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#21
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Andrew - that is an option with the Holley, though $2,500+ is pretty steep! I have not committed to a management setup yet. I would like to hear more from you on this.
The Hooker manifolds work very well - only thing that could be better is if they allowed the clutch Z-bar to work. Lotsa room! |
#22
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The L84 is machined for a manual, something I am told earlier 5.3's are not.
The TKX supposedly the same input dimensions as Muncies, Saginaws, ST-10's and the rest. First thing off the bell housing did not completely engage, leaving a 0.050" gap at the top. Mnnh. Removing the housing showed the some bolt heads were impacting. Not good. I would have expected Lakewood or Holley to catch an error like this. A minute of the Bridgeport fixed the issue. Next up the starter ring gear was too close for comfort - the mill was once again called into service. Next up will be mounting the flywheel and checking bell housing runout and clearance. |
#23
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Starting to disassemble the motor to replace the cam and remove the Active Fuel Management lifters and solenoids. To do this the heads have to come off, and you cannot reuse the head bolts either.
This motor, even though new, must have been test run as the fuel lines still held pressure and the spark plugs were a bit soiled. The rocker arms have roller bearing trunnions and are works of art. The arrow shows this weird-ass head bolt that for some reason has a socket head. It is 13mm - I am sure most people walk around with a 13mm Allen socket in their pocket. I had to cut the top off of a chisel that had a 1/2 hex body (12.7mm) and use it with a 13mm socket - worked well. These head bolts are not torqued that much... I pulled the heads with the injectors still attached, not sure why others remove them. I will need to swap out the springs for LS7 units. Under the intake is the high pressure piping for the injectors, the booster pump is at the back which is driven by a rounded triangular lobe on the cam. Removing the piping and valley cover reveal the AFM solenoids and wiring - all that comes out and the 'noids are replaced with machined plugs. These solenoids control oil flow to the lifters; activating or deactivating them. There is also a round hole in the cover for the round wiring connector in the front - that needs plugging too. The pistons are quite convoluted - seems GM spent a lot of Cray time calculating flame travel and the like. With the power these put out it seems their homework paid off. |
#24
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Cool stuff. Thanks for posting!
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#25
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Have you thought about using a hydraulic clutch throwout? I put on on my '55 Chevy made by RAM Clutches and it worked great.
I used a Wilwood master cylinder kit for it that I got from American Power Train.
__________________
'69 GTO Convertible - Acquired October 2020. An all original project car. Restomod is underway PROJECT THREAD '83 Chevy Choo Choo SS El Camino - LT1 350/4L60e, Owned for 30 Years, completed 2nd restomod in 2018 PHOTO 2019 BMW 440ix - Twin turbo I6, 8spd auto. PHOTO '55 Chevy Bel Air Sport Coupe - Ram Jet 350 / T56 Magnum 6spd, Restomod Completed Sept. 2012, Sold Sept. 2021 PHOTO |
#26
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Yes, that is what I am using. The flywheel is made by Ram as are the clutch and pressure plate.
I had good luck with the Wilwood master and Howe throw out bearing in the Trans Am so will do that. The mechanical linkage worked very well so was trying to work with it. |
#27
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What size are the exits on all the exhausts you have tried?
__________________
Skip Fix 1978 Trans Am original owner 10.99 @ 124 pump gas 455 E heads, NO Bird ever! 1981 Black SE Trans Am stockish 6X 400ci, turbo 301 on a stand 1965 GTO 4 barrel 3 speed project 2004 GTO Pulse Red stock motor computer tune 13.43@103.4 1964 Impala SS 409/470ci 600 HP stroker project 1979 Camaro IAII Edelbrock head 500" 695 HP 10.33@132 3595lbs |
#28
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Quote:
Hydraulic? |
#29
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OG: hydraulic, no choice.
Skip: the Hooker manifolds are 2-1/2" outlet, the LT1's 2-1/4 ish. More than enough for a 324 cubic inch motor. I do not plan on running a cross-over or X-pipe. |
#30
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Time to change the cam. This is the spec for the old cam:
193/199 .502"/.494" 114LSA nice cam, for a truck. This is what I stuffed in: 200/207 .551"/.524" 116.5LSA If I need to change the cam I am not going to run the same truck specs. The timing gear is integral with the variable valve train (VTEC, yo...). I see no reason to change that. It has this bolt assembly that moves the timing hydraulically. It is actuated by a solenoid in the timing cover. The VVT gear bolt is 14mm-1.5. I found a truck stud the same size (Dorman 610-333) from a 1988-2000 C3500 and welded it to a piece of tubing - make a nice cam install tool. The cam bearings seem tighter than Pontiac cam bearings. The 2019 and later engines have an improved oil pump with locating pins; evidently earlier units if not installed correctly would result in pressure failure did not have these pins and required guides to relocate the pump. The lifter activation solenoids are replaced by these little buggers, blocking off the oil ports. |
The Following User Says Thank You to Scarebird For This Useful Post: | ||
#31
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...a Tale of Two Oil pans
This is the Holley swap pan. It is specific to Gen V engines.
It is a nice piece - for $400 it should be. The O-ring on the left goes down thru a little tunnel then a welded steel pickup pipe. As you note it also has a nice baffle. This is the Holley pan compared to the stock truck unit. About 3-4" difference in depth, and the sump is narrower - Holley made this as small as can be. |
#32
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Quote:
https://sdparts.com/i-24120754-sdpc-...SABEgI2WvD_BwE |
#33
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His GenV is a whole different beast than your Gen3 5.3. That said, the cam you listed would be a really good upgrade to wake up a 5.3 without comprimising too much down low. Lift numbers are high enough to effectively utilize the flow potential of stock cathedrals and even a cheap PAC 1218 spring would be able to accommodate. What are you putting it in, trans, converter, gears?
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#34
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GM to me is rather tame on the cams - I felt 7 degree increase would be a mild step, especially since the intake runners are so long.
It is the same cam as the base 6.2 Camaro/Corvette 2019 and 2020. |
#35
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Quote:
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#36
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Are you running the TH400 with the 5.3?
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#37
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Yes. I put an Ultra-Bell on it. I will go stick shift later. I have the Muncie, console, etc. Most likely get a 5 or 6 speed though. Although 4-speed isn't that bad with 3.23's.
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#38
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That would be a nice combo.
In order to run the LT1 cam you need to change the valve springs - not sure why... Current wisdom is to run the LS7 springs. I picked up a set from Summit; they come with shims, keepers and whatever those top things are called. Changing them I tried to use a lever setup - pain in the ass. Then it dawned on me I have a perfectly good hydraulic press, so I made a wee fixture with a washer and scrap steel: worked perfectly. Needed to shim up the head with scrap wood as the valves are at an angle. Note how the valves are splayed - it is not due to the lens here, they lean about 5 degrees each way. Once this was done the heads went on to the block. The bolts are torque-to-yield - they use a different sort of spec. You tighten to 59 ft-lbs then a quarter turn then 40 degrees. I used my torque wrench and it usually clicked at 105 when the final turn was done so I know it is in the ballpark. I hope I was supposed to put a bit of fastener lubricant under the bolt head! |
The Following User Says Thank You to Scarebird For This Useful Post: | ||
#39
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Ready to go minus pilot and clutch.
Pretty severe angle! Shifter sticking thru, though needs to be offset. Will need to lower tail and remove shifter, then jiggle around to best position and fab engine mount brackets. |
#40
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OOPS, I cannot see your pictures in your last post.
Even from the links in my email. Last edited by Old Goat 67; 03-19-2022 at 04:09 AM. |
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