firebird904

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Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Umm, you guys realize there is NOTHING special about those pistons, right? Stock 3.1 pistons, according to 60DegreeV6.com, are 12cc dished (to keep the compression down with the stroke increase). The only thing about those pistons is that they're oversized. That's it. Unless they're hypereutetic or something, it's not worth jumping on.

project89

iTrader: (1)

king engine bearings are by far the best bearings u can buy, and they arent exspensive.

we use king bearings in everything from daily drivers to 5,000 hp top fuel engines

hell we even put king engine bearings in our slant 6 powered fork lift

http://www.kingbearings.com/

firebird904

I realize they aren't anything special but it is a decent price for a set of pistons shipped. I got the reground crank and bearings, timing chain and freeze plugs for 80 bucks.

firebird904

Next week the block goes to the machine shop, cam bearings were wiped and there was all kinds of gunk in the oil passages. Just having it hot tanked, honed, and having the cam bearings installed and I'll be doing the rest. I'm getting a DIS kit from bl85c with a 165 ECM. I'll be running iron heads...for now I'm going to start gathering parts for a 3100 hybrid later this summer but I'm still debating if I want to turbo it or not because I want to drive it daily so if I did turbo it I would keep it under 10psi. Later this summer I'm also going to get all the stuff I need to start tuning . I'm hoping to have the engine all good to go by the end of may and paint is gonna have to wait because I'm gonna need to register it so I can look for another job.

bobbyk3lly

nice build, if i were you i wouldnt be spending money on a v6 id put in atleast a 305 tpi into

firebird904

Well I want to stay v6 due to fuel economy and weight and the fact that you can get decent power N/A with a hybrid and crazy power numbers with a turbo with less weight than that of a v8. It would be a daily driver/ weekend cruise car and I like the 60* v6 engines. The exception being an ls1 or an lt1 which I will be looking for another third gen to swap one of those engines into someday.

bobbyk3lly

Yeah, but when those turbos go out its an arm and a leg, and you know as well as i do, also most of the time a left nut...

firebird904

Well as far as turbo goes I'm still undecided but if I were to go turbo It wouldn't be getting loads of boost and there are cars that came with them stock that seem to have many many trouble free miles. Except for some of those eclipse gst's I have a friend who's dropped over 2k into that pos and it hasn't left his yard under its own power in over 3 years. Either way my mind is made up with what I want to do if I really wanted a v8 car I would have kept my firebird. There's only a handfull of members on here that have done the hybrid swaps but all have had great results I'm not building a race car just a "fun" car.

AM91Camaro_RS

yet another v8 guy telling us we should put a v8 in our cars...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuzQW45kv0s
thats my v6

firebird904

WOW! that kept up with that z06 pretty well I'm very impressed. I don't know why most people think a v8 is the magic ticket to making a lot of power. I can't wait till I gather the stuff I need for the 3100 hybrid the only time I'll really drive it a little harder than usual is on weekends.

//<86TA>\\

iTrader: (14)

z06 driver cant drive apparently.

firebird904

Either way for a 14 second pass out of a n/a 3.1 is awesome.

AM91Camaro_RS

yeah, he wasn't the best driver (that run, atleast). But, I was surprised even...I figured I'd see tail lights from the time we left the line.

firebird904

The block is back from the machine shop now I got to order some piston rings, oil pump and the timing chain guide because one of the corners just just fell out of the cover when I removed it. Machine work set me back $150 for hot tank, cam bearings and honing which isn't too bad. I've been putting more thought into building a hybrid and me not having a garage to work in I think I'll probably hold it off till I move to a new place since I may be moving to Arizona next year. Hopefully I can get the DIS kit soon, gotta see how much the rest of the parts are gonna set me back first. I also got to fix my fiero but I got a buddy with an 89rs with a 350 that I can get for a REALLY good deal when he gets out of military school. Decisions decisions......

firebird904

Been super busy lately, Sunday I was working at a venue that had rev theory, puddle of mudd, seether, godsmack, stone sour, and a bunch of other bands playing and took all of last week to gather the things to set up at the show so last week I didn't get to work on the car. I got the block assembled, checked clearances and put the correct valve locks on my heads. Now I'm in the middle of cleaning all the stuff I'm reusing. It should be in the car and running by next week I'm going to start it with the stock ignition system for now then I'll add the DIS after I work out any bugs the car may have. Depending on how it drives after all this I might add some headers, roller tip rockers and a underdrive pulley just to get a little bit more out of the engine. Either way I'll eventually do a hybrid build when time and money permits but probably not on this car because I don't want to have it down any longer. It's been miserable not being able to drive my car. I'll post a vid when I get it in the car and fired up.

ahankins32984

You might wanna check and or replace the fuel pump!!

firebird904

Engine is all done I got alot more put on since I took this pic but here's what it looks like..


I got a lot more done since I took the pic and painted the valve covers but you get the idea. I also finally ordered the DIS kit Getting ready to pressure wash the engine bay, replace motor mounts, and front pump seal so hopefully I'll get the engine back in by Wednesday and I won't be able to work on it till Sunday afterwards.

firebird904

Well after 3 hours and I finally got the old motor mounts out and new ones in. Taking em out was a piece of cake putting em back was a real pain. Tomorrow I'll clean the engine bay and paint the cross member and the engine will go in Sunday since the motor mounts set me back quite a bit but at least I got em done.

evilemokid94

iTrader: (6)

howd you get the plenum so clean? and did you get those taillight covers from thirdgenranch?

firebird904

I just painted the plenum with silver engine paint I popped the emblem off, sprayed the whole thing black then lightly sanded the top to reveal the silver trim and lettering. Yes I got the tail light covers from third gen ranch for 30 bucks in great condition. I saw some in the classified a few days ago and a set of headlight louvers, you don't see that every day haha.

Now a little update on my car, the engine fired up after a few seconds of cranking time had to move the dizzy to get it to idle, broke in the cam @ 2000-2200 rpm for 20 minutes, have an exhaust leak and a very small coolant leak. Also when I first crank the car up after shutting it down it takes a few tries before it idles but I believe that's just the bad MAF I have on there.

evilemokid94

iTrader: (6)

so your the one that got to those before me!!! lol, i saw them on their site, went and deposited the money into my back account and went to go order them but they were gone!! lolxD

firebird904

Ah darn lol I got a set of seatbelts from there and the covers caught my eye. I was originally going to just use night shades on the lenses. If I come across a cheap set I can let ya know if you'd like.

evilemokid94

iTrader: (6)

lol no your fine bud lol, im going to tint mine myself. looks cleaner IMO

firebird904

That is true main reason I got em was because when my mom got this car in 88 she had the exact covers put on and were stolen the same day. the Velcro was still on the tail lights lol. I had my firebird sprayed on and loved it.

camarosrock1989

iTrader: (1)

So I read that you might be moving down to Az, What area if you do?
Would be great to have a good mechanic in the area! You have really worked hard on your car, I've been watching the progress. Looks like it coming together nicely!
Good Job...

RubberDucky

iTrader: (4)

Where at in Florida? Looks good man.

firebird904

camarosrock1989, If I do move to Az it will be in the Phoenix or Chandler area. I'm still working towards getting into school for automotive but I know my way around a set of tools Thanks for the kind words.


RubberDucky, I live in the Jacksonville area I notice your from Orlando which is kinda funny because that's my name

firebird904

Yesterday I received my DIS kit ( Thanks bl85c ) I got the car up on stands again to try and get the exhaust donuts to seal up and to change the transmission filter, pan gasket, mount, and tail shaft seal and then I will be able to take it on it's first drive I fixed the coolant leak, and got the idle issue sorted out by switching the maf for one I had as a spare. It sounds really nice has no ticking or knocking but I'd like for it to idle a little lower it always idles at 900-1000 rpm it's been like that since I've owned it though. After I get the tranny work done I'll take it for a drive around the neighborhood to see how it runs and then I will probably service the rear end and do the brakes. I got some wagner thermo quiet pads which should do fine for a daily driven car that won't be beat on. I'm going to order a set of window sweeps soon and go down to tractor supply and get a gallon of paint, primer and some hardener and I'll get this thing in one color till I can afford a better paint job. I'm also going with 15% tint all around. It sure has come a long way since I first started working on it. It's a shame the engine was just about trashed because it had such low miles but hey I got a bit of an upgrade from the old 2.8

firebird904

Today I got all the tranny work done and got the oil changed out. And took it for it's first drive and am very pleased . The torque is noticeably higher with the cam and the 3.1 block comparing it to the old 2.8. Tomorrow I'm going to clean up the inside because it got a little messy from throwing stuff in there. Gotta take care of registration and got to gather the stuff I need for paint. Maybe next time I update this thing will be all one color

evilemokid94

iTrader: (6)

did you install your donut gaskets?

firebird904

I ordered them but till I get them on there I used some exhaust sealer stuff to seal it up till I get the new one's on there. The part number you gave me helped out a lot

evilemokid94

iTrader: (6)

your gonna need a prybar and ALOT of patcient when you do those bud. that y pipe loves to shrink and its a PITA to re seal on the gaskets. im here if you need advice but just. watch your hands lol. glad that part number helped you.

Gumby

donut gaskets blow out or and leak sooner or later, dumb design.


Why Buick has used the metal to metal "donut" flange, they seal right the first time and if anything seal better with use as the carbon can plug it up as the gasket material isn't breaking away.

cHEVy hEAVy

iTrader: (1)

subscribed, keep up the good work dude

firebird904

Well after many years of rest she is officially a daily driver . I got it tagged and insured last week which set me back around 390 dollars, soooo paint is on hold at the moment but I don't need paint to drive it . I bit the bullet and ordered a new windshield because I just can't stand not being able to clearly see through the existing one. I've put close to 100 miles trouble free miles in the past week with the exception of re adjusting the timing and TPS. I'm also getting a random cloud of blue smoke on start up that doesn't happen very often and stops right away. I believe I may not have put the valve stem seals on correctly but I'll see how everything goes the next few thousand miles and if it continues I'll try replacing em. The car is quite a bit more zippy than it used to be but I can't tell what mileage I'm getting because the fuel gauge doesn't read right. I need to tint my windows to help cover up my stereo but I'm going to be making hatch cover with carpeting to hide my amps and subs instead of going with the roll up cover.


Here's how she currently sits... I sure can't wait to get some paint on there

kmcn47

know what you mean, when i get the cash contemplating the fabled 4.3 swap

firebird904

Haha yeah I have a 4.3 block and 700r4 tranny just waiting to go into something my father and I got a 88 s10 blazer for a father/son project and it has a brand new 4.3 in it and that thing has a pretty nice amount of torque...as in more power than my old 305 had that thing was TIRED though previous owner never did an oil change on the car . I'll be searching for a 3.4 for when I have the room to comfortably work on my car....working out in the middle of the yard under a tree just doesn't quite do it for me lol it was quite the pain to rebuild my 3.1 outside.


Now here's a little update

I've put about 460 miles on the car with absolutely no engine issues but last month I had my power steering bracket snap and left me stranded thank goodness my girlfriend had AAA. I had a bit of trouble with a POS reman mass air flow sensor but came across some NOS firebird MAF's and got one and cut the elbow off it to fit the camaro and the car runs like new. Still waiting to get enough cash to paint it but for now I'm more than happy driving it around the way it is. It's got pretty nice power considering the only mods done were the cam, valve springs, and the ford injectors. First gear in the 700r4 is a bit sluggish it picks up speed quick if you get on it from a 45mph roll though.

firebird904

Been kinda busy lately working on a ford . I got 500 miles on her today and am going to be changing the oil shortly. All 500 miles have been completely trouble free( minus the PS Bracket ) and the car runs nice and smooth.

Now the reason I posted an update, I talked to a customer of our family business that is a tattoo artist but also paints cars and does custom graphics for a side job. He is going to be painting my car for the cost of paint and supplies sooo it's gonna be seeing the paint booth in the next month or so. I'm kinda thinking a two toned red from the bottom of the side view mirrors down and black up top and a red and a pinstripe of some sort.

firebird904

Well life has certainly made it nearly impossible to work on my 88 but I'm back at it again, slowly but surely. I had a small accident fooling around in the car and lost control and hit a ditch which destroyed my k member which put the passenger wheel about 3 inches to far back, fender, bumper and my brand new wind shield. She's been sitting awaiting a k member transplant which just got done yesterday. Still no paint on her but I have white paint, primer, spray guns and supplies to get to the body work finally so stay tuned for slow updates. I'll never give up on it.