Lower intake swap / Vortec head & cam install on stock bottom end
- Thread starter Tooky
- Start date
Tooky
Serious about performance
Re: Lower intake swap / Vortec head & cam install on stock bottom end
No I did not. And yes - I tried to be conservative while porting. I think a performance valve job and opening the pushrod pinch would have had a good effect on my numbers.It's just a six said:
Tooky
Serious about performance
Heads assembled, Installed & Torqued
Heads assembled, Installed & Torqued
OK guys, sorry for not updating in a few weeks, but I've got some big news. I'll continue to post chronologically. Therefore.....
Installing Heads
I scraped the deck one final time to get it as clean as I possibly could (without using an abrasive Scotch-brite pad, which GM actually warns strongly against, so much that they cite it as the #1 cause of failure in rebuilt engines. They say that abrasive dust is the absolute worst thing to get into an engine, so don't do this! They will only warrant Goodwrench engines when the deck has been scraped with a gasket scraper etc.)
Then I tried to follow the correct instructions to torque the heads. I'm using the standard cheap ($59) ARP-134-3601 "High Performance Series 170,000 PSI" Small Block Chevy head bolt kit. You have about 6 bolts left over when you're done. Anyone who has done this probably knows there seems to be more than one way to do it. I used ARP's white paste Thread Sealer on the threads (per the bolt kit's instructions), and then followed ARP's website advice of "burnishing" the threads by torquing and loosening them several times before the final torque. ARP says with new fasteners, it takes 5 times before the torque becomes constant. I decided to do 3 "torque & loosens" of 25 FT-LB, 45 FT-LB to each headbolt, and then on the 4th round I did 25 - 45 - 65 for the final torque. Talk about tedious!!
Here's a picture of the factory Victor Reinz head gasket I decided to use:
Vortec Intake Pattern
I took some measurements of my heads' new intake bolt hole locations, hope this might help someone....
LS2 Valve Spring Grinding
The $50 GM LS2/L92/LS6(?) yellow beehive valve springs are a good deal on a good spring, but they don't quite fit the Comp #787 beehive retainer. I took an 80 grit cartridge roll on the die grinder at low speed and worked all 12 springs over by hand until I just got a smooth fit dropping the retainer in. Here's what it looks like:
Here's what they look like installed and both heads torqued!
2001+ Vortec factory "shaft" Roller rocker setup
This worked out real nice. I had to triple check my lifter preload since this is a nonadjustable valvetrain (you just torque the rockers to 22 FT-LB, all those 2002 factory torque specs available here: http://www3.telus.net/subvelocity/tighteningspecs.html). With Crane factory hydraulic roller length pushrods 10621-16, which claim a overall length of 7.178", my lifter preload came out to roughly .040-.050". That's on the high end of acceptable per Comp Cams (http://www.compcams.com/Technical/FAQ/FAQLifters2.asp).
Here's what they look like all lubed/oiled and installed!
After seeing how nice these rockers worked out (bought for next to nothing on eBay), I can't see a way to justify ~$400 on converting to a full roller rocker setup, especially on an engine that turns <6000 RPM.
Heads assembled, Installed & Torqued
OK guys, sorry for not updating in a few weeks, but I've got some big news. I'll continue to post chronologically. Therefore.....
Installing Heads
I scraped the deck one final time to get it as clean as I possibly could (without using an abrasive Scotch-brite pad, which GM actually warns strongly against, so much that they cite it as the #1 cause of failure in rebuilt engines. They say that abrasive dust is the absolute worst thing to get into an engine, so don't do this! They will only warrant Goodwrench engines when the deck has been scraped with a gasket scraper etc.)
Then I tried to follow the correct instructions to torque the heads. I'm using the standard cheap ($59) ARP-134-3601 "High Performance Series 170,000 PSI" Small Block Chevy head bolt kit. You have about 6 bolts left over when you're done. Anyone who has done this probably knows there seems to be more than one way to do it. I used ARP's white paste Thread Sealer on the threads (per the bolt kit's instructions), and then followed ARP's website advice of "burnishing" the threads by torquing and loosening them several times before the final torque. ARP says with new fasteners, it takes 5 times before the torque becomes constant. I decided to do 3 "torque & loosens" of 25 FT-LB, 45 FT-LB to each headbolt, and then on the 4th round I did 25 - 45 - 65 for the final torque. Talk about tedious!!
Here's a picture of the factory Victor Reinz head gasket I decided to use:
Vortec Intake Pattern
I took some measurements of my heads' new intake bolt hole locations, hope this might help someone....
LS2 Valve Spring Grinding
The $50 GM LS2/L92/LS6(?) yellow beehive valve springs are a good deal on a good spring, but they don't quite fit the Comp #787 beehive retainer. I took an 80 grit cartridge roll on the die grinder at low speed and worked all 12 springs over by hand until I just got a smooth fit dropping the retainer in. Here's what it looks like:
Here's what they look like installed and both heads torqued!
2001+ Vortec factory "shaft" Roller rocker setup
This worked out real nice. I had to triple check my lifter preload since this is a nonadjustable valvetrain (you just torque the rockers to 22 FT-LB, all those 2002 factory torque specs available here: http://www3.telus.net/subvelocity/tighteningspecs.html). With Crane factory hydraulic roller length pushrods 10621-16, which claim a overall length of 7.178", my lifter preload came out to roughly .040-.050". That's on the high end of acceptable per Comp Cams (http://www.compcams.com/Technical/FAQ/FAQLifters2.asp).
Here's what they look like all lubed/oiled and installed!
After seeing how nice these rockers worked out (bought for next to nothing on eBay), I can't see a way to justify ~$400 on converting to a full roller rocker setup, especially on an engine that turns <6000 RPM.
Last edited:
Tooky
Serious about performance
Exhaust manifolds, lower intake installed, valve covers, stock IC insulation
Exhaust manifolds, lower intake installed, valve covers, stock IC insulation
Ported Exhaust Manifolds
I finished porting the exhaust manifolds. I posted photos of that earlier, but here's a photo of what's got to be the most restricted area, the #1 cylinder. This is after I opened it up quite a bit:
Lower Intake Installation
I have to say it again - I was amazed how well the heads' new intake bolt holes lined up with the intake manifold now that the heads are fully torqued! The machine shop did a dynamite job. I told them to match it to the 1203 gasket, but if they had followed my instructions the manifold almost certainly wouldn't have fit (without grinding the holes :roll: ) I asked the machinist and he said "Well, we don't always do exactly what the customer asks" He said they had an old LB4 head they matched the pattern up identically to.
I tried being cocky and avoiding the "oozing black tar" look of the typical lower intake manifold by going light on the bead, but ended up using too little RTV on the block "china wall". I had to pull it and re-do it :roll: ARP Thread Sealer on all the bolts, and per "Bezerk"'s advice: 2mm bead RTV around each intake port, 3mm bead RTV around each coolant port, on both sides of the 1203 gasket. I went 25 FT-LB torque (factory spec is 35) since there aren't many threads on some of the newly drilled intake bolt holes.
Stock Metal Valve Cover Mods for Vortec Heads
TurboTony tipped me off to the fact that the stock metal valve covers don't fit Vortecs properly unless you heavily bend the outside flange on the (4) outside corners of the covers (all the ones nearest the tires). He was right, without a doubt! Thanks Tony!
Here's everything installed!
I also replaced that gunked up stock oil drain rubber hose with some nice blue/orange silicone turbo oil drain hose from ATPTurbo.com (I had leftover from my Turbo Grand Prix). You can barely see it on the lower passenger side of the above photo.
Exhaust Manifold Installation
Man, these things are the worst to R&R. :tdown: If you notice on the photo of the ported exhaust manifold (above), the flange has a terrible sealing surface, even though I hit it with the die grinder. From the factory they don't use gaskets, so it's like this ring of rust formed around it that sealed it, and when I removed the manifolds, some of it fell off, and some of it remained permanently stuck to the head. The solution? Permatex Ultra Copper High Temp RTV "Highest operating temperatures for 4-cylinder, turbocharged or high-performance engines. The most advanced, high temp RTV silicone gasket available." (http://www.permatex.com/products/au...mum_Temperature_RTV_Silicone_Gasket_Maker.htm) This is the only silicone recommended for use on exhaust manifolds. (The red RTV isn't, and it also isn't Sensor Safe). This stuff is also good for 700*F vs the red stuff 650*F. I put a thin film on all the exhaust manifold flanges. Also, I always had a nasty startup condensation water-leak out of the PT51 turbo-to-downpipe seal, so I used a thin film of the copper RTV on the downpipe and turbo-manifold flanges as well.
I also found out that once the belt tensioner comes apart, it's junk. (according to GM). Had to buy a new one.
Stock Intercooler Insulation
I cut up a Taylor TAY-2544 heat blanket and stapled the ends. I used part to reinsulate the stock driver's side motor mount, and here's how I used the rest:
I wanted some protection from the downpipe heat, but without the ugly looks of "aluminum foil", so I did just the bottom with some ultra strong 5# 3M double sided tape (who knows if it will hold under the heat). You can also get a good look at how I did my dual alcohol routing.
Exhaust manifolds, lower intake installed, valve covers, stock IC insulation
Ported Exhaust Manifolds
I finished porting the exhaust manifolds. I posted photos of that earlier, but here's a photo of what's got to be the most restricted area, the #1 cylinder. This is after I opened it up quite a bit:
Lower Intake Installation
I have to say it again - I was amazed how well the heads' new intake bolt holes lined up with the intake manifold now that the heads are fully torqued! The machine shop did a dynamite job. I told them to match it to the 1203 gasket, but if they had followed my instructions the manifold almost certainly wouldn't have fit (without grinding the holes :roll: ) I asked the machinist and he said "Well, we don't always do exactly what the customer asks
" He said they had an old LB4 head they matched the pattern up identically to.I tried being cocky and avoiding the "oozing black tar" look of the typical lower intake manifold by going light on the bead, but ended up using too little RTV on the block "china wall". I had to pull it and re-do it :roll: ARP Thread Sealer on all the bolts, and per "Bezerk"'s advice: 2mm bead RTV around each intake port, 3mm bead RTV around each coolant port, on both sides of the 1203 gasket. I went 25 FT-LB torque (factory spec is 35) since there aren't many threads on some of the newly drilled intake bolt holes.
Stock Metal Valve Cover Mods for Vortec Heads
TurboTony tipped me off to the fact that the stock metal valve covers don't fit Vortecs properly unless you heavily bend the outside flange on the (4) outside corners of the covers (all the ones nearest the tires). He was right, without a doubt! Thanks Tony!
Here's everything installed!
I also replaced that gunked up stock oil drain rubber hose with some nice blue/orange silicone turbo oil drain hose from ATPTurbo.com (I had leftover from my Turbo Grand Prix). You can barely see it on the lower passenger side of the above photo.
Exhaust Manifold Installation
Man, these things are the worst to R&R. :tdown: If you notice on the photo of the ported exhaust manifold (above), the flange has a terrible sealing surface, even though I hit it with the die grinder. From the factory they don't use gaskets, so it's like this ring of rust formed around it that sealed it, and when I removed the manifolds, some of it fell off, and some of it remained permanently stuck to the head. The solution? Permatex Ultra Copper High Temp RTV "Highest operating temperatures for 4-cylinder, turbocharged or high-performance engines. The most advanced, high temp RTV silicone gasket available." (http://www.permatex.com/products/au...mum_Temperature_RTV_Silicone_Gasket_Maker.htm) This is the only silicone recommended for use on exhaust manifolds. (The red RTV isn't, and it also isn't Sensor Safe). This stuff is also good for 700*F vs the red stuff 650*F. I put a thin film on all the exhaust manifold flanges. Also, I always had a nasty startup condensation water-leak out of the PT51 turbo-to-downpipe seal, so I used a thin film of the copper RTV on the downpipe and turbo-manifold flanges as well.
I also found out that once the belt tensioner comes apart, it's junk. (according to GM). Had to buy a new one.
Stock Intercooler Insulation
I cut up a Taylor TAY-2544 heat blanket and stapled the ends. I used part to reinsulate the stock driver's side motor mount, and here's how I used the rest:
I wanted some protection from the downpipe heat, but without the ugly looks of "aluminum foil", so I did just the bottom with some ultra strong 5# 3M double sided tape (who knows if it will hold under the heat). You can also get a good look at how I did my dual alcohol routing.
Tooky
Serious about performance
Finished!!!
Finished!!!
Finished!!!
I kicked it into high gear and started working 12 hour shifts, and got it all reassembled! The 300MB of photos from disassembly saved my ass when it came to rerouting all the hoses and wires back to their original positions.
Here's what it USED to look like before this project:
Here's how it turned out afterwards!!!:
I'm really happy with it! You can actually see the details of the lower intake manifold now. But at the same time, it doesn't look any less "stock" than it did before!!
Finished!!!
Finished!!!
I kicked it into high gear and started working 12 hour shifts, and got it all reassembled! The 300MB of photos from disassembly saved my ass when it came to rerouting all the hoses and wires back to their original positions.
Here's what it USED to look like before this project:
Here's how it turned out afterwards!!!:
I'm really happy with it! You can actually see the details of the lower intake manifold now. But at the same time, it doesn't look any less "stock" than it did before!!
Last edited:
Tooky
Serious about performance
Initial Startup!
Initial Startup!
Man I worked on it so hard to get it done, last Friday morning (10/19) I was up till 5 AM and could barely sleep a wink! I came up with this combo on my own so I wasn't 100% positive everything would work. I was tormented with thoughts of something exploding on startup, or the valvetrain malfunctioning. I got up at 7 AM to get a new GM harmonic balancer washer (the one on my truck was some hardware store junk!), if anyone else needs one, the washer is: # 14001829 "Washer 1 3/4" OD x 1/2" ID x 5/16" thick." and the crankshaft/balancer bolt is # 3815933, both cost about $3 and are standard to every 4.3 and SBC. That center balancer bolt gets 70 FT-LB! So you want to be sure everything's right or you could strip your crankshaft.
To keep leaks easy to check, I decided to start it up naturally aspirated by leaving the intercooler off, and putting a screen "filter" over the open throttle body. At 11:15 AM 10/19 it breathed it first breath! I loaded up the 50# Ultimate "Vortec heads and cam" BIN from Brian Green, and it actually started before I was even ready! (I was just trying to build oil pressure and forgot to pull the ECMB fuse). WOW! Just check out how fast this thing started!!
Video: vortec_startup_best.mpg (1.3MB)
:lol: It never started this quickly before!! Wow what a RELIEF!! I was SO glad to hear that idle, it was like music to my ears. When it started so quick, I felt like all my hard work measuring TDC and degreeing the cam and setting the distributor so the rotor was pointing at #1 cylinder etc., all paid off with an instant fire like that. I didn't have to mess with anything! (I didn't even set the timing, until the next day..)
Here's a video with the dump open: vortec_startup_opendump.mpg (1.3MB)
Here's an MP3 recording of the idle at the tailpipe! This cam is similar to the Comp 422 but custom for a turbo application. I had a problem getting the sound level correct, so you might need to turn it up: vortec_idle1quiet.mp3
I put that MP3 on my iPod and set it to "Repeat" and listened to it for 20 minutes straight the next day! :lol: :rotf: :silly: :screwy:
Tuning
Right away, I saw the truck wanting to go lean and stall (17:1) and I realized the Ultimate 50# H/C chip was Open Loop (kinda goofy IMO), so I quickly switched it to Closed Loop and immediately the short term's started adding fuel and saved the day, and it never stalled! Nice idle around 800 RPM. I also had to richen the chip (via the bottom cell in F77) a fair amount to improve things overall. I warmed it up to 166*F and then shut down for about 6 hours with the hood open to allow cool down (this was Comp's recommendation to break in new valve springs).
Vortec Intake Manifold Coolant Leak
I think when I pulled the lower intake to re-do the RTV, and reused the new 1203 gaskets (which were still glued to the heads), I must have damaged the gasket because I got a slight coolant leak here:
My local Syclone friend with an RPM/vortec motor has a similar leak on his in the same areas. I also had a smaller leak back near the FPR. I ended up using black RTV to seal it up when it was dry, and eventually had success but it looks kinda crappy. :roll:
Initial Startup!
Man I worked on it so hard to get it done, last Friday morning (10/19) I was up till 5 AM and could barely sleep a wink! I came up with this combo on my own so I wasn't 100% positive everything would work. I was tormented with thoughts of something exploding on startup, or the valvetrain malfunctioning. I got up at 7 AM to get a new GM harmonic balancer washer (the one on my truck was some hardware store junk!), if anyone else needs one, the washer is: # 14001829 "Washer 1 3/4" OD x 1/2" ID x 5/16" thick." and the crankshaft/balancer bolt is # 3815933, both cost about $3 and are standard to every 4.3 and SBC. That center balancer bolt gets 70 FT-LB! So you want to be sure everything's right or you could strip your crankshaft.
To keep leaks easy to check, I decided to start it up naturally aspirated by leaving the intercooler off, and putting a screen "filter" over the open throttle body. At 11:15 AM 10/19 it breathed it first breath! I loaded up the 50# Ultimate "Vortec heads and cam" BIN from Brian Green, and it actually started before I was even ready! (I was just trying to build oil pressure and forgot to pull the ECMB fuse). WOW! Just check out how fast this thing started!!
Video: vortec_startup_best.mpg (1.3MB)
:lol: It never started this quickly before!! Wow what a RELIEF!! I was SO glad to hear that idle, it was like music to my ears. When it started so quick, I felt like all my hard work measuring TDC and degreeing the cam and setting the distributor so the rotor was pointing at #1 cylinder etc., all paid off with an instant fire like that. I didn't have to mess with anything! (I didn't even set the timing, until the next day..)Here's a video with the dump open: vortec_startup_opendump.mpg (1.3MB)
Here's an MP3 recording of the idle at the tailpipe! This cam is similar to the Comp 422 but custom for a turbo application. I had a problem getting the sound level correct, so you might need to turn it up: vortec_idle1quiet.mp3
I put that MP3 on my iPod and set it to "Repeat" and listened to it for 20 minutes straight the next day! :lol: :rotf: :silly: :screwy:
Tuning
Right away, I saw the truck wanting to go lean and stall (17:1) and I realized the Ultimate 50# H/C chip was Open Loop (kinda goofy IMO), so I quickly switched it to Closed Loop and immediately the short term's started adding fuel and saved the day, and it never stalled! Nice idle around 800 RPM. I also had to richen the chip (via the bottom cell in F77) a fair amount to improve things overall. I warmed it up to 166*F and then shut down for about 6 hours with the hood open to allow cool down (this was Comp's recommendation to break in new valve springs).
Vortec Intake Manifold Coolant Leak
I think when I pulled the lower intake to re-do the RTV, and reused the new 1203 gaskets (which were still glued to the heads), I must have damaged the gasket because I got a slight coolant leak here:
My local Syclone friend with an RPM/vortec motor has a similar leak on his in the same areas. I also had a smaller leak back near the FPR. I ended up using black RTV to seal it up when it was dry, and eventually had success but it looks kinda crappy. :roll:
Tooky
Serious about performance
First Drive!
First Drive!
Now it's still naturally aspirated at this point, but having done Datamaster Dynos on my stock motor N/A, I wanted to compare the "raw" Horsepower increase with the Vortec heads and upgraded cam. I took it out on a quiet country road and stood on it in 2nd gear, wound it right up to 5400!! :cheers: :crazyeye: :thumbsup: :rock:
(Keep in mind the Datamaster Quarter Mile Calculator has been usually (8 out of 10 times) within .1-.2 and 2-3 MPH at the dragstrip for me.)
Before, N/A: (link to original 2006 post)
As you can see, it hates RPM! This motor couldn't be more reluctant to rev past 4000.. :lol: The 17.4 @ 77 isn't very impressive either!
After Vortec Heads/Cam:
"Hell Yeah!" :cheers: I can definitely say this mod is "working"! It's cool because once it gets past 4000, you suddenly feel an obvious power increase that the stock shit never had, and it revs smooth and feels like it would keep going to 6K if you let it. I'm gonna try to keep it down near 5400 at least for now.. :myclone:
PS: I noticed my ~2700 RPM converter stalls around ~2200 RPM N/A, that information is an excersize for the reader!
First Drive!
Now it's still naturally aspirated at this point, but having done Datamaster Dynos on my stock motor N/A, I wanted to compare the "raw" Horsepower increase with the Vortec heads and upgraded cam. I took it out on a quiet country road and stood on it in 2nd gear, wound it right up to 5400!!
:cheers: :crazyeye: :thumbsup: :rock: (Keep in mind the Datamaster Quarter Mile Calculator has been usually (8 out of 10 times) within .1-.2 and 2-3 MPH at the dragstrip for me.)
Before, N/A: (link to original 2006 post)
As you can see, it hates RPM! This motor couldn't be more reluctant to rev past 4000.. :lol: The 17.4 @ 77 isn't very impressive either!
After Vortec Heads/Cam:
"Hell Yeah!" :cheers: I can definitely say this mod is "working"! It's cool because once it gets past 4000, you suddenly feel an obvious power increase that the stock shit never had, and it revs smooth and feels like it would keep going to 6K if you let it.
I'm gonna try to keep it down near 5400 at least for now.. :myclone:PS: I noticed my ~2700 RPM converter stalls around ~2200 RPM N/A, that information is an excersize for the reader!
Last edited:
Tooky
Serious about performance
1st Testing with BOOST!
1st Testing with BOOST!
Enough of that N/A bullshit... let's get to the BOOST! :lol:
I started at base (13-15 PSI) and 16* timing. I couldn't wait to see what the new powerband would feel like with boost again! Immediately, I noticed the spoolup of my PT51 has become lightning fast!! Boost starts easy, and once it hits 3-4 PSI it's at the peak in the blink of an eye! On DataMaster I found it hitting 15 PSI at 50% Throttle (TPS)!
And boy, what a change to the powerband! With the stock heads and cam, you'd step on it and the turbo would spool up and it'd really put you back in your seat and you're like "Whoa!", but once the boost peaks, that was as fast as it was going to get. That's why my boosted DM Dyno charts (around 530HP best) always took a nose dive in torque constantly (after peak boost.)
Now, you step on it and the boost peaks FAST, and then you feel it get fast "again" as the RPM soars beyond 4000!! So it's accomplished 2 of my goals: fast spoolup, yet strong top end. I'll keep this PT51 until I really max the crap out of it (which probably won't be long).
It also sounds good at WOT, not buzzy or anything dumb. I've ran it to 5400-5500 about 10-20 times already. It definitely got louder at idle and driving around, starting to get nervous about the local small town cops giving me hard looks (I got hassled for "illegal exhaust" with my old setup and that was dead quiet to begin with!)
Problems
Got a few issues with it. I had a handful of little leaks and stuff when I started it, that are mostly fixed now. But I found it's developed a terrible false knock problem again (different than the one that plagued me ~2001-2003). I'll just be cruising on the freeway at 70MPH with the cruise control on, and suddenly it will knock 2...5....10...12* knock, and then it'll sit around 8* like there's a constant noise or something setting it off.. and when I kill the gas, the knock drops to 0*. But it doesn't knock much at WOT?? (typically 0-3* with 15 PSI and 16* timing) It does "knock" enough at WOT to make it very difficult to tune right now since I can't trust all the readings.
High Boost Soon
The next thing to do is turn on the alcohol injection and start leaning it out on top end and see if any magic happens when I go >20 PSI!! :rock: :rock: PTE says the PT51 is good to 585HP and I want to see every bit of it! The dragstrip is open for about 3 more weeks yet! :lol:
1st Testing with BOOST!
Enough of that N/A bullshit... let's get to the BOOST! :lol:
I started at base (13-15 PSI) and 16* timing. I couldn't wait to see what the new powerband would feel like with boost again! Immediately, I noticed the spoolup of my PT51 has become lightning fast!! Boost starts easy, and once it hits 3-4 PSI it's at the peak in the blink of an eye! On DataMaster I found it hitting 15 PSI at 50% Throttle (TPS)!
And boy, what a change to the powerband! With the stock heads and cam, you'd step on it and the turbo would spool up and it'd really put you back in your seat and you're like "Whoa!", but once the boost peaks, that was as fast as it was going to get. That's why my boosted DM Dyno charts (around 530HP best) always took a nose dive in torque constantly (after peak boost.)
Now, you step on it and the boost peaks FAST, and then you feel it get fast "again" as the RPM soars beyond 4000!! So it's accomplished 2 of my goals: fast spoolup, yet strong top end. I'll keep this PT51 until I really max the crap out of it (which probably won't be long).
It also sounds good at WOT, not buzzy or anything dumb. I've ran it to 5400-5500 about 10-20 times already. It definitely got louder at idle and driving around, starting to get nervous about the local small town cops giving me hard looks (I got hassled for "illegal exhaust" with my old setup and that was dead quiet to begin with!)
Problems
Got a few issues with it. I had a handful of little leaks and stuff when I started it, that are mostly fixed now. But I found it's developed a terrible false knock problem again (different than the one that plagued me ~2001-2003). I'll just be cruising on the freeway at 70MPH with the cruise control on, and suddenly it will knock 2...5....10...12* knock, and then it'll sit around 8* like there's a constant noise or something setting it off.. and when I kill the gas, the knock drops to 0*. But it doesn't knock much at WOT?? (typically 0-3* with 15 PSI and 16* timing) It does "knock" enough at WOT to make it very difficult to tune right now since I can't trust all the readings.
High Boost Soon
The next thing to do is turn on the alcohol injection and start leaning it out on top end and see if any magic happens when I go >20 PSI!! :rock: :rock: PTE says the PT51 is good to 585HP and I want to see every bit of it! The dragstrip is open for about 3 more weeks yet! :lol:
![Quickstop [UK]](/data/avatars/m/5/5165.jpg?1570199786){kind=avatar}
Quickstop [UK]
Combating adversyty.
Re: Lower intake swap / Vortec head & cam install on stock bottom end
****ing AWESOME write up mate - this is a gold mine thread.
Nice one :tup:
****ing AWESOME write up mate - this is a gold mine thread.
Nice one :tup:
Quickstop [UK]
Combating adversyty.
Re: Lower intake swap / Vortec head & cam install on stock bottom end
my lower is at RPM and my shipment is almost ready to leave the docks!
Apart from the harmonic balancer bolt and the washer, what else will I need? I am intrigued by the belt tensioner being u/s.
Is that from the alternator drive belt? Why does it break? Guess I need one as well now?
my lower is at RPM and my shipment is almost ready to leave the docks!
Apart from the harmonic balancer bolt and the washer, what else will I need? I am intrigued by the belt tensioner being u/s.
Is that from the alternator drive belt? Why does it break? Guess I need one as well now?
Tooky
Serious about performance
Re: Lower intake swap / Vortec head & cam install on stock bottom end
I don't know, I wasted 2 hours trying to reassemble it and the big black spring inside to no avail, and that was after I carefully cleaned, masked, and painted the damn thing. The GM dealer said it's kind of a press fit and they come apart all the time when they repair customer's cars and they have to be replaced if that happens. So it cost me about $45 from GM.
As far as what else you'll need, I still plan to come up with a total parts/cost list, give me a few days on that.
I don't know, I wasted 2 hours trying to reassemble it and the big black spring inside to no avail, and that was after I carefully cleaned, masked, and painted the damn thing. The GM dealer said it's kind of a press fit and they come apart all the time when they repair customer's cars and they have to be replaced if that happens. So it cost me about $45 from GM.
As far as what else you'll need, I still plan to come up with a total parts/cost list, give me a few days on that.
Quickstop [UK]
Combating adversyty.
Re: Lower intake swap / Vortec head & cam install on stock bottom end
thanks mate - found me the perfect place to reassemble it when I get back from Afghanistan!!!
Any extra parts I casn order before I get started will help me so much. I haven't got the ability to pop into the parts stores like you guys can!
If there is anything that you don't need that I can use then let me know and I can paypal you as well
cheers,
Mark
thanks mate - found me the perfect place to reassemble it when I get back from Afghanistan!!!
Any extra parts I casn order before I get started will help me so much. I haven't got the ability to pop into the parts stores like you guys can!
If there is anything that you don't need that I can use then let me know and I can paypal you as well
cheers,
Mark
NecroWolf
lost marbles member
Re: Lower intake swap / Vortec head & cam install on stock bottom end
you're making me want to put vortecs on my truck, even though i have pontiacs at the house waiting. very good info on this thread, maybe i'll sell my pontiacs and single plane intake and switch to vortecs, to keep the cost down
you're making me want to put vortecs on my truck, even though i have pontiacs at the house waiting. very good info on this thread, maybe i'll sell my pontiacs and single plane intake and switch to vortecs, to keep the cost down
