Northstar rebuild: Will style (Page 50/119)
ALLTRBO JUN 19, 11:38 AM
Infinite Speed and Performance is just a few minutes from me, they have a dyno (AWD too). Call 'em up, I'll go tomorrow if you can get a spot. Heck, I'd like to know what the 1100 puts down before I sell it, too.
http://www.ispracing.com/ca...8lgr72fs2363og8gqca2

Capitol Raceway seems to be just as busy as VMP (Dinwiddie), which sucks, but Capitol is MUCH closer to me, and I hate VMP. It doesn't look like you'll get more than one run in at either place. I miss the old Thunder Valley (Oklahoma) days when I could get 9 runs in and still let the car cool between runs. Of course it's their fault that my Talon's center diff broke so I don't miss them that much.

Tomorrow I was just planning on tearing apart the 7-bolt in the '98 Talon to figure out which bearing is bad. Either way it needs a new engine so I have a small bit of time before much can happen.
Will JUN 19, 11:51 AM
Everything I've read about hard break-ins says that they need to be in the first few minutes of runtime... That means I'd have to trailer it up there.

Infinite Speed? Is that higher than Ludicrous Speed?

Oil pan's currently in the dishwasher.

Damned house gets in the way of building the car...

Want me to send my contractor over there for your shower?

AWD dyno? I could drive the Goose up and see if it cracks 100 at the ground.

[This message has been edited by Will (edited 06-19-2009).]

Will JUN 19, 02:12 PM
Oil pan is on and I'm piecing together all the little junk on the outside of the engine. *Most* of these items came off the previous engine, though, so they're not hard to find.
Will JUN 19, 03:49 PM
I spoke with AC Delco about plugs... they said that the stock is the ONLY thing that they make with that head style.

I spoke with Autolite. They said that the stock plug is the coldest they make.

I spoke with NGK. Their tech guy was able to hook me right up with exactly what I need.

Lesson: For oddball spark plugs, call NGK and don't waste your time with anybody else. They've got their act together. The tech guy was asking me about compression ratio, power adders, etc. It sounds like they have a more modular way of making plugs that allows them to put whatever guts they want in whatever head style they want.

The stock plug is a TR55GP, stock number 3403
-T is head style and thread size
-R is for resistor
-5 is for heat range
-(2nd) 5 is for extended gap (.060 stock)
-GP is for platinum

The part number the NGK tech gave me is TR6GP, stock number 5141. The 6 is the heat range and there is no extended gap option. This plug will come out of the box with ~.040 gap and can be gapped as high as .050. Even with the higher compression, the GM DIS should be able to fire .050 gap.
Carquest warehouse an hour away has them, but the local CQ won't be open tomorrow, so I'll have to run up there myself... d-oh. If I'd have taken care of this yesterday, he could have had them for me this morning.

There's also a TR7IX stock number 3690 if the 6 heat range isn't cold enough.

And the local Fisher/Federated Auto Parts can have them for me tomorrow.

[This message has been edited by Will (edited 06-19-2009).]

Will JUN 20, 12:01 AM
Dagonnit... I wanted to get it on the cradle tonight, but I got sidetracked.
tjm4fun JUN 20, 02:17 AM
life happens. sidetracking is something most all of us have to live with.
On a positive note, I'm very happy that you saw the light. acdelco doesn't even rate as lawnmower plugs, nevermind a motor that you have gone to this length with. (if not obvious: I hate acdelco plugs)
I have had nothing but good experience with ngk plugs since I switched to them about 10 years ago. This include applications from 2 stroke outboards to marine sbc's and all my cars spanning gm, nissan, dsm, mazda and toyota. they work and last a long time.
continue with the right thing for your engine, and fook those that are impatient. you are doing what you feel is the right way, and whether we disagree on some items or not, it is your project, not theirs or mine.
Will JUN 21, 08:13 AM
I got the engine off the stand last night and was cleaning up the flywheel to reinstall. I checked the length of the flywhweel bolts and 25mm is going to be just a smidge too long... Dammit, why does GM have to design things in odd sizes?
Actually, I guess I can't grouse at GM for Northstar flywheel bolts being an odd length...

Getrag ring gear bolts need to be 22mm long.

Industry lists 11mm bolts as a "do not use" size, while GM uses them for headbolts for everything.

I need to take about .100 off the flywheel bolts.
ALLTRBO JUN 21, 09:01 AM
Almost there!

I was thinking that you could break it in on the street then come here and dyno it anyway.

Contractor for the shower? YES! at this point, heh. It's very pathetic that some of my cars have to take priority over the darn SHOWER.
Last night Pat and I welded a stock muffler onto his fully built Eclipse, LOL.
Will JUN 22, 03:24 PM
Feh. I hate being stoopid.

The Northstar comes with a "reinforcement" for the flexplate hub. It's basically a .060 thick washer with the Northstar crank bolt pattern in it. In modifying the flywheel for the Northstar, approx .060 had to come off the back. No big... just drop the spacer behind the flywheel instead of in front of the flex plate. Except that I forgot it.
There's also room for washers under the bolt heads... the combo of these two factors means that I didn't have to (and in fact should not have) shortened the flywheel bolts. It also means that I have to pull the flywheel back off, add the appropriate parts and put it back together with unmolested bolts. Grrr...

Spent pretty much all of today moving, though... and realizing how screwed up I was with the flywheel.

However, I just spoke with a guy at the reserve center. They need me to report Friday morning and do admin work... but then they cut me loose for the weekend to report on Monday to some other command. Grrr... Well... I might be able to swing by Dinwiddie Friday or Saturday night. I'm thinking that I'll get The Mule running to drive down to Norfolk on Thursday.

[This message has been edited by Will (edited 06-22-2009).]

Will JUN 23, 08:32 AM
Flywheel's on the RIGHT way this time. Now I can't find the @#$%ing clutch alignment tool. May have to make a new one.

If I put two flywheel bolts next to eachother, pointing opposite directions, interlock the threads and hold the pair up to light, light gets through a small gap between the threads.

On "virgin" flywheel bolts, the gap is uniform all the way down the bolt.

On the used flywheel bolts, the gap is NOT uniform for the length of the bolt. IOW, the bolt stretch from the torque to yield spec is *visible*. Sweet.

[This message has been edited by Will (edited 06-23-2009).]