Just a little more for today,
I got the itch to test out my suspension links, and the custom axle cups. Mainly to verify the depth of the tripod assembly.
I built my axle cups a long time ago but here they are as I was making them




So it is an EMPI aftermarket axle for a Chevy Equinox that was the donor for the stub shaft, and I machined a stock manual Fiero cup to press onto it, then welded it in place. On the one, I had to add a sleeve to extend the sealing surface to mate with the seal.

That was 4 years ago.

Today I wanted to test fitment. My drivers side axle shaft is from a 90 something, probably 93, Corsica with a 4T60. I knew it would have a beefy short axle shaft. the outer CV is the original to the Fiero. The passenger side has the same treatment, but it just uses a stock manual Fiero axle shaft and outer CV, with the custom axle cup. The passenger side cup didn't need to be tested, because it's in the stock location almost perfectly, but I needed to test the drivers side because the axle line has shifted forward for the G6 transmission. It's substantially closer to the crank itself then it was on the Getrag, and the axle cup is further out on the drivers side as well, and the angularity on a shorter axle can spell disaster if it is not considered.

The links look good!
I did wind up drilling out 1/2" nuts to turn them into spacers. They fit absolutely perfect!



All the zerk fittings are pointing downwards except for the rear inboard, they can all be greased easily. Also, there are seals on either side of each rod end. the seals will allow pressurized grease to escape, but should prevent any dirt from getting in. I hope this combination will provide exceptional life span on these rod eyes!

And for the axle test,
All the way up to the bump stop.


About mid-travel.


Free hanging was fine as well.

So now I know I don't have to worry about the axles. That's another check mark on my to-do list.

[This message has been edited by Fierobsessed (edited 08-26-2013).]

It's been a long time since I've had any updates. Life is busy! But I'm back at it again.

After a little axle testing, and building that bracket, It was once again time to remove the engine. This should be the last time it comes out! I promise!

It's time to install the flywheel and clutch. As per instruction, I put Loctite on the bolt threads, and a grease just under the bolt heads to aid in getting the correct bolt torque. Done. Note, that I decided to use grade 8 studs in place of bolts to hold the pressure plate. I was finding that the cast iron threads in the flywheel tend to gall. There is only one solution to keeping that problem at bay. They were loctited in, as well.


Next I had to bolt up the pressure plate and center the disc. And that is done! hopefully this is the last time I will need to see the clutch for a long time.


With the clutch being bolted in, I slipped the engine back into place and mated it up with the transmission. It all went very smoothly. Then I decided to build the axles. But since these axles have 240K on them, I figured it would be a good idea to disassemble and thoroughly check them over. I'm glad I did, because I found some damage to the outer star on one axle. No worries, I had a donor axle to pull another star from.


I cleaned, greased and assembled the axles, new boots, new clamps.


And, installed! I also painted everything before assembly, It's nice to see it done.

You can see that the F40 actually has its axle holes closer to the crankshaft then the Getrag. The 3 shaft design pulled the differential closer. So this axle will always be a little out of alignment, and will probably not last quite as long as it should. But that's just how it has to be.

I had one more little welding task on the crossover. I needed to add a 8AN stainless fitting to the crossover to connect the EGR to. No problem. Drill a 3/4" hole, and weld away!


Installed.


When I purchased this 12" Gas line, It was painted yellow. I stripped the paint off using paint stripper. I accidently destroyed one when I attempted to use the wire wheel and sand blaster on it. Apparently, it was a little too powerful and I poked through. But the paint stripper did a perfect job.


Hoping to cut down on unnecessary heat in the engine bay, I began wrapping the exhaust with the Lava rock header wrap. This should keep me from cooking the wiring and the compressor housing on the turbo, since the pipes pass kind of close to the compressor. It would suck to heat that up too much.


So I'm back on track and will be working on it almost daily. Soon I hope... Soon!

[This message has been edited by Fierobsessed (edited 09-19-2013).]