Thread: Tearin' her down!

So, I developed a really loud tick/tap noise last week and decided to put new lifters in the GTP. I have it torn down and thought I'd put up a few pictures for you all to check out. Also, since I have everything apart, I'm looking into doing some home port work to the SC, LIM, and possibly a bit of work on the heads themselves. Any tips or cautions I should know before getting started on any of these?

Also, I'm considering going with a set of 1.9 rockers while the top end is apart. If I do that and all of the porting, would it be possible to drop from my current 3.4 down to a 3.2 pulley?

The first three pictures are compliments of my roommate, Chris.

My impromptu parts organizer


Almost torn down


Hydrating while attempting to remove the rear head


LIM


SC


Front Head


Rear Head


The Bay


Covered in foil

looks like your havin some fun since you got the heads off id say do the rockers/spring if you caN spend the money itl be easier while you have it apart.

I don't know how much down time you have... I'd send everything over to Trannyman. He does damn good blower work. Have him do you TB, blower, LIM, and Heads. Have them ported and match up to each other. You be flowing good them.

If your on a limited budget, at least get your heads, hot tanked, checked out for cracks/flatness, new guides installed too. Might as well, ya know? Then of course the obvious, new springs, lifters, etc. Port and match everything you can, you ain't in the motor everyday.

BTW, do Rockers and 105# cc springs and retainers. There are two sets of 1.9 rockers for sale on ClubGP...

I'm currently in the process of porting the exhaust side of the front head. I'll do the rear head, then turn around and get the intake side of each done. After that, I'll probably see what I can do to the LIM and move on to the blower if I feel like disassembling it.

Originally Posted by TDCRacing

Hey Dan, Don't touch the intake side of the head as far as porting goes. The walls are paper thin. Maybe hit it with a flapper wheel to smooth it out. Thats it though.

Thanks for the warning. I'll just smooth those out, then. That saves me a few hours of work not being able to work on them, so I guess I'm happy about that part.

have you tried rolling the pushrods on a sheet of glass? see if maybe one of them are bent?

Damn, wish I had a place to do all that. Just take a week off and have at it. Looks like fun!

question. why on both heads are one of the intake/exhaust valves (idk which one it is) is darker than the other ones?? the front head, its in the middle, the rear head its on the side?? why is one like that and not the others??

Originally Posted by blowfishRus6

question. why on both heads are one of the intake/exhaust valves (idk which one it is) is darker than the other ones?? the front head, its in the middle, the rear head its on the side?? why is one like that and not the others??

I believe that the camera's perspective and poor quality make them look considerably different. I thought the same thing after viewing the pictures and went back out to check them out myself. They're pretty much all the same, though. I just need to get a better camera...

oh okay. i figured something to that extent but wasent sure.

Sorry I haven't been updating much. The car is still disassembled, and appears that it will continue to be so for quite a while. I got the heads, blower, and LIM all ported and smoothed up nicely. The blower, valve covers, and diagonal braces are all painted bright red. Almost all of my parts have made it here. I'm still waiting on valve springs and retainers. I decided to go with an XP cam instead of 1.9 rockers since both opportunities I had to get a nice used set fell through. I picked up a new cam for about the same as the rockers I was looking at, so I thought I might as well.

But... An exciting night tonight turned into a tragic one. I got my timing chain and dampener delivered today and started work on installing the XP. Everything went very smooth all the way up to actually removing the cam. Upon attempt to remove the factory cam, I see a large ring of metal laying on the second journal. It's one of the cam bearings! As I spin the cam some more, I am horrified at what I see. It appears that the bearing slipped off the cam a bit and got smashed by one of the lobes and is now folded over and somewhat stuck to the cam.

Soooo.... My cam is stuck part way out of the engine with no way to get it completely back in or out. I'm considering trying to cut the bearing so I can at least get the cam out of the block. Does anyone think I will be able to replace the bearing with the engine still in the car, or will I have to pull it to do this?

if you are able to slide the cam all the way out with it in the vehicle(yes you can), then yes you can!

all you need is the cam bearing install/removal tools. and new bearings. I wonder why it did that.....

any tips on removing a fubar'd bearing that doesn't seem to want to fit through the hole?

And, UR LOSN, thanks for the positive response. Everyone else has told me that I have to pull the engine. It's nice to at least have hope to do it with the block still in the car.

try a slide hammer? be careful as cams can break, very easy.
fab something so you can use your sisor jack and/or a bottle jack.
Idk just a thought.

Originally Posted by TDCRacing

So the whole bearing came out of the journal?

Not completely. I believe it made its way about half way out, then started getting slapped by the nearest cam lobe, which rolled part of the exposed edge down. When I got ready to pull the cam out, it was very difficult, so I'm pretty sure the bearing was still somewhat where it originated. If I can get a clear pic of it or manage to get it out without destroying it, I'll post up a shot of it for ya.

Well, my roommate managed to get a decent picture of the damage. I know it's still hard to see everything, but you'll get the idea.