I know I've been absent from JBO for a long time now.. figured I'd let you all know what I've been up to. Found all my coolant in the oil:
http://instagram.com/p/zD7fLEB2VZ/
I was in the process (2 years now.. I'm slow LOL) of converting the wiring from the 2000 Buick Park Avenue Ultra from the initial L67 swap, over to 2004 Monte Carlo SS wiring (specifically.. for the gauges!). Also to alleviate some of the issues I've always had with stuff not working (ABS, airbags, cruise control, to name a few). The Buick is too different than the Cavalier for the electronics to run properly... the Monte is much closer. 2 doors, no yaw control in the steering column, Passlock vs Passkey 3, etc.
I noticed all the coolant had drained itself out of the recovery tank.. small external leak at the back on the block between 4 & 6.. but not enough to explain the tank empty. Then I pulled the dipstick.. overfilled, and milky. Pulled the valve covers, and the peanut butter in the top of the rockers, and at the top corners of the covers... oh boy. Plus a crack and piece missing inside #3 head. Oops.
Looking for a Series 3 short block.. or heads and I will rebuild this block... will finally go with the cam & Gen V blower swap when it's done.
Sigh.
instagram.com/p/zD7l1YB2Vr/
Pics no worky new guy . . . photobucket FTW
Sucks about the broke 3800 . . maybe hit up mongorat on CSS and see if he has any short blocks.
New guy? LOL. I've been here since 2000... but I found myself with no web host, so I tried Instagram. Turns out you have to be friends with me
D'oh!
I'm in Vancouver, BC.. If I can find a SIII at a wrecker it'll be cheap.. the problem is, finding one!! Don't really want to ship one or I'd go with Morad.
John Lenko wrote:New guy? LOL. I've been here since 2000... but I found myself with no web host, so I tried Instagram. Turns out you have to be friends with me D'oh!
I'm in Vancouver, BC.. If I can find a SIII at a wrecker it'll be cheap.. the problem is, finding one!! Don't really want to ship one or I'd go with Morad.
I know who you are I was just pokin' a stick at ya! Didn't we meet at the Monterey pre-meet in 01?
Lenko!!!
Sucks to hear, but makes time for upgrades.
FU Tuning
Damnit I'm getting old. Brain doesn't work so well anymore. Wasn't the Monteray meet in 02? That was the one year I couldn't get time off for the bash, so went to the pre-meet instead in CA.
I also forgot to subscribe to the thread
So I couldn't find a Series 3 locally. With one of the heads being cracked, I grabbed a set of Series 3 heads off a 3800 N/A.. so I need to get the bosses machined for the injectors (N/A has them in the manifold.. S/C in the heads). I'll now have 0.03" larger valves and better castings to start with. Will port them before I put them on... but I'm torn..
1. I stick new heads on, slap on the Gen V blower, ported exhaust manifolds (basically the main parts I have had sitting around for a long time waiting to go on) and put it back together as is... don't pull motor, just run a bunch of new oil oil through, dump, repeat.. until it's clean. And pray for the best.. or
2. Go all out.. will take me a lot longer of course. Find a more aggressive cam, see if a Gen V intercooler will even fit under the hood, etc.. Either take the time to find a S3 bottom end or pull this one out entirely and build it right up. But that means next year... not this summer.
Or even 3. do #1 for now.. and find a S3 block to start building up. Then swap it when it blows.. or I get bored. Who knows.. the 3800 could run forever.
Lenko, glad to see your still around man.
In the summer of 2016 we are planning a bash again. Just a heads up. You should come to Ohio again.
PRND321 Till I DIE
Old Motor: 160whp & 152ft/lbs, 1/4 Mile 15.4 @88.2
M45 + LD9 + 4T40-E, GO GO GO
I like options 1 or 3, but I vote to try an intercooler with all 3 options.
Sub'd for updates.
"In Oldskool we trust"
I'm gonna have to slap the heads and blower on and see how much room I have between the top of the blower and the hood. I don't really think I have enough room for an intercooler, though I would love to go that route.
I'm having a difficult time finding anyone locally who can machine the injector bosses in these heads. So it may be a no-go. I might do a port 'n polish on them then flip them for $$$, and keep trying to find that elusive Series III motor locally. I haven't pulled the engine out of the car yet.. but the top end is all off. I am extremely skeptical on getting this thing to last a long time without tearing it down........ though it is impeccably clean aside from the gravy in it. Almost no carbon buildup..
I only paid $40 for the Series III N/A heads.. so I'm not out much.. yet. I have all the gasket sets, head studs, misc crap ordered now.. should be coming this week. But still no heads to really work with yet.
yeah I think I would try to flip them.
Have you checked into someone in the j world seeing if they can do the machine work for you and be cost effective?
FU Tuning
Long time no see....sorry to see the bad news but glad your still at it. I learned alot from your posts over the years.
Ha.. damn, well... I went looking a little further from home and may have found an 04 Grand Prix GTP with a partial motor. Someone snagged the blower already, but no worries as I already have a Gen V in my garage. It's otherwise complete. Just have to go get it...
Now what to do!!
Ok, so I returned the L26 heads. I picked up the L32 long block. Tore it down.. and it's gonna need a rebuild as it is, so I'm gonna try and find some go-fast parts to hop it up for cheap as I slowly rebuild it.
Turns out the car I pulled the L32 from was an 04 Grand Prix GTP with the Comp G package... and I didn't figure it out til afterwards. Wish I'd grabbed the trans now!!! Oh well... win some, lose others.
Glad to see you back in the JBO and J-body saddle again John. I know I missed your thrusting and modding shenanigans.
You gotta get it up and going again and bring the vert down for a Seattle show or race again, and I'll head over from MT, re-live the old glory days of JBNW meets and Candian air matress dogpiles.
John Lenko wrote:Ok, so I returned the L26 heads. I picked up the L32 long block. Tore it down.. and it's gonna need a rebuild as it is, so I'm gonna try and find some go-fast parts to hop it up for cheap as I slowly rebuild it.
Turns out the car I pulled the L32 from was an 04 Grand Prix GTP with the Comp G package... and I didn't figure it out til afterwards. Wish I'd grabbed the trans now!!! Oh well... win some, lose others.
John, long time, PM me, I may be selling my 3800 Sunfire for parts. (I blew up my diff last year chasing 11's lol) I may be selling engine as a whole, it is a 08 L36 (non sc) with a intercooled genv, made 383whp/380tq.
My GTO kinda looks like a gran prix.... can I (maybe Brian?) come too?
Stock LS7 days four years ago...
'02 Z-24 Supercharged
13.7 @102.45 MPH Third Place, 2007 GMSC Bash SOLD AS OF 01MAR08
I'm in the middle of a L67/F23 swap myself, hoping it will be done by next year!
Slow and painful update
but the car is running!! As of a few weeks ago....
I ended up rebuilding my existing L67 and replaced both heads. Port & polish, new valves, etc. Put it back in the car and continued on the Monte Carlo rewire. Got it started and now I'm finishing up the body wiring as I have hit a few snags along the way, plus I haven't been devoting much time to it until recently. The nice weather has spurred my interest, I'd like to drive my now-mid-life-crisis-mobile this summer.
I ended up with the Gen 5 blower on there, with ZZP modular pulley system, plus LQ4 MAF and Northstar TB. I don't appear to have enough room for an intercooler unless I want to modify the hood somehow. With the paint all finished it wasn't really in the plans, but who knows in the future.
John Lenko wrote:Slow and painful update but the car is running!! As of a few weeks ago....
I ended up rebuilding my existing L67 and replaced both heads. Port & polish, new valves, etc. Put it back in the car and continued on the Monte Carlo rewire. Got it started and now I'm finishing up the body wiring as I have hit a few snags along the way, plus I haven't been devoting much time to it until recently. The nice weather has spurred my interest, I'd like to drive my now-mid-life-crisis-mobile this summer.
I ended up with the Gen 5 blower on there, with ZZP modular pulley system, plus LQ4 MAF and Northstar TB. I don't appear to have enough room for an intercooler unless I want to modify the hood somehow. With the paint all finished it wasn't really in the plans, but who knows in the future.
Great to hear!!
I wish you were coming to the Bash.
FU Tuning
