VH powered S14

[gpeele]

Hello all, my name is Gordon Peele and I've been following posts on this sight for sometime now and have just mustered the courage to post my own project. I've decided to work with the S14 chassis and as far as a power plant I decided to go down the road less traveled and use the VH45DE from a 94-95 Q45. It weighs a bit but it's good power and more importantly I can have a replacement engine for a couple hundred dollars. There isn't much to see yet, I'm tearing out the interior from the shell, getting the motor prepped, and looking at my conversion parts with wide eyes!

Chassis:
S14 slicktop (Became addicted to the rear suspension layout and central mounted gas tank)

Powertrain:
-late model VH45DE (because of the better heads and I'm crazy like that)
-Z32 N/A transmission (was one of the better looking ones with the bell housing off)
-Mazworx VH45DE swap kit w/ headers
-Xcessive alternator bracket, power steering pulley (will be looking into eps), and shift kit
-Z1 Motorsports dual disk clutch
-S15 hlsd differential (too poor for a Quaife)
-S13 differential casing (solid mounting, and too lazy to swap the above diff to the s14 casing)
-J30 differential cover (baffle, cooling fins, extra fluid capacity, and costs pennies at pull-a-part)
-S13 Koyo radiator
-SPL differential bushings installed in the rear

Brakes:
-R32 GTR front calipers
-R33 GTR two piece front rotors
-R33 GTS rear caliper and rotors
-Z32 17/16 nabco master cylinder
-HP+ pads
-absless

Suspension:
-Nismo tension rod bracket
-Energy suspension steering bushings
-Progress Front sway bar with spherical endlinks (ran a Suspention Techniques up till now)
-no rear sway bar (because I almost killed myself the one event I decided to try one out (ST bar also), meh I just need to learn how to drive!)
-SPL Tension, Traction, Camber, Toe arms (because they're pretty damn beefy and I like dealing with the folks at SPL), with repective lockout bolt plates
-Circuit Sports front and rear lower control arms (SPL discontinued theirs)
-SPL solid subframe bushings
-Z32 uprights with SPL pillow ball bushings
-KTS coilovers
-Swift springs 9kg front/ 5kg rear
-SPL tie rods and tie rod ends

Wheels:
-FNO1R 17x8(225) front 17x9(245) rear, running star specs (I'd like to go to a square setup though)

I know I'm forgetting something but I'll just include it with the updates.

-Gordon

[WorkInProgressK]

How much did you get the block for?

And what are you using as ECU? the stock one? Or aftermarket?

Oh, and Welcome!

[gpeele]

I'm going to start off with the stock ecu and get the car setup. Once I have things pretty dialed in suspension wise I was looking at going with the 8 cylinder AEM unit to get familiar with it. I used an AEM on a SR a while ago and really liked the interface. I ended up switching to a Power FC/Datalogit when I decided to go over to a map setup on that car. I wanted to see what all the hooplah was about concerning the Power FC, that and ebay was good to me that night.

As far as the blocks I have two longblocks sitting in the garage; one was seized due to a rod flying apart that I got for $100, heads are perfect, and the block is in fair shape, the mains look great but one of the cylinder bores needs attention. The crank, that's another story. The other is a good one from a car with 123k on it for $200. I can get "mystery blocks" from pull-a-part for I think it was around $200, maybe a bit less.

-Gordon

[WorkInProgressK]

Aren't the VH's OBD2? with the special ignition key. That is why I was asking.


So you could get block for 200. Nice. all you need is a drysump to get it as low as possible in the engine bay :P

How much those motors weight compared to the VQ35?

[Tower240sx]

94-95 wouldn't be OBDII

OBDII was a 96 and up abomination

[silverbullet]

do you live in newport news va gordon?

[James]

If you still have the shell take out the rear uprights. There alloy and the same as z32, wish I knew that when I had my q45 shell. I'm envious of how cheap your replacement engines are. Much harder to get in Australia.

Good choice with the late model engine. They have better heads and metal backed chain guides which everyone with the older engine upgrades to. Have a look on nicoclub they have a vh section with some good info especially about the oil starvation problems they are probe to(similar to the rb Series)

Good luck with your build

James

[Def]

Looking good - needs some lightweight brakes though! http://www.nissanroadracing.com/showthread.php?t=2078

:D

[Tower240sx]

^ wow that guy...what a slut

[gpeele]

Looking good - needs some lightweight brakes though! http://www.nissanroadracing.com/showthread.php?t=2078

Thanks for the advice guys, especially about the brakes, the rotors are almost done. Instead of trying to fish around for some more r32 rotors I'll use the opportunity to upgrade; your kit looks fantastic by the way, I'll definitely consider it.

If you still have the shell take out the rear uprights. There alloy and the same as z32, wish I knew that when I had my q45 shell. I'm envious of how cheap your replacement engines are. Much harder to get in Australia.

Good choice with the late model engine. They have better heads and metal backed chain guides which everyone with the older engine upgrades to. Have a look on nicoclub they have a vh section with some good info especially about the oil starvation problems they are probe to(similar to the rb Series)

Good luck with your build

James

Thanks man. Most of the parts were already pulled from the Q45, the only thing the guy had left of value on the car besides the engine, maf and ignitors was the diff but I had the S15 so I didn't grab it. The uprights were a nice upgrade though, it was surprised by the weight difference! The issues with the timing chain guides, and the early model siamese intake design definitely steered me towards the late model engines. I'm going to take a peek at Nico's forum; I did hear about the oiling issues so it'll be interesting to see what exactly is going on and how they solved it. It already has two oil feed holes drilled into the mains, do they add more?


do you live in newport news va gordon?
Yep still live in good ol' Newport News.


So you could get block for 200. Nice. all you need is a drysump to get it as low as possible in the engine bay :P

How much those motors weight compared to the VQ35?
Weight, well that's funny you ask because I've seen numbers ranging from 470 to 520 depending on accessories and the like, right around what an RB would weigh, so I want to say like 150 to 200lbs more than a VQ35. The motor is just built like a tank, the bad motor had 267k miles on it when it went. I all started with a connecting rod cap nut that looked like it came loose and killed the oil pressure to the bearing, then disaster....

Dry sump would be nice, I heard a guy put one on a 300zx(450zx) in Australia, that and ITB's! I want to save funds for learning to tune this thing and then buying the replacement engine after I blow it up, repair/repeat. Maybe when my welding skills are up to par I'll tackle those challenges :).


-Gordon

[James]

I did hear about the oiling issues so it'll be interesting to see what exactly is going on and how they solved it. It already has two oil feed holes drilled into the mains, do they add more?

Alot of ideas are being thrown around. I would say one of the oil feeds needs to be blocked off with the addition of a restrictor to the other, the drain holes size in the heads increased and chamfered. Lines at the rear of the heads draining directly to the sump with looser crank bearing tolerance should solve the problem fully.

Dry sump would be nice, I heard a guy put one on a 300zx(450zx) in Australia, that and ITB's! I want to save funds for learning to tune this thing and then buying the replacement engine after I blow it up, repair/repeat. Maybe when my welding skills are up to par I'll tackle those challenges :).

I think your referring to a 300zx in the UK. Yes it does have a dry sump and ITB's:) the block is bored out to a 5ltr and revs to 9000rpm. His name is John Dixon.


Cheers

James

[2Fass240us]

^ wow that guy...what a slutNo kidding.

If you don't want to mess with 2-piece rotors (pain), and don't care about weight (you have a VH45), you should get MY brackets. :D

thisthreadneedsmorepictures.org

[Tower240sx]

^ It's like a hooker convention up in here LOL ;)

[2Fass240us]

Gheycob started it.

[VQ35goofus]

Hey gordon, im glad to see you arnt giving up on Nissan's after SMP last year.

[gpeele]

Sorry about that James, yes you're right, sorry about the misinformation. Thanks for wetting my appetite as far as the oil issues go. I'll definitely take a look at all that stuff this weekend when I have some more time.

Casey I love Nissan products, RWD and affordable; it'll take more than magnetic pit walls and my crappy driving skills to keep me from building them. It's good to see you're doing well and keeping me jealous of your setup!!

If you don't want to mess with 2-piece rotors (pain), and don't care about weight (you have a VH45), you should get MY brackets.

I had to do a little searching but I saw your kit. I probably won't make a decision on brakes till like January. I was leaning towards the Concept Z Akebono blank rotor conversion kit for the fronts but these other two options have me second guessing that route....

Pics? Those will come soon, I've just been really really busy, if not tomorrow then definitely this weekend. I do know how weak sauce/worthless build threads are without photos.

-Gordon

[gawdzilla]

hey Gordon, I don't know if you remember me, but I was at the event with Casey at Summit. It's Will and I have the white s14 w/ rb in it. Good luck with your build and glad you're still in the game. Hope to see you out again soon

[gpeele]

Thanks Will, and yes I remember you. I was really impressed with how clean you swapped in the RB and was really curious about your brake and suspension setup. I should be out early next year if everything goes as planned.

Here are a few pictures before I go pass out, just general stuff.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs214.snc1/8120_1185065680316_1638499102_445312_1280033_n.jpg
^ The car right after getting it from a customer of MA Motorsports, it was an auto swapped to manual with an SR.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs235.snc1/8216_1185068280381_1638499102_445323_1280319_n.jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs215.snc1/8216_1185068520387_1638499102_445327_3151521_n.jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs215.snc1/8216_1185069600414_1638499102_445351_7820362_n.jpg
^ It had a pretty clean interior

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs235.snc1/8216_1185072240480_1638499102_445413_52004_n.jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs235.snc1/8216_1185069840420_1638499102_445356_1880966_n.jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs248.ash1/17533_1270403853717_1638499102_629844_7732913_n.jp g
^ Done with the stripper show!

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs215.snc1/8216_1185072280481_1638499102_445414_5610722_n.jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs215.snc1/8216_1185072320482_1638499102_445415_2393818_n.jpg
^ I don't remember this being in the bill of sale!

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs291.snc4/40911_1462294890873_1638499102_1062089_7624961_n.j pg
^ Stopped by Mazworx in the middle of a road trip to pick up...

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs140.ash2/40331_1462294970875_1638499102_1062090_8175518_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs306.snc4/40631_1462295050877_1638499102_1062092_1680278_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs144.ash2/40532_1462295130879_1638499102_1062093_5553231_n.j pg
^ the modified 300zx bellhousing to take home, yay no shipping charges!

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs148.snc3/17533_1270403813716_1638499102_629843_5754982_n.jp g
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs214.snc1/8120_1185065640315_1638499102_445311_3616023_n.jpg
^ A few parts from the Mazworx conversion kit I got everything during a sale when they were still trying to move the first few kits, yep I got lucky.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs129.ash2/39800_1462356972425_1638499102_1062376_1197446_n.j pg
^ At the Pull-A-Part in Winston-Salem, during a rain storm, under a giant metal crane in the middle of a field... I think we already established I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed :(.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs149.ash2/40798_1462357332434_1638499102_1062381_765590_n.jp g
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs289.snc4/40798_1462357372435_1638499102_1062382_654122_n.jp g
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs173.snc4/38010_1462357212431_1638499102_1062379_451181_n.jp g
^ Finally motor out, and I now know why people usually drop these out the bottom.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs023.snc4/33530_1462356692418_1638499102_1062372_1621965_n.j pg
^ Motor in the foreground is the Pull-A-Part special the one next to the car is the good motor.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs274.snc4/40020_1462391573290_1638499102_1062506_2120261_n.j pg
^ With the port configuration and the VVT it almost looks like a new Ford 5.0, it just makes a hundred less horsepower :(.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs003.ash2/33530_1462356732419_1638499102_1062373_4832937_n.j pg
^ The intake ports look pretty good for a stock casting, maybe just a little polishing to clean up the casting marks.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs306.snc4/40662_1462391453287_1638499102_1062505_7684593_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs254.snc4/40020_1462391613291_1638499102_1062507_7609243_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs157.ash2/41211_1462294810871_1638499102_1062088_7961256_n.j pg
^ These were probably the worst looking out of all the cam lobes. Over all everything was pretty clean in the heads for a 267k mile car.


I'll post more of the tear down tomorrow, and the reason why I had trouble putting the dip stick back in when I checked the oil at Pull-A-Part, falling asleep and must wake up early for work tomorrow.

-Gordon

[gpeele]

Sorry about the delay, I got home last night and just passed out, I can't wait for retirement. Here's how the tear down went.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs365.snc4/44816_1477215223872_1638499102_1101499_3186919_n.j pg
^ So far so good.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs152.ash2/40927_1477215023867_1638499102_1101496_854844_n.jp g
^ Uh oh, that's bad....

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs158.ash2/41233_1477215263873_1638499102_1101500_6829573_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs210.ash2/47333_1477215303874_1638499102_1101501_1160260_n.j pg
^ Dropped the oil pan and windage tray that this is what I found.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs194.ash2/45672_1477216023892_1638499102_1101516_7549090_n.j pg
^ Wow, I'm lucky the head and valves are still okay

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs414.snc4/47679_1477216143895_1638499102_1101518_3314320_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs403.snc4/46618_1477216823912_1638499102_1101532_4705183_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs182.ash2/44540_1477216983916_1638499102_1101533_7625713_n.j pg
^ Not exactly the beefiest block girdle I've seen but at least it has one.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs292.snc4/40929_1477217103919_1638499102_1101535_6291528_n.j pg
^ A better picture of the connecting rod

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs407.snc4/46979_1477217543930_1638499102_1101539_1419066_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs187.ash2/45023_1477218503954_1638499102_1101551_8091932_n.j pg
^ Number one connecting rod cap

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs388.snc4/45083_1477218863963_1638499102_1101552_2406163_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs157.ash2/41182_1477219223972_1638499102_1101554_4974450_n.j pg
^ Number two piston

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs197.ash2/46040_1477219263973_1638499102_1101555_1423267_n.j pg
^ Oiling problems?

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs400.snc4/46366_1477221064018_1638499102_1101585_1556257_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs412.snc4/47536_1477219423977_1638499102_1101558_4174382_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs384.snc4/44697_1477219783986_1638499102_1101561_3828831_n.j pg
^ Close ups of the damage, I didn't realize the extent until I removed the connecting rod for number one piston. Note damage to counterweight from the wrist pin.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs156.ash2/41148_1477221224022_1638499102_1101588_1919162_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs203.ash2/46635_1477223024067_1638499102_1101604_2373027_n.j pg
^ Connecting rod bearings were pretty worn, the thrust and mains weren't as bad.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs360.snc4/44285_1477224064093_1638499102_1101612_2749291_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs292.snc4/40958_1477224704109_1638499102_1101617_364174_n.jp g
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs405.snc4/46833_1477224864113_1638499102_1101618_7323627_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs214.ash2/47734_1477225024117_1638499102_1101619_5785676_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs298.snc4/41234_1477225504129_1638499102_1101625_7399587_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs299.snc4/41284_1477225584131_1638499102_1101626_397247_n.jp g
^ Did a little route cause/oil pan diving and found the missing connecting rod cap nut. The nut itself wasn't damaged at all; so it looks like the nut was either not torqued right or the bolt stretched over time and let the nut rattle loose, killing oil pressure to the bearing and the rest in elementary.The other pictures just illustrated the extent of the damage at the component level.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs388.snc4/45167_1477221344025_1638499102_1101590_6600298_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs296.snc4/41134_1477221704034_1638499102_1101593_6260200_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs411.snc4/47440_1477222224047_1638499102_1101597_1934267_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs181.ash2/44457_1477226304149_1638499102_1101631_7742045_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs207.ash2/47024_1477226384151_1638499102_1101632_5469476_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs400.snc4/46302_1477226424152_1638499102_1101633_1302308_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs375.snc4/45772_1477226504154_1638499102_1101634_5688134_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs187.ash2/44974_1477214943865_1638499102_1101495_2319769_n.j pg
^ Various shots of how the block is cast and why it weighs a ton. Actually that crank weighs about as much as the block. I start with the other engine this weekend; it actually rotates so I won't take it down quite as far as this one.

-Gordon

[Def]

That sucks. Is the block still usable? Crank looks pretty knackered. :(

VH blocks are diesel - tons of reinforcement. No wonder they weigh a ton.

[gpeele]

I'll keep the crank around just in case I come across a deal as far as machine work is concerned. I torqued everything once I got the rod out and it rotated freely, so it may be salvageable; I'm going look into what people are doing as far as lightening them. I won't repair it back to stock though, I'm pretty sure the machine work is more than another long block would cost.

The damage to the block is mostly cosmetic or to the bottom of the bores so it can be repaired. The only thing I'm worried about is the main oil gallery, I'll have to take the caps off to see how those dents affected it.

-Gordon

[gpeele]

Well what WAS a good motor when it was pulled has been sitting for a lot longer than this guy made it out to be.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs619.snc4/57941_1487910931258_1638499102_1128086_7244918_n.j pg
^ Driver's side head, and yes that's rust on the lobes. Not just surface either, those cams are ruined.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs635.snc4/59526_1487911091262_1638499102_1128087_5954952_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs635.snc4/59526_1487911131263_1638499102_1128088_7794368_n.j pg
^ Valves are rusted and some ports are have debris in them.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs614.snc4/59439_1487911411270_1638499102_1128090_3186712_n.j pg
^ This should have clued me in as to how much water this engine was subjected to!

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs298.snc4/41233_1487911611275_1638499102_1128091_7752593_n.j pg
^ And the other head is worst, looks like I'm taking this one down to parts also to inspect everything....

[Matt93SE]

looks almost identical to my Maxima engine I blew up about 6 years ago...
http://blehmco.com/pics/car/engine/100_1234.jpg
http://blehmco.com/pics/car/engine/100_1239.jpg
http://blehmco.com/pics/car/engine/100_1246.jpg

That little sliver in the bottom of 46 is the only thing I found that even remotely resembled a bearing.

that carnage happened at TWS.. I turned off the front straight (after a 7000rpm 4th gear pull) and heard some clattering when I pulled out of the next turn. I could feel a vibration in the pedals, but the engine was still making power. I thought I'd blown the tranny (for the 5th time). Kept driving it and saw no smoke or anything, just putted it around to the pits and shut it down. it was still running until I shut the engine off, when the rod fell down between the crank and girdle or block and locked up the engine.

I let it sit for about 6 months before pulling the thing apart. I yanked out the broken rod and the damn thing started right up! it was already toast anyway, so why not?!

Anyway, my thought of failure is same as yours- rod bolt stretched at high RPM and lost torque. nut fell off and then kaboom.

when I built the next engine, I used ARP rod bolts. :) Fortuantely the VE30DE uses the same bottom end (rods, bearings, fasteners) as the VG30DE, so getting lower end parts for it is cake. Pistons drop right in as well, but compression is higher in the VE due to smaller combustion chambers. what I thought was going to be 11 or 11.5:1 compression wound up being closer to 12:1 and the sumbitch pinged ALL the time on 93octane when it was hot outside.

[gpeele]

I just got home from class and I'm heading off to bed, I just wanted to thank you for sharing those pictures and your story, I did take a look at TWS's track layout, it looks pretty cool. Oh and I think I'll follow your advice and invest in some ARP hardware when this thing goes back together :).

-Gordon

[Matt93SE]

yeah.. it's a pretty long straight. My Maxima was doing 135 at the end of the front straight, and 120 in a couple other places.
My 240 does about 120 at the end of the front straight and 105-110 in the other two straights.
Several 100+MPH turns too! whee!

Good luck getting the VH back together. I wound up using 3 "core motors" to put my engine back together, plus a full rebore, port & polish, and valve job on the block and heads. wound up costing me close to $3k before I was done.
and I might have gained 20hp over the 220k mile original engine... doh.

[Bumnah]

Totally missed this thread. Nice build so far. Good luck with sourcing a nicer engine.

[Def]

yeah.. it's a pretty long straight. My Maxima was doing 135 at the end of the front straight, and 120 in a couple other places.
My 240 does about 120 at the end of the front straight and 105-110 in the other two straights.
Several 100+MPH turns too! whee!

Good luck getting the VH back together. I wound up using 3 "core motors" to put my engine back together, plus a full rebore, port & polish, and valve job on the block and heads. wound up costing me close to $3k before I was done.
and I might have gained 20hp over the 220k mile original engine... doh.

I don't know if my tach was accurate, but staying in it with 14 psi on a T28 showed 6600 RPM consistently on the front straight in 5th gear, stock 4.083 rear end and 235/40-17 tires. That calculates out to some speed it shouldn't be able to hit on the straight, but it'd do it consistently. The S-AFC2 agrees within 100 RPM of any tach reading, so I don't think it was that. I was at redline in 4th right around the start/finish line and it was still pulling pretty good in 5th(no aero then).

[gpeele]

Hello all, yes I've been living under a rock for the past six months, just a combination of maintenance outages at work, classes, and personal stuff that's been keeping me out the garage. I have been getting little things done here and there and I finally have a decent engine to throw in so I'll post some updates tomorrow. Things are going to be calm for a few weeks so I'll have regular updates posted and get this show on the road.

-Gordon

[2Fass240us]

looking forward to updates

[gpeele]

So, I've found engine number three and I should be in business now. I just did a minor tear down to make sure everything was copacetic; I'm not completely satisfied with the condition but it definitely falls in the good enough category.

Okay so more pictures from the second engine....

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/195964_1782914586165_1638499102_1633064_830682_n.j pg
The coolant looks pretty clear, and was full...

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/208948_1782914946174_1638499102_1633065_1195376_n. jpg
The water pump didn't have any play and looked clean, looks like cooling shouldn't have been an issue.

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/196798_1782915786195_1638499102_1633068_4090266_n. jpg
Good think I'm not running air conditioning.

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/199550_1782916266207_1638499102_1633069_2129141_n. jpg
I broke my ten millimeter allen socket trying to break free...

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/206288_1782919466287_1638499102_1633077_3714731_n. jpg
This!!

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/198578_1782920026301_1638499102_1633079_5300353_n. jpg
Pretty much all the head studs were coked up like this, I'm really worried about what the rest of the oil galleries look like. It took a couple of nights of working the bolts back and forth, one more socket, and half a can of Kroil to get them free. I'm definitely learning about the detriments of a poor oil change schedule. I just never knew an engine could run with such an extensive build up of coke like this!

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/199571_1782920426311_1638499102_1633080_8065089_n. jpg
The combustion chambers were actually not too bad looking, I was expecting a lot worst.

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/198059_1782921066327_1638499102_1633081_2399332_n. jpg
Left Bank, looks well, crappy, but the pistons look okay underneath the deposits. I'm sure after a trip to the parts washer they should be reusable.

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/205259_1782922146354_1638499102_1633084_4191067_n. jpg
http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/208334_1782922506363_1638499102_1633085_2919812_n. jpg
Right bank looks the same, I'll definitely have to take this one down, at least I have my good block :).

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/206400_1782923146379_1638499102_1633087_405014_n.j pg
Well it looks like the guy was honest when he said he pulled it from a wrecked car, note sway bar indent in oil pan.

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/206357_1782923946399_1638499102_1633090_6935090_n. jpg
Okay, wtf is that! Wait, it gets better...!

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/200390_1782925506438_1638499102_1633094_3583553_n. jpg
?!? Seriously. I'm thinking they drained the oil and some water, from being out in the rain for who knows how long, found it's way into the pain and made this milky substance. I didn't see anything like this in the rest of the engine so hopefully it was never run in this condition and is strictly a result of it sitting for eons in said dude's backyard.

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/207422_1782925706443_1638499102_1633095_4550311_n. jpg
No I didn't spilled Hershey's chocolate from my sundae on the windage tray, that's oil from the engine.... So sad.

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/200264_1782925946449_1638499102_1633096_7745085_n. jpg
Amazingly enough taken down to this level the rotating assembly spins by hand!! I'm still going to have to take it down since I'm really worried about the condition of the oil galleries.

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/207391_1782942546864_1638499102_1633110_447777_n.j pg
The valve covers are going to need a chemical worthy of a Tyvex suit and an SCBA to clean.



Engine number 3...

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/208470_1782943266882_1638499102_1633112_3869140_n. jpg
Draining oil from engine number three. The next person I meet that says they don't change their oil regularly I'm going to punch them straight in the mouth, full draw back and everything! Seriously America, change the oil in your vehicles!

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/205435_1782943426886_1638499102_1633113_7898297_n. jpg
More conversion parts courtesy of Xcessive Manufacturing, their alternator and shift kits. The parts are very well made, I wish I went with their shift kit first over Mazworx, though the Mazworx shifter is pretty sweet.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/198516_1782943786895_1638499102_1633114_5639926_n. jpg
Harness and plenum pulled off, besides the plethora of mouse poop everything is pretty clean. Note the smaller power steering pulley from Xcessive, it was a perfect fit. Hopefully with a power steering cooler I shouldn't have to worry about temps too much. This is just a temporary fix, I'm looking into using the Denso electric power steering column in the future.

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/208646_1782944066902_1638499102_1633115_6224139_n. jpg
This picture doesn't do the runners justice, they are actually pretty clean, a minimum amount of build up, at least compared to the other two engines.

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/208981_1782944226906_1638499102_1633116_3936312_n. jpg
Hmm... not great, but not bad either. Maybe I'm just relieved it's not as bad as the others, I was pretty jaded by this point.

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/207295_1782944706918_1638499102_1633118_3845292_n. jpg
Looks pretty bad right, before...

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/197068_1782944866922_1638499102_1633119_1209256_n. jpg
and after rubbing the spot for a bit with a gloved hand. It looks like it was just the last few years the car was driven that the oil changes were neglected. The oil didn't coke up and is still a sludgy residue.

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/205691_1782945306933_1638499102_1633121_4282173_n. jpg
Uniform richness on 1-3-5-7

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/205613_1782946226956_1638499102_1633127_5432383_n. jpg
This is how I talked the guy down a couple hundred bucks :). I rubbed the top right corner when I pulled it off the first time in the junk yard to make sure it was still sludgy.

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/197400_1782947706993_1638499102_1633131_194130_n.j pg
Right valve cover off reveals more of the same.

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/196600_1782948107003_1638499102_1633133_480078_n.j pg
Number eight plug, hopefully this was just a valve cover gasket gone bad.

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/196603_1782948347009_1638499102_1633134_4556493_n. jpg
2-4-6-8 look like they are the same as the left bank, so all the cylinders should be at the same health level. The only thing I'm worried about is the rings may be prematurely warn due to running rich, I'll just have to do a compression test when I have everything back together. I'm just going to drop the pan on this one and change the timing and oil pump chains. It looks like it will hold together long enough to get the other engine built. I'll take this one and rebuild it the same way, provided it's still in one piece.

Well that's about it guys, like I said damn outages at work have been killing me. I'm not taking classes this semester so hopefully I'll have time this spring and summer to put this thing together for a couple of events in the fall. Next up putting this engine back together and starting to sort out the suspension and brakes.