Semester started today for me, Advanced strength of materials, adv control systems, all kinds of fun to focus on. So the last two weeks I finally had some real spare time to get some things done I've been wanting to do. But not too much :D

One of the things i did was connect the wideband to the HPtuners scanner, so I can log the a/f ratio while driving and go back to check it later. The way I've BEEN tuning is basically by driving the car and then trying to remember where it was lean or rich (I'm pretty good at that) but my lazy method is no match to actually logging the wideband accurately then reviewing the situation painstakingly for hours making minute changes to fine tune the engine.

Key word here is 'fine tune' and HPtuners 2-bar OS does not support real-time mapping which makes it difficult to remember where the engine was lean or rich 20 minutes later sitting inside at a table and then re-upload the map. On the other hand the result is often superior when using data-logging when instruments are logging how you think they are in specific frames. No sense wasting 10-15 hours reviewing logs and making changes if your just going to change injectors or something the next day or if the logs don't have data presented the way you need it. So while I still technically need a cam, I might not cam this engine, I think I want something lighter or smaller. For now,I can't just wait around forever and not tune it till I decide to change the cam or not; I decided to knock this out while i had the time, get over the lack of real time tuning and spend the time to dial it in the only other way that makes any sense.

So here is my original map I've been driving on for months and months "un-tuned". this is the first log more or less I took with the hptuners scanner. I tuned it this way be "feel".
It was fairly close but definitely needed fine tuning. I was being a bit too conservative with fuel, it wasn't knocking or anything but it definitely picked up a bunch of torque and responseright through the mid-range with the extra fuel, it seems to run great between 12.8 to 13.0 approaching 0psi. The knock sensors do work and from time to time they did help me remove 3 to 5 degrees from some of the mid-load regions of the map where it had 25* or something and really needed more like 20*.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...805f464cfa.png

Now here is it after a day or two of fine tuning, still not done but much more well tuned
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...40bd122ec2.png

Here are the changes I made to the VE map in order to 'fine tune' the engine
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...7f8424fc71.png

Now that is some fine tuning. Here is the VE map before and after as well:
Before:
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...2c700b0151.png

After fine tuning for ~1 day:
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...8555d8024d.png
And even more fine tuning later....
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...383d1cc4f5.png


In an effort to boost the voltage at the battery and in the car I also changed my alternator and made a small shield for it, and upgraded the wire for it.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...cf0fa98329.jpg

Finally in order to fine tune, or rather what kick started my fine tuning, was the addition of an IAT sensor and appropriate shielding for the intake tube:
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...41d62ffe81.jpg
I added a couple shields. I will show more shielding once I get a little more of that done also. I just like to finalize some things before I start showing them. Like that silly radiator tap for the steam port; it needs to be a welded fitting ideally. But I need to replace the radiator anyways because the orange water coming out of the truck engine is disgusting inside it. I've been flushing it monthly until it turns back to normal color, then I'll buy a new radiator and do the radiator shroud, hold-down/core support cover, final radiator duct work and overflow container all at once. It will be marvelous haha.

I can't wait to color that intake pipe by the way. The right way, probably real powder coat. But to do that I need to park the car for a couple days and I just can't bring myself to stop driving it... >:D
Actually quite a few things need powder coated so I am just waiting to do all of them at once (need other things first though, like A/C)

Plans are focus on school, collect A/C parts and drive the heck out of it. Is it faster now that its tuned? Heck yes. I think it gained 20-30 horse and definitely gets up and goes quicker. Its starting to have that familiar 'pull' feeling that I love so much.

What else can I say. Rock solid reliability I put 1000 miles on it since last month. I did a highway drive economy cruise the other day and get 22-23mpg with about 120lbs extra in the car luggage, mid-day Florida sun shining 70mph highway. It will do better in the future but for now this is pretty nice, almost back to what the stock KA24DE engine gets on the highway (25mpg with automatic)
The first run:
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...f3f7f66aa0.png
So about 7psi of boost, notice that even with only 2-3psi of boost spooling in first the tires are already near their limits. Part of that is because the high cylinder VE due to the stock camshaft still being in the motor. When I finally install a proper camshaft the cylinder VE will drop in those regions (2400-3400) and the head/valve will flow more allowing more boost to make less torque in the low-rpm ranges where I want to spool the turbo and not blow the tires off. The reason it rises so slow and gently is because I have a large gate 44mm and using the weakest 3psi spring. With a heavier spring it should come on much faster and harder but all I have is street tires so this weak onset is actually tire sparing.
Most of my drives are 40minutes to 2 hours. I'm going to work on the A/C system next and enjoy it at 7-8psi for a while.

:thumbs:

Updates!
Finals are over! again... :rock:
finished with all exams, I was out the door moving 15mph for half a mile, then I jump in and as usual she fires up instantly as if impatient to get going.
Exterior pictures are so rare in this thread :D
https://i.postimg.cc/Gtg6NH5R/IMG-2232.jpg

Let me just say, that was some crazy mathematics!
https://i.postimg.cc/PqXMS1wL/3.jpg
I mean COME ON!
https://i.postimg.cc/prHrBJm4/3.jpg

well known partial differential equations(PDE) that are used frequently in practical applications, apparently. The Wave equation, laplace eq, and diffusion eq for examples. There is a problem formulation step where we use the physical laws (conservation of mass/momentum/energy) and apply these to a small control volume or differentiable element, along with initial and boundary conditions, to try and formulate an ordinary differential equation from the PDE. The ODE is supposed to be easier to solve (its still not easy lol) Then, using various methods to generate a solution set, usually method of separation of variables, or characteristics, or a Fourier transform (regular or sine/cosine transforms). Most of the problems take a couple pages and it was a very powerful learning experience for me, I've never done anything like that and only barely able to solve the most simple equations which often require memorization of specific jumps for proofs too difficult to solve in the time given. Some of the jumps through proofs are crayzey

Anyways- Back to 'reality' (horsepowereality)
Been doing a bunch of stuff to her! Lets start with the gas cover that I always forget to clean
https://i.postimg.cc/fLxMjWjq/IMG-3109.jpg
Every car I ever owned always has a filthy inside gas cover. And I always forget to clean it out after I see it.
So this was nice to do. I know its not much but it looks so awesome all clean!

Next I started working on the interior. The interior of 240sx is the easiest part so I typically do these things LAST.
Still, it really needed a proper shifter handle. I had visions of curbing the car and putting my eye out on that stick.
So...
https://i.postimg.cc/vTMNRGRK/interior1.jpg
I found that handle in the junkyard from IDK what. I just looked around till I saw what I wanted and it happened to fit perfectly, it even uses the OEM snap clip.
No clue what its out of, just grabbed it and prayed it would fit. I was really worried because the 'normal' handle is a charcoal bricket lookin thing from a Camaro (UGLY) and well... it wasn't part of my dream.

Next I finished up the wiring on the passenger side. Or at least tidy'd it up a bunch.
https://i.postimg.cc/P5qCmDTr/IMG-3050.jpg

As much as I drive the car everywhere, people are asking me for a ride. They put a full tank of fuel in my car just go for a 20 minute ride with me sometimes, I've gotten around 5 free full tanks of fuel just giving rides.
https://i.postimg.cc/g2Bn402y/IMG-3053.jpg
I used OEM relay/fuse junction boxes from Toyota and Saab because they are reliable, self-contained (water tight), easy to hide and service.
The fuses are all accessible and easy to get to this way. Also its important to keep electronics out of the sun, so this was an ideal spot for the boost controller as well.
https://i.postimg.cc/rp0zHLDB/IMG-3058.jpg
Now Its all tidy and hidden for the most part, and still very easy to get to. I'll leave it like this till finished with the A/C and then do one final "hiding" where I'll probably put the computer 'away' somewhere. But it can also stay like this indefinitely also.
https://i.postimg.cc/FsFJRwhX/IMG-3139.jpg
starting to look like a regular interior again....
At least now passengers don't ask me if the car is going to electrocute them anymore lol.

Next, some more cooling mods. I love cooling the car down more and more...
https://i.postimg.cc/kM2gp9M4/IMG-3000.jpg
That is a water cooled wastegate. Connecting water there dropped the gate temperature from mid 300*F~ to the temp of water, 180*F.
https://i.postimg.cc/T1qBhpqG/3022.jpg
Also between the shield and water in the gate, my running compressor cover temperature dropped from 350*F to 180*F also.

Heres a shot of the 'heat tunnel'
Heat control is an essential aspect of performance. Keeping the exhaust plumbing isolated and insulated is ideal.
https://i.postimg.cc/wxcrXRLY/IMG-3033.jpg
Allowing the heat to escape into the engine bay is not acceptable in any performance application (except maybe a low power, snow/blizzard storm mobile where you need to heat a can of beans using exhaust heat or something).

Next, more wiring...
In the trunk I have a special SAAB relay container.
https://i.postimg.cc/vTZp3WXX/IMG-2368.jpg
Special because it was the only fully intact relay/fuse box in the junkyard which included a 60 amp fuse and relay.
PERFECT for the fuel pump! So now, this is my dedicated fuel pump relay. It takes power from the battery (15" away) and feeds it directly to the fuel pump (15" away) for the ultimate combination of high current sustainability and safety. I've melted enough 40amp relays to know not to trust one here, or for any electric fans. And being that it is sealed up within an OEM water proof container is priceless to me.


Also a bit off topic, but still somewhat relevant (tuning theory in general) I tuned my friends S15 Silvia over one weekend,
https://i.postimg.cc/zDSv67fG/IMG-3098.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/Y2Ym6PyX/IMG-3088.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/7hD6bGK4/IMG-3096.jpg
Can you believe 2.0L did that? Turbo tech has gotten really good. It was running out of fuel so I turned it down a hair to get the a/f into the 11's. Its running 93 with 50/50 methanol and around 27psi of boost. I tuned it a couple years ago on plain pump with 18psi and he put who knows how many hard miles on it from that point (uses it for roll races and car shows). I actually have a whole long @$$ video of me on the dyno I might post up soon if I can edit out the boring parts.

Onwards
I usually don't take many exterior pics
https://i.postimg.cc/1XssWxvm/IMG-3110.jpg

The chassis is decent
https://i.postimg.cc/bNCzcvts/IMG-2227.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/wTT6GN3C/IMG-2212.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/cJ81cN66/IMG-2198.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/GhL5q3x8/IMG-3008.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/hjcF7Fdk/IMG-2239.jpg

And theres still so much left to do meow

I spent a little time (years) trying to decide which camshaft would be ideal.
Before I even owned an LS engine I was considering which cam I might want. (just kidding?)

Years later, looking at three different versions of the same thing,
mostly narrowed down between these two
https://i.postimg.cc/JzCVZF8J/1838-specs.png
https://i.postimg.cc/Hk0G2tWN/1839specs.png

I decided on the 1838, and there was a great deal on ebay for $224...
https://i.postimg.cc/NFyqkqL8/1838elgin-errr.png
but they were completely sold out by the time I had made my decision.

There was a great deal on the 1839 still though,
https://i.postimg.cc/y8T1dKRW/1839price.png

It said "ONE LEFT" And I almost bought it. But I hesitated and someone else got it.
I emailed who I am pretty sure was Elgin, and they said something like yeah, we will make more eventually...

I told myself it was fate, I was not destined to have a cam from Elgin, I was too late to the party.
The last person on the planet to go looking for budget LS camshaft upgrade apparently

So...
https://i.postimg.cc/X7f3HWQx/trickflow1838.png


Picked up the TrickFlow grind!
https://i.postimg.cc/QCSmCHj0/tfc1838-cam-card.png
It's the 1838 but trickflow's version, which like I said, I am hoping contains "secret slow lobe profile magic" that only TFS can provide (there are no clips I could find of the Jeg's version).

I listened to a couple idle clips at 5.7L and was confident this was an ideal stick for my purposes, and it will work well at 4.8L also
This cam uses the slowest ramps of any camshaft I could find for the LS engine, combined with low lift and long duration. The advertised of the 1838 is actually longer than the 1839, which should tell you something about how laid back this grind really is.
Which will promote several attributes:
1. Low lift and light spring pressure minimizes wear and tear on lifters and rocker arms
2. long duration, properly timed events allow the engine to breath using forced induction quite well
3. With PAC1218 springs the valvetrain components could last over 100,000 miles
4. slow ramps emphasize smooth valve control at 'high' (6500~) rpm without beating up the valvetrain
5. As 'small' of a cam as it is, still lopes well at idle (good tone) which was important to me in a daily, perhaps more than the power it has to sound nice.


Essentially I am hoping to avoid rocker & lifter failure while still using OEM parts in a daily driver application by using a very low lift and light spring force as possible, and trying to extend valvetrain maintenance beyond 100k miles.

Whether or not this turns out to be the case remains to be seen.

With the sr20det you can put in a factory engine and drive it for a while then do a little upgrade. Cams are "bolt ons" 100rwhp or more with the right turbo... and nothing can possibly go wrong if you follow FSM and do everything right.

Apparently with the LS platform, this is not always the case. I will show how you can do everything properly/service manual procedure and still have a major #*%@* consequences with something simple as a cam swap.


As usual I prepped everything in typical fashion, all ingredients, research, numbers, list ready to go.
https://i.postimg.cc/gcMRrcZM/readyforcamshaftday.jpg


Started ripping into the car immediately and grabbed the camera
https://i.postimg.cc/wv71QJqn/IMG-3624.jpg

Cam swap in an sr20 is like 3 hours.
https://i.postimg.cc/FfLs5y1R/IMG-3625.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/nCSHXRDr/IMG-3627.jpg

I expected this to take all day, perhaps 10 hours, but I didn't think anything of it.
Should just fly through it like always right? This was my first LS cam swap but like the 100th cam swap I've done in my life, no surprises... I thought
https://i.postimg.cc/Yq1hRt72/IMG-3638.jpg
dowels went in, looks like it took 5hours to change all the valve springs and remove the original cam.
+5hours (spring swap & remove old camshaft)
https://i.postimg.cc/WpqDDMfk/IMG-3650.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/t75RjCRh/IMG-3651.jpg
Old cam came out looking very good
https://i.postimg.cc/Y9Zhn9j0/IMG-3652.jpg
Put some oil on the new cam as it goes in! Do it!
https://i.postimg.cc/1XF4LQNH/IMG-3653.jpg
V8 camshaft fits!... barely. had to take out that bottom bolt from the core support, and radiator.
https://i.postimg.cc/rwjz6gzv/IMG-3656.jpg
This gasket is infamous for causing oil pressure issues.
https://i.postimg.cc/K1dxN1Qy/IMG-3657.jpg
In the future before using an LS engines I will always change the cam, springs, and this gasket, at minimum! I'll never use a stock cam V8 again.
Also yes I did briefly look at my cam bearings! I know the rule, but couldn't resist. :D
https://i.postimg.cc/DZ9wQMYb/IMG-3659.jpg
Luckily none of the hot turbo pipes needed to be touched to do the cam swap!
Looks like it took 1.5 hours to put the new cam in, oiled, and re-seal the front cover
+1.5hours (install new cam & front cover)
= 6.5 hours so far

At this point I was pretty happy. Less than 8 hours to cam swap seemed ideal and in reach.
I started putting on the rocker arms and was ready to button up the valve covers and throw the radiator back in when...

tradjedy tragedy? this happened
https://i.postimg.cc/nLwzrz42/IMG-3660.jpg
A rocker thread pulled out of one of the 862 heads. A @#)(*($ rocker arm thread!
Should I bother mentioning that I heli-coiled it just out of curiosity, and it worked. But as I continued to bolt down the rest of the rockers on that same head, ANOTHER rocker thread failed and pulled out? And that when I helicoiled that thread, the first heli-coil burst out and shattered the rocker pedestal?

My plan was to finish this cam swap and drive the car immediately 250miles to Orlando to see Family there for a month before school starts. It should have been reliable to do that with, I had faith in it.
However now it looks like the head needs to come off. I decided to just leave it for the time being while I did some research. I took a Corolla (98') for a few weeks while I figured out what to do, and I am really starting to enjoy this little car. Its light, 5-speed, and 33mpg. Tires are $32/each for it. wtf...

Anyways. In my research I found others who have had this happened, and there is some mention of 862 heads.
I re-checked all my work and found no mistakes. I even have a video of the spring-change to that rocker thread by pure coincidence and you can even hear me in the video comment on that exact thread about "wouldn't it be funny if a rocker thread gets damaged"

What I think damaged the rocker thread was that spring compressor tool I used, and I believe the 862 head may simply have weak/poor quality rocker threads to begin with, I don't know
recital:
-I will never again use that type of spring compressor tool which engages rocker threads
-I will try to acquire superior quality heads from recommended manufacturers (for example, AFR) to avoid casting or insert/thread quality issues that some factory heads may have
-I will use the tool which compresses the spring against the valve while the head is off the car to install springs if using factory quality castings

A month goes by and I make my decision how to deal with this new problem. I am still budget minded and spending a dime isn't possible... I can't buy parts to fix this, in the spirit of budget daily driver. Luckily I just happened to put aside a single 862 head for this type of occurrence/emergency. Not knowing what to expect I always tell people to keep a spare engine handy for things like this and wow lucky.

So I came back to the car and removed the bad head
https://i.postimg.cc/ry4myqKG/IMG-3682.jpg
pulling apart the hot side took about an hour
https://i.postimg.cc/Gh1pH6yW/IMG-3688.jpg
V-bands were very helpful here
https://i.postimg.cc/bwyNRbLL/IMG-3696.jpg
About two hours and the head was off.

So that saved me. I took the spare head, and removed everything valves/springs/retainers/locks and transferred my good springs/valves/etc over to it.
After a serious cleaning (two solid days of cleaning gooey carbon goop out of the intake ports mostly) the whole place smelled of brake cleaner for hours, it looked as good as the original or better.
https://i.postimg.cc/xTy1HgGc/IMG-3705.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/qv1BDR5r/IMG-3706.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/Zq9mfLNP/IMG-3711.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/5Yfc7LCD/IMG-3710.jpg

Once it was totally 'dried' I did hit it with WD40 to keep it from rusting quickly
https://i.postimg.cc/Hn1T87Vw/IMG-3716.jpg

slotted a head bolt to use as a 'thread chaser'
https://i.postimg.cc/ZKZTTpkZ/IMG-3718.jpg
didn't cut it very deep (crappy dull hack saw) but it still worked
https://i.postimg.cc/Bb54TQKd/IMG-3719.jpg

when I say budget
The only thing this entire build assumes is that engines and engine parts are basically free, I set strict boundaries on conditions when legitimately trying to represent a 'budget' build for the sake of accuracy when detailing my experiences but it won't matter how many engines ultimately fail unless they start to impede normal driving behavior.
This way, it doesn't matter if you are a millionaire or not, you can still get an LM7 and replace the heads or whatever and be driving instantly on 87 cheap gas (the car functions as reliable transportation, not just performance).

Can you drive and maintain a drivetrain like this for 'free'? Why didn't I just put the cam in, in the first place before installing the engine.
I could have saved all of this trouble if I had installed the springs on the head off the engine, with the correct tool.
This was a mistake due to inexperience. Of course forever from now on until the engine of time I will never use a stock cam V8-
Change the cam immediately is my new motto, use the correct spring tool which does not abuse rocker threads.
SO why did I do it in the first place! Okay I get it, You want to know why I even bothered to in the first place....
I had a few reasons for wanting to use the stock LS to begin with:
1. it would be easier to tune, this was first time HPtuners, and stock cam is easy mode
2. I wasn't sure if the engine was good, just from picking it out of a salvage yard. Imagine I put a cam and springs into a bad engine!
3. I wanted to see what the maximum fuel economy with stock camshaft really is so I could compare it to the cam'd engine

However the chances of a well maintained engine being bad is fairly low. If you are VERY careful with selection I believe it will warrant a cam upgrade prior to installation, which is my recommendation from here on out forever. When I get an L33 that looks good, in the cam goes immediate.


decided it was time to change the intake manifold and valve cover gaskets. I have spare gaskets for everything just in case, I got them in the beginning and just been hoarding them. But noticing some seepage in the original valve covers and planning to turn up the boost really soon so now I am going to start paying close attention to all the little seals. Next I will replace the pcv valve also do a pressure test at 18-20psi.
https://i.postimg.cc/RZZ4tmVD/IMG-3721.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/7PSH8XWm/IMG-3722.jpg
I noticed some oil around the intake ports and especially near #1. I think that is residual oil from the previous owner of the manifold and it won't get any worse.
The reason I believe that is because there is no PCV/Oil related tube anywhere near cylinder number one on my engine, but that is a typical location for 5.7L (the original engine the manifold came from) to have the PCV oil (hose) issue in. So my plan is to simply clean it up and verify after another 10k miles or so that the oil is gone.

Around ten hours later it was getting dark and I was passing the point where I left off when the rocker thread failed.
https://i.postimg.cc/Z5sZFQWK/IMG-3724.jpg
I just like looking at pictures of assembly to help my memory
https://i.postimg.cc/CKWg9fC3/IMG-3725.jpg
Only real comment here is that the engine is very dirty from daily driving many miles already.
Also notice the orange terrible color coolant. I keep flushing but it gets back to crazy orange ugly after a week each time.
That is why I don't buy a new radiator and fix the radiator cover/shroud properly, I don't want to waste a new radiator on gross orange water.
Instead, I will change the engine and radiator together one day probably. For now I just keep flushing. It is getting better but I keep slacking on the flushing and it starts to get bad again. I'll be far more selective for the next engine for these small details I've had experiences with that left a bad taste in my mouth, so far its been:
1. exhaust 'stub's/broken rusty manifold bolts *take them all out before you buy the engine*
2. do not abuse rocker threads, never use them for changing valve springs
3. orange color coolant 'rust' check for this insane conditional color before you buy, the color rust stains everything, gets everywhere

As a beginner to LS platform I wish I knew how annoying these few things would be, luckily its the sort of thing you can avoid once you are aware of the experience (the reason I put this stuff up is to help other people avoid my mistakes)
I really enjoy making mistakes that don't cause harm, because you can learn and move on quickly without having to recover
The major mistake I made doing this that did cause harm was working outside in the sun and heat for two days straight without the right cover/equipment/food
It put me with a massive headache and chest pains curled up in bed unable to think or sleep, just lay there until it stops for many hours.
The night time here is dark, but hot and humid like a jungle, despite there being no sun it still overheats the human body quickly, you are soaked and overheated.
I should have had an ice bath ready or something but just trying to push through the heat to get the job done, big mistake, be careful if you live in this sort of climate. I vowed not to do any of these things again but this isn't the first time I wound up sick with heat exhaustion or whatever caused that condition.
https://i.postimg.cc/qRyTrMjz/IMG-3726.jpg
lol ^^ this picture. I couldn't find any black electrical tape and I had to wire in a 4-wire fan plug so I was forced to use white tape.
Before this I just had that one fan hard wired in, you couldn't unplug it. If you wanted to take the radiator out, you had to set it on top of the core support, or cut the wires lol. I did a lot of work inside the engine bay with that radiator sitting on the core support in order to avoid cutting these wires... But now they will simply unplug. And have white tape. -.-
https://i.postimg.cc/fyshRnr5/IMG-3727.jpg
A quick look at these fans is worthwhile.
https://i.postimg.cc/90BH4g32/IMG-3729.jpg
I use this flexible aluminum/insulation materials to seal up the shroud areas between fan and radiator where necessary
https://i.postimg.cc/PfbjFJC7/IMG-3731.jpg
Don't leave any holes, not even small ones like this. The trick to getting every last drop of cooling efficiency from your fan/radiator system is to fully seal the shroud/fan to the radiator!
https://i.postimg.cc/Z0Dg31VG/IMG-3732.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/x18VCP6r/IMG-3733.jpg
Look all around every edge for gaps... Notice the majority of this radiator/fan combo seals up nicely
https://i.postimg.cc/nc0tpWYY/IMG-3734.jpg
Yes this is a nice fit, what fans are those? Do they work good?
[
Altima fans thread go here (will update with links)
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/cool...ml#post6463423
https://ls1tech.com/forums/conversio...l#post20122116

]
https://i.postimg.cc/W3MQKY1Z/IMG-3740.jpg
To make these fit, you can see the measurement here, simply cut the bracket off and move it over the shown amount and the fans will naturally sit in the radiator feet brackets. This is an S13 radiator though so take that into consideration.

https://i.postimg.cc/DwNkbbNS/IMG_3744.jpg
Just a quick shield I made for the starter to protect from downpipe. I noticed it gets hot on long highway drives and slow to start after getting off highway for a few minutes, so this sort of shield should help.

https://i.postimg.cc/zBmsxY85/IMG_3749.jpg
This is just a neat picture
https://i.postimg.cc/5ybZM5XR/IMG_3754.jpg
New head was on, everything was put back... a little better each time I find ways to improve whatever is there. Still alot to do and improve but for now... I am just glad its back together. Started and ran 'okay' on the factory camshaft tune (idle was too low at 550rpm but it ran fine)
Forgot my laptop cable (actually I had it. I just missed it) I was so over heated and not thinking clearly, had a nasty headache around midway of this process that there was no way I was in any state of mind to test drive something like this so I just checked for leaks and left it at my fathers place for now, school is starting and I need to get to class first, then on the weekend I will test drive it and then drive it again as a daily if it seems reliable again.

I am WOT everywhere at 3psi of boost I think it run's 12's on 87octane. The cylinder head I removed and the plugs look excellent, there is not the slightest sign of issues with the 87 and 3-4psi, I've been using it in the hottest parts of Florida day after long highway drives, fully heated engine bay and full sunlight, and it hasn't even misfired once 20k miles.
There is a certain technique to getting so far ahead of all the traffic and instantly going 40mph from a zero start without making the slightest exhaust noise, like a tesla can do. Except its not a tesla, there is no indication whatsoever of how or what the fuck just happened. And I laugh pretty good each time because the low compression and massive displacement is doing it for $2/gallon, at just 3psi of boost, the car is incredible and surpasses all my expectations everytime I put the pedal down.
https://i.postimg.cc/DfP9PNDk/IMG_3755.jpg
I'll close with a bunch of finishing up pictures and a video will be added eventually of footage I got, where I briefly run through all of this stuff but in a video form
https://i.postimg.cc/kGsLMV8X/IMG_3756.jpg
Gota say that paint is holding up remarkably well considering it was NOT clear coated and that I've been man-handling it with direct skin contact repeatedly over the course of several days.
Coilpacks I have colored based on how bad they looked.The reddest coilpacks are/were the worst looking ones before I painted them, I figured they had the highest chance of failure, then I put the worst looking coils near the hottest part of the engine to facilitate that failure (I am probing for weaknesses in LS platform everywhere I can to gain insight and reliability reports/data).
So far, not a single misfire to speak of once it was tuned properly it ran fine ever since. Kind of nice to put the worst looking coil in the worst possible spot and still have more than adequate ignition stability. It is my pleasure to announce that so far every coil has worked I haven't found a bad one yet.
https://i.postimg.cc/3wG64fpq/IMG_3757.jpg
The lines are extra-long because I plan to re-route them soon and make some other changes to that area
https://i.postimg.cc/xTjWxRDk/IMG_3758.jpg
I'm going to make something to separate the regulator/fuel lines from the hot exhaust manifold, not that they need it but. Just in case fuel ever goes spraying, I don't want any of it coming near the exhaust system.

https://i.postimg.cc/FsPw2LNT/IMG_3759.jpg
I haven't spent any money on dress up or unnecessary items. Everything is as bare bones as can be in the true spirit of budget daily driver.
https://i.postimg.cc/T3pBG3Pf/IMG_3760.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/XrKQ2hk7/IMG_3761.jpg

After I get some miles on the 'new' head (many heat cycles) I will eventually be drawn to dyno result
Then hopefully some track results, would be really nice, It's been fifteen or twenty years since I've been to the track, finally now with a car that can leave from dead stop quickly without feeling bad about the clutch.

check back for video
Cam swap video first attempt!

Annnd.. As soon as I pick up the car and connect the laptop a hurricane shows up.

Classes started cancelled till wed but still have to keep up. Still I found plenty of time to upload about 12 different revisions each tweaking camshaft idle and various transmission tweak. I've probably changed around 30 settings in the oem ecu to 'help' it drive the way I think a car should drive. But its wet all the time! So yeah.

---------updates----9/4/19--------
my first LS cam idle clip! now that hurricane went away
make sure using headphones for best audio idea (my camera is not great to begin with)
I hope to get other clips of it idling differently when I have more time

corona virus update I guess!

Another set of rears were done. These were 26.7" and spun way too easy given the torque this thing puts out.
https://i.postimg.cc/R0yv2KN4/IMG-4296.jpg https://i.postimg.cc/yYjsswkf/IMG-4297.jpg

This time I went with 27.6" diameter tires. And the difference was night and day.
https://i.postimg.cc/V6tzwvCM/IMG-4299.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/nzqf5WyG/IMG-4321.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/28rCpz8b/IMG-4313.jpg


The huge new tires meant It was time to align the rear once and for all so I got some P2M rear upper control arms to set the camber 0* straight up for maximum longevity.
https://i.postimg.cc/P5NshNGx/IMG-4328.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/0jZF11cD/IMG-4338.jpg

Then I just couldn't stop taking pictures
https://i.postimg.cc/s2SLDhTV/IMG-4345.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/BQYkhs8G/IMG-4346.jpg

I got the car with 184,000miles and now it has 208450. Plus I drove it some prior to the speedo hooked up.
Thus the front tires have over 25,000 miles on them, and still look new to me.
https://i.postimg.cc/50VRH2r8/IMG-4349.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/hv4Zr3cj/IMG-4351.jpg

When I got the alignment done on the rear, the front was still perfect didn't need to touch it. Which was great to hear. Drives straight as a new car.
Finally after what feels like years, I went back to the junkyard for some next shields.
https://i.postimg.cc/pLMzM55Q/IMG-4365.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/sxZQt3V0/IMG-4367.jpg

In my mind, the entire underside of the car has these thin lightweight shields to protect it from debris and dust. One big one came from an explorer I think, and now it covers the entire fuel line and transmission cables/wires side of the car. It fit so well, even the bolt holes seemed to line right up with the car. It's bolted in about six places, very sturdy. And in the front its hard to tell but there are three, the lowest one is made from a soft insulation type of material and acts sort of like a soft buffer, first line defense from water and dirt. That way the shields under (over it) don't even get dirty.
https://i.postimg.cc/tgX6Y05Y/IMG-4375.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/ZqVdNf7j/IMG-4386.jpg

Gradually closing up all the open spaces under the car using shields and a variety of insulation type of materials.

One day I was getting off the highway, downshift 3rd like every other day and hit it like usual. This time the wastegate line blew off and boost must have pegged the map sensor.
The car flew down the offramp so violently fast, I thought for sure something would be broken by the time I let off. It happened so fast and I was in a nice trance.
It felt good and left a nice smoky trail behind me.
I came down from that and couldn't figure out how to express my feelings over what had happened. That must have been over 600ft*lbs of torque! I kept repeating the experience in my mind, what this car is capable of continues to surprise me.
Unable to express it with words, I added my feelings to car the only way I knew how. It earned a new badge that day
https://i.postimg.cc/x1GHfjLw/IMG-4418.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/fknts1yW/IMG-4419.jpg

I took a minute to refresh the stripes with some brighter colors
https://i.postimg.cc/nV60MzQr/IMG-4425.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/8CPbxfxK/IMG-4426.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/RVKGtBcR/IMG-4427.jpg

Next I noticed the rear brakes were also nearly gone. Only got 25k from them? But they were $9 so what am I complaining about.
I took them apart for cleaning
https://i.postimg.cc/mkCLRDKJ/IMG-4176.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/X7Kjzrfy/IMG-4177.jpg

This time I bought some higher quality pads, maybe they will last 40k instead of 25k, that would be nice
https://i.postimg.cc/KcMvtq4f/IMG_4193.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/0Nj9jZLp/IMG_4187.jpg

Also took the time to inspect front brakes. They never seem to run out, I've never had to change the front pads on a 240sx before (with 300zx brakes)
Maybe its because I engine brake to conserve fuel so much. I have the converter set to stay locked in decel with a fuel cut, so it acts like a manual transmission engine break. brake?
https://i.postimg.cc/x10fD95p/IMG_4217.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/gJ6dqjcj/IMG_4221.jpg

since I was in there anyways I took the time to clean and grease every metal part I could touch and see
https://i.postimg.cc/Zn8S2Qdh/IMG_4225.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/QN1hFFnn/IMG_4226.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/3JZhZPhX/IMG_4227.jpg

I never got a chance to show off the starter area. This is kind of a funny story. When I first finished the cam swap, I drove the car and everything seemed normal. The next day however, I warmed it up and then it wouldn't start hot. It would slowly crank, like a dead battery. So I put jumper cables on it and it still wouldn't crank, I was thinking the starter was heat soaking. So I actually changed the starter and added insulation and shields.
Then the problem happened again and I realized that I had forgotten the engine ground cable. Yeahhh.... I did forgot something so simple. At at least now I have this really cool starter shield area. It also covers the battery cable.
Notice I also kept the 4l80e dust cover. This car is all about abusive daily driving conditions through splashing mudandwater. Pretty soon I hope to have the entire underside coated and shielded away from the road.
https://i.postimg.cc/VkGcxnd5/IMG_4232.jpg

You know an engine is too big for the car when
https://i.postimg.cc/bYxfzKs7/IMG_4267.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/LhQ0bkNp/IMG_4269.jpg

At some point I guess I said enough is enough and had it tinted.
https://i.postimg.cc/bvBk3wJs/IMG-4450.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/C5yDprb0/IMG-4452.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/kM8Kv9dg/IMG-4457.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/d01G2yJb/IMG-4465.jpg

It really needed the tint. I don't know why I waited so long.
https://i.postimg.cc/gJLR5bX4/IMG-4466.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/52pwQ3W5/IMG-4468.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/02smt38d/IMG-4469.jpg

Tons more pictures showcasing the paint and body
https://i.postimg.cc/9rzz7yy1/IMG-4473.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/XZ6vmhmD/IMG-4474.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/21Z6HmcZ/IMG-4476.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/v17mshd8/IMG-4478.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/wy6jTN6X/IMG-4480.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/dZ3QGKZD/IMG-4481.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/YjCC5QDk/IMG-4482.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/SX4yD9YB/IMG-4486.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/QHRNKw8x/IMG-4487.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/rKdFmMLP/IMG-4489.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/PCYXWyJb/IMG-4491.jpg

I originally chose this car because I felt like it was in pretty rough shape. Like no matter what I did, it couldn't get worse.
But now that I am starting to look over the body and forget about the engine, I'm beginning to realize its not in as bad shape as I thought it was.
No replaced panels, clean quarters, original glass, hood and bumpers, clean looking seam glues, comfortable clean interior, no rust... It has alot going for it.

the full album from the last ~4 months (I didn't post every single picture)
https://postimg.cc/gallery/GdT6swH

A few videos I made over the last ~4 months:
Driving around

First time using 14psi of boost

Some shorts from feb


would like to dyno and track it but am too busy with school atm. Hopefully near the end of April I will have a bit of time for those dyno and track testing. I built the car to drive around for fun, and part of me doesn't really care how much power something has as long as its fun to drive. And this thing is absolutely a blast to drive, I just drive aimless and get into trouble. I turned the boost dial up until it spins a bit through each gear and whatever power that is- is more than enough for me.

maybe its better not knowing

Sheesh. I had to read some of this stuff multiple times. Made me realize how dumb I am. Haha

Great work, looks good, runs fast....nice. :cheers:

You might be wondering why I waited soooo long to dyno the car.

There are many reasons, and I think it worth a minute to stop and examine the main ones, other than I am worried that it might explode violently because what crazy runs 15psi without methanol in this kind of weather on purpose? Okay, we will get to alcohol land, I promise. But first, I need to establish some baseline rules to the highest mileage LS for my collection of data, because this is my first LS engine ever and I have no idea what I am doing, or it is really capable of. This is the moment to make mistakes.
If search for tuning knowledge we get a VAST array of results. I was curious about stuff I had never seen before like transmission shift pressure. Just because five ways are different doesn't make them wrong. But not everything that comes with the Original computer is safe to use either.

Tuning the OEM ecu is like tuning an incredibly complex interworking of maps and numbers for which around half of, I have no idea what it does and the description is vague. Luckily I already tuned at least one of every stand-alone in existence so I am already extremely familiar with the basic electrical and what every ECU is capable of, what it should do, and more or less how to get what I want out of it. The OEM ECU is an overwhelming abundance of maps to fiddle and fuss over, and yet somehow it manages to lack fundamentally useful features that every stand-alone does or would have. A lack of real time tuning where applicable & any model of having to shut down the engine to actually send a tune file is limiting in that one can not adjust in real time to see what something does or causes. Make lemonaid: Makes it more interesting and potentially time consuming but overall great control over an engine/trans. So for most of the tuning I have done so far, I did the way they usually tell you not to do it, that is, by adjusting the variables by "feel" and then just uploading and assuming I was right. It has rarely gotten me into trouble and Empirical testing is always necessary to some extent no matter what the application when setting up new hardware.

The OEM ecu once dialed in, is actually potentially easier to tune than a stand-alone over time, because it makes use of exact masses of air and fuel wherever stand-alones tend to be very general in their approach to fuel and timing. For example a stand-alone usually has a main timing map where you would expect to see applicable timing values.
In the OEM ecu, the main spark table depends on at least 10 different maps, all configured "already for you" (HAHAHAahahaha... good luck) by the OEM manufacturer, and are some hidden or disabled or difficult to discern what it's really going to do. For example if you put a negative value into the "PE Adder" map it will dump 999% fuel injector duty cycle to your engine. Not joking, it could hydrolock the engine to put the wrong value into one of those many tables. You have to know what you can do, and what NOT to do, and what you can get away with.
https://i.postimg.cc/LYLXHfnM/omfg.pnghttps://i.postimg.cc/Hc3LPXjY/table.png


The timing map itself reads in "g/cyl" whatever the heck that means is up to you though, there are ways to 'fool' the computer but I don't recommend trying because it can influence transmission pressure among many other things I think, seems like too much work. Most boost setups are going to peg 1.2g/cyl limit in this ECU so there is alot of complaining on the forums, some talk of "scaling" but I have found a somewhat water down solution using a map called 'afr advance' which allows you to avoid scaling. The computer has no way of knowing whether you are seeing the correct ratio or not so there is a flexibility with commanded a/f vs timing. So it looks like one might use it creatively to achieve desired timing at any g/cyl and so far this has been the case in my experience. You can see the difference in timing map values commanded vs actual in my logs.


reason#1: Wasn't sure the combo would last or survive in Florida's insane heat with just gasoline.
I wonder if 500rwhp dynojet without water injection would be too much to ask from stock un-gapped piston application, on the hottest day of Florida weather? I've lived here all my life an that day was the hottest day or as hot as the hottest day. And you can see my IAT is like 110*F which is right about max where you need it for this type of day. Cold pipe stayed merely warm which is another good sign. Turbo should be right near the center of it's island iirc. Airmass calc was 65lb/min I think, which is a little high even though I was going lean and not out of fuel pump. The sudden jump in VE right near 205KPA to 210KPA surprised me. If the calculation is anywhere near true, the engine is making some 600bhp; 600 * .83 = 498rwhp through an unlocked 4l80e, the most parasitic modernish(overdrive) combo on the planet to put behind a V8 afaik.
You can look around and do some research but I do not think you will get much of a solid answer. It wasn't that I had to find out for myself necessarily; clearly alcohol is superior and it will need to work its way into any performance vehicle eventually. All cars should wind up flex fuel IMO, what a great option to have, ethanol content lol. The real reason I had to do it is because I want to drive the car right now, for the last 3 years, and not have it sitting and waiting for me to perfect some kind of amazing fuel system. Remember I don't like braided lines in a daily driver application, we talked about this. Instead of waiting I just popped a $99 fuel pump in the tank and started driving to work everything else out more or less before moving on to the aspect of fueling 700+
Also now knowing what it makes at 3psi, 7psi, etc... we will accurately predict torque vs boost and help to find where the turbo 'runs out' without running it too far off the map or IAT too high during testing, once I get 100 or 150lb injectors swapped in place of the 50's that are in there now.


Lets Look at displacement vs torque, a 2L can make 300ft*lbs of gasoline, so a 4L should handle 600, so the 5.3 should be able to achieve something like 800ft*lbs of torque on gasoline. But that is obviously crazy... right? Well notice we did not mention power. The increase in power is going to create more heat as a byproduct in a short time frame, which is going to negatively influence the gasoline quickly making it dangerous to keep going if the engine can't get rid of it somehow (hint: that is what H2O injection is for :D). That is to say, the stock engine could probably do 750ft*lbs at 3,500rpm on gasoline if you let up before it heats up much, and if you have good fuel you can keep going to redline of course. Its just the gasoline... by itself... can get things too hot, and factory cast pistons don't like to be that hot. Gasoline basically needs to be paired with water or alcohol to surpass the limitations imposed by its own heat contribution to the combustion reaction compared to it's steric hindrance, which decides alot of the Octane rating of a hydrocarbon fuels solely composed of carbon and hydrogen as lightweight alkanes (7 to 9 carbons). We live in the age of alcohol so don't be crazy... after 600 or so its time to add alcohol (lets get serious about safety). I am thinking aux fuel cell in the trunk maybe 5 to 8 gallons with E85 on a mixer that I can dial the E10 from primary 15.5gallon fuel tank into roughly ratio of E30 or E40 between the two. Does such a thing exist? It sounds complicated. In reality when I get time to research many months I can safely drive 500rwhp in any weather while I decide how to handle the issue of alcohol safely. Cwatidid No way I am putting alcohol into the factory fuel tank though. Protip: Alcohol is a powerful solvent and anything in an old tank that was insoluble in E10 gasoline sitting on the floor of the tank could suddenly become dissolved and quickly clog the fuel pump and wreck the entire fuel system. So it is something I would do only after dropping the tank and fully cleaning it which may become the option I go for. I could simultaneously reinforce the known weak points of the tank strap area. Still I like the idea of extra capacity fuel cell. Gonna munch on it while I abuse what I assume is an insanely low compression fully worn the #(@*@# out truck engine. I mean it has 170psi or whatever its supposed to but you should see my 15th scanner log, 15.5psi and 12.5:1 air fuel ratio through peak torque and it didn't even twitch on the worst possible day. I bet the bearings all look mint. Not gonna open it to find out.

reason#2: Doesn't make sense to dyno a fresh swap, only to have it blow up months or weeks later and have to replace it (and then need to re-dyno same old).
I knew I could take an engine (any engine) to the dyno immediately and press on it. But some forms of damage take time to build up... for example the oil system could be weak and gradually result with eating up the engine bearings over several months. You wouldn't see that on the dyno in the first few weeks of a swap, but eventually the engine would blow and you would NOT know why, doomed to repeat the same mistake or failure. On that hand, it has nothing to do with power; the installation can simply have a fatal flaw. Its just far more important to me that the installation be bullet proof and reliable than actually make some inane amount of power. Power is just a bonus to having a reliable car in the first place, reliability comes first or you can't even drive it.

By waiting, I have more or less ensured that the combo is a reliable entity, untouched for years exactly the way its been all along. The gaskets have all held perfectly, many many heat cycles so they are 'stuck' down to the engine parts, 'glued' together so to speak. A fresh gasket might be tempted to blow out easily but the old ones are like glue sometimes, know what I'm sayin'? The spark plug wires have almost 30k on them and still look and work great(coming from SBC land, this is remarkable). The boost pressure test(turbo->intake) reveals no boost leaks, even with all the clamps kinda loose and a 20psi test pressure... crankcase is sealed so well you can blow into the vent and put your finger over it and it will hold air like a balloon. hint: use a supra pcv valve... its pretty amazing how well everything fits together.
Just another day for a truck somewhere

I didn't even check the oil or pop the hood before the dyno day. I just hopped in the car and drove it there like a daily driver you expect to run perfectly, that oil has more than 1500 mileage, and wound up driving it home the same way. And no, I don't have AAA or any kind of towing available. I am not sure what I would have done. I just didn't expect to have any issues... You don't have that kind of confidence in a swap unless you've been driving it every day for years. And i am not gentle, usually its 1st and 2nd though not 3rd very much because 3rd is for the track mph. I bet I can wing it out to ~6600easily on track day for 130-140mph. But rpm can be a deal breaker for oil systems and other things. We will see, I might drop to 4.8L or beef up the valve train a bit. My dream is solid roller of course but that adds unnecessary expense so.. I can't justify the cost of a custom cam. This car needs to maintain itself.

I've never had this engine much over 5400rpm before either. I always shift early 5400ish (setting is like 5100rpm) because there is always a delay and the delay is based on how much power you are making. The more power you make the higher the engine will accelerate before a shift potentially can occur. For example at 3psi if I command shift 5200 I get 5300. But at 15psi you command 5200 you get 5500 sometimes 5600 5700. The delay becomes more pronounced usually, but not always, its kind of random and crazy within some range. I stopped trying to figure it out, just let it shift around 5500-5800 sometimes 6000 for now and just waiting to max power first, then I will dial in the track shift exactly right.
The dyno was the first time she got to stretch her legs to 6200rpm...My street limiter was always 5800 but I think 6200 is fine for my application, maybe even 6500ish. I even tagged the limiter on one of the runs to be sure. At such a low rpm, the limiter should be very gentle on the engine, no pushrods will bend, no issues with the valvetrain is very likely to handle such an easy task especially with the low ramp rates and low lift camshaft grind. RPM was sort of the final test for me to be satisfied it can really do the job. If it could survive the hottest dyno day possible in Florida with repeated/consistent 15 runs in a row was easy for the iron monstrosity, I suppose it would theoretically survive anything else I can come up with on the street, that is the idea anyways.

So here is a break down. The video tells most of the story but there are some things you should know in additional to the video.
First, I used the lightest spring possible in the gate, 3psi only. This was originally so I can put 87 octane in the engine whenever I feel like it, but I haven't used 87 in a loooong time.
The reason I never changed the spring is that it helps us get a baseline insight to the health of the engine, if we dyno at 3psi it should put out near stock power, plus the boost, minus exhaust/intake manifold(the LS1 intake is worse than the truck or anything for that matter), age/wear (which loosen up the engine and make it more favorable to boost at a slight expense to compression), and 4l80e losses. Next dyno I will def use a bigger spring. Just remember this is my first LS engine and despite them being almost free I still don't want to break it! I am treating this thing like it's the last one on Earth... okay almost. Allllmost like that. The oil gets some mileage let me tell you.

The blue line is, 3 to 4psi with the cutout closed.
red line is 7psi or around that, with the cutout closed. I think eventually I made 400rwhp with the cutout closed and like 10 or 11psi. It just won't make boost with the cutout closed because of EGP and the weak spring or I bet it could make 500 with the silent mode one day with more spring. I really love the 3psi spring though because it sort of protects the engine, so to speak. The fuel injectors already maxed with this weak spring. If I put a slightly stronger spring, it would have the potential to overboost if I accidentally adjust the boost controller wrong or something. At least the way it is now I can't accidentally hurt the engine at any setting. safety first. Going to increase injector size to 100 or 150lb/hr before I swap to the 15psi spring.
Orange is about 14.5psi and 500rwhp
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...fff9ccfa47.jpg
Diagnostically, it looks like something is 'happening' at almost exactly 5300rpm on every run. There is a small chance it was just the ignition pickup needed to be moved but I never thought of that during the day. Another possibility is that we are seeing some kind of resonant effect, maybe the ls1 intake has an issue with that rpm range (not likely but this would normally be a concern for other intakes so I am still listing it to bolster diagnostic ability of readers). Another thing is maybe the factory lifters are having trouble staying pumped up, holding the valve fully open or opening them quickly enough. Because I see it happen at 3psi same as 15psi, it isn't anything to do with the timing or tuning since those conditions are extremely far apart and the only unifying factor is the rpm at which the issue seems to occur. My intuition tells me to to upgrade lifters and pushrods, and potentially to an LS6 intake manifold. But if I go through all that I will want the L33 or a 4.8L to finish the car at the same time and add 800rwhp minimum potential. Those heads ain'taver coming off that engine as long as I have a say though. Once was enough. It pulls just fine you don't hear or feel it so maybe it really is just the dyno electronics. We will see... it did not go unnoticed... I am on the case.


Here is the 3psi run from HPtuners so you can see how much timing I used and a/f ratio etc...:
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...0d26936535.jpg

Here is the red line (7psi) cutout closed run:
https://i.postimg.cc/N5jZ7qtv/7psi.png

Next, there were a bunch of runs where the boost would simply not go up no matter how much I tried to add duty cycle, they are all 10psi to 12psi I think, will need to check. I will post logs to hptuners website and add them.

Of course I expected this due to the 3psi spring... Nevertheless I absolutely HAD to see what it makes with just 3psi. So I wasn't about to change that spring yet. Third eye: we had many long conversations with ourselves about what spring to have inside that gate come dyno day... .
I had the 10psi spring with me but I didn't want to burn my hands off trying to change it on the dyno.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...e67fbad7a0.jpg
I usually don't trust the in-car wideband but for these I had no choice, the cutout was making the a/f go lean.
I knew it wasn't that lean because the engine would have melted lmao. At the very least it would have burped up some oil and started smoking. Didn't get a single whif of engine oil the entire time, it was smell less. Except of course for that kind of gasoline smell that gets in your clothes after this sort of thing. I am going to lengthen the cutout and maybe add a muffler to it, something aluminum and maybe also aluminum v-band if I can manage. I wonder how a 40 would sound on that thing. It's been yeaaars since i asked myself this question but, maybe its time to tone things down to something more dramatic.

I could have made a LOT more low end torque by using a couple tricks I am aware of, such as letting it shift from 2nd into 3rd before logging, or using the dyno brake to load the engine, but in the spirit of fairness I thought it best to just do typical 3rd pulls most people are used to seeing on paper, plus it helps us compare to other setups where they put it into 1:1 gear and nail it at like 30mph. Just keep in mind the 3psi spring probably wasn't doing it any favors to help it spool. It builds boost faster on the street because the engine can't accelerate as quickly as it does on the dyno, this is important to reconcile with the ignition timing profile, as you can gain a bit of torque/power by using more timing on the dyno due to the faster rate of change of the roller compared to the street, but don't leave it like that because the lower rate of street pulls (rate of change of RPM) will increase cylinder pressure potentially blowing a gasket when things heat up.

I added a tiny bit of timing to some, removed it in others, boost didn't change much and neither did power. Wound up using about 0.7* more timing than I went in with which added 9hp some places so I thought it worthy.

At some point I ran out of ideas and just pulled the vacuum line for the wastegate, around run #12 or #13. I knew on the street this would yield around 23psi of boost! (it had happened once or twice rofl she loves it, for mid-range its perfectly safe because there is plenty of injduty) but I figured on the dyno it wouldn't go so high... and I was right. It hit 15.5psi on the money more or less, gave me that 1psi extra boost to make like 28 more hp, Absolutely maxed injectors of course or I would have kept going. Gota say the engine seems to posses a VERY wide tuning window, it seems happy anywhere from 10 to 12 degrees of timing at 14.5psi and just for curiosity I made the 15.5psi run at 13 to 13.5* to make sure I wasn't missing out on anything spectacular, but it needed about 20% more fuel so I didn't get the data I wanted, bad data and I need larger injectors to see what the 530-580rwhp mark looks like in terms of timing more precisely. A 2L engine is very specific, it cant be 8* or 10* it has to be 9* in some spots exactly on gasoline, so this tells me that 5.3L engine is barely working so far. It can handle wayyy more boost on gasoline. I am thinking 20 easy maybe 23 or 24psi will be possible based on what I just saw. As long as I control EGT of course, so water injection done right will cure most of the problem with gasoline, low engine rotational speed, and heat. And it really is easier than E85 conversion. I am leaning that way H2O land.

but isn't that always the case. Nice to see that Aeromotive stealth pump kicking 500 with a 5/16" line. They say 700bhp is possible so I might just throw some 80's and make 600 soon.That is alot harder to do with 2L because boost is much higher at this power which means fuel pressure is also much higher and that puts a strain on pump output.
I am only using 53psi of fuel pressure base. If I was running 60psi I've no doubt I would have seen 550 - 570rwhp with 2 or 3 more psi of boost. But I Just left the fuel regulator alone at 53psi because my experience says it isn't worth upsetting the regulator. After 3 years, parts like fuel regulators can gain some specific shapes of wear and deformation which causes a set wear pattern to form, and they also gain "stuck together with other parts" attributes. They can get corroded or stuck in many ways and what all this means is when you come along with ur allen key and start turning this stuck, crusty, corroded, or otherwise established wear pattern formed with the diaphragm/spring/seals depending on the regulator, it creates chaos and disorder, moves things around that maybe shouldn't move and creates debris, grinds dirt into material if it isn't very clean. In other words you run the risk of damaging old (fuel regulators, suspension arms, rusty metal bolts, etc...) when you adjust them, especially when they are dirty from daily driving atmosphere for years and the dirt has been gradually working its way into all the parts which can later be turned and grind into the dirt, embedding materials into metals and so forth. And that bolt protrudes down to the diaphragm area in some way. I just have a regular cheap aeromotive regulator so it better to just let it sleep, let it know its safe, big mean bad man won't come and grind its dirt deeper for 30hp today. Better to keep 53psi or less, and simply enlarge injector size. This will keep pump output highest and make the most power, rather than taxing the pump with higher pressure which reduces pump output volume.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...bfd2b89242.jpg
HPtuners log, most of them looked like this:
https://i.postimg.cc/R6TbKGb0/scannerfileme.jpg
* I am running an iridium 7 heat range spark plugs with 0.026" gap

The dyno video has an image error. The correct hptuners scanner file for the dyno run shown is probably this one below, they are similar in boost pressure. If you really care you can count the number of runs and then find the exact run in the log files I will provide.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...7e6dde5674.png


The turbo still has way more to give, this S364 will flow 850BHP worth of airflow! I can probably squeeze at least 640rwhp from this baby the way it is with a little alcohol in the mix. Heck it might not even need alcohol, but I am not sure the LM7 is the block for the job. *cough L33 what>? I am fond of water injection but this turbo isn't really big enough for this engine to use water effectively, I would want more like 105lb/min and run it up around 85 to 88lb/min (740rwhp?) with an L33 to justify the installation of a electric, maintenance item water pump, but 700+ just seems crazy in a car like this, I would need to start doing chassis stuff. I am already planning to do some minor things and lets see how that plays out first before we talk 800 to 1000. Because the minute you say 800 I say 1200. So that is why I went with 650 instead of 1300, basically decide whether you want to really "DO" the fuel system with huge lines and 2 pumps and plate the engine to the chassis and stiffen everything... doesn't seem like a good direction for a daily driver I need to drive in six months. So I chose to put a cheap single dash 5AN line on a factory size 5/16 hard line to the factory fuel dead-head fuel rail (so: not optimal lol it can't get much worse) I don't even use an EGT gauge because I am so confident it won't overheat if the air fuel stays down because 5.3L eats up 80lb/min like a 2L uses 80*.37735 = 30lb/min, its like baby airflow rate territory for this massive displacement, nothing to worry about in theory.


My original goal for such low boost 14.5psi was to be at least 500 tire using a "free" engine (LM7 all day w/ 120-180k nearly free around here in SF, just add gaskets, cam and pan goes from engine to engine), reliably on pump fuel gasoline without the added expensive of additives or alcohol and to do so in the hottest part of the day/year under difficult conditions... and she really did pull through, for 3 years almost 30,000 miles so far... it keeps blowing away my expectations. Well actually it is meeting my expectations which was not expected. I don't deserve a car with 500hp thats for sure. The power is just a novelty to me; I don't race or have any interest in racing beyond track data for the sake of backing up the dyno with actual drag performance (they say the track is the real dyno :D ). The real fun for me though, is the way it handles, sounds, smells, the rough and tumble of it. I love to listen to the cam lope of a V8 with any amount of power... I would drive it with 200hp.
Its a rowdy straight shooter that intimidates when it wants to and purrs like a kitten the rest of the time. I can drive with 1 finger on the wheel, the other holding a camera or a drink. IRS means I can change tire height on the fly without suspension adjustments. The chassis is flexible with it's components and works with a wide range of parts. It has access to well known aluminum and Iron 4-piston brakes from 300ZX which is a much heavier car.
No matter how much power it makes you always want more and there is always a faster car.
So its more what we can do with the least tools and materials at our disposal. The common ore. This is the poverty build extreme, the least power one should have when using the lowest cost junkyard engine LS components in a build.
Gen3 Stuff that somebody junked into a yard. To them it had low compression and was worn out, to us its been broken in, loosened up and boost ready. It brings a tear to my eye to listen to, but that could just be the exhaust fumes.

In the future maybe I will get a microphone for narrative over these type of video so you can get more information about how I go about these things. But for now this will have to do, I have to focus on research now, back to the lab for some H&E, dapi, dsDNA IHC, those kinds of lab experiments to determine quality of tissue samples for use in cancer study... the car really motivates me to drive to my lab since I can work as many hours as I want in this field. losing track of time while using a microtome is pretty fun A+ highly recommended.

youtube video of the dyno passes:

Thanks for watching!

I choose the milk sorry no speech edit for you nao

great build!

Towards the end of the year the 4l80e starts acting funny.
First, it threw an EPC code, which put the trans into limp home mode (harsh full pressure shifts).
I simply cleared the code, and it went back to normal for a couple days.
It happened again after a few days, So I figured EPC was shot, changed it out easily.
That is when things got really weird. Suddenly the trans would shift late, and harder than usual, even though there was no code.
Then I noticed something up with overdrive. It would shift into OD, but the RPMS were abnormally high. It was like 3.5 instead of 4th gear.
And finally it lost reverse. Big surprise there, though (4l80e are notorious for losing reverse for any # of reasons)

I said, enough is enough, and started researching the 4l80e internal fluid diagrams.
After going over every diagram, and learning how every gear is engaged (its not that bad), I had a few novice theories about what had happened but decided it best just to overhaul the trans. instead of wasting time trying to diagnose and replace minor BS parts from under the car.

Don't worry I won't make you wait till the end to find out what was wrong. I went over every single piece inside the transmission and found absolutely nothing "wrong" with any of the parts, no broken sprags, no bad bushings, no sheared seals, nothing missing or out of place...
The *ONLY* thing I found that could have caused my symptoms was the connector plug between the trans an engine harness was full of ATF. I guess the 20 year old connector just leaks and eventually it filled the plug with ATF... I mean it was FULL of ATF, like someone poured a can of Trans fluid in the cables. I Washed all that out of the wires with electronics cleaner spray and of course replaced the internal wiring harness of the 4l80e... along with everything else just about

Anyways. Before we get on with the show I'll share some other stuff I've been working on (cosmetics and Arduino stuff)
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...4c92caff03.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...f00ee256cf.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/RNCCWXKY/IMG-5866.jpg

The little circuit board is a fast response voltage meter:
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...45251210c6.png
Links:
https://www.edaboard.com/threads/bas...2/post-1668314
http://www.k7tty.com/development/ele...your%20Car.htm

I really appreciate this little volt meter because it is more powerful than any other type of gauge or meter.
Its response is faster than anything a gauge or digital multimeter can muster. It will of course catch the voltage dip during cranking.
Accuracy is finely tuned using two variable resistors, which allows freedom to time each LED to some specific voltage breakpoint.
It's 'trends' may become recognizable over time, so when a battery/alternator starts to die or behave oddly you can notice right away because the trend will change.
This car definitely needs a fast response volt meter I could trust, read easily, and verify the calibration, so this was ideal for me. I'm making a few of them, extras for future cars.

moving on, I added lights to the center console. Little LED that can shine through the holes you see in the plastic panel now, to let me know certain things.
Some will be for theft control, some for transmission control/fans, some for leaving the headlights on when the key is removed as a reminder to turn off the headlights(audible also), etc...
Also two of them are for NEUTRAL status so I can visually see a green light when the car is in NEUTRAL or PARK. This along with the neutral safety switch helps me know for sure when the engine can crank or not by the color lights (instead of guessing its in neutral or forgetting it isn't). Basically, finishing touches to the interior that all cars need to be 'done' IMO.
https://i.postimg.cc/mkMgJcTm/IMG-5816.jpg
Its the colors of a sunset
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...3e3acce178.jpg

Got the arduino going and coded a few things. I have so many switches and activation elements my head is spinning with how to creatively use them all.
https://i.postimg.cc/Yhy7hkp4/IMG-5055.jpg

Here are the center console LED all lit up at once for fun.
Green is neutral. Theres two green LED but one is of a different style and dimmer. I did this on purpose because if the light ever fails I will be able to tell whether it is the LED or the circuit that is the issue, plus its nice to have re-assurance the shifter is indeed in neutral at a glance.
These are running at 5V off the arduino in the picture, but in the car they run at 14v off the alternator so much much brighter. The resistors are tuned for 12-15V and only using 5V so just imagine....
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...280de2099a.jpg
The light strip is mounted to the back of the center console insert, like this...
https://i.postimg.cc/G9LnK9t8/IMG-5180.jpg

And I used Velcro to secure the shift boot to the inside so it can easily removed.

next it was very important for me to code some temperature sensor for fan activation of the transmission fan. The only thing a Gen3 computer can do is throw the MIL when the trans starts to overheat.... which isn't very helpful. I wanted MUCH more safety features for my transmissions health. So one of my arduinos job will be to monitor the transmission temperature, alert me using LED and audible warning if the temperature begins to rise high, and to turn on and make sure the transmission fan is spinning through creative use of transistors and inductors.
I was very careful to measure the temperature exactly....
https://i.postimg.cc/LnhKd7zm/IMG-5751.jpg
Make sure the arduino can sense the TRUE temperature when the liquid is very hot and cold. I heated it well past the point that I would allow my ATF to go to ensure it will be accurate throughout it's range and beyond, named 140*F to 180*F with me trying to keep it near 155*F-165*F probably.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...ce7caa370c.jpg
I used 4x Thermometers to make sure I was getting the correct temperature range reporting and at what voltage input and so forth, since the temp sensor was setup between a voltage divider. Luckily the arduino has dedicated 5v outputs and 5 to 15v inputs (for car battery power to be acceptable).
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...2e124dbf6d.jpg
Set it up to work with motion detectors and relays...
https://i.postimg.cc/145b6T7D/P1330453.jpg

Here is the link to the discussion for this temp sensor project, including CODE and my explanations for how I setup
https://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?t...441#msg4693441

I got a new radiator for it now that all the orange water is done cleared from the engine, it was time to put that in, and finally clean the core support up and make a hold-down and replace the overflow. You know, make it like a normal car again :D
https://i.postimg.cc/TpBszPdc/IMG-4508.jpg

Meanwhile I am still doing research at university... Fun pics.
https://i.postimg.cc/7JGV9g2r/slide1.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/F17DhQnC/microtome1.jpg

This brings us to the 4l80e rebuild. Before I begin I want to explain how I prepared for this adventure. I am not a transmission expert by any stretch yet I do understand how unlikely we first timers are to be successful doing something like this the first time and there are some things one hobby/enthusiast must do before they begin with any auto transmission rebuild....
1. Download and read every (or your transmission) 4l80e rebuild manual and misc. information kits you can find (I found 3x manuals and several 'updated' and 'shift kit' documents) read everything, even for setups which do not apply to yours, because all of it will help you understand how the trans works and what affects what.
2. Watch several youtube videos of (your trans)4l80e rebuilds, watch a bunch to get a varied idea of how shops vs individuals do things. Figure out which tools you really want to have on hand and which ones you can skip over, maybe.
3. Read everything ever posted online about (&c)4l80e from the most experienced users,
for 4l80e they are: "clinebarger", "jakeshoe", and "PBA (pro built automatics)"
For the 4l80e, these are the trio of talent you want to pay attention to.
4. Have an experienced person 'baby sit' your rebuild log/journal as you go through the unit, here is mine:
Link:
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/th...overed.334409/

I also spoke with Dana(PBA) more than a few times during the fun, and if we count over the past three years I've also had a discussion with Jake, to live in such a time... I have been preparing for this day for three years now mentally. I knew the OEM 4l80e would need a refresh to go another 130k+ miles easily so I've been hoarding snap ring pliers and rebuild manuals for years for this. And it turned out to be a kitten...

If you do all those things, I think anybody can rebuild their transmission successfully if they pay attention to every detail. For 4l80e, The parts are large, heavy yes, but large size makes them easier to deal with, more resilient, snap rings are larger and easier to access, half of them you can install by hand. Its good for people trying to rebuild a transmission without all of the ideal tools. Electrical tape instead of ring sizer- should be fine it seemed to work well. I would get ring sizers if I were building more than one or two of these though.

I will paste some links that I found useful info:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/automatic...ing-4l80e.html
Excerpt:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/automatic...ansgo-hd2.html
Also read this
https://www.performancetrucks.net/fo...-506779/page7/
There are 3 links at the bottom to go through

I forgot where I got this:

Some discussion about converter lube to line?
https://www.yellowbullet.com/threads...r-line.584282/

Good assembly and valve body video

Some notes I took while watching videos still fresh:
forward drum, discoloration, overheating
cut ring grooves inside the rear pleantary, the shaft that slides into the planetay
hot wobbley plantaries
break the sun gear
check teflon rings and check for grooves from plates
pump puller
trash in the pistons under accumulators and apply pins
inspect puimp bushings
--- before the top bolt in case
takeo ut overdrive thing first from top
sprag in the overdrive unit plastic cage can broke
--after top case bolt
overdrive 4th gear clutch assembly
shows tool to grab inside of drum
****************
03+ extension housing bushing is different
first number onthe case is the year model "6MJT" = 2006
check the rear lube tube for blockages!
-Torx-40 upper throw away bolt
-3/8 12 point socket for center support bolt (hollow)
remove orifice cup plug at the back of the unit on tailshaft

5/16" PUnch drives seals 2x into center support
time: 37:40
trans gel lube
also green assembly lube
TAP SIZES
https://i.postimg.cc/CBwgtsCD/SAEdri...ll-and-tap.png
https://i.postimg.cc/zbpr1HpQ/tap-an...e-SAE-ALSO.png
4l80e Torque Specs
https://i.postimg.cc/cKFBND7N/torque...NCH-POUNDS.gif

Next post I'll start with the rebuild pictures and description :D

It took a couple hours to pull the transmission, we start here on 11/20/20
https://i.postimg.cc/dVGGr1dm/IMG-6052.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/PNYvW3Lr/IMG-6054.jpg

Wasn't long before I started having it apart
https://i.postimg.cc/3RtXNcGs/IMG-6055.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/jLhW9DQp/IMG-6066.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/G474L6fz/IMG-6067.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/vxFgR9Ks/IMG-6057.jpg
Looking at the valve body gasket, I am tempted to think water damage. The gasket was pretty stuck down and needed fine attention with a blade.
I remember one day when there was exceptional rain and very deep puddles, and I drove through it and didn't even think to check the transmission fluid after. I just don't think the water can easily get inside the 4l80e, but who knows, maybe somehow through the dip stick or something. I made a little cover for the dipstick since then, but the damage if any was already done in the past.

https://i.postimg.cc/bsPD3xb0/IMG-6069.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/8fRFTc8r/IMG-6071.jpg


Pulled all the valves
https://i.postimg.cc/1zH67jv8/IMG-6076.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/ctSHkWK1/IMG-6082.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/yg9xTx8r/IMG-6085.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/v1CD9fbV/IMG-6078.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/7JnLpR73/IMG-6086.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/JGR0b1VP/IMG-6087.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/5X0tRntz/IMG-6088.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/3WXW4k6k/IMG-6089.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/kBw4sk79/IMG-6090.jpg
Washed it thoroughly, flat filed it, checked for issues
https://i.postimg.cc/3wK0GZ3Y/IMG-6091.jpg

Put the Trans-go AFL kit into it (Over-sized AFL valve fix)
https://i.postimg.cc/1gV39Xw5/IMG-6092.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/JDw4t853/IMG-6093.jpg
Uses a "reamer" to cut the bore diameter inside the valve body, fairly simple to do
https://i.postimg.cc/LXWJrKL8/IMG-6095.jpg

Clean and brush out the bores, plate, etc..
https://i.postimg.cc/SYdyZMFV/IMG-6096.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/64tWLhSy/IMG-6098.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/nCV7nKzF/IMG-6104.jpg


https://i.postimg.cc/0yv0tD9H/IMG-6106.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/h4HrdN6n/IMG-6097.jpg

Organized everything into bags so I don't get confused
https://i.postimg.cc/pV9CyP0k/IMG-6102.jpg

Started cleaning the case
[imghttps://i.postimg.cc/SKN74426/IMG-6107.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/Fdgd41Xk/IMG-6108.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/2qWL02Hw/IMG-6109.jpg

Time to deal with the rear case bushing
https://i.postimg.cc/W3dGD77t/IMG-6111.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/TpHyGZF0/IMG-6114.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/G484pX1C/IMG-6117.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/7CSb3b6t/IMG-6119.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/XrRpB9Vy/IMG-6120.jpg

At first I used the OEM case bushing
https://i.postimg.cc/YGk0bkLr/IMG_6121.jpg

But I didn't like how it came out. It was very difficult to get it 'perfect'.
https://i.postimg.cc/CBN12tbj/IMG_6122.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/rRwm2J97/IMG_6129.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/PNXNDXkK/IMG_6132.jpg

I wound up using the Sonnax bushing instead, pushed in from the rear. Then re-sized using the technique Clinebarger showed me. See the link:
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/th...9/post-5586874

I believe the output shaft has a taper, and the sonnax bushing has a taper, so when you reverse the bushing the two tapers are opposite and that jams up the shaft. I couldn't get any end play even without the shims under the output shaft until I re-sized the bushing. This is why you really need an EXPERT to help and watch you do these things, I am not sure I could have figured that out by myself easily. There is nothing in the rebuild manuals about this situation, at least not any I have seen.

Moving on, I tapped the center support hole for a case plug
https://i.postimg.cc/bZtvPdQY/IMG_6134.jpg
I found a "wrong thread" that fit the plug hole perfectly- that is, it was close enough to the coarse thread to grab enough depth to go maybe halfway deep into the case, but wrong thread enough to get JAMMED and locked into a specific position once deep enough so it doesn't go any deeper, It was just a coincidence my father happened to have the exact bolt I needed. I tested it first with a specific tap thread in a thick piece of steel and was satisfied that this plug would not ever come out once installed in the trans case.
https://i.postimg.cc/Q9XNcbvV/IMG_6139.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/gwykw5Sf/IMG_6144.jpg


I sanded the drums some to restore their appearance and remove any surface rust I found then put everything in bags. As soon as I realize this wasn't going to be a 24 hour rebuild I got serious about preserving materials against the constant rain. Oh by the way did I forget to mention it rained almost every single day? And that even when there is no rain, everything becomes coated in liquid at night approaches. It settles out of the air like a... blanket... a fog... and every drum will rust unless you bagged it with trans fluid.
https://i.postimg.cc/G9g3svKh/IMG_6148.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/BtnQ6mxV/IMG_6149.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/5HJfMg4p/IMG_6151.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/sGxVN2jr/IMG_6145.jpg

Keep everything in sealed bags with trans fluid to keep the air from rusting them between days, so I can go to work some days sometimes for two days I was gone. So really it maybe only took 3-4 days to rebuild the 4l80e since I was absent about half of the time, at "work" (its pretty fun doing experiments and studying cells)
https://i.postimg.cc/nc2XJDvW/IMG_6152.jpg

Here is me trying to set end play early on and can't figure out why there was no end play at first
https://i.postimg.cc/bwFdGfVH/IMG_6155.jpg
Trying to see the bushing and bearing interact with output shaft can be difficult, but eventually I got some good pictures of it,
https://i.postimg.cc/wyTH1Bsm/IMG_6157.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/qNL5zxc1/IMG_6234.jpg


Notice how the output shaft sits high up away from the bushing and even above where the bearing would normally go
https://i.postimg.cc/sgZCcFDJ/IMG_6223.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/X7P0dN3J/IMG_6240.jpg

I measured every shim/spacer/bearing of course to make adjustments as necessary. I was worried the end play would be difficult but in the end it was very simple thing to deal with.
https://i.postimg.cc/mzX4CGQ6/IMG_6172.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/K1S2nfMF/IMG_6174.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/648Xh1c6/IMG_6179.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/NK6wbX6X/IMG_6180.jpg
To get nearly exactly .003" End play I wound up using the .137" bearing with .008" and .017" Shims over the Sonnax bushing with a depth of .112" of protrusion into the case fully seated.
.137 + .008 + .017 = .162 with .003" end play means my original thrust end play is .165 - .140 = .025"
https://i.postimg.cc/L4BXt10s/IMG_6182.jpg
My original selective and thrust
https://i.postimg.cc/NLnY0BGK/IMG_6185.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/8jrGJ9st/IMG_6186.jpg

Make sure you locate every bushing and thrust washer because there are a few of them in un-obvious places
https://i.postimg.cc/hJMRRq3P/IMG_6188.jpg

I drilled my lube to line around .060"
https://i.postimg.cc/ZvBGNvYC/IMG_6194.jpg

Started pressing in bushings and changing bearings throughout the unit
https://i.postimg.cc/NLKqSS8B/IMG_6201.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/r0P6zNkB/IMG_6202.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/fJX4TdgP/IMG_6208.jpg


https://i.postimg.cc/Dyw21YXC/IMG_6203.jpg

Set the end play between center support and reaction carrier to 0.012"~ using shims
https://i.postimg.cc/y8Jsbgnc/IMG_6209.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/WD5Cfwhd/IMG_6210.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/kVJLcpXr/IMG_6211.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/8Js98f6t/IMG_6212.jpg
Showing shims kit 0.005" increments
https://i.postimg.cc/d3HcWwy5/IMG_6214.jpg
The main reason I want to rebuild my own 4l80e is to set the end plays myself, and put in straight bushings and new bearings cautiously.
Really tightened it up by rollerizing the rear and shimming the reaction carrier, will be better for performance longevity.

Pulled apart the output carrier to change the bearing and look inside
https://i.postimg.cc/66YK6LmC/IMG_6216.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/7CZQ7Jmw/IMG_6242.jpg

More bushing goodness
https://i.postimg.cc/67bbh6mR/IMG_6244.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/RqHpcBQ6/IMG_6245.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/9Rvxv8VQ/IMG_6246.jpg


Make sure you line up the lube orifices wherever they are... like this one. There is also one in the sun shaft to sun gear.
https://i.postimg.cc/wMbnX2CP/IMG_6247.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/CBZPry32/IMG_6248.jpg

I got this cheap tool from Amazon to remove piston snap rings, and it worked puurfect on all the drums
https://i.postimg.cc/3NytTTqS/IMG_6299.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/wT7CqKJd/IMG_6249.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/KR79HDWm/IMG_6250.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/xJb5yvHD/IMG_6259.jpg


Borg Warner high energy clutches please, soaked in ATF for hours
https://i.postimg.cc/DW0Bmkwz/IMG_6251.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/cvXFs4Zj/IMG_6252.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/94stMDkx/IMG_6296.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/w1Z0t4yc/IMG_6315.jpg


Get rdy to install those new pistons (new pistons for all drums)
https://i.postimg.cc/x1mBmKtx/IMG_6255.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/JnrFSSmv/IMG_6256.jpg
It was pretty easy with the lip seal installer tool and special transmission lubrication goo

While the piston it out of the direct drum, Drill that .030" Bleed hole below the piston in a corner, this can prevent centrifugal apply during high RPM 7000+
Wasn't too bad, it drilled easier than i thought it would. the pump too...
https://i.postimg.cc/wMPbyvJY/IMG_6260.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/m1fwdPNc/IMG_6261.jpg

Ready to go in
https://i.postimg.cc/vcyhf6Zk/IMG_6265.jpg

Install new Sprags!! Changed all 3x sprags. Sanded their races to 1500 grit wet with ATF (polished surfaces for sprags, advice from Dana)
https://i.postimg.cc/BQrVJj4x/IMG_6266.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/bGZ9pxmD/IMG_6267.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/185KYh6K/IMG_6294.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/SYdMWRZb/IMG_6308.jpg





more bushing goodness
https://i.postimg.cc/94wZvWfy/IMG_6304.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/LYdLSrqw/IMG_6306.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/FdjcHD3R/IMG_6307.jpg

Looking at 2nd gear parts
https://i.postimg.cc/5jVKqrPs/IMG_6310.jpg
Ordered a Heavy Duty Snap ring kit
https://i.postimg.cc/nMGRd1gp/IMG_6312.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/YqYJG6XX/IMG_6313.jpg
I used the nice thick .108" HD Intermediate Snap ring

Setting up the sections took a long time, in and out of the case around 10 times to get everything right.
https://i.postimg.cc/W1VxMdCs/IMG_6314.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/R6QRDMPX/IMG_6316.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/Zvbck12Z/IMG_6317.jpg


Changed some plastic washer out for bronze, changed all the bearings
https://i.postimg.cc/B6jzqHLB/IMG_6319.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/HJM3b0bG/IMG_6324.jpg I enjoy being in the mud and hot humid tropical darkness to keep this car happy, as long as I have spray for mosquitoes

People complain all day about these teflon rings but it wasn't a big deal.
https://i.postimg.cc/wxsrZ5d6/IMG_6326.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/hhss8tQG/IMG_6327.jpg
I just wrapped them (wet with ATF) inside electrical tape overnight tightly and then they slid right into their homes easily the next day.
If I was going to do more than one of these, I would buy the re-sizer tools and also have a bunch of extra seals laying around so I could be more speedy with the installations without worrying about tearing them due to haste.
Operating as a one-time rebuild vs doing it the way a "Shop" Should do it, is two different things. I took the risk and accepted that if I tore a ring trying to install with no experience, I might have to buy a whole extra rebuild kit.
But those 4l80e sealing ring kits are very low price and plentiful, and I wouldn't mind having a spare kit laying around...
Therefore the consequence is minimized. Luckily I needed no such extra kit, yet I still might buy one just to have spares sitting around.


I TRIED to check the front end play the way they show in the ATSG manual, kind of like like this...
https://i.postimg.cc/GhF5hc2V/IMG_6329.jpg

However it did NOT work. Once the pump was fully seated with a couple bolts it needed a different thrust setting than I thought.
I wound up with .009"~ of front end play (puurfect) and needed to use the .075" Thick plastic thrust washer behind the pump iirc.
https://i.postimg.cc/0y9HzLKQ/IMG_6334.jpg

In fact the front end play was the only thing I felt it worthy to make a video of during this rebuild. Everything else pretty much you can see online in the videos... but this seemed important and I never saw it in any video.... Check back for the video I will put it here eventually!
[Video will go here of front end play one day]

Changing all the seals
https://i.postimg.cc/4YDQ4KqW/IMG_6340.jpg

Assembling valve body
https://i.postimg.cc/ftZ7XGwX/IMG_6342.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/4Hxz2pHx/IMG_6344.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/47561Wd0/IMG_6345.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/rzVCp2Z2/IMG_6350.jpg




Removed all rust from Driveshaft and painted it nice
https://i.postimg.cc/x1sgcqSx/IMG_6352.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/tCpzkFqv/IMG_6387.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/r0Q44zZX/IMG_6388.jpg


Sanded and painted the extension housing and pan
https://i.postimg.cc/RNq7cQzP/IMG_6371.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/bdm0DV4D/IMG_6381.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/DzHgPD01/IMG_6384.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/ZRNL7cv2/IMG_6386.jpg

Use torque wrench!!
https://i.postimg.cc/bdkLZRp1/IMG_6293.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/PCpMkb3L/IMG_6337.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/bG1HZyjp/IMG_6339.jpg


Installed everything back to the car...
https://i.postimg.cc/RhQL9ZRT/IMG_6389.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/Lh8LpBhH/IMG_6390.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/BQpBVttS/IMG_6392.jpg
The insulation is adequate, and lightweight. I thought about adding another layer but I decided if I want to insulate further, first I will install a new heavy interior carpet and see how it does.

https://i.postimg.cc/ppgFzwCT/IMG_6394.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/k6X67qJj/IMG_6400.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/mPCFwmpS/IMG_6406.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/SXGY0Jh2/IMG_6407.jpg

Then it was late, I was tired, I washed the car and drove it around a bit :D
The trans temp after 45 minutes was just 155*F but it was a cool night for here.
There is more kick now, looks like I'm going to increase torque management, about double it and the tire still spins when it shifts but I can live with a little bit of that.
https://i.postimg.cc/7hDSBykJ/IMG_6408.jpg


thanks for looking and good luck with your rebuilds ^ ^

Welcome to... the deep freeze -80*C freezer! A marvel of science
https://i.postimg.cc/BtFk2hJ0/P1330603.jpg
For when you need to warm up from liquid nitrogen where we keep frozen cell cultures


At some point near the start of semester I had a night to make clean radiator bezel and throw some engine covers on it for a picture. And the strut brace ofc.
I always like the way engine covers and other sort of plastic shields can finishing touch the engine bay. I like stuff that snaps down and are easy to remove.
same thing with the radiator bezel, it is going to be a snap-on cover. I am just looking for the ideal way to accomplish this and in no rush, the hard part is done.
That strut tower brace really helped stiffen the front end, the car handles better, it needs support with this IRON block. If the LM7 ever goes you bet it will get an -120lbs aluminum 5.3 unit. But unfortunately or fortunately the LM7 refuses to give up as I continued to turn it up from 640bhp to 740bhp (from 530rwhp to 612rwhp). It must know my die hard rule of not ever changing anything that isn't broken and taking advantage of my little rule to keep the nose of the car down for me.


I've since changed things up a bit with the paint. Nothing ever stays the same, keep that in mind when you look at the pictures of progress often by the time you see the picture I've already changed the appearance. All these posts are historical references- the various results of experiments, if you will. In other words I don't many in progress posts, I start a project, finish the project, collect the data, and then make the post with the data. For example transmission rebuild was completely done before I posted anything at all about any transmission issue with the car. You found out about the issue, and then immediately saw the results of a rebuild, instant gratification and no waiting for the data and outcome experience. That is a standard scientific journal article guideline, get the data, publish data if its good or not, isn't up to the person collecting data which is available either way.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...db0ff0cef4.jpg.

While the 4l80e transmission was out for the rebuild I had replaced the oil relocation lines with brand new PTFE braided hose with machine crimps (Pro tip: Don't use hand crimp AN fittings or rubber braided hose for OIL lines).
This was done as preventative maintenance, The PTFE is the ultimate in reliability especially with the machine crimped hose ends, it will last 200,000+ Miles.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...e141b77d1f.jpg

Next up we have my old turbo oil drain and new oil drain. The new piece is a -12AN line from HKS that can easily bend around the exhaust.
This eliminates the AN fitting on the turbo, which was getting cooked, difficult to access, and felt brittle to me.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...000b290b35.jpg

The new Hose is a -12AN high temperature unit from ATP-TURBO, designed specifically for turbo drains, fire resistant, etc... And now its a mile away from the hot exhaust which was my main concern with the old line. This is a line I feel that I can trust until 200,000 miles or longer. Braided hose I feel is done at 50k and 10AN is not recommended.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...40e800373e.jpg
I prefer this type of hose over braided because of many reasons
1. Its how all the OEM turbochargers for SR20/RB/2JZ style engines drain so I am confident in the design
2. It is easy to visually inspect and touch to feel how brittle/aged, whereas with braided hose you can't tell if the hose inside is getting brittle or collapsing.
3. hose clamps over barbed fittings are less likely to leak, to be affected by exhaust heat
4. Faster to replace if necessary
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...9f84c05805.jpg

Now that all the oil lines on the car are updated and how I wanted them from the beginning I was feeling more confident in the ultimate reliability of my setup.
In fact I felt so good about it I decided to take it out the middle of nowhere to do some 1/4 mile testing. You know, before actually taking it to a track.
Well, the roads I found were all messed up in some places and it rattled my car so bad the fuel tank started to leak. Ouch
But I knew that was coming. Almost all 240sx S14 fuel tanks eventually crack in the same spot, so it was no surprise to me, and I was ready with a 1998 fuel tank (never seen the 98' units crack)
Also I contacted a company which specializes in fuel tank repair and they sent me a kit to both repair the old tank and reinforce my new fuel tank so it won't crack.
The kit is from: https://tbbonding.com/
And they were VERY helpful, awesome to deal with, they gave me special instructions specifically for my kind of fuel tank, both how to repair the old one and how to support and prevent cracking in my new tank.

Check this @(*$ out! Old tank on the right, new tank on the left.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...71cc9e495a.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...421d4c7eba.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/Lh0YWVBL/IMG_6797.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/GH88nsqN/IMG_6798.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/bDyD7CBH/IMG_6800.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/BLmL45WW/IMG_6801.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/8FHsmdzF/IMG_6809.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/WDjhZYTL/IMG_6813.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/R6pFjMf4/IMG_6825.jpg
The black goop is undercoating, I decided to spray the straps and where the tank rests against the vehicle with rubberize undercoat to help dampen vibrations and further reduce chance of cracking.

It took half a day but I was back in action with my new fuel tank and feeling pretty good.
At some point I tuned my friend's Chaser, a Japanese right hand drive 1jz-gte car

Also Organized my tools :D hehe I labelled them to find more easily which ones are for Chevrolet and which ones are Nissan. Chevy loves 10, 13, 15 and Nissan loves 10, 12, 14mm. Huh!
https://i.postimg.cc/vxXZB0Np/IMG-6595.jpg


And got around to making the 4l80e front end play video I promised. I didn't see any video of this anywhere when I was looking to do my rebuild and the snap-ring action was a curiosity so I thought I would make it.
Also threw in some clips of how the new transmission is running, and a clip of the neutral safety lights in the console.


And that should just about catch us up to date! It runs GREAT with the rebuilt transmission and I can't get enough of that feeling, the car can light them up from a 25mph roll easily, those new Borg Warner clutches really do the trick between gears. I have been leaving tire marks and smoky trails all over the place. I Love how straight it stays and how fast it feels with the tires just barely set spinning from 20-60mph in 2nd gear. I know it just slows the car down but I've never had a car that could do consistent burnouts at almost any speed safely and easily so was just getting it out of my system. I can even follow the mark and see where torque management stops the spin, even though it feels like the tire never stops spinning from in the car. I thought the torque management had stopped working because of all the tire spin between gears but over time I came to realize the incredible rotating mass of the drivetrain being accelerated so quickly was enough during torque management to keep the tire spinning. Also I turned off torque management and the transmission feels like it picks the car up and throws it on the 2 to 3 shift. I'm not even joking It felt like a giant picked me up and tossed the car forward, tires set spinning at 80mph through the shift. The scary part is in my log even though the tires spin the MPH never drops, it just rises with the tire and the vehicle seems to catch up using the energy from the shift before the tire can slow down from spinning. Incredible.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...72cd7f9008.jpg

Had it out to the local AX or race track driver's education track day?
Lot's of documentation does it equate to lap times or just rear tire smoke?
Next step more safety equipment and some performance driver training?
Great to see such car passion, in 10 years would you electrify it?

This should be an easy read for you. :thumbs:
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...2c28fc7c0f.jpg

This is such a great, and detailed, build. Glad to see the car performing like a monster.