LS4 / F40 swap - fieroguru (Page 127/216)
fieroguru AUG 27, 08:48 PM
Out with the old and in with the new:


The 3.09 final drive transmission is now bolted to the LS4, but I still have a lot of things to hook back up. I am hoping to have the car back running after work on Monday or Tuesday. One of the things I have to address is the DS tripod doesn't want to come out of the old transmission. I have known about this issue since the initial install, but never really needed to fix it... until now.

I am going to split the case, remove all the ring gear bolts, then I can separate the rear differential (it is 2 parts). Then I should have direct access to the tripod snap ring and can compress it enough to let the tripod come out.

[This message has been edited by fieroguru (edited 08-27-2017).]

fieroguru AUG 29, 09:18 PM
The LS4/F40 Fiero is back up and running and so far I am liking the 3.09 final drive. 1st gear is much nicer and I can still cruise at 55 mph at 1480 rpm in 6th gear. Probably won't be able to use 6th much lower (I used to cruise in 6th in town at 40 mph). I still need to align the car, change the speedo values in the tune, drive it a lot more, and get it on the interstate for some fuel economy numbers.

While the cradle was out, I took the time to bend some 3/16" wire to the shape of the truck panels as well as the shape of the frame rails on both sides. I still need to transfer these wires to another bracket so the bar won't be in the way. Then I can play around some more with the turbo placement some more.



fieroguru SEP 10, 09:04 PM
Been playing around with turbo mockup. Not sure if this is where it will end up as it would require relocating the sway bar, and could potentially be in the way for the AWD transfer case too... It is a snug fit but doesn't require any trunk mods.



I am also torn on the exhaust manifolds. I think before it is all said and done, I will have nearly every LS(x) manifold here. I already have LS4, LS7, truck, and just added LS1 C5 and have the LS6 C5 manifolds on their way. The LS1 C5 manifold is shown below. If I use it, I will cut it off above the O2 sensor bung and have it dump to the bottom.


Here is a sample off the other C5 exhaust manifold. They are cast, have factory heat shields, and are supposed to have smaller primaries that should help spool.
fieroguru OCT 08, 05:47 PM
During the past month, I decided to get my 6000 lb scissor lift out of storage and cannibalize the parts from my smaller scissor lift on wheels to get the larger one operational.

Here is the small scissor lift - I haven't used it in 10+ years...
The pump and hydraulics are in the base and it has a 110v plug in and control pendent. These are the parts that will be transferred to the larger scissor lift.



The larger scissor lift is about 44" x 64", is rated for 6000 lbs, has a 7" height in the lowered position and 50" lift height. I have had it around 7+ years and the plan was to recess it in the floor when I build a garage and use it for engine swaps on Fieros. I am not ready to recess it in the floor, but I would like to be able to use it. For it to be useful, it needs to be portable, needs some safety locks, and needs to have a pump and controls.

To make it portable, I welded some large nuts on the side of the frame and installed some wheels (used front wheels from a stand up fork truck). When installed, they raise the scissor lift about 1" off the floor. Remove the bolt/axle and the wheels come off and the base can rest on the floor:



To raise the other end, I welded in a 1 1/4" hitch receiver and will use my floor jack to lift it and steer it.


For the safety locks I decided to use pins in the lower base. The 1/2" holes are spaced 1" apart and I welded a reinforcing plate on both sides to better support the lock pins.


To make the scissor lift function, I needed to move the pump and controls from the smaller scissor lift to the larger one. First it needed a plate installed in the base to support the pump and tank:


I never liked the power cord hanging out the side of the small scissor lift, so I welded a box to the outside of the frame and welded a metal male plug end to the box. This will allow easy connection to an extension cord, while protecting the plug with the metal box. Additionally, I never liked the 15'+ of the pendent cord that was always in the way. So I wanted the pendent mounted on the bottom side of the platform so everything was self-contained. Lastly, the oil tank on the small scissor lift was too small, so I fabbed up a new one. Here is everything packaged tightly in the available space:


Here is the pendent mounted under the platform:


The scissor lift is now in the stored position under my metal work table (I had to move it from the 2 car bay to this bay, and it rolls pretty well). It is still super heavy, but manageable. You can also see the metal box protecting the power plug as well as the section of pipe I used to get the wires from the motor to the pendent


So now I am ready to pull the LS4/F40 swap for some upgrades this winter. Just have to wait until the weather gets bad and I can't drive the car to start the work.

fieroguru JAN 01, 08:47 PM
Aside from the 3.09 final drive swap, I didn't do much to the LS4/F40 Fiero besides drive it. The swap has 44K miles on it now. I did start collecting a spare set of panels and start sanding them so I can get the car painted some day...

2017 was more about increasing my tool inventory and capability.
  • Added DRO to the Lathe
  • Added a couple of heat exchangers to the compressor and hard plumbed air to a few locations in the garage
  • Made an engine support bar to swap out transmissions while keeping the engine in place
  • Made the large scissor lift portable and made it functional
  • Made a Pontiac Accessory Bag tool kit
  • Added a vertical mounting plate to the mill
  • Added an oil misting setup to the mill - but didn't like it so I am still using a squirt bottle
  • Picked up an Alpha-TIG 200X for welding aluminum and stainless - swapped the short power cord for 12' 10ga one and installed the proper plug for my 220V outlets.
  • Picked up a 50K BTU kerosene/diesel heater... now I can wear a t-shirt in the garage when it is -10 degrees outside.


Here are some pictures for the items I haven't posted about earlier:


[This message has been edited by fieroguru (edited 01-02-2018).]

Rickady88GT JAN 02, 12:10 PM
Sorry if you posted the information already,I did not see it,.......but did you do a spread sheet of gear ratios and what exactly is your (for your project) ideal ratio?
With the potentially available final gear ratios, RPM and MPH in each gear.
I have seen such spread sheets for other cars, but not for this engine, trans and car combination. Our Fieros have characteristics that others do not. Weight, weight distribution, tire diameter and width, wheel base and length for example.
Thanks for ll yourtime, VERY cool stuff and innovative.
FieroWannaBe JAN 02, 03:01 PM
I have some of that info. But I cant post the images. I can email them.
Rickady88GT JAN 02, 04:00 PM

quote
Originally posted by FieroWannaBe:

I have some of that info. But I cant post the images. I can email them.



I don't post pictures either.
I tried to download PIP to my Android phone, but does not work or I did it wrong.
fieroguru JAN 02, 04:35 PM
Here are some of the individual gear ratios and final drives.



I have a spreadsheet that I keep for all the transmission details, but I only entered the ones I was interested in and only for my tire diameter (which will change MPH & RPM)

[This message has been edited by fieroguru (edited 01-02-2018).]

fieroguru JAN 02, 05:03 PM
Here are the gear ratios in my hybrid F40:
code:
Transmission			1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	FD
MT2 GM 2006 G6 w/ 3.09 Final	3.77	2.04	1.32	0.95	0.76	0.62	3.09


My car has 24.9" tires (285/30/18) and a 7000 rpm power band (rev limited set at 7200 rpm), these are the theoretical top speeds in each gear:
code:

RPM	Gear	Max MPH
7000	1st	44.49
7000	2nd	82.22
7000	3rd	127.07
7000	4th	176.56
7000	5th	220.69
7000	6th	270.53



For highway cruising, these are the RPMs in 5th and 6th at a few set speeds:
code:

MPH	Gear	RPM
60	5th	1903
70	5th	2220
80	5th	2537
60	6th	1553
70	6th	1811
80	6th	2070