Colby’s 88 Formula
Printed From: West Coast Fieros
Category: General Fiero Chat
Forum Name: Members Rides
Forum Description: A place to show off your car. Please try to keep your pics under 800 x 600.
URL: http://www.westcoastfieros.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2532
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Topic: Colby’s 88 Formula
Posted By: Colby
Subject: Colby’s 88 Formula
Date Posted: 23 June 2011 at 12:59am
http://www.westcoastfieros.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?FID=5&TID=2460&PN=1&get=last - Bought from Graeme...     Apart from the extra power, I think the thing I like most about this car so far compared to my old one are the pockets where the windows cranks would go. So handy! ------------- 88 Formula 5 speed |
Replies:
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 23 June 2011 at 1:36am
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Sweet! Of course, it's evident the madness has now begun. This is how it starts. Soon there'll be a third Fiero in the Johanson driveway.
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Posted By: Colby
Date Posted: 23 June 2011 at 1:45am
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Heh. Well on Saturday there'll be at least 3 of them when you're over, but I'll be selling the 2m4 eventually. ------------- 88 Formula 5 speed |
Posted By: Bassman
Date Posted: 23 June 2011 at 7:12am
Text me your address and I might head out for a drive/visit ------------- Brian (Bassman) 86 GT Fastback 3.2L 2013 Mazda3 Sport GS SkyActive [IMG]http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u243/Bassman68/BassmanSignature.png"> |
Posted By: Romeo
Date Posted: 23 June 2011 at 8:51am
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Oh god damn, another V6. I am now going to own slowest car out there (Thank goodness for Patty!). Machine looks excellent (Absolutely flawless, really). Look forward to seeing it at the next meet or autocross, whichever comes first. ------------- Never shift into reverse without a back-up plan. |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 23 June 2011 at 10:10am
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I thought you were coming out Saturday?
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Romeo wrote:Posted By: Dawg
Date Posted: 23 June 2011 at 11:57am
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Wow....very nice. This has got to be one of the coolest Fiero configurations out there. This is turning out to be a big year for purchases in the club. Things they are a changing. Can't wait to see it in person. The Dawg ------------- You dream it up....I'll make it |
Posted By: Bassman
Date Posted: 23 June 2011 at 12:05pm
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New West Car show in July we should plan for:)...be awesome to see this car in there:) ------------- Brian (Bassman) 86 GT Fastback 3.2L 2013 Mazda3 Sport GS SkyActive [IMG]http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u243/Bassman68/BassmanSignature.png"> |
Posted By: Colby
Date Posted: 23 June 2011 at 12:10pm
Well, the small pictures do hide many of the flaws. 
------------- 88 Formula 5 speed |
Posted By: Romeo
Date Posted: 23 June 2011 at 3:01pm
Oh hey, I remember this now.  ------------- Never shift into reverse without a back-up plan. |
Posted By: Colby
Date Posted: 23 June 2011 at 11:09pm
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I changed the front shocks today to some new KYBs, quite a noticeable difference. I'm pretty sure the old ones were done, I had a feeling the front end was moving around too much. I'll probably move over the rear KYB struts from my old car when Patrick is over on Saturday, assuming he doesn't need me to help with his car. ------------- 88 Formula 5 speed |
Posted By: karnak
Date Posted: 30 June 2011 at 3:16pm
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Hey Colby, you should post your aircare report.
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Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 30 June 2011 at 3:42pm
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Uh oh...
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Posted By: Colby
Date Posted: 30 June 2011 at 4:16pm
Sure, here you go: The car is running rich and you can smell it. What could cause this? I'm thinking to check the timing and replace the O2 sensor before trying again. I kind of thought it would fail, I just needed to do it since I couldn't transfer the last two months of insurance over from my old car without at least failing. ------------- 88 Formula 5 speed |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 30 June 2011 at 4:44pm
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Colby, these are your readings from http://www.aircare.ca/inspinfo-get-results.php - Here .
Has this car never been AirCared previously? Here are the readings from my '86 GT with no cat (which I posted about http://www.westcoastfieros.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1727&KW - Here ) just to compare with your readings.
Are you absolutely sure you can still transfer the insurance? I was told I could NOT transfer insurance over from my '86 GT to my '84 unless the '84 passed AirCare.
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Posted By: Colby
Date Posted: 30 June 2011 at 5:16pm
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Yep, first time through and first fail, that means I'm allowed at most 3 months of insurance. I transferred it last night. It looks like if the car was an 86 it would have passed easily. Just for reference, this is what my duke did:  The difference between 2008 and 2009 is a working EGR valve. ------------- 88 Formula 5 speed |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 30 June 2011 at 5:25pm
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Ah right, you're lucky! My duke didn't want to feel left out, so here's it's readings compared to your duke.
The difference between 2010 and 2011 is a functional cat.
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Posted By: Colby
Date Posted: 30 June 2011 at 5:29pm
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What changes did you make to your duke between the two most recent results? Edit: I see you updated your post. ------------- 88 Formula 5 speed |
Posted By: Colby
Date Posted: 18 July 2011 at 2:51pm
Yay, the car passed! So, what changed with the car? Well, I had swapped MAP sensors with a known working one, and at the end of the last meeting, David had a scan tool with him and determined that the TPS wasn't in the correct range or something like that (Thanks!  ). I think these things solved the richness. Rather than take it through again, my dad and I decided that we would replace the cat with one we had in storage here. When the old one was out, I decided to take a look at it and found that I could see right through it, it was empty. With a working cat and the car no longer running so rich, getting through AirCare was easy.------------- 88 Formula 5 speed |
Posted By: Graeme
Date Posted: 18 July 2011 at 4:42pm
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I think I had mentioned that the cat most likely needed replacing because I knew the previous owner hadn't done any work and I didn't do any. My GT needed it too when I bought it, same idea, could see right through it... crazy stuff. Great to hear you got it aircared. Great readings too. |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 18 July 2011 at 5:00pm
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Colby, does that mean we can now stand behind your '88 while its running and not be gassed? Seriously though, that's great to hear!
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Posted By: Colby
Date Posted: 19 July 2011 at 1:32am
Well, none of my clothes smell like gas at the end of the day anymore, so yeah.  It's nice to get that out of the way, now I can work on the parts of the car I want to rather than stuff I have to. I'd like to at least replace as much of the worn out suspension parts as I can and get a better alignment before the summer is over, though I'm still not exactly sure what direction I want to head with the suspension yet. It's not as obvious what needs to be done as it is with the earlier Fieros. Having only done one autocross in it so far it's too soon for me to decide what I want to do with it, I need to get more comfortable with it first. ------------- 88 Formula 5 speed |
Posted By: Romeo
Date Posted: 19 July 2011 at 8:33am
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Glad to hear the Formula is running optimally once again Colby. That should allow you to spank Patty by an even greater margin. Hopefully I'll see it around autocross or the meeting soon. ------------- Never shift into reverse without a back-up plan. |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 19 July 2011 at 9:47am
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Driving Sierra #2
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Posted By: AllanJ
Date Posted: 19 July 2011 at 10:19am
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Good job on AirCare, Colby. Lessee....beefy coilovers with adjustable shocks, new stiff bushings, adjustable sway bars, lowered, competition alignment, wide wheels with sticky R-comp tires.... that will be good for a start.
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Posted By: Romeo
Date Posted: 19 July 2011 at 11:37am
YES. Colby, take note. 
As for you Patty, don't be jealous because I have a 350 that more than doubles the Duke's output. And a five speed. ------------- Never shift into reverse without a back-up plan. |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 19 July 2011 at 9:14pm
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Colby...
...
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Do it, do it!
Posted By: Colby
Date Posted: 21 July 2011 at 2:24am
I'm sure at least some of that stuff will find it's way on the car eventually. I have been trying to look into all the options I have and have found lots of interesting things I can't afford right now. It turns out that the stock 14" rims are almost as light as the lightest 15" rims you can buy on Tire Rack. Looking at that kind of stuff it what I do when I can't wait for the next autocross. ------------- 88 Formula 5 speed |
Posted By: Romeo
Date Posted: 21 July 2011 at 8:49am
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But the 15"s are so pretty... Let me know if you intend to sell them off, I need one. ------------- Never shift into reverse without a back-up plan. |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 21 July 2011 at 11:11am
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Perhaps, but sometimes form triumphs function, especially with a car that's used mainly on the street. As Johnny says... It doesn't have to perform, it's just gotta look good! I'm not suggesting you go for all flash (as I know you won't), but to some degree it's all about compromise. I'd like whatever car I autocross to be able to navigate the course quickly, but I also want it to look good while doing so.
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Posted By: Colby
Date Posted: 21 July 2011 at 12:28pm
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Oh, I like the 15" rims too. I think they'll become my winter rims so I'll still use them for half the year, two of the rims already have the right tires for that anyway.
------------- 88 Formula 5 speed |
Posted By: karnak
Date Posted: 07 September 2011 at 10:42pm
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So, as an extension of this thread, i felt best to post here, the chronicles of the Formula's overhaul. it starts with a Cradle removal and getting the engine onto the stand.   then i started removing the bits. i found some history with the harmonic balancer. seems someone had a leak they tried to repair with a sleeve and a new seal. the only problem is the seal was hammered in and then the harmonic balancer was set in to locktight and hammered on. pretty poor...    anybody have a balancer they want to part with? Gary |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 07 September 2011 at 11:17pm
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Gary, that seal installation definitely looks poorly done. It certainly seems strange to me that a low mileage engine would've required a sleeve on the balancer. What would've caused a groove to have been worn into the balancer in the first place on an engine with less than 70,000 kilometers on it? I changed the balancer on my '86 GT (almost 200,000 kms) because the rubber part of the dampener had deteriorated to the point where the outer ring had begun to spin. Made timing a real challenge!
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It's difficult to tell from the pictures though, but is the harmonic balancer actually damaged (from being pounded on)?
However, there was little appreciable wear on the balancer where the seal had resided.Posted By: Dawg
Date Posted: 08 September 2011 at 10:36am
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My conclusion would be that the engine in fact has way more miles
on it than first thought. As for the balancer repair, not uncommon to do it that way. Fiero balancers are no longer available. There is a balancer that fits but the timing marks are wrong. The guy could have been more careful with the seal however. Barbarian....:) ------------- You dream it up....I'll make it |
Posted By: Graeme
Date Posted: 08 September 2011 at 11:27am
I thought about the way too many miles on it item too but since I have a near perfect 88 fiero here to compare to. I can say that the engine in the formula just felt and is stronger in comparison and my 88 here is no slouch. It's an absolute shame to see such problems, I would never have sold the car had I known any of these things.
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Posted By: karnak
Date Posted: 08 September 2011 at 9:14pm
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The balancer may have had a sleve put onto it to make the diameter larger .. for the sake of the seal... the other side's seal was dry but has no signs of leakage. i want to look for a balancer and make it right since it is so easy to do now. pictures in a bit... |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 08 September 2011 at 9:19pm
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Well, the seal is designed to ride directly on the hub of the harmonic balancer, so without a groove having been worn into the balancer I don't see a need for the sleeve. (Take the sleeve off, let's have a look!) Anyway, let's see those pictures.
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Posted By: Bassman
Date Posted: 08 September 2011 at 9:22pm
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Gary, I ordered my balancer from the Fiero Store and David installed in last year...but the marks are off so will have to score on your own timing marks. http://www.fierostore.com/Product/Detail.aspx?s=65401 - http://www.fierostore.com/Product/Detail.aspx?s=65401 ------------- Brian (Bassman) 86 GT Fastback 3.2L 2013 Mazda3 Sport GS SkyActive [IMG]http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u243/Bassman68/BassmanSignature.png"> |
Posted By: karnak
Date Posted: 08 September 2011 at 9:53pm
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ok.. here are the pictures! the first couple show the main bearings. notice the pitted look and the 'flake' that appears to mottle the surface. there are groves on all the main bearings but the crank is 'ok' (but was starting to wear). it would seem to me that only the one connecting rod bearing was really shot. (stamped GM, so we know it was OEM)   this next picture shows a cam bearing. you can see on one side (lower) there is a difference in appearance from the other. this is like a corrosion from sitting and being under-oiled for too long (i suspect).  finally, the cylinder walls. there is a very mild ridge on the top of the bore and that ridge is not detectable on the sides (just on the edges). a quick run thru with a hone will be all it will need. note the crosshatch i s still visible.  well .. i am taking a small break from the motor and will post more pictures as i do more. the other internal components of the motor are clean and re-usable.  Gary |
Posted By: Graeme
Date Posted: 08 September 2011 at 10:01pm
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The car did sit for a while before I got it. I had to chase this guy down
for over a year to finally buy it and I don't think the car had moved even once while I waited. I originally saw it a year before that and went a way to "think on it". So, you're correct that there should be some issues of sitting too long without oil unfortunately. When I had it I made to sure to start or drive it regularly. |
Posted By: Capt Fiero
Date Posted: 09 September 2011 at 4:36am
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Ya those mains don't look to bad at all, and being able to see the cross hatching means the motor does have low kms on it. Glad to see that there were no major surprises. I would mix all the main and rod journals and see if you can get away with stock mains and then go .005 under rod bearings. I have used the clevite tri metal bearings before, a little more money, but in a 2.9 (bored out 2.8) with 10-1 compression, shifting at 7000rpms nitrous assisted, I destroyed a piston and tore the engine down the bearings still looked like new. All make sure to pick up a high volume oil pump. It has the same pressure relive spring as stock, however much larger gears in the pump. It allows the use of 5w30 full synthetic for great oiling and yet still have 80+ psi of oil pressure. Stock pistons will be fine just get some good rings. Here is the cam I used and loved it. Couple it with either 1.52 or 1.6 roller tip rockers and it was great. Oh and pick up Comp Cams lifters 858-16 they are a fast bleed lifter. At idle and below 3000rpm, they bleed down fast making an aggressive cam seem mild so you get great torque and idle. However over 3000rpms, the lifters pump up fully and allow you to take full advantage of the cam with great high rpm power.
Just in case you did not already have this info, this is from my 2.9 building days. Hope some of this helps. ------------- Capt Fiero 88 Fiero GT 5spd V6 Eight Fifty Seven GT V8 5spd. |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 17 September 2011 at 11:37am
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Gary... Colby... progress report?
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Posted By: karnak
Date Posted: 17 September 2011 at 12:06pm
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Just back... updates as i can. |
Posted By: karnak
Date Posted: 17 September 2011 at 7:23pm
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here are some shots of the block. Today i cleaned, and re-cleaned the thing until it was ready to take paint. Before:  During:  After:   Now we are sort of waiting for parts. i will be cleaning up some of the brackets and tubes for painting. not too exciting.  Gary |
Posted By: Bassman
Date Posted: 18 September 2011 at 8:20am
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Noce work Gary...it will ne nice to have a new engine Colby, planning any upgrades while you have this all appart? ------------- Brian (Bassman) 86 GT Fastback 3.2L 2013 Mazda3 Sport GS SkyActive [IMG]http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u243/Bassman68/BassmanSignature.png"> |
Posted By: Capt Fiero
Date Posted: 18 September 2011 at 8:58am
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Just please tell me you are going with a cam that has at least 450-460 total lift with whatever rockers you choose. Also a great thing are the comp cams pro mag fast bleed lifters. They bleed down at low rpm making the cam act like a mild torquer came giving you tons of low end power with great gas mileage but as the rpms move over 3000rpms they pump up giving you full advantage of the bigger cam. I loved them. They are a bit expensive at 240 for a set of lifters vs about 75 for the stock style, but imho they are well worth it. There is another possibility with the engine and trying to figure out why it failed at such an early age. If at some point in the first 30,000 or so km's the motor failed and the car was parked. Then someone installed a used engine that had a lot of km's on it that would explain a lot of things. My 88GT had to have an engine replaced at 60,000 due to a spun rod bearing. The lady that owned it ran it out of oil and cooked the motor. The bad news is, she had the motor rebuilt, (I have the receipt for nearly 6000 for the rebuild) However the shop was not really a Chevy V6 shop and screwed it up. I have had piston slap since day one. I've got 60,000kms on it since I bought it and the motor has always had a knock to it, and now its starting to get some nasty blow bye. Depending on where I am living and what I am doing, I may pull this motor out this winter and replace it with one of my spare motors. Well whatever you choose, I know Colby is going to love having the piece of mind that he has a new engine in his car. Congrats on the build. David In Oregon until Oct 15th. ------------- Capt Fiero 88 Fiero GT 5spd V6 Eight Fifty Seven GT V8 5spd. |
Posted By: karnak
Date Posted: 18 September 2011 at 10:03am
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i think the motor did have issues early on and it was parked. the lower cradle rust is definately an indication that it sat over earth for a time. later on i think someone came along and forced the bearing that had locked up to spin (causing this issue). the sold the car as a runner and with low K. all the time sitting basically ruined the bearings. there is evidence that the clutch was changed but i believe the motor is original. the bolts that i removed do not look like the had been tampered with...as best as i can tell... still discussing cam details wit Colby.. Gary |
Posted By: Colby
Date Posted: 18 September 2011 at 12:05pm
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David, thanks for the info. I'm still trying to figure out if there is some way for me to be able to afford to upgrade the cam and lifters, but so far it doesn't look like I'll be able to.
------------- 88 Formula 5 speed |
Posted By: Bassman
Date Posted: 18 September 2011 at 12:18pm
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I suggest, and only suggest that you be in no rush, save the money
and build the strongest engine specific to Autox as that is your passion, and kick ars!!!:) You can see over time what I did, we can chat and I can list off the items and costs...get the engine core to be a performer, then items like MSD box or injectors, etc...can be done in time. Chit, I need to consider what I need to do, we have a larger track next year also, longer higher RPM,s, more 3rd gear, higher speeds which will lead to brake upgrades also:) Gotta run...looking forward to seeing the end result:) ------------- Brian (Bassman) 86 GT Fastback 3.2L 2013 Mazda3 Sport GS SkyActive [IMG]http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u243/Bassman68/BassmanSignature.png"> |
Posted By: AllanJ
Date Posted: 18 September 2011 at 12:26pm
Worth repeating!
Yes there is. As Brian said, take your time and do it right. We need to get you on the race track at some point too and you'll want a strong, well-performing engine. Make it happen.  |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 19 September 2011 at 12:28am
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Gary, that's looking real sweet. In a home shop environment, what's the best way to clean that block (and oil galleries) of contaminants from the worn/scored bearings?
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Posted By: karnak
Date Posted: 19 September 2011 at 9:36pm
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well Patrick, i think it is best described as over and over. i started with the heavy dirt removal and finished up with a tap to clear threads and a good washing with clean clear solvent. before any parts go back in. it will be cleaned again. blown with compressed air and critical areas (bearing / gasket surfaces) will be carefully cleaned to ensure a perfect fit / seal. when the motor gets first run, it will only run for perhaps 5 mins or so. then the oil will be changed. (cant wait for that...) today, the old red paint was removed from the valve covers. the crank and flywheel are in the trunk for a short ride to the machine shop. Gary |
Posted By: AllanJ
Date Posted: 20 September 2011 at 2:02pm
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Is Colby doing any of this work?
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Posted By: Colby
Date Posted: 20 September 2011 at 2:15pm
My dad is handing the majority engine work while I'm handling the cradle and everything else attached to it. ------------- 88 Formula 5 speed |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 20 September 2011 at 2:37pm
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This may or may not be a dumb question, but do you have a large tub you put the block in while scrubbing it down?
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Posted By: Colby
Date Posted: 20 September 2011 at 2:49pm
Kind of. With the engine on the stand, a litter box was put underneath and under all that was a drop sheet. ------------- 88 Formula 5 speed |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 20 September 2011 at 2:54pm
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Yeah, I was just curious. When I worked on industrial engines a hundred years ago, the shop had a large varsol tank that everything was washed down in.
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Posted By: karnak
Date Posted: 20 September 2011 at 6:03pm
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For the first bit, i took the block and put into the litter box for a "up close" scrub before just using the litter box for a drip pan. |
Posted By: karnak
Date Posted: 23 September 2011 at 11:10pm
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...still waiting for some parts and the crank to get done and am starting the cleanup on the heads. some stuff arrived today this will go a long way to ensure the top end will not give any surprises. one to the valve springs had a broken clip on it and of course all the seals were cooked. here is a before shot. (just so it is here)  getting ready for the scrub down:  here is a bracket and some sheet metal that i had brought back from beyond the grave. i used hi heat gloss black and a flame proof ceramic matte silver paint to help it to "pop"  well, that is all for now. Gary |
Posted By: Bassman
Date Posted: 24 September 2011 at 6:52am
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Nice...so jelous:)...sh*t, Imay have some competition next season if Colby finds the throttle...lol...JOKE ------------- Brian (Bassman) 86 GT Fastback 3.2L 2013 Mazda3 Sport GS SkyActive [IMG]http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u243/Bassman68/BassmanSignature.png"> |
Posted By: AllanJ
Date Posted: 24 September 2011 at 9:17am
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Cool! What are the specs on the parts you bought? Stock-ish or mild performance boost? |
Posted By: Colby
Date Posted: 24 September 2011 at 12:06pm
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Well, the cam was advertised as being good for towing, if that helps. It'll probably be a bit better than stock, but they're not really high performance parts. I just want a car that's pleasant to drive and I don't want to deal with anymore issues like this for a long time. ------------- 88 Formula 5 speed |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 24 September 2011 at 1:49pm
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Great, we'll now have a capable service vehicle on our club runs to pull Tristan's car home.
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Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 24 September 2011 at 1:53pm
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Gary, can you adopt me... please! Great work, Colby's car is going to be real nice.
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Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 24 September 2011 at 2:39pm
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Gary/Colby, I wanted to being this thread to your attention. http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/118624.html - V6 oil pan baffles? I'm also http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/118962.html - in the process of trying to track down a great thread I had read at Pennock's a few months ago which outlined several relatively simple modifications to be done during a rebuild to prevent future oil starvation issues.
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Posted By: Dawg
Date Posted: 24 September 2011 at 6:24pm
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I bet there's a cat somewhere that's REALLY pissed during this whole process.....:) ------------- You dream it up....I'll make it |
Posted By: karnak
Date Posted: 25 September 2011 at 10:31pm
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Well, this weekend i did a ton of cleaning. The heads are ready to be
built back up and the pistons and intake manifold have had 2 out of 4 cleanigs. Colby has the cradle stripped and will start cleaning it shortly. The weekend was not without some excitement though. We have a cupbord above the workbench that randomly fell down. It was a bit scary and could have been costly... think we dogged a bullet there. One of us will post some pics soon... You will see that the top, back fell apart as the mount they give you to hold it up is still up on the wall. This is the type you get at Canadian tire that is in their flyer quite often. Dont buy them. we had some wire in one and books in the other. They were empty enough that there was room for the pistons and old cam (none of which was heavy) 
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Posted By: Colby
Date Posted: 25 September 2011 at 10:47pm
Yeah, I was busy removing the last piece off the cradle when suddenly this happened: The cradle is stripped now and ready to be restored.  ------------- 88 Formula 5 speed |
Posted By: Bassman
Date Posted: 26 September 2011 at 6:42am
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Sheving gave in? ------------- Brian (Bassman) 86 GT Fastback 3.2L 2013 Mazda3 Sport GS SkyActive [IMG]http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u243/Bassman68/BassmanSignature.png"> |
Posted By: AllanJ
Date Posted: 26 September 2011 at 8:22am
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Sucks about the cabinet, bro. Particle board = the "Potato Buds" of furniture. If you buy more crappy cabinets in the future, screw a ledger board to the studs underneath the cabinet for the cabinet to sit on. Will greatly reduce the stress on the crappy particle board when you screw that to the wall. |
Posted By: karnak
Date Posted: 01 October 2011 at 7:57pm
took a bit to get to post bu from the pictures you can see the "potato buds" are gone and 5/8" plywood has the workbench back in business! ...also, the cam and crank are in along with the timing chain and rear seal  |
Posted By: karnak
Date Posted: 04 October 2011 at 9:44pm
So it has been a couple of days so i thought i would toss in a couple more pics. Most of what i have done is clean. Clean and Clean...  things are shaping up though. here is a shot of the motor with the modified balancer installed. i grooved it and filled the groove with white paint.  the heads with new valves, springs, seals etc.  ..and now, installed and torqued.  push rods and rockers next! |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 04 October 2011 at 9:59pm
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Oooo, she be lookin' mighty fine.
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Posted By: karnak
Date Posted: 11 October 2011 at 9:10pm
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...been a while, so here is a bunch more pics... first, a updated cradle shot. it is moving forward.  here is some "cooking" i was doing. lol.  and the parts on the block. cleaning up nicely...  here are a couple of the motor, nearly done   and a before / after just to show how far it has come...   i can't wait for this to get wrapped up... |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 11 October 2011 at 9:15pm
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Looks beautiful. Please tell me you ported those exhaust manifolds!
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Posted By: Graeme
Date Posted: 11 October 2011 at 9:29pm
| wow.. that looks amazing. I'm really glad this car went to the right person. A jewel in the rough (rougher than I had an idea about...) but very shiny now. I can't wait to hear how it runs. |
Posted By: karnak
Date Posted: 11 October 2011 at 9:51pm
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I can't wait to hear it also and yes, the extra metal was removed from
the pipes and a crack was welded.
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Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 11 October 2011 at 10:43pm
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I figured you'd be doing that, I just needed confirmation.
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Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 12 October 2011 at 4:27pm
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That's not your stove in the kitchen is it?
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Posted By: AllanJ
Date Posted: 12 October 2011 at 4:53pm
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Looking great bro! ...just don't forget to put oil in it before you fire it up. |
Posted By: karnak
Date Posted: 12 October 2011 at 7:23pm
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yep that is the kitchen. the oven is slated for replacement. oil is standing by for 2 oil changes.  |
Posted By: Colby
Date Posted: 16 October 2011 at 12:23am
We've made a bit more progress the last few days. The transmission and engine are together again on a freshly painted cradle. We're getting pretty close to being able to start it for the first time.  ------------- 88 Formula 5 speed |
Posted By: AllanJ
Date Posted: 16 October 2011 at 8:50am
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Nice! Still time to paint the half shafts and stub axles, Colby.
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Posted By: Bassman
Date Posted: 16 October 2011 at 9:49am
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And why?...lol Looking really guys... ------------- Brian (Bassman) 86 GT Fastback 3.2L 2013 Mazda3 Sport GS SkyActive [IMG]http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u243/Bassman68/BassmanSignature.png"> |
Posted By: AllanJ
Date Posted: 16 October 2011 at 11:33am
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...because they don't look as purdy as everything else.
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Posted By: Colby
Date Posted: 16 October 2011 at 11:57pm
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Won't take long before everything else looks dirty again, then they won't look out of place. ------------- 88 Formula 5 speed |
Posted By: karnak
Date Posted: 22 October 2011 at 10:47pm
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It's alive!
The cam break in is done. Still some things to do... More to follow in a bit...
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Posted By: Bassman
Date Posted: 23 October 2011 at 9:04am
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Nice headers...no leaks I am sure:(... ------------- Brian (Bassman) 86 GT Fastback 3.2L 2013 Mazda3 Sport GS SkyActive [IMG]http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u243/Bassman68/BassmanSignature.png"> |
Posted By: Capt Fiero
Date Posted: 23 October 2011 at 9:19am
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Amazing, Congratulations. Colby its going to feel like a whole diffrent car and you are going to love it. ------------- Capt Fiero 88 Fiero GT 5spd V6 Eight Fifty Seven GT V8 5spd. |
Posted By: ARTIC-1
Date Posted: 23 October 2011 at 7:32pm
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Nice build,the real thrill is when you turn the Key for the first time an every thing goes as plan!looks good man,Good luck
------------- SNOW MAN 87-GT/AUTO-2.8_ WHITE 88-TTop/ Duke-2.5. RED |
Posted By: Colby
Date Posted: 23 October 2011 at 8:47pm
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Thanks all, we took it out for the first time today. Felt very nice, smooth, quiet, and no leaks. A nice change from the noisy duke. I was worried the polyurethane bushings would make it uncomfortable but it felt good, I think it may be more comfortable than my 86. My dad will be posting pictures later. ------------- 88 Formula 5 speed |
Posted By: karnak
Date Posted: 23 October 2011 at 8:58pm
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Well. here is the last group for this project. before putting in the motor we had to take a peek at the battery tray to see if there was anything going wrong there. turns out there was some minor rust that needed some attention and an application of POR 15 paint.   after that, the insulation was put back and tubes and wires re-run. next was putting the cradle/motor in. no pics for that but it was pretty much the same as taking it out. here is a shot with it in.  and the "rainbow shot"  there will be a little shake down needed for the clutch slave and i feel it may need replacing as we discovered a little fluid on the wrong side of the seal. but all that is pretty minor compared to the rest of stuff we did. |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 23 October 2011 at 11:32pm
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Excellent, excellent...
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Posted By: AllanJ
Date Posted: 24 October 2011 at 9:37am
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Great job guys! Gary: I think Brian wants you to adopt him. |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 24 October 2011 at 3:06pm
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Brian is second in line!
Posted: 24 September 2011 at 1:53pm
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Posted By: karnak
Date Posted: 24 October 2011 at 10:29pm
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too funny
I am into the second day of cleaning the garage. Things are slowly returning to normal. The duke is going up for sale soon. Keep in mind it had a similar overhaul, so it will be a good buy for somebody... (spread the word)
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Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 02 November 2011 at 7:35pm
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Any final word on the engine rebuild? Are you both (Gary, Colby) pleased with the end result? |
Posted By: karnak
Date Posted: 02 November 2011 at 11:02pm
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I am. Was under it yesterday an no leaks. It pulls pretty good thru
first and second gear. Colby indicated there was more power than before. The brakes need bleeding and perhaps the clutch also. The R.D. master and slave for the clutch were just put in and seem to be working nicely. The aignment needs to be checked also. These will get done as time permits (currently doing a mini kitchen reno)
Gary |
Posted By: Colby
Date Posted: 03 November 2011 at 12:48am
Yep, I'm pretty happy with it. It's such a relief to be worrying about things like the alignment being off rather than that it won't run at all. I hated owning a car I couldn't drive. ------------- 88 Formula 5 speed |
Posted By: ARTIC-1
Date Posted: 03 November 2011 at 7:06pm
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Colby where did you get the blue lift for your car.iam going to build one an would like to know where i can go size! one up.thanks
------------- SNOW MAN 87-GT/AUTO-2.8_ WHITE 88-TTop/ Duke-2.5. RED |