fiero308 Buildup thread (LOTS OF PIX!!!! ; ))

[FieroBUZZ]

Hey, that guy in the mirror is a good listener.  I wish he'd put some clothes on tho!

We're watching....... That should make you feel better Graeme.   

Now you're talking motor in and wheels on, I'm getting nervous.

[fiero308]

Gary, oh master of the angle grinder.........
I HATE grinding so much it is putting me off the work I have to do now (grind-testfit-grind-testfit etc etc )

maybe we can work a deal? Like you grind and I help you do almost anything else?
huh? huh? whaddya say?

Don; sounds interesting on the house deal; then you can clean the cylinder heads in your OWN kitchen sink and do heat tempering in your OWN oven and fun stuff like that!

and since someone is watching I will make every effort to list mistakes and oversights in the hopes that it keeps someone else from making them. That is what these things are made for. That and mudders, I guess.  If there are special requests dont hesitate to ask for more info, pix or details and i'll do my best.

thx for responding!  The echo isn't quite so loud now......
 

[fiero308]

well got my second 3.4 dohc engine, 5 spd and ECM package and wiring harness over the wknd.  Had fun with "Strengths of Materials 0101".........

The main point learned is that you shouldn''t try to pick up a 1200 lb object with an 800lb-capable hoist..........

Sheared a 1/2" grade 8 bolt  ::)right thru its mounting bracket. Fortunately I didn't have the whole load on it at that point so the thing only dropped a tiny bit back onto the wood in the back of the pickup.  Nice, SPRUNG, receiver........

So I took the Harley Davidson School of Engineering approach to it. I made the bracket 4 times bigger. Then, just to make life simpler, I stripped the load a bit.  They gave me the ENTIRE front cradle ass'y: engine, trans, cradle, control arms, struts, wheels, brakes, steering, ECM, wiring harness etc. It only took them about 10 minutes.  So I took off the struts, wheel ass'ys and control arms. Almost 200 lbs I would guess. It has already gone for scrap.

Amazing what you can do with a front end loader and a big torch......

Environmental concerns? huh? Safety? huh? what.....ME wear safety glasses (or even SUNglasses?!?!?) when I am using a BIG cutting torch? Why?
every imaginable fluid all over the ground....... gas spraying in the guys eyes when he takes the bolt cutter to everything.....including the fuel lines. Ooops... gimme a minute, fellas.........

But it is here and so that is the weekends work done. Back at the ranch; I am getting my front wheels 'trimmed' slightly. When I mocked up the front brake and caliper assy's (final time around) to figure out the new caliper mounting brackets I got a bit of interference with the very inner spoke "V" of the wheel and the edge of the caliper. So I am getting just my front wheels trimmed 'a tad'. Front and back are slightly different for offset, so I  won't be rotating them anyway for any reason.

That is it; should get the wheels back to take into the machine shop today prob; can go back to.........yuch.... grinding. Gary didn't apply to take over that task so I guess I am stuck with it..

Oh well.
Soon it will be time for another bottle of gas for the mig welder. Getting low.
more tomorrow I think.
g

[dguy]

well got my second 3.4 dohc engine, 5 spd and ECM package and wiring harness over the wknd. 

Is something wrong with the first engine you have (had?), or...  ?

[fiero308]

well Don a couple of things at work in the back of my mind... all pretty much equally important. Least of all is the fact that I am a junk collector. That doesn't enter the picture at all here. 

This is out of a 'runner' ......... the car got hit and so that is 'supposed' to be the reason it was out of action.  This is, like the first one, a complete engine/trans/ECM package. That is important. The ECM is a tad different in the manual version and the manual engines actually are rated at a few more HP than the autos.  There is not a total, drop-in compatibility between them.

I never heard the first one run but knew that it blew a timing belt, so it is a non-interference engine but......... if it blew the belt at 7,000 rpm when it might not be a totally non-interference (with older springs and maybe some valve float).....

So this one is an insurance policy. Also, and as I said, equally important..... is the transmission. They don't make them like that anymore. Only made 'em for 3 yrs in fact. Non-service item from GM; ie you DON"T service it; you just replace the WHOLE thing.....!!! yup. I verified that with GM.

And it gives me a complete, not-too-chopped-up wiring harness with ALL sensors etc in place..... and the proper ECM and chip and the tranny too. So all in all I thinkit was worth it. I don't have to worry about spares etc pretty much at all. I have a 3rd engine only - well, mostly..... in pieces in case.

So......back to the frame piece that I have successfully avoided for the past 4 days....

[GoFast88]

Does that mean that the old engine is junk? I could use the short block as a boat anchor (seriously with no pun intended). I need a heavy chunk of metal for a mooring anchor of my 40 foot boat. 

[fiero308]

LOL
and I thought I had given up on fishing-related things!! 
well Brian it is nice to know that my swap is going to be useful to someone  but you'll have to wait a bit. I am getting hints that there may be a rod bearing or rod issue or SOMEthing with my engine.......
and altho I have 3, the concensus is that "3 or 4" seems to be the 'about right' number to get a decent bottom end.  Maybe it is just that guys take it 7000 rpm a little too frequently? don't know. But there seems to be something...
So I think I should be careful about sending one to such a high performance ending...   

I am done with that ball joint press for now anyway..... if you want to pick it up let me know.

[fiero308]

well ho-hum. The last frame piece is in place. Gotta weld it up solid, but it is in there and it is accurate.
first is the rear-most portion of the frame; prepped for the new piece to go in. The last 1/2" of fitting was slow and fussy but that is the way it goes. I didn't want any big gaps to fill up........

next is the corresponding front piece; again; ready for the new piece to go into place.

[fiero308]

and this is the left rear, tacked into place!! ta da!!

In other news; I got my bare wheels back today so I can take them into the machine shop tomorrow.  In the pic I have (crudely) indicated the area where the interference between the wheel and the caliper happens....... so they have to trim off a little bit.

I don't want to do that kind of thing with a dremel or grinder; I want it done evenly and so it wont affect balance etc.

[fiero308]

Some interesting trivia and side tracks.......
to get the axle end nuts off the Lumina I needed a 36 mm socket. It dwarfs my impact gun........ but it got the job done!  I previously did one of those by hand out in a field... no compressed air........    4 FOOT long pipe on my 1/2" bar and it was a struggle.........


My 1/2" swivel joint didn't like being attached to the gun........ but it DID do its job before it fell apart!!! 

[fiero308]

It really pays to use quality tools sometimes........
I betcha I bought this die grinder bit (for steel) about 15 yrs ago and it HAS removed a LOAD of metal. Abused by the friendly neighbourhood mechanic and everything.

Still works altho the chips are getting smaller. What a payback!

Enough for tonite; tomorrow I take my 2 front whls to the machine shop for 'adjusting' and weld up that frame member. I was simply tired of getting spattered in liquid metal drops tonite.......

So with luck in about a wk I'll have wheels on it. That means the engine swap becomes a reality!!  Seriously tho I have to figure out the rear brakes; I am using the caddy rears with emergency brake built in to be legal.....  I have no idea what I have to do to mount them yet.......and then I plan on replacing pretty much all the brake lines. My emerg brake cable is not very good so I guess I am replacing that too.  That will all take some time.
But progress, nonetheless.
 

[aaron88]

My 1/2" swivel joint didn't like being attached to the gun........ but it DID do its job before it fell apart!!! 

O my god...that is sooooo dangerous.  I know two people that lost teeth that way.  Good thing they were at least wearing safety glasses.

Aaron

.

[fiero308]

My 1/2" swivel joint didn't like being attached to the gun........ but it DID do its job before it fell apart!!! 

O my god...that is sooooo dangerous.  I know two people that lost teeth that way.  Good thing they were at least wearing safety glasses.

Aaron

lost their teeth - hmmm - trying to get a mind picture of someone undoing a stubborn bolt with their teeth. Wow; that's impressive. You know some TOUGH dudes  LOL 

You're right tho'; that stuff is not made for use with an impact wrench. I had to rush/hurry/shortcut at that time and knew what the potential might be and used extra care accordingly.

Today I welded the rest of the frame insert up pretty solid; still some more to do but had a bunch of running around to do.
A couple of items that struck me (thoughts, that is  ) regarding doing GOOD welding.

I made a trip JUST to get a different shade welding lens for my helmet. I had one with a #10 and one with a #8 lens. Guess what. The #8 was too light and the #10 was too dark. I didn't really think that a #9 would make that much difference, but it REALLY did. Being able to see your weld perfectly is such a help.

The other thing I want to mention to anyone who is going to be welding (mig, that is) is to make sure you have lots of shielding gas pressure and no breeze coming in from outside etc. It doesn't take much to affect the shielding gas pattern and suddenly you have ...... spatter and mess.

Little things but they make a real difference.

I found that it is a ridge inside my front wheels, not the spokes (at least not too much) that is causing the interference between the brake calipers and the rim. So I will get it turned a bit. There is a lot of excess meat on the wheel and I don't feel uncomfortable doing that.

So I'll have custom wheels I guess........ oh well.  I didn't want to do that; I wanted, as much as possible, to be able to use "off the shelf" stuff.
So back to the machine shop with the wheels; get them done; prob will take a wk or more but there is still lots to do.

Hopefully something exciting tomorrow. I also have to work a bit; make a few bucks here and there.......

[fiero308]

well got this far; now that the new frame insert piece is pretty much solid I am putting in some supplemental steel and reinforcement.
Got to make up for the part I cut away to get access to the frame where I had to put the insert. So a cardboard template is made up........ which has its limits as you will see.... 

[fiero308]

traced onto some wide 1/8" stock that I figured would be handy someday....

then cut on one of my fave timesavers; the bandsaw.......