The Beginning... (CBLEGUY'S 90T Rebuild Thread)

[CBLEGUY]

The story begins in a grassy field where I first laid eyes on her. $1200 and a BHG later, she is in my garage getting a new HG. She ran all of 6 weeks till a nother BHG. The machine shop that did the head work bent me over, number six bypass. I don't know of a blender they make that mixes oil and coolant together better that ol' number six. I did it by the book from step one, except.... I went with a composite HG set versus a MHG due to the fact that I was going to purchase another motor to build. This was going to be my unmodded stock runner until then. I torqued to 75lbft, ARP head studs, everything was perfect (except the head apparently).

Now... the new beginning (see photos). The motor is out of the car, and it is already turning into one of those "since I am doing this, I might as well do this" situations. I am going to go with a new rotating assemblies including rods, pistons, turning the crank, main bearings, etc etc. I am also going with a new alum radiator, new exhaust manifold/plumbing/intercooler, turbo kit, etc..

I figure I might as well do it all, and make some power. Wish me luck err ahh my wallet luck..


P.S. That 7M is a pain to get out.

 

[BorHor]

Looking good.

P.S. Looks like you gots a leak there.

 

[CBLEGUY]

Yea, though I can't find where it is coming from LOL!!!

 

[supra90turbo]

ooh, yikes.. yeah the 7M is only a pain to remove when you do it wrong!
You've got hoist hooks at the rear of the head on the exhaust side and on the alternator bracket. Remove with the transmission and you can have it out like most of us in 2hrs time. It just looks like you did it the hard way...

 

[CBLEGUY]

I did remove it with the tranny. My first time, I just figured from the front due to the fact of how long the tranny was. It was a learning exp, it took about 3 maybe 3 1/2 hours total. I was also worried about lifting from the head, so I chose the PS bracket and the AC comp bracket.

 

[supra90turbo]

oh yeah, there's the trans.

the head is fine to lift from, just for future reference

 

[trydrew]

A good load leveler is a + for doing this, just for future reference.

 

[supra90turbo]

oh yeah, that too. The guy I borrowed the hoist from let me borrow his load leveler for the first time i removed my engine.
After that, I bought my own setup and when they asked if I wanted a load leveler, I definitely bought one. I wouldn't ever pull an engine without one.

 

[CBLEGUY]

Load leveler? Never heard of one except on truck suspension.
I'll look out for one when I put it back in.

One thing about these cars I found out when I took the motor out was the amount of hoses that are bad, pretty much all of them...

 

[supra90turbo]

Yep. Replacing all the hoses is a very important part of the job!

Here's a load leveler:

The hook rides on that bar, which has threaded rod that passes through the center of it. You crank a handle that spins the threaded rod, and it moves the hook back or forward on the engine, moving the pivot point, allowing you to balance out the engine. It's worth it's weight in gold I tells ya.
Mine was $20. I love it.

 

[CBLEGUY]

Looks like I just got my 5 speed for $376 shipped.

 

[CBLEGUY]

Now that everything is apart and broken down to the smallest bitzes, looking at the mess in my garage I believe that this is the highest point of "that bitch is never going back together". Holy shit there is a lot of parts on this car. I am currently working on repairing some connectors on the harness. I am also working on getting the stuck ass studs out of the block without ruining them. My bitch is broke.. I hate to see her in the garage all busted up. I do have my 5sp for the conversion, pedals and assorted accoutrements.

Just a quick update on the progress of what used to be a complete automobile, now a pile of parts..

 

[CBLEGUY]

UPDATE!!!!

I am delivering my block and head to Fort Myers Automotive on monday. They are going to take the head apart, do a 3 angle grind, replace necessary parts. They are also going to tear down my block and rebuild it. After that they are going to spec out the surface of the both the block and head, resurface both down to a min 30 RA count for my MHG, and reassemble everything!!!!

I am also shipping my exhaust manifold and turbo to get ported. I am going to go with the 57 trim.

I am purchasing a new Cooleze Megamouth Downpipe.

I am also purchasing the Cooleze Intercooler Hard-Pipe kit.

I am going with the 550cc inj's and the Lex MAF.

I am not sure if I am going with the SAFC2 or the MAFT pro...

Just an update on the progress.

S

 

[CBLEGUY]

Another update:

My JDM motor will be here Monday. I'll tear it apart Monday night.

My Titan MHG, new ARP studs, and timing belt will be here today.

Titan has a new Package for around $300 that includes the MHG, studs, and timing belt.

 

[suprahero]

good luck with the rest of your build, Jay

 

[CBLEGUY]

good luck with the rest of your build, Jay

Thanks, Fedex just came with my parts. I hear good things about the titan MHG, we'll see how it goes. I just want this puppy to run for a while this time.

 

[CBLEGUY]

UPDATE:

JDM motor here, and on engine stand. I am tearing into it today!!

 

[Mr.PFloyd]

cool man. very cool. i like how you're tearing into it before dropping it in... very smart!

 

[TooGoode]

cool man. very cool. i like how you're tearing into it before dropping it in... very smart!

its a good idea to do that! i did it the hard way..

 

[CBLEGUY]

I did it the hard way last time. I took it down to the head tonight. It is nice to see the inside of a motor that has not been abused. It looks as if nothing but the cam covers and oil pan have been off this car. I LOVE IT!!!

I am going to have to use some of the parts off my old motor as this one has definitely been sitting for a while, and I mean a while. the gas in the rail smells like varnish to the 10th degree...