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MaxxAction

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    Central Illinois

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  1. stock bottom end motor?? Amazing! That thing looks like it would tighten the sphincter quite effectively. Nice work.
  2. So... I finished my swap about 6 weeks ago. No turbos, yet. Cool story of how I came by this motor. I saw this motor on ebay, and called the guy. He said he took it in on trade towards a race motor he built, and it's just been sitting in his shop for the last three years. The guy gives me the address, and tells me to come to the back of the building. I had no idea what this place was. I pull into this place, and I can see through the bay doors on the side all these huge mills and machines. Turns out, it is a machine shop that makes exotic parts for NASCAR engines, wrist pins, retainers, locks, etc, and for companies like Ferrea, CP, Wiseco. And they build engines for SCCA, and Trans-Am racing teams. This place was incredible. He showed me around, and as we are walking past these tables, I see work orders for Joe Gibbs Racing, Burger King Racing, Ferrea, CP. He shows me a set of rods and pistons out of a Nascar engine, a blank billet that is getting carved into a nascar cylinder head. As you can imagine, I am walking around with a semi-stiffy this whole time. Those nascar engines use what's called a "ring Seal" piston, no skirt. The rods are absolutely amazing, made of some material I have never heard of, and cost about a thousand dollars apiece. Now when he rebuilds these motors for the road race teams, they just install all new stuff, and discard the old, even if it is perfectly serviceable. He has boxes and boxes of forged rods, pistons, valves, valve springs, cams, etc. So finally, we go to the back corner of his shop to check out the motor after I wipe the drool off the corners of my mouth. I ask him to pull the plugs so I can look at the bores, turn the motor over a couple times, etc. We get the plugs out, go to turn the motor, and it won't turn. Looked a little closer, and one of the cylinders was full of water. Shit. So he kinda freaks out. Apologizing all over himself, telling me that the the motor was running, seemingly well, three years ago when it came in his shop, that he took it in on trade towards a racing motor but never touched it cause the road race motors are all LS-6 four inch bore motors, he couldn't use the block, so it just sat. He said he knew the guy, and the car, and had no idea anything was wrong with the engine (his buddy took advantage of him sounds like to me) and that he can't understand how this happened. So we talk about it for awhile, and he sticks his hand out and grabs mine and shakes it, and tells me that he's going to put it back together for me with parts outta their shop, and sell it to me for the same price. He said it was abusy time for them, and it would take a couple of months (it was actually about four months) but that he would get it done. I offer to give him some money to start on it, he says "no, you drove all the way over here, and this is not how I do things, I am going to make this right. I'll send you some pics when I get started on it, and you can come pick it up when it's done." The motor was completely gone through top to bottom. New bearings, rings, Mahle Pistons, a set of crower forged rods, a 575 int/574 exh total lift, 224/224 duration 112 centerline cam, mild porting on the heads, Gm performance 600 lift springs, all new gaskets, ready to roll. Talk about stepping in shit and smelling like a rose. Anyway, I got the motor back in may, and earnestly started working on getting the car ready to accept it. You can see in this pic how I set up the cooling system. The water pump is off of a c6 vette, which flows a little better, and picks up about 2.5 inches of clearance. The radiator is a perfromance model for a Sentra Spec-v, and I had the inlet modified to line up with the waterpump outlet. I had to trim the core support, and cut the stock radiator brackets out in the bottom of the core support to make it fit. The fans are Felx-a-lite fans for a Jeep CJ7, supposed to be good for 2800 cfm. The fan works fine, but the radiator is actually right on the edge of keeping the motor cool. I am going to add an 11x11x2 heat exchanger on the heater core circuit with an 8 inch fan on it, which should give me the extra cooling CI I need to solve the problem. I had to fabricate the heater hoses, radiator hoses, throttle cable bracket, vacuum and PCV system, etc. Last week I fabbed up this air box to draw cool air from outside the bay cause these damn engines run so hot that it was saturating the IAT and throwing my idle into oscillation. I still need to add a cover of some sort to the hole in the fender well. Overall I am very pleased with the results. I still need to get it to a reputable tuner to get it dialed in right, but even with the tuning I have been able to do just driving it, it pulls very hard. I don't think it is as high of HP as the VG was when it was right, but I have about 1500 miles on it so far, and no mechanical issues. Gotta be some kind of record.
  3. I have a similar result in my z32. It doesn't overheat, but it runs a bit warmer on the highway than it does around town. I am running a 160 thermostat as well, and it carries around 200-205 on the interstate, and around 190-195 around town. I think it is a problem of airflow in the short Z32 engine bay, so I am going to add some vents in the hood as soon as I can find something that will look like it belongs on the car. I am also adding an 11x11x2 heat exchanger on the heater circuit with an 8 inch fan on it.
  4. Hey guys... I was wondering if anyone knew the differences between the aluminum/iron blocks in the external casting? Specifically the motor mount points. I ask because I got the LS conversion kit from LOJ innovations, which is a great kit by the way, but it was designed around an iron block motor, and I am using an aluminum block. The motor is setting close to two inches high in the front, so the PS pulley hits the hood, and I cannot get the transmission to bolt in. He is going to make sure it is right, so that isn't a problem, I am just trying to figure out the best way to correct it. Thanks.
  5. Reviving this thread... So guys. A little guidance. LM7? LS1? LQ9? There are so many SBC choices. Obviously the truck motors are much cheaper, but also made to breathe less, so more mods required like intake and cam. Anyone got any input?
  6. So... Been doin a little research, and I am beginning to lean towards an l37 06 plus northstar rwd engine. According to one article I read, the crank in those motors is good for 800hp, the rods over 500hp, and the engine will turn 8500 rpm and stay together with a set of valve springs. It is three inches longer than the vg motor, and two inches more narrow., and weigns about the same. I like the strength of the bottom end, and especially dig the higher rpms available with the shorter stroke of the 4.6 motor. My goal isn't immense hp, looking for a little more torque at lower rpm, and a bit less headache.
  7. Hey dts... Have you ever looked at any of the skinny bell housings available for the ls series motors? It looks like the bell housing is excessively beefy at the top, and tha seems to be the issue. Also the hurst tko 5 speed looks dynamite, and looks like the case on it is thinner than the ones that come in the gto/camaro/firebirds.
  8. Yeah dts, I saw your build.... Very nice work. What did you do as far as transmission? I was thinking of trying to adapt the stock tranny, but i understand it would take a flywheel spacer which could be a headache. Did you cut the tunnel because it wa an lt and not an ls? I have seen several ls builds that didn't modify the tunnel in any way. I would also like to retain all the factory accessories, which wold take some extensive fab, but solid be doable. I am considering doing a high, front mount twin turbo setup with the turbos I already have, gt2560r's. I know a bigger turbo would push a lot more hp, but drivability, reliability is a bigger concern than max hp for me, not to mention that Ina stock bottom end, about 10 psi is all I could push anyway.
  9. Hey Mike.... it's not so much about more power as it is less hassle. My car now is pretty well built, jwt500 cams, 1mm over ferrea valve trains, Carrillo Rods, 40 over forged pistons, 740 injectors, gt2560r turbos, 58mm TB's, ported heads, 2.5 breather piping, 3 inch exhaust, you get the idea. It is just a ******* hassle all the time. I fix one thing, and something else starts going nuts. Like right now, I have the rebuilt VTC gears that are supposed to be rattle proof, and one of them rattles like hell, and I just got through having to replace the cometic head gaskets. Last year it ate the drive dowel for the CAS because the bracket wasn't completely square on the head. Right aftter I built the motor a timing stud broke and lunched a couple of valves. I have to replace the oil pressure sending unit every year. No one within 500 miles of me can tune nissans. I am just getting sick of messing with this motor. I am thinking that yes, the fab on an LS1 conversion would be a lot of work, but once it gets dialed in, it is so much less as far as complexity, and with its compact width, much easier to work on should I need to. As far as use, I been messin with HP since I was about 12, and have always been a motor head. I like to take a car to the strip a couple times a year, and love the twisty roads more than anything. But most of all, I just like having that hp under my foot if I want it, but to be honest, my car sees WOT maybe twice a week, and that is usually a 2nd-3rd gear pull. I cannot remember the last time the car was much over a hundred mph.
  10. Hey guys... Just looking for a little info. I am just kinda sick of the vg motor, and am actually considering doing a TT ls1 swap. I know it would be quite a bit of fab work, but crazy horsepower at smaller boost is very appealing to me. Being able to get to the turbos is very appealing to me. Being able to get my hands down past the upper plenum to work on anything is very appealing to me. so for those who have done the ls swap, what were the costs involved?
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