Hey you all.....Tuesday the 87 4 banger gets its tags and goes on the road. So heres my plans, and my question. I understand you can really beef up the 4 cyl "Iron Duke" engine. I also have just the guy to do the rebuild. Now all I need is the parts. I'm thinkin' forged pistons, mild cam, even a roller rocker set up. Anybody know of any kind of kit or aftermarket high performance engine parts supplier to get the things I need for a 30 year old motor?
Depends on what you call "beef up". If you are adding SBC pistons, a cam and an improved intake and exhaust you might get to 110 HP. You need to decide if that's a very good return for the dollars spent.
------------------ " THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Spintech/Hedman Exhaust, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, HP Tuners VCM Suite. "THE COLUSSUS" 87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H " ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
[This message has been edited by Dennis LaGrua (edited 05-05-2018).]
Who told me that ? Uah.....I looked it up ! Being that a 4 cyl. Fiero once paced the Indy 500, I'm sure the engine was quite " beefed up". Now I'm not looking for, or even expecting massive HP gains. I'm just looking forward to strengthing the engine best I can. I had this done to my Formula 17 years ago , and she STILL runs like the day I pulled her out of the rebuilders garage. And I drive this car hard. So, where da parts ?
Originally posted by fierofrenzy: Who told me that ? Uah.....I looked it up ! Being that a 4 cyl. Fiero once paced the Indy 500, I'm sure the engine was quite " beefed up".Now I'm not looking for, or even expecting massive HP gains. I'm just looking forward to strengthing the engine best I can. I had this done to my Formula 17 years ago , and she STILL runs like the day I pulled her out of the rebuilders garage. And I drive this car hard. So, where da parts ?
Sad you think so... Real Indy pace car was a complete race build and used a race version of 4 cyl called "Super Duty" and likely even that had mods. Not a 84-86 production engine even for the block.
Make sure engine reaches WOT when the pedal is floored. Many can't and nothing is going to help until you find a way to fix whatever causing the problem. iffy cable, pedal parts or both. See my Cave, Throttle Cable
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
If by 'beefed up' you mean a completely different engine as the SD4 was in the pace car......get your wallet out....and post pictures.....we all love it when one of those engines gets put together. You can search for Super Duty on the forum and find a lot of information.
Hey Fieroguru.... now that's what I'm talkin' about. Thanks a lot for posting those links. I can see I have a lot of searching to do. I'm not to worried about my wallet, more worried about availability of parts.
P.S. I appreciate all you guys who take the time to post links and photos to help other Fiero owners on here.
Hey Fieroguru.... now that's what I'm talkin' about. Thanks a lot for posting those links. I can see I have a lot of searching to do. I'm not to worried about my wallet, more worried about availability of parts.
P.S. I appreciate all you guys who take the time to post links and photos to help other Fiero owners on here.
A good starting point would be to state your expectations in horsepower and torque. If you start with a 90HP engine what do you wish to end up with? There was a guy many years back by the name of Ira Crummy who did a performance Duke build. His website is still up: Ira's Fiero Pages
------------------ " THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Spintech/Hedman Exhaust, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, HP Tuners VCM Suite. "THE COLUSSUS" 87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H " ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
Uah.....I looked it up ! Being that a 4 cyl. Fiero once paced the Indy 500, I'm sure the engine was quite " beefed up".
There is quite a bit of difference between the Pace Car's SD4 engine and the standard Iron Duke. Beefier block, forged internals, heads that flow 80% more air and so on. The SD4 with solid roller lifters is good for 8000rpm all day long. ("fly apart" is about 10,000rpm) Hydraulic lifters limit you to about 6500rpm when you start getting "valve float".
My 87 coupe with the 5 spd came alive when I replaced the exhaust manifold with a Hooker Tri-Y header. Only problem was that the plumbing was too close to the starter solenoid. I was changing starters every 6 months. Had it down to a 30 minute change. But I kept up with stock GTs. I was very happy with the improved response.
Good luck finding a Hooker Tri-Y header. I was lucky to find the one I got.
Then how about porting out the stock manifold. I had this done to my Formula, and had the welds strengthened. Breathes much better, especially at high RPM.
There is / was a header on ebay just a few days back. I'm not sure who the manufacturer was. the seller wanted $170 for it. I question weather it was worth it. Kinda feel it is, considering how rare it is.
My 87 coupe with the 5 spd came alive when I replaced the exhaust manifold with a Hooker Tri-Y header. Only problem was that the plumbing was too close to the starter solenoid. I was changing starters every 6 months. Had it down to a 30 minute change. But I kept up with stock GTs. I was very happy with the improved response.
Good luck finding a Hooker Tri-Y header. I was lucky to find the one I got.
I had one built for my SD4 (exhaust ports on SD4 head are different).
What it looks like for those who don't know about the Tri-Y (4-into-2-into1) arrangement - NOT my engine.
------------------ My World of Wheels Winners (Click on links below)
Originally posted by fierofrenzy: There is / was a header on ebay just a few days back. I'm not sure who the manufacturer was. the seller wanted $170 for it. I question weather it was worth it. Kinda feel it is, considering how rare it is.
If the alternative is to pay someone (such as WCF, or your favorite tuning shop) to take a bunch of mandrel bends and weld them together into an exhaust manifold... anything you can buy pre-made will be more economical.
[This message has been edited by pmbrunelle (edited 05-14-2018).]