Originally posted by qwikgta: Stop spending money on the 2.8, and get that LS4 swapped already.
Rob
Haha. I am. I don't plan on fixing the head gasket. I've got everything I need for reassembling the short block (except for a ring compressor), and will start getting all the other top end parts, and Vette oil pan bits soon to be able to get the whole engine back together.
Had a short pondering of using a 4.8L crank to bring the LS4 down to a 4.8, dropping the torque, and allowing it to rev a little higher. The 4.8 has longer rods though, so they'd have to be swapped, as well as having the crank shortened on the snout and flange to match the LS4 crank length. Since I don't want to take the piston/rod assemblies apart and replace them, I won't bother with the 4.8 crank, though it would have been fun. I should still be able to keep the torque curve in a good range for the F40 though, and avoid spnning the tires too much.
[This message has been edited by dobey (edited 03-14-2017).]
Well, We have gotten the heads milled, 3 angle valve job, and the crankshaft polished. Unfortunately, that's the only real progress. Did some cleaning in the garage today, and discovered that apparently a few mice managed to get into the exhaust and make a nest somewhere within the driver side exit of the muffler. Yet another reason We need to get this LS4 swap running.
Looks like it will be a bit pricey to repair. About $300 for a stainless line kit. It looks like this is a common failure on 99+ GM trucks too. So, I filed a complaint on the NHTSA site. Hopefully some recalls and reimbursement will happen soon. And it would be nice if stainless brake/fuel lines became a minimum requirement under the Federal regulations. Need to check my fuel lines for corrosion when I get under the trunk too, as they seem to also have corrosion problems.
Ouch...... I have a 2000 Silverado with 270K on it. I think I might check out my brake lines this week.
I worked at a chevy dealership and did a lot of brake line jobs on the sliverados. There should be a recall on them. They lied to you if they told you they had to take the body off. You could take the bed off to make it easer, but it is not needed. It was about an 8 hour job to do all of the lines and do them right. did alot of the tailgate trap recalls and the steering shaft recalls on the silverados, I can do them in my sleep now. Thanks
Nothing new really, but revisiting the possibility of dropping the displacement of the LS4 down to 4.8L. Doing so should make the engine a bit better match with the F40-MT2 trans.
I thought the standard GEN IV and LS4 cranks differed in the dimensions of the output flanges. Wouldnt that make the switch to the 4.8l crank a bit more invlovled than just swapping parts?
Bit the bullet and decided to go with a 4.8 LS4. Nabbed a short block that is claimed to "look almost new, internally." Just waiting for the quote on shipping so I can pay for it, and should be picking it up at the terminal sometime next week. Will be using the internals only, then selling off the block and the LS4 crank/rods/pistons. Since the 4.8 has the same bore, but shorter stroke and longer rods, it's cheaper/easier to just buy the short block, and swap the internals.
If I can get my garage cleaned up again, and manage to take some holiday time during a week when it's not insanely hot, and not raining all the time, I should be able to get the engine cleaned up, and the LS4 re-assembled with the 4.8 internals in the next couple of months.
Get the block sleeved to 4.125 and have a short stroke 5.7
I thought the standard GEN IV and LS4 cranks differed in the dimensions of the output flanges. Wouldnt that make the switch to the 4.8l crank a bit more invlovled than just swapping parts?
No. The crank is the same, but with 3mm shaved off the flange end, and 10mm shaved off the snout. Everything else between the LS4 crank and a standard 5.3 crank is exactly the same. It's just simple machine work to get the crank the same length as the LS4 crank.
Well, it's starting to warm back up again out here, so hopefully can get back into doing this in a couple weeks. Turned my Cruze Eco back in, as the lease ended, so one less car to worry about as well. Have the 4.8 sitting in the garage, still needing to be torn down, so I can clean the parts, and do any machining to the crank that needs done to fit the LS4 better. Bruised a rib recently, but expect it to be healed up soon as well. Once that's healed, I can start getting my yard cleaned up, then get the garage cleaned up a bit and better organized, and start stripping the car down, draining fluids, and getting the LS4 built back up.
Originally posted by dobey: Similar issues with the water pumps, as the Ecotec3 truck pumps are basically the perfect design for a Fiero; but the cooling ports are just ever so slightly different, so it won't work either.
You can see from the pictures on the page that the water pump hangs off to the driver side (which in the Fiero would be toward the firewall). It would be easy enough to make a different thermostat housing (that bolts onto the top of the pump), which points the port off to the driver side in the Fiero, and includes a fill cap.
However, the holes don't line up with the Gen 3/4 blocks, and the Gen 5 block has the rectangular ports turned 90 degrees:
The same pump is used on all truck engines from 4.3L to 6.2L:
The car version also uses an offset pump, but its right where the strut tower is:
quote
Originally posted by fieroguru: They will physically bolt to the block, but the ports are wrong. The top hole is still round, but its a different diameter and offset (not the issue). The bottom one is rectangular on both engines, but the rectangle is 90 degree from each other, so there are areas of the ports that won't seal up with a normal gasket. The other issue is the "inside" of the belt is 4 5/8" from the block vs. the LS4's about 1 1/2"... so a shimmed LS4 pump to clear VVT will still have the belt closer to the engine than this pump.
The overall protrusion of the water pump will be the challenge if you want to install it w/o a frame notch. The dimensions referenced above are the inside of belt dimensions and the belt is 1" wider and the pulleys another 1/4" or so. Here is about how much room you have available with the LS4/F40 combo:
Actually, that Corvette pump looks like it would be about perfect, if it just hung off to the other side of the engine instead. The truck pump sticks out further and uses the larger portion of the balancer, while the Vette LT1 is a single belt for everything, and is closer to the engine.
I'm tempted to just design and cut a custom billet pump at this point.
No, I'm not spending $5000 for all the work and parts to sleeve it to 4.125. Having it be a 4.8 with ~10.5 compression ratio will suit my needs just fine. If I was building a race worthy engine, or wanting to boost, perhaps.
The overall protrusion of the water pump will be the challenge if you want to install it w/o a frame notch. The dimensions referenced above are the inside of belt dimensions and the belt is 1" wider and the pulleys another 1/4" or so. Here is about how much room you have available with the LS4/F40 combo:
Looks like the A/C compressor would have to move for a Fiero installation anyway. It doesn't look like the alternator is high enough to interfere with the decklid. Moving the A/C compressor to the lower left side of the engine, a swap to the car crank pulley and a custom waterpump pulley *might* be all it takes to make the truck waterpump work in a Fiero.
Everyone drop your LS4 swaps and work on LT1 swaps.
[This message has been edited by Will (edited 07-25-2014).]
