Sierra6

Hello all,


About four years ago, I posted pics of my first car that had been sitting in a chicken house for about five years and asked about getting it up and running. Well a lot has changed since then.


1985 2.8L Auto Firebird base model


I got the car out. took it to a mechanic and said see if you can get it running. After a tune up and a new fuel pump it was.


I then put on a new timing chain, comp 260H cam, had the heads redone Not sure if any porting was done, but new valves and comp valve springs were put on. (the mechanic told me they would be ported too, but I doubt it.)


Ordered pacesetter headers for it. put it all back together and the bottom end started knocking.


So after all the labor and parts I had spent on the V6, I decided to order a new shortblock. I was sad to discover that GM no longer made the 3.4 crate, so I had no choice but to order one from Dave at A.R.I.


Well, Dave sent me a 82-84 block with a big hole where a mechanical fuel pump went, so we had to make a block off plate for that. I went ahead and ordered the neutral balance flexplate from him to make sure I got the right one. Well he sent one for a FWD car.


I paid extra for hypereutectic pistons. I hope that's what's in it.


Having said all that, the engine has given me no problems since install. I broke it in with Gibbs Driven BR oil and have only ran Gibbs oil in it since.


The electrical side on the other hand has given me fits. I took it to two different shops, one specializing in Auto Electric. they kept it for three months before calling me to tell me they had given up on it.


So I heard of a local guy who did megasquirt installs. he was my last hope at keeping fuel injection. So $2000 and several months later, my car was finally drivable. (this was actually three years after I started this journey.


Oh I also had another fuel pump installed along the way, then the sock got clogged again because the old tank was so corroded. So a new steel tank was installed and I could actually drive for more than 5 minutes without it lean popping and shutting off.


I also installed a flowmaster 44 muffler with new tip. Sounds nice at idle.
I had it dyno'd with the factory air intake and old dynomax exhaust and it make 110 whp and 170 ft lbs on a dynoecom dyno. (pretty disappointing)


Since getting it running, we've built a custom air intake for it and deleted all the emissions. I've put on a new fender where the deer hit it and added a 82 trans am hood. I've also added 4th gen cloth seats and we're about to do headliner and carpet. Then we will start on the paint. Right now I'm thinking Kona blue from Ford.


Future plans are getting the AC working (and converted)
Possibly a Turbo or 3500 head swap.


Attachment is the decal I had made for the hood bulge lol

drdave88

iTrader: (3)

If you got a block from 82-84, it's not a 3.4, its a 2.8. GM didn't make any RWD 3.4 engines until the early 90s. None of them ever came with a mechanical fuel pump either.

Sierra6

i know. but upon inspection it had been machined to accept a 3.4 crank and bored to accept 3.4 pistons. he said they only use Canadian blocks, which leave more meat on the bone for boring.

drdave88

iTrader: (3)

The 3.4 crank had physically larger journals than the 82-84 2.8 crank, so that would be a good amount to line hone out of it. It's also been pretty widely accepted on here that a 2.8 block can't be bored enough to get to a 3.4 bore, at least not safely.... What is a Canadian block? I'm pretty sure GM never manufactured these engines in Canada. Being a 2.8 and not a 3.4 would explain your power output as well.

Good info on the different engines related to this here: http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Archives/A...-2-101923.html

A lot of that sounds fishy, but hey, she's all yours!!

Sierra6

I was not happy to see that I had been sent a 82-84 block. but we made it work and I took his word for it. it's running good now. That dyno is notorious for being a heartbreaker as well, and if it's accurate it's still a decent torque number anyway.


Like I said I'm hoping to boost it or 3500 head swap it in the near future. But for now I'm just happy I can drive it.

Sierra6

he says they have a lot of circle track customers that run a mechanical fuel pump and they hone them out all the time. he said they were running out of Canadian blocks and unless they find some more they'll have to quit boring them out.
Dave built the Dominator mustangs back in the 80s. they still have a small cult following.