Thread: 3.4 Pulley Question

First, welcome to the forum! Second, don't waste your time with aftermarket intakes. Most of use spectre filters on our intake setups. There's plenty of different ways to make an intake. I just have my cone slapped right on the tb. The only aftermarket intake setup worth buying is a fenderwell intake. What style 3.4 pulley is it? Is it a modular or a press-on? You'll also want a tune after headers and pulley. I personally don't believe in running a 3.4 on just headers and tune, but a lot of guys do. That's just my pov on it.

Originally Posted by psi

Picked up my first GTP (03 Red 4 Dr) yesterday aftering selling my SRT-4. It is all stock besides a PCM. I'm going to order my intake, plugs, plug wires, and get my exhaust done this week. What is a good set up for an intake instead of paying $250 I've read of people just putting a cone on the throttle body? If someone has a link to show what brands they went with or why it might be better to pay extra for a name brand that would be great. I was also given pace setter headers and a few other parts like a 3.4 Pulley with no belt. If I want to use the 3.4 what do I all need? Obviously the pulley, a belt, and the tool? Any input is appreciated.

Help in no particular order, so hope it helps:

Spectre sells open cones for $25 at your local auto parts store. Get yourself some tubing (I used 3" PVC pipe from Lowe's) to route the air intake into the fender well. Rip out the stock air box and zip tie the PCM to something so it won't rattle around.

You'll want a shorter supercharger belt with a 3.4" to discourage any belt slippage.

Not sure about pacesetter headers but I know for most other headers (SD's for instance) you'll need a front 02 extension or it won't fit.

For any headers/pulley drop you'll need a tune afterwards... firstly to delete the rear 02 SES light which *will* come on and to tune for the new setup.

Depending on whether your car is stock... and depending on whether the 3.4" is a press-on or modular system, depends on how much work you do. The modular pulleys work by pressing on a hub, and then you can change out pulleys with a few Allen bolts. Something still has to get pressed on/pressed off though. ZZP, Intense, etc. have pulley pullers. Don't use an AutoZone pulley puller or you'll have to buy a new supercharger snout when you're done.

When running a 3.4 on just headers... Scan, Scan, Scan. Get yourself an Aeroforce, Scanguage, Scanmaster, Torque App, etc... anything that scans for KR. KR is Knock Retard... when the computer senses detonation in the engine (pinging/knocking), it automatically yanks ignition timing to stop the detonation.

You'd rather run a larger pulley with no KR than a smaller pulley with KR, because when you yank timing you lose a LOT of horsepower - IIRC 3-5 hp per degree of KR. Keep at it long enough and you'll chip pistons, which means it's time for a new motor. So be prepared, if you run into KR, to pulley up or do some more supporting mods.

Originally Posted by whoender

I am new to v6 power plants. I am (was) a v8 carb muscle car guy. I started to just do an intake gasket but I decided I want to add hp. The heads are off and is there anything I can do, without breaking the bank to them or is the 3.5 pulley, tb spacer, colder plugs, and cold air intake enough to get started?

Get you some headers before pulley dropping. Speed Daddy, SSAC, etc, can be had for the $200 range. The immediate problem with these cars before you do any bolt-ons is the exhaust. By the cat, where the rear 02 sensor plugs in, there's a U-bend in the exhaust. Your 2.5" becomes more like 1.75" but only for a few inches. Not good.

A downpipe can solve this and is less labor intensive than headers but at $150-180 new... you might as well pick up some headers. If you're a real cheapo and have a welder you can just get the U-bend delete from ZZP for like $40 but you'll kick yourself before long and ask why you didn't get headers.

Thing is, most cars in stock form already have a little KR at the top of second gear (2-3*) because of exhaust restrictions. So getting the exhaust out is a priority before doing anything else... tb spacers, colder plugs, intake, etc... they help, and I wouldn't skimp on them, but they won't by themselves let you pulley drop.

Originally Posted by whoender

Also where is the most cost effective place to purchase a mod pulley?

Any W-body place (W Body Store, ZZP, Intense, etc.) will have them in stock. Most will rent out pulley pullers as well. Me, I drove up to Intense and they did a pree pulley hub install when I bought the hub, so that made it easier for me, since Intense was about an hour's drive away in Columbus.

Also, there's people around the forums who have pulley pullers and possibly used hubs/pulleys for cheap. Troll around the for sale forums... you might find what you're looking for, for less.

Originally Posted by whoender

Headers and downpipe, should I do anything to the heads? I am a tech and have been for over 20 years so the labor is not a problem

Most headers will come with a downpipe already. Assuming you live in an area that doesn't have inspections... scrap that cat and get some of your money back.

You don't have to do anything to the heads on a 3.4 setup with headers. If you want to get more serious, you could run high ratio rockers or an S1X cam... although in either case you'd need stronger valve springs (and there would be reliability and performance gains by upgrading the lifters and pushrods at this point), it isn't essential. If you wanted to run a bigger cam... an XP, an S2 or S3, etc... then you'd need some ported heads.

This thread is a pretty good start and will repeat many of the things I've hit on here. It's not perfect, but it's got most of the info on hand:

http://www.grandprixforums.net/threa...ding-Your-3800!

You can clean the heads up if ou wished. They are poorly cast and cleaning each runner wouldnt hurt.

TB spacers are junk, just a coolant leak waiting to happen.

And anything exhaust wise after the cat is worthless unless you make some crazy horsepower over 350-400+ to the wheels. The factory 2.25 flows plenty for a 6 cylinder. Add mufflers for sound if you wanted but most will sound like ass and drone.

Port the heads

You can buy a dhp or hpt

A zzp 1.0 pcm would be fine to run on a 3.4 setup just make sure you scan for KR.