New car, new project. Asking for advice on my build.

[stew_7mgte]

Ok so i had a 86.5 with a 7mgte swap about a year ago and unfortunately it became a victim of the notorious BHG. I ended up parting it out because of financial reasons.

Now that i am much better financially i just bought a 89 turbo t-top. I only paid $1500 for it but it has... a BHG. I knew that when buying it. List of mods:

Garrett ar50 turbo
3in piping all around
3in intercooler/polished aluminum
3 row haste performance radiator
polished Hks intake manifold
Hks ecu fuel management system
Hks intake/ straight through no maf sensor
Blitz bov
Hks electronic valve controler and boost controler
Hks boost gauge
Hks turbo timer
Upgraded fuel injectors
Cams
Magnaflow exhaust turbo back
New battery
New waterpump

He doesnt know what cams are in it though, a friend did all the work for him he just paid the bill. All that and he jever did any kind of HG job. Anyways i just have a couple questions before i get started dismantling this thing. What setup is it running with no maf? I dont understand that. Also what bearings would you recommend putting in? Any other comments or suggestions welcomed.

I am a mechanic so i know what im doing and i have done a lot of reading on this forum. I will have the block and head machined and i have a new hks MHG already to go in. Thanks guys.

 

[hvyman]

Prolly has the old hks vpc piggyback.

Can use acl ndc or clevites(ndc)

 

[S.A. supra]

You have the hg already? How did you know what size? Are you gonna rebuild the bottom?

 

[stew_7mgte]

The HG i have is one i was planning on putting on my last supra. I just never threw it out since i paid $300 for it.

 

[S.A. supra]

The reason I asked is because you have to measure your head and block after getting machined. To know what size hg to buy. What size is the one you have?

 

[stew_7mgte]

Its a 1.2mm and i cant remember the bore but i know its for. 020 bore. I guess what i should have said is if
There is anything special i can do while the motor is pulled to help with strength and cooling.

 

[89gte]

I would like to refer you to the sticky at the top of the forum: http://www.supramania.com/forums/showthread.php?97552-Head-Gasket-thickness-selection. If you do not use the proper sized head gasket, it will blow again prematurely or cause other problems, and you could find yourself in the same situation.

 

[Cyrus]

here is something that can increase reliability and isnt too invasive or difficult to achieve: http://www.supramania.com/forums/sh...ostat-Controlled-Oil-Cooler-amp-Remote-Filter

for strength in the block, you can use arp rod bolts and main studs. if you do switch to main studs, make sure to measure your main cap and bearings to ensure they are in spec for roundness and diameter. might need to line bore/hone. if you are planning less than 600hp, i wouldnt mess with the mains. arp rod bolts are also kind of overkill for most average builds, but hey, if you build a motor capable of handling 1000hp occasionally, it will handle 500hp all day every day.

use arp hardware to secure the head to the block. studs are best, but bolts are adequate in most cases.

also, about your HG choice... 1.2mm is LESS than stock thickness (stock = ~1.4mm). if you machine the head and block (which you must for a proper seal with a MHG) and use that gasket, you will increase your compression significantly... something to think about if you intend to run any boost.

just do some searches, you will find shitloads of info and basic tips on how to improve reliability when building a 7m.

 

[stew_7mgte]

I thought the stock HG was 1mm. Wow was i wrong. My plan right now is to get the block and head machined, put new bearings in and call it good. What ever else needs fixed i will do but thats the plan right now. And i only want to run low boost, nothing crazy.

 

[stew_7mgte]

Ok so today i pulled the intake manifold, fuel rail and injectors, and almost got all of the timing belt cover off. I couldnt set the timing marks because the timing belt was broke. Tomorrow i will get the exhaust side off and hopefully the head.

When i pulled the radiator i noticed there was no coolant just water. I called the seller and he said he switched to just water a month before it blew. Im hoping i wont have to mess with the bottom end because of this. What do you guys think?

Also how do i tell what injectors i have? The seller just knows that they are "upgraded"

 

[stew_7mgte]

Ok so today i pulled the intake manifold, fuel rail and injectors, and almost got all of the timing belt cover off. I couldnt set the timing marks because the timing belt was broke. Tomorrow i will get the exhaust side off and hopefully the head.

When i pulled the radiator i noticed there was no coolant just water. I called the seller and he said he switched to just water a month before it blew. Im hoping i wont have to mess with the bottom end because of this. What do you guys think?

Also how do i tell what injectors i have? The seller just knows that they are "upgraded"

 

[stew_7mgte]

 

[supraguy@aol]

What color are the injectors?
If they are upgraded, they may be a different color. OEM's are black. Very few upgraded injectors are plug n play- are the harness clips orginial, or do they look like they were spliced in?

 

[stew_7mgte]

The injectors are black. The clips look original so im guessing they are the stock 440's? With my build should i go with bigger ones?

Today i finally got the head off. #6 combustion chamber looks brand new so im guessing thats where it blew. Also my cylinders have about a half inch of oil in them, that a bad sign? Other then looking like a motor with 200k miles on it, it looks ok.

 

[Cyrus]

go bigger if you are gonna do other supporting mods, namely fuel system upgrade (pump, afpr, wideband o2) and air metering upgrade (lex afm or maft pro or standalone). otherwise stay with the 440s.

and an inch of oil in every cylinder? well at least your rings are sealing the liquid oil in the cylinder. maybe your valve stem seals were shot and leaked all that oil in? seems weird that it is in ALL the cylinders...

 

[stew_7mgte]

I plan on installing a new walbro fuel pump mainly because the one in there now probably has all 200k miles on it. I want to daily around 12-14 lbs of boost so i want to get a wideband o2 sensor. It already has some kind of hks piggy back unit because it has no maf.

 

[stew_7mgte]

After calling 10+ performance/machine shops around me, nobody will touch a 7m because they dont know how to machine it correctly. I need a shop that will do it. Anybody know of one in so cal somewhere in the inland empire?

 

[stew_7mgte]

Ok so i found a shop that is able to do the work finally. He quoted me $900 to rebuild the head, machine the block and check the cylinders, polish the crank, and balance the rotating assembly. Is that a pretty good deal?

 

[Cyrus]

i paid $500 just to have my cylinder head rebuilt and machined. and that did not include a valve adjustment.

i am thinking the quote you received is a pretty good deal so long as the work is decent.

did he know what RA was when you asked?

 

[stew_7mgte]

Yea he did. His shop builds everything from 240's, ae86 corollas and specializes in 300zx's. Hes built several 7m's and is working right now on a mkiv with 800hp. He says the same guy that balanced the rotating assembly on the 2jz will be doing my 7m. I dont know anybody that has had a 7m built by them but i do know a couple of guys that had their z's built there and said he does excellent work. I dont know why i didnt think of this shop sooner.