it dont weld the greatest.

Tonight, motor mounts undone, ac off, ps off, manifolds off w/o breaking bolts, all coolent hoses dx'd, fuel rail out of way, starter off.

Basically all thats holding it in is its own weight, and transmission.

 

Renting a cherry picker or waiting on a friend to bring one over?

Eric

 

nawww, Just run it Jay. You don't need big power for autocross. See what the car can do first. You can get a feel for the gear range also- that will tell you where you need the power rpm range. Besides, I run with the bigboys with my little 2.8

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/518752/4

 

Well they still make wire. Not sure about welders. Maybe they sold the name off. Forney wire is the only brand you will find in almost every store, very pricey too.

over $50 for a 10lb spool of .35 flux

HB CE wire is $35 for a 10lb spool of .35 flux

 

Engine hoist, I have a "friend" that owes me some money. Already have "dibs" on using it, just have to call today and inform them of when. THIS WEEKEND . He also has a true transmission jack I am going to use to support that.

High halfpint, to late, engine is already ripped apart. So far making good time. Just want my damn heads back

Every part I have taken off this engine shows signs that the heads have atleast been rebuilt.