C4 build Take 3...

Have not updated my old thread in a long time. Largely because photobucket has become a HUGE pain.

My build has taken a total new direction as I've been unable to work and Ive had to sell a lot of parts, so I suppose its fair to start a new thread.

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As per usual photobucket is not cooperating so these pics will have to due for now.

90 corvette that I bought years ago as insurance salvage for $600. it has gone through many changes in direction, but i finally sold off the 383 that was the only real value the car had so I think dismissing any other added or subtracted parts it is fair to start at $600 and "recoup" the sale of the short block. i had already traded off the heads and the salvageable electronics for a set of dart heads so I have those to sell or trade as well.

Top end of the motor is from a 06 GTP engine that I bought for $500 as well as injectors ect. I sold off the short block minus the cam and timing chain.

Bottom end is from an 04 base model that we scrapped. over 200k miles but looked serviceable.

Stand alone wire harness from Ebay $100 plus shipping.

New dash is the bumper from an 85 rabbit

Most of the wireing is either from the corvette or a 78 "vandura" motorhome and a couple chevy trucks.

Have a hydroboost unit out of an astrovan

Will be using a bunch of aluminum and steel from an 83 kenworth cabover/

picked up an inter cooler genV  modular pulley blower CAI N* throttle body two ls4 maf exhaust cut out TOG headers and a bunch of small parts for $700 on facebook

Traded the extra blower, pulley MAF and headers for YT roller rockers and RWD headers

Traded a 6 pack a "trade credit" and my D36 for a bunch of parts from a wrecked "touring challenge for corvettes" race car including some lexan and a repairable D44

Replaced 2 valves in the heads and did a 3 angle valve job as well as removing a lot of gross mouse excrement and rust from the heads.

Building a 700r4 to 3800 adapter. Borrowed a th350 to 2.8 v6 adapter to copy, but they aren't exactly the same, so some engineering is required...

Plan to purchase a jeggs roll cage kit. I know some one that has one I may be able to get at a reduced cost if I can ever find him again... otherwise they are $250.  

Ive got a lot of parts to source yet and the budget is getting thin. Will try to save a few more peices from the crusher.... I only have about $1000 left, so its time to get creative!

99 gtp with forged pistons stall converter zzp trans intercooler ect $1000. was bought originally as the parts car for this project, TONS of go fast parts. likly to end up as the parts car for my second project, but I reserve the right to trade/sell parts to myself based on FMV OR however it works out.

In reply to Crazier :

I'm in to follow along again. BTW, berkeley photobucket. You can now upload your pictures directly to the GRM website and they will host them here. Hope that helps.

Carry on.

I Apalaude ?, your Memory, I've Traded so much Crap To Have what I have That I Forgot What I have Or Where It Went when i Need it.

  It;s taken awhile to Figure my Vette's Budget,

So Front Engine Supercharged V-6,  I  Like that,  Please get A 200r4 And build That, It has Both Patterns, 1st. Is useable  As a Gear ,lighter too,

funny Though, your vette Has No Out sides     Mine Has No Insides,  We Have so many people Parting out C4's here It's Hard to sell Parts

I try to take a pic every time i make a deal and a huge portion of my build is scrap that I only have to trade weight for weight. Just my back window covered my wiring harness and dash.

It is a trick to have pieces I need come in and to realize I need them, Ive scrapped several pieces for .06 a pound only to figure out I really waned it but have not had any more come in.

  Life's Funny like that,  I Get a deal on something so I share my good fortune then when I really do need it None are around,

  kinda like what part of 'Good Deal ' didn't ya get ya dummie, I must be a Masaicist

I know exactly what that is like. I traded some things to a guy to help me machine and assemble a smallblock out of his spare parts but he never came up with all the parts and was always too busy with more "important" projects... Another buddy of mine had made the mistake of telling him how much I paid for what I traded. OK. I got a deal but I looked for it for weeks and drove to Minneapolis to pick it up! That's part of the reason I bailed on the last build, I no longer had the budget to finish.

Rant over.

I am new to all this, last night for the first time I installed cam lifters and timing chain oil pan gasket and front cover. It was all used parts with no instructions. I was constantly on my phone looking things up and it took most of the day. The gear that goes on the crank to run the oil pump was missing and that caused some issues. Finally found one from a motor that threw its chain and ate its valves... nasty! It was from a JP single roller and mine is a Rollmaster double roller, it is over 1/16 to long but  it appears to fit without clearancing. Idiots used silicone on everything even though they had all the gaskets. Ive spent probably 19 hours picking silicone out of places it never belonged.

With luck tonight i can do the waterpump gasket, its a brand new pump but it had been installed with silicone and no gasket then over torqued. There was silicone running all the way into the block and the blades of the pump were scraping. Hope to get the heads on by Tuesday.

Plasma cutter is supposed to arrive this week so we can finish the midplate and drop it in.

Just get A NEW Chain and Sprocket Set, Single Or DBL. Please Just get one... NEW

Chain and sprokets are brand new. Engine was assembled but never fired 

The "gear" that turns the oil pump is a seperate peice that is held by the same key on the crank as the timing gear (oem are one peice after market is two) no reason not to use what I have.

Installed my heads today. The 37 lbs + 130 degree torque specs are a pain but I got it.

Tomorow is water pump and Tuesday is intake and paint! 

Found $1 cans of paint at habitat for humanity. Not quite the right color red and the black is highgloss but it should be good.

I just redid my lift calculations. Originally the plan was for a "VS" cam, but the one in the motor was an "s1x" so with the 1.8 rockers it will come out to 576 intake and 592 exaust.

Free fuel cell. Guess why?

Fantastic!  S/C 3800 in  corvette! 

Keep turning wrenches. ..

Old RCI fuel cell. Discarded because the foam came apart. Filler cap and high capacity pump from the corvette and a random peice of aluminum scrap and some rivet nutts.

Getting so close... I am so ready to drop this in! Soon I hope.

In reply to Crazier :

That looks great! For some reason I like the idea of a v6 Vette even better than a V8 one. 

Thanks pete. I've been second guessing myself a little now that I am down to making the accessories work... A lot of re-imaginearing going on!

I think my next step is to drop it in. Biggest chalenge ahead of me (besides custom hoses) is the AC delete/alternator relocation removal of the alternator bracket and the plugging or rerouting of the coolant lines that run through the bracket.

Besides... Once it is in I can run the fuel lines and fire it up even if I dont have any accesories!

In reply to Crazier :

I have an a/c bypass pulley from my 85 I installed, but took off for the 17 Challenge. I used it instead of the air pump though. You’re welcome to it cheap if you need it. I’ve listed it here & locally without any interest. 

Well. Ive had a setback. The directions on the trans adapter say to "slot" the Torque converter bolts, but that seems to put the bolt holes into the ring gear slightly. 

Trying to get more info or other possible swaps.

Finding torque converter diameters spline count and bolt patterns seems to be more of a challenge than I thought.

Need a torque converter-flexplate combo for a 3800 v6 to attach to a 30 spline (I think) 700r4 from a 90 corvette.

Guess im going to get a 4l60 from a scrap car.

Will be starting a pool for when it will blow...

Guess im going to get a 4l60 from a scrap car.

Will be starting a pool for when it will blow...

Another buddy of mine had made the mistake of telling him how much I paid for what I traded. OK. 

Dick move. 

 

Guess im going to get a 4l60 from a scrap car.

 

Will be starting a pool for when it will blow...

A 4l60 has the exact same chance of blowing up that a 700 does, except for all the chances from bad TV cable settings and governor problems. In that case a 4l60 has less chance! 

As far as the smaller converters, why not just use a 3800 camaro flexplate and converter? It's a stock setup at that point, guaranteed to fit.  

The 700r4 in question was built to live behind my 383 TPI and had a stall converter. It would have lived

A 90 700r4 is 30 spline with a 12 inch converter 3800 is 10 inch with 27 splines. No combination of available parts will work, unless you spend $500 on a converter.

Most 4l60 with 3800 belhousing have 6 bolt tailshafts pattern that wont accept the C4 tailshaft that bolts to the C beam.

Solution is a 96/97 Camaro 4l60.  it has the right belhousing ect and has a 4 bolt tailshaft, add a VSS sensor from an 89-95 S10. Since I hope for 400+ RWHP It will grenade eventually.

You have to cut 5/8 off the 4l60 tailshaft and move the reluctor wheel about 1/4 inch to make it match the new sensor location and then you have a 4l60 for a 3800 in a C4 corvette. If anyone else is ever crazy enough to try

A small warning.

The bracket that holds the 89-95 4l60 VSS on is thinner than the one from the 90 700r4... and the 700r4 bolt is "JUST" the right length so... I over tightened it and the bolt head snapped off, I took the tailshaft back off and discovered that I also broke the boss on the inside of the tranny. Now I have some extra work.

In reply to Crazier :

Is it just the tail housing that broke? I have one of those too if you need it. 

I just have to drill and tap the VSS sensor bolt hole. I wouldn't mind picking up an unbroken one but just the shipping is not budget freindly.