Aarons build thread?

donk_316 · Post by **donk_316** » Wed May 16, 2007 12:45 am

He sent me a link via MSN and i lost it... annnnd hes not on my MSN anymore.

I assumed he would have a thread here too

Series8217 · Post by **Series8217** » Wed May 16, 2007 4:25 am

http://www.thefuseforums.com/viewtopic.php?p=2862

cactus bastard · Post by **cactus bastard** » Wed May 16, 2007 12:32 pm

He's still alive?
I thought he got lynched by that mob over at Old Europe

p8ntman442 · Post by **p8ntman442** » Wed May 16, 2007 1:12 pm

$36 for laser cut flanges? Will, I hope you are paying attention.

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 9:40 pm

p8ntman442 wrote:$36 for laser cut flanges? Will, I hope you are paying attention.

I hope he isn't, for his sake. Will, do yourself a favor, and don't find the company I did. I got the flanges in a week, and they didn't fit. Sent them back to be corrected, and they decide never to correct it. It's been 3 months and I still don't have flanges. But according to the lying fuck they hired, they were sent out over a month ago, and DHL must have lost them. Bullshit.

p8ntman442 · Post by **p8ntman442** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 6:21 am

karma?

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 11:17 am

From what?

I don't own a business, don't sell a shitty product, don't lie my ass off to customers, etc.

Shaun41178(2) · Post by **Shaun41178(2)** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 12:32 pm

it doesnt' have to be from you running a shitty business. Just being a shitty person.

regards

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 12:39 pm

Takes one to know one.

Oh, and I got the flanges today.

Boscolingus · Post by **Boscolingus** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 3:41 pm

karma just upgraded to coincidence

Fastback86 · Post by **Fastback86** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 3:52 pm

How did you even dig this thread up? It hasn't been posted in for 2 months. Do you do searches for you own name?

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 4:25 pm

In a single post, the entire build up until the headers.

I will be using a 94-95 ECM, which is OBD1.5, the SFI version of OBDI. It is more accurate and thus makes more power and better MPG. I purchased a 94-95 3.4 DOHC crate motor off of eBay for $1000. I pulled the heads, and they just got back from a full port/polish, and reshaping of the ports altogether. Basically redesigning the entire port shape. This job is valued at over $2000. Flow numbers are 325cfm intake, 227exh at half inch lift. Above them will be a set of 48g lifters (MUCH lighter than stock, allowing it to rev up faster and have less reciprocating mass.)

The oil pan has been reshaped to add 1.5qts of oil capacity in order to not dry out the bottom end under frequent 7000+ rpm runs. The cams will be stock, to keep with good manners and response for the turbo.

The intake manifold is a 96-97 unit, they had shorter more consistent runners, and about triple the plenum volume as the earlier versions. Plus it will allow me to use my brand new N* 75mm throttle body (That's 13mm up on the stock piece).

I will be blocking off the factory water pump outlet and using a Davies-Kraig Electric Water Pump with controller. This will also act as a thermostat, and will regulate voltage according to coolant temperature. Thus I do not need the typical thermostat.

I have already purchased a brand new Spec Stage III clutch and Fidanza aluminum flywheel. I recently purchased the engine mounts, a full set of Rodney's poly ones. I used them on my maroon car and was very happy with them. Also like my maroon car, I'll be adding another lower mount, and a poly dogbone.

How about some pictures? (Ask if you want to see more, I literally have a few hundred)

I got back into Colorado yesterday, and decided to have some fun.

My friend helping:

These things are harder to take out than I thought:

Header piping/collectors:

Muffler, V-band clamps, and laser cut flanges:

Here is today's progress. I got the motor separated from the tranny, and got the cradle stripped and cleaned. I also got the suspension pulled apart, and ready for its rebuild:

I've gotten a bit of progress over the past couple days.

The Fiero engine mount U bracket was modified to fit the 3.4l DOHC, one of the bolt ears doesn't have a bore in the 3.4 block. So I cut that ear off, rewelded it at a different angle, and now have it to where it does bolt to the block. I then added a 4th lower mount (2nd engine mount), to better handle the massive power increase. The 3 lower mounts are all poly mounts, the 4th is rubber, but a firm well designed rubber mount. The top dogbone mount will eventually be poly as well. The cradle then got taken to the powder-coater along with 4 engine/tranny mounting brackets to get done in gloss black.

With all the cradle parts off to get powder-coated, it was time to focus on the engine. I'll let the pics do most of the talking. The brand new GM crate engine gets highly ported/polished heads, flowing 325cfm intake and 224cfm exhaust, the 48g lifters were also installed (Significantly lighter than stock). The cam timing was set to stock, because I will be force feeding this motor and more overlap doesn't help on boosted applications. Also installed was the Fidanza 8lb aluminum flywheel, Spec Stage III kevlar clutch, both hidden inside the stock Getrag 5-speed.

Some more progress today. I got a surprising phone call, my cradle/brackets are done at the powdercoaters. I was in the truck on the way in 30 seconds flat. I bolted the valve covers on, bolted on the brand new alternator, got a serpentine belt figured out, cut/drilled the water pump blockoff plate (It isn't quite finished yet), and bolted the starter on. Then I mounted the engine/tranny onto the cradle. The next step is finishing up the intake manifolds, and starting on wiring. Pics as usual:

More progress today. I got the 96-97 intake port matched, casting flaws removed, and bolted on. I also got a bit further on the N* adapter and custom intake arm. I started to re-fabricate the fuel rail, but couldn't get that finished (I need a saw that can cut 1/4" steel...BAD). Cleaned up the 96-97 injectors, replaced the O-rings, and put them in the LIM, they'll await the rail which might be done tomorrow. Pics as usual.

Update: 96-97 fuel rail turned around so that the fual rails enter on the passenger side of the engine, where the factory lines come from. Then wiring/vacuum lines thrown in. Then 96-97 upper intake bolted on. Lastly, suspension bolted on with 1 new CV boot, and all new poly bushings. New coilovers will come later. Today I am prepping the engine bay for the 3.4, then tomorrow we put it in :thumb:

Those fucking decklid hinge spring bars are a royal pain in my ass. No matter what I did, they wouldn't come out.

Hinges, meet grinder.

What's left:

We got the motor in the car, and wouldn't you know, it doesn't fit. Turns out, when I pulled it out originally, I bent the trans mounts a bit because I missed one last thing holding the 2.8 to the tranny, the gay coolant tube. Well when prying them apart, it bent the trans brackets. So when bolted to the cradle, it shifted the motor about 1/2" to the passenger side. Well now the timing belt cover hits the passenger side strut tower, and the upper intake hits the dogbone bracket. So I had to take the motor back out. Tomorrow I am going to oblong the bolt holes for my 2 lower engine mounts, so they shift to the driver's side. I'm also considering ordering a new trans bracket, that depends on if I can get it back straight or not. Here were some pics, it seemed as if everything was going well. I'm really disappointed, but that's ok, this all is part of the engine swap process. And my car is still better than Shaun's, even without an engine.

I got the motor in last night, everything went very smooth. From motor and cradle sitting behind the engine hoist, to motor and cradle being bolted in the car, took under 2 hours. Not to mention the engine fits perfectly. Strut tower clearance is over 1/2", and the UIM clears the dogbone mount just fine. The motor looks pretty bad right now, but so did the maroon car's at this stage:

Here's some pics. I'm still working on the wiring harness. It's going slowly now, but getting done nonetheless. I have the PCM mostly wired up, just need to finish the C203 and C500.

PCM mounting bracketry:

Harness:

Alright, one step closer, and I'm about to break.

The wiring harness is done basically, I just need to finish up a couple wires, but they need to wait until I have a few more things so I can figure out exactly how long they need to be. But it is in the car, fits very nicely, and should work great. And I kept wire colors fully consistent

Pic of essentially finished harness:

Now on to the fuel lines. The 3.4 DOHC fuel lines exit right beneath the throttle body, on the driver's side of the car. Not only that, but one end just slides into the rail, and is held on by a plate. The other end uses GM's newest brilliant idea, the ironic Quick Disconnect. These aren't so quick by the way. I hate them. The Fiero uses bolted lines on each side of its rail (How they should be). Well most DOHC swappers run the lines all the way around the engine, and it looks bad, performs bad, etc. Since I don't have a PS pump or pulley, I just turned the rail around backwards, and welded on new tabs, so now the lines exit right where the factory 2.8 lines exit. Then I cut the 3.4 lines in half, and cut the Fiero lines in half. Then I figured out how they needed to be shaped, and welded the two remaining pieces together. So one the engine side, the lines are like the 3.4, they plug in, and are held in by the plate (Good design). And on the other end, they screw into the factory Fiero lines from the tank (Another good design). So mmy lines are shorter, weigh less, conduct less heat, and flow more than the traditional swaps. Plus they look cool

Next step, coolant lines.

I finished cutting, welding, and painting the factory 2.8l T-stat housing, and it is drying along with a T-stat housing from a 3.1 that I found at the junkyard. Neither will hold a T-stat, since my electric water pump acts as the Thermostat. However the 3.1 one comes off of my lower intake, then connects via a rubber hose to the 2.8 piece, so that I have a fill point. Then it goes down to the actual metal line. Hard to explain, but I'll have pics in the next few days once its finished.

Since I didn't get those done, I decided to start work on the headers. The dimensions are 1 3/4" D primaries, by 20" long, with dual 2.5" collectors. Then those will Y into a single 3", which will feed the turbocharger. I got the molds made for the rear header, but need to wait on the front one until I finish running some wires, a coolant line, and the brake booster line so I know exactly where to go. For the molds, I used the same process that I did on the Z34 I made headers for when I was in high school. I went to Home Depot, and bought a 10' roll of 3/8" copper tubing. It's small enough that it's easily malleable, but thick enough that it will hold its shape. Then I cut the 10' bar into 6 pieces, each 20" long. No matter how I bend them, they will always stay 20" long. So I then place the collector in the car, held in by duct tape and bailing wire, and one by one twist the molds until they go from the head port to the collector. I just guess and visualize their diamater, and be sure I have clearance on all sides of the copper tube wherever I route it. It's hard to picture how they fit, but they do. The cylinder 1 primary, since it has the longest path to travel, just comes out, makes a 90* turn for the driver's side, and runs straight, then turns into the collector. Then cylinder 3 primary (middle slug), turns up towards the decklid, then turns for the driver's side, then dives into the collector. Lastly, cylinder 5 dives toward the ground, then turns for the driver's side, then turns into the collector. Pics:

I got a lot, but not a lot, done today. So kind of a lot. If you think about it, I didn't get much done at all. But being the person that did it, I got it done in a day, which shocked me.

I made my dogbone brackets.

That's it.

Now as to why this is so hard. On my maroon Fiero, I welded it on top of the passenger side engine lift. Well this interfered with the decklid, and I had to cut into the support rail quite a bit. It worked well, but it doesn't look so great. It was definately something I wanted to change for this swap. Thanks to the electric water pump, I don't have to worry about an idler pulley by where the PS pump used to be, so I don't have anything there. So I had run the fuel lines and injector mini-harness through that area, but still had some room. So I decided I'd put the end of the dogbone there, down int he V section, so that the decklid still closes. It's ahrd to explain, but the dogbone will curve up and go over the backside cams. I ordered a poly dogbone from the Fiero Store, and when that gets here I'll cut it up and reweld it so it fits, but here are some pics of the brackets, and the old dogbone placed in them. Tomorrow they get powdercoated.

I haven't been able to do much lately, I'm just waiting on parts.

But I did get a pretty cool part in just the other day. Now to find a place to fit it. It's a X02 Racing liquid to air intercooler rated for under 800hp applications, with a .1 psi loss at 15psi.

And I got 2 more parts in today.

First, my Poly dogbone mount from the Fiero Store. I promptly disassembled it and got it ready for the custom midsection:

And my Liquid intercooler inline fill point. $13 on eBay, it was from a 1986 Kawasaki. It will go down to the powdercoater mid this week along with the dogbone.

Took a trip down to the powder-coater today. I need to give Taint Paint of Colorado Springs props, they have been on time with every piece I give them, haven't lost my small pieces, and everything has come out perfect and at a reasonable price.

I cannot have the filler cap assembly powdercoated, as the joints are soldered together, and the solder would melt in the curing process, so that piece gets rattled canned.

But here are all 6 pieces back, the 2 coolant pipes, fuel lines, and the dogbone brackets.

Pics:

And I got the dogbone back today. This is, without a doubt in my mind, the BEST custom Fiero dogbone I've ever seen. It fits perfectly, looks amazing, and will be really strong. I'm really happy with it.

And the UPS man just showed up!

TiAL 38mm External Wastegate with a 10psi spring

Still no header flanges.

But since I got the coils in, I was able to get along with that. The 3.4 coil pack mounts onto the engine block, right above the starter and below the exhaust manifold. I was under the impression that the 2.8 starter was the same as the 3.4, and I am using the 2.8 starter for now. Well I go to put the coil pack on, and it doesn't fit, the starter sits too high. So it's either go buy a new starter, or mount the coil pack somewhere else. I chose the latter. I thought about the typical spots, like on the battery tray, or where the cruise control was. None of these seemed to work because of the battery and the turbo piping and such. So I chose to put them on the front firewall, between the driver's side decklid hinge and the cam tower. They turned out ok, they are a bit slanted, but they fit and are pretty secure. From here I finished up the wiring harness.

Got the wiring harness all wrapped up today, and I wired in the electric water pump. Here is a pic of the harness, all that needs wrapped is the end of the fuel injection harness, and the coil pack wires, but that will get done in the car. I also put in the electric water pump, and ran the heater core and oil cooler water lines.

Shaun41178(2) · Post by **Shaun41178(2)** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 5:26 pm

I still don't see any of the turbo parts in the engine compartment.

p8ntman442 · Post by **p8ntman442** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 7:33 pm

I would have tackwelded with mig, and had a professional TIG the rest of it.

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 10:13 pm

p8ntman442 wrote:I would have tackwelded with mig, and had a professional TIG the rest of it.

I don't really know what to say, if I wasn't on a semi-limited budget, I definitely would have liked to do that. But the mig functionally is perfectly fine, the only advantage to the professional tig would be aesthetic, and that's not worth the money. Furthermore, time is getting to be an issue quick, and I can't wait until Monday to have them done, they have to go out to the coater on Monday. Lastly, I take pride in knowing I built them all myself, by hand, even the welding. Here is the back header completed, equal length 1.75 X 20" primaries, 2.5" collector, 3/8" CNC laser cut flanges:

Series8217 · Post by **Series8217** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 11:37 pm

Not bad. However, you should've welded them while bolted onto a head; it looks like the flanges no longer line up.

The Dark Side of Will · Sun Jul 15, 2007 12:02 am

20" primaries are pretty short...

Series8217 · Post by **Series8217** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 12:20 am

Turbo 3.4 DOHC engine bays are pretty cramped...

crzyone · Post by **crzyone** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 12:56 am

For a turbo application they should be fine, equal length is even a bit overkill for the amount of power he is looking to make. Should be a sweet build when its done. Turbo is properly sized, headers... look forward to the dyno results.

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 1:57 am

Series8217 wrote:Not bad. However, you should've welded them while bolted onto a head; it looks like the flanges no longer line up.

I did. I have a few spare 3.4 heads, so I put studs into it and formed them off of that. They fit the actual heads perfectly, though I had to drill a few of the bolt holes on the flange about 1mm larger so I didn't have to force them on.

The Dark Side of Will wrote:20" primaries are pretty short...

They are. I would have no problems making primary length 30, even 36". However I used A. G. Bell's book "Forced Induction Performance Tuning" to come up with the specs. He says, and had dyno sheets to back it up, that most every turbo engine he has encountered liked primary lengths between 16-24". He went on to say the primary length had no defining, general, consistent affect on a car's power curve like N/A. One car spooled faster with a longer primary, the next car lagged more with a long primary. So he said, for a street car, go 20" and don't worry about it. If it's a race car, start at 16" and lengthen them by an inch at a time, with dyno runs in between, to find out which combo that particular engine liked best. I don't think it will make a big difference. And if I need more power, it's as easy as twisting a knob.

Series8217 wrote:Turbo 3.4 DOHC engine bays are pretty cramped...

It actually wasn't that bad at all, I could easily fit longer if need be. There is a lot more room than in the Z34, that's for sure.

crzyone wrote:For a turbo application they should be fine, equal length is even a bit overkill for the amount of power he is looking to make. Should be a sweet build when its done. Turbo is properly sized, headers... look forward to the dyno results.

Agreed. And to be honest, most of my motivation for doing this isn't for the power gains. I'd have to fabricate the hot side anyways, may as well do something I enjoy and can be proud of. I really like headers, I think they look cool. They are sitting on my garage floor right now, and I could just stare at them like I do Anna Kournikova's body. It's an accomplishment I guess. They are definitely overkill, but at least I won't be sitting at 300whp, thinking, "Where is my bottleneck?" I know the bottleneck, it's my block. Every other component is good enough to move my transmission out of the car and snap the cradle in two. So I'll run 8psi, hopefully making around 350whp, and see how long the block holds up to it. I can't wait for the dyno either! But first it needs to run....