Head Gasket 4 (100%)

[[ion] C2]

Complete on Page 9 (http://www.aleromod.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34991&page=9).


FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUU on Page 8 (http://www.aleromod.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34991&page=8).


Engine in-bay reassembly updates on Page 5 (http://www.aleromod.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34991&page=5).


Machine work updates on Page 4 (http://www.aleromod.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34991&page=4).


Engine disassembly and reassembly updates on Page 3 (http://www.aleromod.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34991&page=3).




Outdated stuff below:
------------------------


On 10/21/2011 I ran 13.2 @ 110MPH and blew the gasket 3 seconds into the run... (http://www.aleromod.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34966)

It's awesome when you open the oil drain plug and coolant comes out first haha.

Fun stuff, as usual.

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/1.JPG

I'm running out of colors to paint on!

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/2.JPG

And this is what I ended up with today.. taking off the cam towers and head tomorrow. Going to try something different regarding removing the turbo manifold... probably won't be able to but I'll try..

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/3.JPG

I'll drop off the head to be machined on Monday and get some nice pictures of it when it's all mirror finish... then Tuesday I'll do the water pump for the first time, and install my new shiny firewall material and such..

[JLw7123]

damn that sucks are u goingto check to see if the head is warped.

[[ion] C2]

damn that sucks are u goingto check to see if the head is warped.
C2;600349']I'll drop off the head to be machined on Monday

http://ion-productions.com/Headofshame.gif

[JLw7123]

oh i missed that. u have had a ton of problems with this engine.

[Papa Rad17]

thats why 2fts4u decided not to drop another one is his and is parting it out. he envied my ecotec :lol: although knowing C2 once he's done with it theres not going to be anymore of this crap. just a red blur flying by. :lol: and is kris or chris? iv seen both on here...

[[ion] C2]

yeah it won't leak after this time. and no, i didn't say that when doing the previous ones, i expected it to leak last time.

i'm Chris

[AZFire316]

I hate head gaskets! lol, im in the process of doing mine on my LT1 and its a PITA.

[mmorello82]

Damn Dude! Looks like you need a grage to do all that work!

[sleepyalero]

:iagree: it would suck to work on your car on the side of the road doing all that work!

[[ion] C2]

Garage has parents' cars in it, and the driveway is all new and this job makes a big mess, so no-go. I always do it outside.

A big surprise occurred though today when I took the head off. I'll post later when I get home.

[Redog]

And you ask why I won't turbo my car.

Exactly how much money did you save by not doing it right the first time?

[[ion] C2]

And you ask why I won't turbo my car.

Exactly how much money did you save by not doing it right the first time?
Well, it was "right" the first time, it was built using a Fel-Pro to handle just the wimpy supercharger. I originally never planned to turbo.

In order:

Fel-Pro:
Original build's Fel-Pro blew with my small turbo @ 14 psi. I decided to use the readily available GM gasket this time because people told me it was stronger than the Fel-Pro, and I used head studs this time.

GM:
I switched to the GT3076R and turned up the boost to 16 psi. GM gasket leaked. This time I decided to use Cometic, but I neglected to use copper spray, and I also improperly torqued the head down.

Cometic (dry):
It never sealed from the get go, I just attributed the overheating/coolant issues to other various things (hoses/reservoir/etc.) Coolant began showing up in the cylinders though and that's when I knew. I installed a new Cometic with copper spray this time.

Cometic (copper spray):
I neglected to resurface the head, leaving deep scoring marks around the cylinder sealing surfaces, yet this Cometic held up extremely well, with absolutely ZERO issues, for 6 months, until the day I decided it would be smart to do two full-cold engine wide-open throttle runs to show off to a co-worker. It appeared to generate a weak point/small leak. I still took it to the track the next week, and the head gasket of course leaked more, but I kept my foot in it, full wide open throttle for 10 seconds AFTER the head gasket initially blew severely... and that is what caused the following damage.



So I got it down to the head today.

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/4.jpg

I took off the head and noticed severe damage on the multi-layer stainless steel gasket. It melted away between the cylinder and the coolant jackets on cylinders 2 & 3.
http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/6.jpg

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/5.jpg

I saw the head and said HOLY SHIT! But I remembered someone was selling a head on JBO for cheap.. and I was like, well not that big of a deal...
http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/8.jpg

But then I saw the #2 piston.
http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/7.jpg

Guess I shouldn't've stayed at 100% throttle for 10 seconds when the head gasket blew.. if I let off as soon as it started smoking, all it would've needed was a resurface and new gasket..

[JLw7123]

holly shit that sucks.

[mmorello82]

looks like it's time for a new motor

[kwhauck]

ahhhh damn.......

[JLw7123]

looks like it's time for a new motor

no just new pistons or piston.

[[ion] C2]

looks like it's time for a new motor
no just new pistons or piston.
yeah that, lol.

a nice hone to clean up the bore, fancy fresh cut on the block sealing surface, fancy cut on a new (used) head, and it'll be good to go.

[guiguilandry]

dude, did you see the scorind on the cylinder wall... gotta get 0.020 over with new pistons, it's a full engine build this time...

On the other hand it's now time to do it 5 speed too like you wanted ion


no just new pistons or piston.

[[ion] C2]

dude, did you see the scorind on the cylinder wall... gotta get 0.020 over with new pistons
That's just gunk from the piston. It appears to come off easily. The actual walls seem fine aside from the caked on gunk.
On the other hand it's now time to do it 5 speed too like you wanted ion
I have no money. The engine as it was should've held up perfectly fine (with proper head gasket prep), so that's what it will be repaired to. New piston(s) and head, no additional crazy modding going on.

[guiguilandry]

ok then because it just happen that I'm parting out my ld9 5 speed (got hit in the rear by a 12 wheeler) and I could have had all of the parts you needed even a 450lbs/tq spec stage 3+ rated clutch (5000 km on it)...

[rustyballs_69]

Just get a new head, pistons, and hone the cylinders. Torque the head down right and your good. A used motor with less miles maybe cheaper though.

[spyhunter]

ouch man... ouch.

[spyhunter]

ok then because it just happen that I'm parting out my ld9 5 speed (got hit in the rear by a 12 wheeler) and I could have had all of the parts you needed even a 450lbs/tq spec stage 3+ rated clutch (5000 km on it)...

SPEC Stage 3? It's garbage for 400+hp builds.

[[ion] C2]

Just get a new head, pistons, and hone the cylinders. Torque the head down right and your good. A used motor with less miles maybe cheaper though.
this engine only has 30k miles, and i need forged stuff, can't just put in a stock bottom end lol :awesome: I'll talk to the shop that knew what head I was carrying into their place before I even got within 20 feet and see what they say it will cost to pull the engine and fix this. i don't like to touch the bottom end stuff.
SPEC Stage 3? It's garbage for 400+hp builds.
Yeah I heard Spec kinda fails from JBO. What clutch setup do you have?

[guiguilandry]

it's stage3+ and for the short amount of time I've driven it on this car it was ok, I was able to do burnouts with my mickey thompson with ease... it looks like a copper/metal disc, but i dislike the full disc setup, i prefer the 6 puck clutchmasters, like I have on my 3800...

Like i said Spec tell that the 3+ is rated to 450 lbs of torque, but I think it's more like 350-375 max torque...

[AZFire316]

wtf happend to that piston? all that damage from a head gasket failure?

[[ion] C2]

wtf happend to that piston? all that damage from a head gasket failure?
Head gasket failure causes knock. Holding wide open throttle with 21 psi boost with all that knock and inadequate/sporadic cooling with hotspots being generated will do that.

[AZFire316]

Ah ok I see. Is imagine that engine making aweful noises with a piston like that?

[[ion] C2]

I didn't hear anything different, but then again I just coasted down to the point where it stalled at the end of the track.

[Gr1m]

damn bro i just got my alero back together and now yours is apart lol.

[Redog]

Wow!!

[rocketfast321]

But on a side note the motor looks clean

[[ion] C2]

Meh, still waiting for the block to be pulled out.

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/9.jpg




Put on a stock rear bumper though in the meantime. Need to get a more sleeper plate in December.

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/10.jpg

Took off the windshield banner too. This is the only sticker on the car. Moar sleeper.

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/sticker.jpg

[kwhauck]

I support the moar sleeper!

[Malibu369258]

I like!

[billytheman1188]

Yes....sleeper! :)

[rocketfast321]

C2;601085']Meh, still waiting for the block to be pulled out.



Where did you get the metal water outlet from?

[[ion] C2]

Where did you get the metal water outlet from?

Custom made. Got tired of the wimpy plastic one that always leaked either through the o-ring or a crack. Now I use a nice big gasket that seals perfectly against the head.


Below is the overall idea. The bleeder barb and heater core outlet barb were replaced by welded in pushlock aluminum barbs. The main hose outlet is also barbed now.
http://ion-productions.com/outlet1.jpg

It doesn't leak.

[falloutboy]

DAMN WTF ????

Holy cow .. I just ran out of words. That is a tremendous head ... welding

Man this really sucks. Especially cause I looked at your car and said -- hmm ok, whats with it?? At the last Alero Stravaganza

Man I feel like a moron now.

But why did you run so much boost? Never thought of making the hole system work together as one piece?

[AZFire316]

with the # of head gasket failures you've had, u have no concern of bearing failure?

[[ion] C2]

with the # of head gasket failures you've had, u have no concern of bearing failure?
Any time the head gasket has been an issue I've immediately stopped driving and repaired it. It's getting new bearings now since the bottom end is apart, so it doesn't matter...




DAMN WTF ????

Holy cow .. I just ran out of words. That is a tremendous head ... welding

Man this really sucks. Especially cause I looked at your car and said -- hmm ok, whats with it?? At the last Alero Stravaganza

Man I feel like a moron now.
What?
http://ion-productions.com/chan.jpg

But why did you run so much boost? Never thought of making the hole system work together as one piece?
Because it can handle it... (in this case, there was previous head damage that I left unattended, and I also messed it up when I did a cold run)... it won't happen ever again when it gets back together.

[AZFire316]

I just got done doing the head gaskets on my LT1 and ill tell u this, i hope to never have to do it again, terrible job to do.

[[ion] C2]

It's horrendous. Not looking forward to the reassembly. While the engine is out though I'll be able to clean up quite a few things and install my new firewall heat shield material and such.. and easily put on an A/C bypass pulley like I always wanted to.. :)

[AZFire316]

atleast you learned a lesson about cold start beatings (an expensive one) but i bet you wont try to "show off" again. I learned that lesson the expensive way as well.

[JLw7123]

C2;601930']It's horrendous. Not looking forward to the reassembly. While the engine is out though I'll be able to clean up quite a few things and install my new firewall heat shield material and such.. and easily put on an A/C bypass pulley like I always wanted to.. :)

have u found a head yet.

[[ion] C2]

sort of, one guy on JBO has one but he takes forever to communicate

[JLw7123]

C2;601939']sort of, one guy on JBO has one but he takes forever to communicate

damn now are you going to put in new intake and exhaust valves like titanium or a valve that is stronger than stock.

[[ion] C2]

i don't have limitless money, i barely even have enough money for pistons/bearings and all the other stuff i need

and nothing was wrong with stock valvetrain.. i'm not revving any higher than stock and never plan to.

[zzyzzx]

Damn Dude! Looks like you need a garage to do all that work!

I was going to say that! No way would I do that on the street!

[[ion] C2]

Engine's finally out. Also helped out the guy who's going to be doing the work, so he's going to disassemble it for free. I'll have to pay for machining of course and for re-assembly probably. (Depends on how my labor hours spent on what I help them out with compare with how many labor hours they spent on my car.

http://ion-productions.com/engineOut.jpg

They said my car was scary on the hoist because of all the rust issues with the body... the pinch weld frame rails have been getting so rusty lately and it needs to be addressed. Either finding a rust-free shell and swapping everything to it, or (what I originally planned) cutting out all the rusted sections and reinforcing everything with some welded in new steel. My friend can easily weld some serious square stock to reinforce the body.

I'll have to take a good look and see what needs to be done on it.. not happy about how much rust has affected things.

[MMGT1]

Hey C2, got to love GM's way of dealing with their rotting rocker issue 'eh? Can't stop it so we will cover them with plastic so you don't see it!

[[ion] C2]

Engine should be disassembled tomorrow..

http://ion-productions.com/emptyBay.jpg

I removed the A/C compressor and lines (finally) after I took this picture.

[03glgold]

sure would be a handy time to put in a 5-speed

[[ion] C2]

i don't even have enough money to do this as it is. car is fine as is.

next up is fixing and maintaining the body's integrity.

[03glgold]

I know I was just giving you crap as your car is so close to ready for the swap and I know you were planning on doing it at some point

[kwhauck]

5 speed swaps are for fun, they certainly aren't beneficial for the track.

[AZFire316]

One reason I'm glad I live in Nevada and not the NE or Midwest anymore, no rust issues on vehicles. And definatly get those issues taken care of, thats too nice of an Alero to let the elements destroy it.

[[ion] C2]

Need to order .020" overbore pistons, meh.

Some pictures I took recently.
http://ion-productions.com/IMG_20111129_123137.jpg

http://ion-productions.com/IMG_20111129_122933.jpg

[Vic28]

5 speed swaps are for fun, they certainly aren't beneficial for the track.
WHAT??

[[ion] C2]

When it was previously built, it has been found it was done poorly. The person who assembled my engine has had 5 others fail and there is a lawsuit against the company who he worked for recently pertaining to that.

So here they're doing things the right way. Today it's going to Champion Performance for machining.

The block is being bored out .020", the deck will be machined to be nice and flat and smooth. The crank journals will be polished and the oil holes chamfered properly. The Eagle rods need to be machined to be round correctly as they are angled somewhat.. Eagle didn't make them right. Apparently they fixed that QC issue the year I bought mine.

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/11.jpg

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/12.jpg

Old pistons, saving them for paperweights.
http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/13.jpg

[JLw7123]

well i hope everything goes smoothly.

[[ion] C2]

Just got off the phone with the shop.

Champion will start next week. All Champion does is build performance blocks. They asked Speed Industry what I'm going to do with the engine and the response was "pound the piss out of it" so they're going to:

bore it
hone it
deck it
wash it
machine the rods to spec
polish the crank journals
deburr and chamfer the oil holes
use Clevite-77 bearings for rod and main

All for $495, and should be done next Thursday.

[billytheman1188]

Nice! idk what most of that you said means but it sounds bad ass...lol. Still waiting for my ride in that beast.... ;)

[Oldsman]

See I told you to take it all the way down and redo the whole thing. Are you doing ARP main studs?

[[ion] C2]

Are you doing ARP main studs?
No.

[Papa Rad17]

Nice! idk what most of that you said means but it sounds bad ass...lol. Still waiting for my ride in that beast.... ;)

Iv been saying that for a while now to...

[billytheman1188]

Iv been saying that for a while now to...

Not as long as me :P

[[ion] C2]

You can get rides at ASS for sure this time.

[[ion] C2]

I managed to negotiate having my machine work done by Champion FOR FREE :awesome: if set them up a much better website than their current one.

The machining should be done Friday, reassembly of block should be completed sometime mid-next week I would assume, and then it has to be put into the car. Then it's my turn to have fun again. (sarcasm)

[MMGT1]

I know of one quad that has cracked the 500whp so far, you gonna get close to that when you are done? Sounds like you are goin' ballz out this time!

[MMGT1]

I just spent the last hour looking for the vid of the Grand AM with the 500hp quad in it and can't find the dam thing! Anyone else here seen the vid Im speakig of? It was a 85-88 Grand AM, the "Stub Nosed" model that some guy put the crazy quad into. In the vid the dude running the dyno goes beserk when the #'s come up..... gotta a link anyone cuz' like I said I can't find it! I'm sure it was on youtube but it was maybe two years ago it was on there??

[[ion] C2]

I can try to find it. I found it multiple times before, it is a tough one though.
Edit: Found it.
http://www.streetfire.net/video/turbo-grand-am-quad-4-gt40r-560whp_158829.htm

And I'm just going to be keeping the boost right where it is at 21 psi. Should be enough to make me happy. We'll see when I get track times.

[Alerojester]

well have fun with that one ik i've been gone for forever and im glad your gonna get it back up and running in a shorter amount of time then i am taking

[[ion] C2]

Machining is done, all bearings and piston rings are ready to go. Crankshaft micro-polishing is being finalized.

Bottom end will be assembled and back into the car by the end of the week; then it's my turn to do what I do..

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/engine1.jpg

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/engine2.jpg

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/engine3.jpg

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/engine4.jpg

[NoSweat83]

Looks good Chris. Keep it that way for a while!

How come your not gonna use the ARP studs?

[[ion] C2]

why should I?

no one has ever broken a stock LD9 crank, nor has ever reported any issues using main bolts..

[turboalero]

yea man do it big.

[NoSweat83]

C2;607313']why should I?

no one has ever broken a stock LD9 crank, nor has ever reported any issues using main bolts..

Good point. With you having it apart, thought you might have been looking into it as a preventative measure.

[[ion] C2]

Shop called, apparently a couple of the brand new piston rings sealed in-package that came with my Wiseco .020" over piston kit are damaged. One is broken in half and another is all rusty.. wtf?

[zzyzzx]

C2;607376']Shop called, apparently a couple of the brand new piston rings sealed in-package that came with my Wiseco .020" over piston kit are damaged. One is broken in half and another is all rusty.. wtf?

Probably made in China and/or UPS throwing the package.

[[ion] C2]

Made in US..

Edit: I just called and ordered a new set from Wiseco, overnighted, only $34 total. Not bad.

[kwhauck]

C2;607381']Made in US..

Edit: I just called and ordered a new set from Wiseco, overnighted, only $34 total. Not bad.

and all that worrying for nothing!!

[[ion] C2]

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/14.jpg

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/15.jpg

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/16.jpg

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/17.jpg

[[ion] C2]

Wow, so the new piston ring set that came in today has one ring that's bent a little bit. Called Wiseco, they're overnighting a brand new set for free. Hopefully this one is good, lol.

Welding a new pushlock fitting onto my oil pan so no more oil pan leak.. finally. It's leaked since May 2009.

[Gr1m]

i think i just got a hard on from those pics

[rocketfast321]

http://images.cheezburger.com/completestore/2010/5/14/129183256035861415.jpg

[falloutboy]

baaahhh how could I missed this thread??
somethings wrong with the e-mail system here.

Looking good so far, but the letters on your piston are upside down :)
might wanna turn them around :lol:

[MMGT1]

I had time to show a couple of the guys at work your build today. hahahhahahahhahaaa... they think we are all nuts. They were convinced that no one was a "simple" as me with an N-Body. I told them we are many... now get the F%$# out of our way! LOL

[[ion] C2]

Near completion.
http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/18.jpg

Back in the car. New water pump, new lower radiator hose.
http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/19.jpg

Wonder what this wire is for.... http://www.migunowners.org/forum/images/smilies/scratchchin.gif
http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/20.jpg

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/21.jpg


I got some new actual stainless steel braiding to go over some of my hoses, and some heat shrink tubing to terminate the ends cleanly. And some insanely high temperature sleeving for my oil feed/drain lines. No more oil leaks for me either, as I had my oil pan fitting re-welded with a pushlock end, and a new oil pan gasket.

I'm doing it all right this time.

[JLw7123]

wow looks good won't belong till u are driving it again

[[ion] C2]

Hopefully by next weekend. Just waiting for my head to be disassembled, inspected, cleaned, and machined Monday.

[JLw7123]

now what headgasket will you be using and will you use copper spray again.

[[ion] C2]

I have a .074" Cometic, and will be using copper spray on the exterior surfaces. Worked really well last time (8 months of severe driving and racing), even with a bad sealing surface (wasn't machined, had warpage, and physical etching damage right where the chamber seal was).

I could drill out the rivets and spray each side of each layer like a very select few have, but I have absolute confidence in the manner I plan to do it.

[billytheman1188]

1. Love that you went back to the stock bumper covers.

2. Weren't you putting something on the firewall too? Dressing it up a little bit....

[[ion] C2]

1. Me too.

2. Yeah I forgot to install it when I was tinkering the other day on it. I'll put it on tomorrow.

3. I'm also re-wiring my fuse box so there's no more spiderweb of a fire hazard.

[mmorello82]

Lookin Good Man. Bet you can't wait!

[Oldsman]

C2;608485']
3. I'm also re-wiring my fuse box so there's no more spiderweb of a fire hazard.

ABOUT TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[[ion] C2]

No updates but interesting note. I was looking through my Head Gasket 3 pictures and, although not high enough resolution to be sure, it definitely looks like the cracks between the valves on cylinders 2 & 3 existed the last time I put the head on... lol.

Gonna stop into the shop tomorrow to install a few random things, still awaiting word on the new head's inspection/machining/cleaning.

[Papa Rad17]

your getting your back together right as mine got tore apart. :( looking good though!

[[ion] C2]

Installed A/C delete pulley, tensioner, alternator, ground straps, added new stainless steel braiding, dropped turbo manifold/downpipe/etc. in place until head goes on.

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/22.jpg

Head still needs reassembly. I need to tell them what springs to use. Maybe they can just use the 30,000 mile ones off my old head, or I could buy new ones.

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/head.jpg

[MMGT1]

You've gone this far man, get the new ones

[Papa Rad17]

You've gone this far man, get the new ones

^what he said.

[[ion] C2]

Send me money then! :rotflmao:

https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=c2%40ion%2dproductions%2ecom&lc=US&item_name=give%20%5bion%5d%20C2%20some%20coin%20to %20get%20his%20shiz%20done%20right&no_note=0&currency_code=USD&bn=PP%2dDonationsBF%3abtn_donateCC_LG%2egif%3aNonH ostedGuest)

Meh. It'll take a bit longer then because I won't be able to buy the springs til Friday. I mean the ones that are in the melted head I have are only like 40,000 miles or so..

[Jeremyrobert83]

This is a great build

[[ion] C2]

No auto parts store carries the springs for this head... so lame.

GM Part Number: 24574092
$160 for the set and 5 business day deliver is the best I found.... anyone know any other options?

[falloutboy]

got the specs for the springs?
Or what kind of springs would be best for your combo?

9,21$ each (http://www.gmpartsgiant.com/parts/gm-spring-24574092.html)

[[ion] C2]

Those would be the same price. 16 springs @ $10 = $160.

I'm just looking for the factory spec springs.

[falloutboy]

http://static.rcgroups.net/forums/attachments/7/4/4/7/1/a3127318-64-Homer%20Simson%20-%20Doh!.jpg?d=1268873473

[[ion] C2]

I just got an e-mail back from the shop, they can get the springs. :awesome:

$3.50 each plus shipping. I highly recommend it.

[MMGT1]

Sweet deal man.... get 'em

[[ion] C2]

Head's on and torqued. Hard stuff is over.

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/23.jpg

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/24.jpg

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/25.jpg

[falloutboy]

isnt that a beauty :)

[NoSweat83]

Lookin' good Chris.

[MMGT1]

Fire it up this weekend if you haven't already?

[[ion] C2]

I worked on it today from 10am til 6pm (only time I touched it since the last picture)

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/26.jpg

Sorry for the horrendous quality. The shop owner turned off all the lights so it was pitch black except for my phone's flash.

I'm beat today. Lot of work happened. Hard to reach spots and extreme stretching of my fingers to tighten certain nuts and bolts.

What's left:

timing chain needs to be routed and guides installed
timing cover installed
oil feed/drain hoses installed
air filter on turbo
get a new custom PCV hose from crankcase to baffle, cover with stainless steel braid
charge piping connected
new brake booster hose installed and sleeved with stainless steel braid
install new spark plugs
plug wires, battery hooked up
connect wires and switch to coolant tank LEDs
weld additional exhaust hanger after v-band connection to support exhaust weight instead of the head supporting a lot of it
add moar duct tape to muffler


Then I'll fill the coolant and oil, do a very thorough finalization check on everything being installed as it should, and crank the engine many times to get oil circulation without spark/fuel. Then connect the ignition and plug in the fuel relay and start it up.. and hopefully everything works great. Then I break it in for a while and do a shit ton of oil changes.

Hopefully the shop owner has the shop open so I can work on shit tomorrow, otherwise it'll all be done Tuesday (my next day off).

[Alerojester]

can't wait to see it all done again

[Gr1m]

C2;610988'] add moar duct tape to muffler

:haha:

[hok666]

:haha:

x2

[[ion] C2]

too lazy to ship out the muffler for lifetime warranty, i plan on having a full 3" stainless exhaust soon with new mufflers anyway lol

[[ion] C2]

Timing chain installed and everything buttoned up. Crank pulley installed, serpentine belt is on. New brake booster hose installed and covered with braid. I bought a new PCV hose but I'm all out of stainless braid, will order some more when I can. Bought the spark plugs, coolant, oil.

Tuesday it will run.

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/27.jpg

[kwhauck]

Getting close!!

[[ion] C2]

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/99.jpg

Just need to hook up battery and crank it over.

[billytheman1188]

uh ohhhhhhh......he's baaaaack:coolio:

[Papa Rad17]

uh ohhhhhhh......he's baaaaack:coolio:

lets see a vid :cool:

[[ion] C2]

What the fudge.

Coolant on the ground when I got to the shop today. I knew I should've replaced the radiator.. it looked like it was expanded from all the pressure.. the seal between the tube/fin structure and the plastic end tanks is probably broken and plastic cracked too, who knows.. None of the hoses are wet or show signs of drip-down.. it appears to just be coming from the radiator itself. Will confirm tomorrow when I actually get more time than my lunch hour to visit.

FML. My trans lines are all rusty too so that's fun. I'm going to just have the shop do the radiator job because I really don't feel like it.

[MMGT1]

Sucks but you are doing it right! Make sure it's as safe as you can get it before you fire it

[[ion] C2]

Yep it should be nice! All new hoses... new radiator.. new fittings.. new head, new valve springs, properly cut valve seals, properly machined head and block surfaces, properly balanced and blueprinted bottom end assembly, new overbore pistons, new brake booster line, LED underlighting on coolant tank so can see the level of fluid, etc.

[Papa Rad17]

Hopefully it will last a bit longer this time :lol:

[billytheman1188]

C2;611433'] LED underlighting on coolant tank so can see the level of fluid

Neat idea...

[MMGT1]

:coolio: That Alero is gonna haul ASS.... hahaahaha Get it?; haul "ASS"... lololol

[Papa Rad17]

:coolio: That Alero is gonna haul ASS.... hahaahaha Get it?; haul "ASS"... lololol

I see what you did there:haha: :haha: :haha: :haha: :haha: :haha: :haha:

[Nate's Alero]

Neat idea...

Agreed.

[lonnie]

Holy shit I just went through this whole thread, it kept me interested the whole time...and got to say that's a nice ass job!

[Papa Rad17]

Neat idea...

There was a whole thread about getting lighting for the tank and how to wire it up and everything.

[[ion] C2]

Bling bling.

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/28.jpg

Rear mount battery?!

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/29.jpg

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/30.jpg

Not really, just took it out and got everything out of the way for the radiator removal.. radiator and new trans lines come in tomorrow, hopefully by next Tuesday the new radiator will be in and the car will run.

The trans fluid level is something that baffles me. How am I supposed to know how much fluid to put in before I start the car? If, to check the level, the car has to be running in Park and you remove a bolt... Unless by removing the trans lines, the amount of fluid that pisses out will be about the same as the spec calls for filling up a fluid/filter change?

[03glgold]

I would be to say that the easiest way would be to drain your tranny and start all over

[MMGT1]

Dude, there are two plugs on the rt side of the trans. Pull the upper one and put in fluid until it comes out that hole. Then, with gas pedal to the floor, bump the starter a couple of times, then top it again until fluid starts to come out. Do this a couple of times then fire it up for just a few seconds. Top it again and this time fire it up and let it get to temp. Once at full temp then top it up till fluid comes out or stops comming out... your ready to go bro!!

[MMGT1]

The gas pedal to the floor will put it in flood mode and will not allow any opening of your injectors. This is useful if you do ever flood the thing and need to clear fuel by the way

[[ion] C2]

Sounds good. I just pull the fuel pump relay and ignition coil harness to dry crank.

[Papa Rad17]

ddddddddaaaaaammmmmmmmm :awesome:

[[ion] C2]

Fresh.

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/31.jpg

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/32.jpg

[zzyzzx]

It took me 3 weeks to do a LIM job, and I thought I was taking forever.

[[ion] C2]

I've only worked on it for 1 day disassembling, and 1.5 days reassembling it. It's the fastest I've ever done it.

It's the machine work and part ordering that takes forever. And this extra radiator job that I have to wait for the shop to do on the hoist.

The car sat for a week or so until I was able to tow it to the shop. Another couple weeks before they even pulled the block out. After it was out, took 1-2 weeks for Russ to get a chance to disassemble it. Then, after discovering that oversized pistons were necessary, I had to order those. Had to borrow money. Took a long time for them to be delivered. Once in, everything had to be brought over to the machine shop, where it took 3-4 weeks for the shop to be get to my components (they have a huge list of business going on, their shop is packed with heads, blocks, internals and they work 9AM-7PM 6 days a week). Once the block was machined, it was found piston rings were broken in the package. Ordered a new set, overnight. Those were broken. Ordered another new set, those were okay. Bottom end assembly took about a week. Shop tends to work on many different projects and mine isn't the only or priority one. Then another week for them to put the engine in.

I hardly have time to get to the shop during working hours as they close at 6PM everyday and I work full time and get out at 4:30PM and get to the shop around 5PM. I'm going as fast as I can while maintaining an extremely high level of care and precision as to how things are being put together. I want this to last, not just be thrown together in the fastest time possible to fall apart again in a month or two.

[a.graham52]

as far as your trans lines go: your not going to loose enough fluid to damage anything by running the car. once the new lines are in start the car up, pull the plug and fill it up like you normaly would.

[[ion] C2]

typical Dex/Merc trans fluid I assume is what I should use?

[guiguilandry]

yep...

[mastershake]

use dex-VI. it's got electrolytes.

[colonel6632]

mobil1 full synthetic atf! expensive but i love the stuff in my tranny

[[ion] C2]

i'm just refilling what's lost, not trying to blow money on fancy fluid. it's going to break apart soon anyway.

[colonel6632]

oh ok

[guiguilandry]

sooo is it finished yet ???

[[ion] C2]

Shop's closed on the weekends........ they told me they couldn't get to the radiator til next week (which is this week). I'm hoping for Tuesday (my day off).

[[ion] C2]

Radiator's in, heading over during my lunch to start it up hopefully.

I got a call from one of the guys at the shop asking me what to connect for my ignition and where my fuel relay was because I had those disconnected... they wanted to start it up. I was like no, no one is starting it. I will be there to do that.

No way am I letting it be cranked for oil circulation and then have its first start without me present.

Plus, they were only supposed to bolt in the radiator and hook up the trans lines. All the other hoses and my battery and tray and such are all me. Wonder what I'll walk into seeing when I get there. My charge pipe also was off. I like to do the final clamp down on everything...

[[ion] C2]

It runs. Sounds good.

Leaks oil severely.

http://ion-productions.com/oilLeak2.jpg

http://ion-productions.com/oilLeak1.jpg


Appears to be shooting out from the cam tower cover to cam tower gasket area. Have to take off the timing cover, housing, chain, tensioner, etc. AGAIN to replace it. I re-used the rubber gaskets here instead of using the new ones. I've re-used them before and never had an issue (basically did that so I wouldn't have to take the covers off the towers, so that I could just keep the cams, towers, and covers all together during disassembly and re-assembly. Apparently the gasket got twisted or otherwise did not seal.)

[kwhauck]

Oh that sucks.....

[[ion] C2]

It will take me about 6 hours. Hopefully I can take off work Friday and knock it out.

[Oldsman]

Chris, reusing gaskets when you have done a complete rebuild is not smart and you know that............come on, man.

Just because you did it before............I've played Russian roulette before and didn't die so I'll do it again.........Eventually you'll die

[MMGT1]

Ouch... get it runnin' dude! Hope Friday goes well man, good luck with it

[Philbar71]

You have to be pissed off by now :P

[[ion] C2]

Yeah, it's been a bitch working on this. Luckily what needs to be done here is rather simple (to me) and I might finally be able to drive it around Friday.

Once it's broken in, I'll be sure to get some nice videos and stuff.

[JLw7123]

You have to be pissed off by now :P

Well all engine builds or rebuilds do not always come out perfect the first time. Sometimes there are opsticles that that you have to go through it is not always fun. Once everything is complete and u do the starting procedures and then start the engine it make you happy.

[rfcrime]

Hello, first post. I was wondering if your engine is completely different from mine or if that "high output" case came from somewhere else? cause mines plain as hell.

[[ion] C2]

It's a custom cover made from cutting and welding an old 2.3L High Output Quad 4 engine cover to a 2.4L Twin Cam engine cover.

And although our engines started as the same, mine is definitely "completely different" than yours in the fact that it's bored out and built with forged components and different camshafts, custom intake manifold, custom exhaust manifold, and a large turbocharger.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j290/wizlock23/000_0036.jpg

[[ion] C2]

Disassembled and reassembled. All it needs is new oil and it can be started up, and then check trans fluid level on hoist.

Shop's closed til Monday.


Funny Stuff
I pretty much found out all I really needed to do was re-torque the cam tower bolts, as some were freaking finger loose.. but I figured what the hell and changed them completely so I would know for sure, and I torqued them all down with a digital Snap-On torque wrench to exact specifications. Definitely felt a lot tighter than I guess-tightened them to before. The timing chain housing also fit much better this time around.. it didn't feel like it was trying to stretch to bolt to the block and the cam towers, which makes sense now.


Also, I don't get it but my charge piping doesn't clear the hood anymore (the first downward bend between the coolant tank and engine) for some reason. So dumb. Gotta figure out a way to make it fit on Monday/Tuesday.

[kwhauck]

Its Monday!!!

[[ion] C2]

I have work and school today, and it makes more sense to just make the trip out there tomorrow on my day off so I can change the oil and get the trans fluid level set and then be able to drive it around for however long I want without having to rush to a destination.

[kwhauck]

It's Tuesday!

[guiguilandry]

lol wutermelon

[[ion] C2]

Battery was too dead to crank the car over much so I had to charge it a bit. Meanwhile I installed the side skirts guiguilandry sent me. Did an oil change and fixed the charge pipe (was backwards, which is why it wouldn't clear the hood).

Started it up. Had a minor trans fluid leak at the top fitting but was immediately fixed by uninstalling and reinstalling with extra care to seat the flare. No apparent oil/coolant leaks.

Car runs cooler than it ever has. Drove it around a bit today, seems good to go. Really peppy. Lots of vibration I forgot about. Will drive it home sometime this week.

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/33.jpg

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/34.jpg

[sleepyalero]

beautiful. good to see its back in action!

now if i can just get my car back.....

*love the license plate, Chris!.*

[[ion] C2]

*love the license plate, Chris!.*
yeah it's gonna be hilarious once it's broken in and i can have some fun with the exhaust open and making full power

[sleepyalero]

C2;612996']yeah it's gonna be hilarious once it's broken in and i can have some fun with the exhaust open and making full power

yeah i bet lol, i cant wait to have a turbo'd 3.4... :D then ill be able to have as much fun as you do. haha and i plan on getting a custom plate as well. ;)

[AleroB888]

C2;612992']Battery was too dead to crank the car over much so I had to charge it a bit. Meanwhile I installed the side skirts guiguilandry sent me. Did an oil change and fixed the charge pipe (was backwards, which is why it wouldn't clear the hood).

Started it up. Had a minor trans fluid leak at the top fitting but was immediately fixed by uninstalling and reinstalling with extra care to seat the flare. No apparent oil/coolant leaks.

Car runs cooler than it ever has. Drove it around a bit today, seems good to go. Really peppy. Lots of vibration I forgot about. Will drive it home sometime this week.

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/33.jpg

http://ion-productions.com/headGasket4/34.jpg

Looking better than ever, there.

I got down to the shop last week for a test drive on mine, the tranny was totally rebuilt with stronger parts, etc. So what happens? no 2nd and 4th gear lol. So the wrong harness or something was put in, and the tranny has to come out again. I'm not in a hurry for it now, though, lots of other sub-projects going on. ;)

[jhubbz]

All that work and you still have rear-quarter panel rust? lol im jk, looks friggin mean.

[falloutboy]

C2"] Lots of vibration I forgot about.

Clarify please

[[ion] C2]

C2"] Lots of vibration I forgot about. Clarify please
The car vibrates at idle.
All that work and you still have rear-quarter panel rust? lol im jk, looks friggin mean.
yeah, it was a time for mechanical work, not body. more important to me that it functions properly than how good it looks. body work/general reliability maintenance is next.

[falloutboy]

C2;613043']The car vibrates at idle.
A little bit more detail would be helpful :)

[[ion] C2]

There is no more detail, lol. My car vibrates. I have urethane in my transmission mount making the engine stiffer in the engine bay, which means I can feel the engine more.

[falloutboy]

but you had in there before you tear it apart, didn't you?

[[ion] C2]

Yeah. I also haven't driven it in 5 months so I'm not used to it. lol

[zzyzzx]

OK, so it's not leaking anything right now, correct?

[[ion] C2]

Right. As far as I can tell, it's good to go. I will pick it up for good sometime this week and break it in and do minor things in the next few weeks:

wire up coolant LED
rewire fuse panel mess
weld extended metal fitting on turbo feed to prevent hose cracking
weld additional exhaust hanger behind v-band under car
fix side skirt rust

[guiguilandry]

lol I'm proud to be a little part of the project ; the guy of the sideskirts !!
I did not thought about a coolant led with my custom cluster... that could be awesome to do!!
Thanks for the idea..
I'll also do one with the winshield washer level sensor , I'll use the tank as a methanol reservoir !!!

[turboalero]

Congrads post some dyno pulls when u get a chance. Wanna c what a Tru built ld9 can do

[[ion] C2]

I don't go on the dyno. All that matters is how it performs, not what numbers it supposedly makes. Track time tells you the real numbers. And I'm realistically looking for 11.9 - 12.4.

[Papa Rad17]

C2;613184']I don't go on the dyno. All that matters is how it performs, not what numbers it supposedly makes. Track time tells you the real numbers. And I'm realistically looking for 11.9 - 12.4.

thats still fast...

[Philbar71]

C2;613184']I don't go on the dyno. All that matters is how it performs, not what numbers it supposedly makes. Track time tells you the real numbers. And I'm realistically looking for 11.9 - 12.4.

You wouldnt even go just to get a dyno tune? to get it zeroed in?

[[ion] C2]

Just for tuning I might. It's hard to dyno an automatic, it wants to downshift. Can't keep it in 3rd unless you actually are doing around 80MPH.

[Philbar71]

C2;613196']Just for tuning I might. It's hard to dyno an automatic, it wants to downshift. Can't keep it in 3rd unless you actually are doing around 80MPH.

What about doing a pull in 2nd from 38 to 80ish (or wherever the hell it shifts in to third). Would that work? Why does the pull have to be in 3rd?

[rocketfast321]

3rd is 1:1 ratio, aka direct link to motor. I remember my 2.4 doing that. WOT around 70 and that thing would stay in 2en to 86mph if you let it.

[falloutboy]

C2;613196']Just for tuning I might. It's hard to dyno an automatic, it wants to downshift. Can't keep it in 3rd unless you actually are doing around 80MPH.

Thats something the dyno guy should know. If not, don't go there.
Getting an accurate dyno reading on a automatic car is difficult and takes way longer to accomplish than with a manual.
But since your in the US everyone drives automatic and so the dyno guy should now how to "drive" the car to get an accurate reading.

[Philbar71]

Hmm, yeah. We took my dads truck to get dynoed and the dyno guy put it in second with the shifter on the column and made the pull from 40MPH up to the redline. Seemed to work fine.

I had just assumed thats the way most all automatics with 4 gears would work. Just seems like to me that, 3rd is a little too long. Plus you would hit the speedlimiter before you hit the redline in 3rd.

[guiguilandry]

lol @ the speed limiter... you made me laugh, it is not a concern for him so yep, better be in third for the 1 : 1 ratio

[[ion] C2]

Speed limiter, lol

Thats something the dyno guy should know. If not, don't go there.
Yeah, everyone knows. You just do the pull at the speed the car is usually at in 3rd gear at WOT so the car doesn't downshift automatically. Forcing a gear in HPTuners does not do anything that putting the shifter in 3 would do. (And that just limits the maximum gear, it does not keep it from shifting to 2nd).

But since your in the US everyone drives automatic
Umm, no they don't. Very, very rarely is there a car on the dyno that isn't manual.

[Papa Rad17]

Hmm, yeah. We took my dads truck to get dynoed and the dyno guy put it in second with the shifter on the column and made the pull from 40MPH up to the redline. Seemed to work fine.

I had just assumed thats the way most all automatics with 4 gears would work. Just seems like to me that, 3rd is a little too long. Plus you would hit the speedlimiter before you hit the redline in 3rd.

thats on thing I hated, you could never get to 4th with the pedal all the way down.

[03glgold]

thats on thing I hated, you could never get to 4th with the pedal all the way down.

i wish the thing would shift instead of just chilling out at 6000rpm

[[ion] C2]

Drove it home tonight. I hate taking a car for the first few drives in the rain. Even more so in the dark. It becomes extremely difficult to tell when things are leaking, or smoking, etc. And if you do have a problem, you're getting rained on and can barely see what's wrong.

Now that I've driven it more than 5-10 minutes and farther than 1/8 mile, I can definitely tell that the vibration is excessive. And the noise is much higher than it should be. Has to be an exhaust leak somewhere (besides the muffler that's mostly duct tape).

I'll check tightness on everything tomorrow morning in the fucking daylight when it's not raining.

It seems to be okay otherwise... coolant temperature appears great (down to 181 when cruising).. oil is staying in it... trans fluid I'm not sure, everything is so fucking wet right now with spillage of said fluids, and rain, but the trans temp stayed nice and cool and it appeared to shift okay.. so hopefully it's all fine.. assuming I can fix the vibration/noise, it should be perfect in every way for once.

It's more than likely an exhaust leak. Pretty sure I heard a decent sized one when I first started it up (when it was sunny and dry out so I can see and hear things well) and after I had it idling after driving.

[kwhauck]

At least you are driving it!!!

[Papa Rad17]

I hope to hell its an easy fix. after all the work you've done.

[[ion] C2]

Yeah the feel/sound of it seems like it's the v-band from downpipe to the rest of the exhaust. When I think back to when I tightened that v-band, pretty sure it was misaligned.

Also, the gasket that used to be in it is gone... lol. In fact I'm almost certain that's what this is. I removed the gasket completely after seeing that it deteriorated. Surfaces are uneven, probably clamped wrong too. I'll sand both surfaces smooth and copper spray and re-connect it.. til I get a new gasket maybe.

And yeah, at least it does drive. Going to Midas ASAP to have my exhaust tweaked a bit to reduce stress on the system. (Adding exhaust hanger in one spot, and adding more pipe to eliminate rearward pull on my downpipe)

[Papa Rad17]

C2;613246']Yeah the feel/sound of it seems like it's the v-band from downpipe to the rest of the exhaust. When I think back to when I tightened that v-band, pretty sure it was misaligned.

Also, the gasket that used to be in it is gone... lol. In fact I'm almost certain that's what this is. I removed the gasket completely after seeing that it deteriorated. Surfaces are uneven, probably clamped wrong too. I'll sand both surfaces smooth and copper spray and re-connect it.. til I get a new gasket maybe.

And yeah, at least it does drive. Going to Midas ASAP to have my exhaust tweaked a bit to reduce stress on the system. (Adding exhaust hanger in one spot, and adding more pipe to eliminate rearward pull on my downpipe)
do you still have that curvy dual out mounted sideways? that looked like it would be super inefficient over just piping it strait back.

[falloutboy]

remember to take pics for me :)

about the vibration, you think this too is exhaust leak related, or drivetrain?

[[ion] C2]

The vibration is just the v-band seal. Confirmed.

The bigger problem is the one that involves the trans line fitting leak. (http://www.aleromod.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35723)