Project: Bullet-proof V-10

[EllowViper]

Have fun Tim! I'm a couple of hrs of work away from firing mine back up! Just need to install driveshaft, tranny refill, run the new W/M lines, etc... My progressive fuel system turned out sweet. Second Walbro will only come on under boost. No need to be pumping all that fuel around in closed loop.

 

[CWhiteRun]

Start on the fuel system engineering yet?? I got the pumps... and am currently pricing out all the "small" pieces. $100 for the pumps and estimate over $600.00+ for the regulator, filter, lines, most fittings...but its fun you know!!

Are you guys running a rear rail feed/front to reg return style setup, or is it a deadhead w/ return configuration with the feed running into the reg on one port and out the other port into the rails? I really would like to run a rear feed setup, but it looks as if there isn't enough room for the fittings.

 

[vpower01]

Just thought i would post this if anyone was interested on a new custom fuel rail setup.
Link
Fuel Rail Upgrade Kit for 92-02 Vipers - Fuel System Components - Roe Racing

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[CWhiteRun]

Just thought i would post this if anyone was interested on a new custom fuel rail setup.
Link
Fuel Rail Upgrade Kit for 92-02 Vipers - Fuel System Components - Roe Racing

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I wish those would work with a Roe blower, but it's the same song and dance as the rails that came with it....although they are the nicest for the money that I know of and I've looked at about every option out there. My question still remains...has anyone ran a feed to the rear of the rails and ran a feed to a reg from the front of the rails with a Roe? If so, how did you do it?

 

[EllowViper]

Thought about it with my ROE but no way to plumb the rear of the rails with the intake inlet butting up to the fuel rails the way they do. In my case, I installed a spare Walbro into the basket next to the stock pump. Ran an -6an bulkhead fitting out of the top of the basket that this pump feeds. Eliminated the OEM ****** coming out of the top of the fuel basket and replaced with -6an fitting (so two -6an fittings on the top of my basket). The stock pump now exits out of the stock location via this -6an fitting vice the plastic ****** (retains the internal regulator function however). Plumbed the two lines into a 2 into 1 fitting with a single line to the fuel rails (inline filter in the tunnel too). With a one-way valve on the new Walbro line, the system presurizes to the stock 55 psi just as normal when the key is turned on. When the additional pump kicks in during WOT, excess fuel/pressure above 55 psi is bled off via the stock regulator since its a closed system..just two pumps feeding a single line at this point. Key is the one-way flow valve on the second pump that comes into play during normal driving. Keeps the stock system pressurized and not backfilling through the additional line when the Walbro is not running. That's the theory behind it all. Haven't left the garage with this set-up yet...LOL.

 

[plumcrazy]

AB makes some nice rails too.

 

[BOTTLEFED]

Thanks Eric, your setup sounds great and well thought out.
I'm still not sure about my fuel system yet. Just trying to focus on the build right now.

So I've been working a little here and there on it the last couple nights and just taking my time. I'm doing a full writeup on removing the engine with lots of detailed pics and instructions. It will be for the How-to section when I'm done. I will post some of it here, but I don't want to crowd this thread with all the details. I also want to get your opinions and recommendations on the removal to add to the writeup. So please add any tips and tricks you have for engine R&R.

 

[BOTTLEFED]

Here is what I have done so far:

1. First disconnect the battery and remove the airbox or whatever intake system you are using.

2. Next you will remove the windshield wipers and cowling. 15mm nuts hold the wiper arms on. 4 phillips screws hold the cowling on.

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3. Also remove the little brackets that screwed to the cowling. These are sharp and tend to get in the way often. A 10mm nut holds them on. Many times other items are zip tied to them as well.

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[BOTTLEFED]

4. Now the focus is on the intake manifold.

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5. Start by removing the brake booster line and A/C vac. Line.

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6. Disconnect the TPS sensor on the left throttle body.

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7. On the other side, disconnect the IAC behind the right throttle body.

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[BOTTLEFED]

8. The fuel injector/ignition harness is located on the left side behind the intake manifold. I have a VEC connected in there, so your connectors may look a little different, but the principle is the same. There are 2 big connectors. Pull them up so you can see them. You will push the red slider over (see first 2 pics). Then pinch the tab and pull them apart. They are stiff and tight, so you need to get your hands in there and pull hard. But make sure you push that slider over or you’ll never get them apart. And here they are disconnected.

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[BOTTLEFED]

9. Remove the heater air box. There are a few 10mm screws holding in down and then just pull it up and off.

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10. This part is very tricky and takes small, dexterous hands. The coil connectors are exactly like the fuel injector/ignition harness connectors. They have the red slider and you will need to reach in and feel for them. You may have to unplug all the spark plug wires off the coils to get to the connectors this time. Both sliders push to the right. It is easiest to get to the right one on the right side of the car, and the left connector from the left side. Here they are disconnected from the coils and pulled out so you can see them. You will want pull them out to clear them from snagging on things as you pull the manifold later.

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11. Disconnect the purge hose and PCV hoses from the manifold.

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12. Pinch the clip on the throttle cable and unhook it from the linkage.

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[BOTTLEFED]

13. These are the bolts that hold on the intake manifold. There are 2 for each intake runner. They are 7/16” bolts. Remember, the head is aluminum, so be careful not to cross-thread them as you remove them or snap off the head of the bolt.

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14. I use a long 10” extension on the 3/8” ratchet to get the bolts out. I tape the 7/16” socket to the extension with masking tape to hold it on and to keep it from marring the manifold paint. Don’t wrap it too much though as space is very tight.

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15. Use the factory service manual (FSM) for the correct loosening/tightening sequence to remove the bolts in. The socket just barely fits in there and is a tight squeeze on most of the bolts, but it does fit, just keep wiggling it around. You may also try disconnecting the injector clips to give you some extra room in between.

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[BOTTLEFED]

16. Once all those bolts are loose and the manifold is just sitting on the heads, you will need to depressurize the fuel system. The easiest way is to take a rag and a small ballpoint pen. The brass cap on top of the manifold is covering a schrader valve. Hold the rag over the hole as you push the schrader with the pen. You will probably get a little fuel leak out, but there is usually not much pressure left after the car has not been run for a couple hours. After that, reach back behind the manifold on the left side and follow the fuel line to its connection. It is difficult to describe, but the fitting is two pieces. You have to push the inside clip back, while pulling on the hose to get it come loose. It will take some time to figure it out if you’ve never seen this style hose connection before. You can get under the car to see it better, however, I don’t recommend trying to disconnect it from down there or you’ll end up with a face full of fuel. Sorry, no pics of this part since it is almost completely hidden from view.

17. Double check to make sure you got everything disconnected from the manifold. Then slowly pull off the intake manifold. If it feels stuck, make sure you got all the bolts, and use a pry bar or long, flat screwdriver to lift it in a couple spots to get it unsealed from the heads.

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[BOTTLEFED]

This was all from the first night. I did a little more last night and I'll get that up later.
As I said, please let me know if I missed anything or should have explained it differently.

 

[97snk]

I just did all that last week, good that you documented with pics, now i'll know exactly what goes where when I put it back together...

 

[BOTTLEFED]

18. A couple old hand towels cover the heads and valve covers nicely and block debris from getting in the intake inlets. You can stuff some rags in the inlets as well.

19. Disconnect all the spark plug wires and undo the separators from the valve covers so you can move all of the wires up on top of the block.

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20. The coil bracket is held to the block with three 14mm bolts. One is centered on top of the block and the other two are on the back. Remove these bolts and pull out the coils and plug wires all together.

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21. Next, remove the drive belt. Use a 15mm socket with a 3” extension. I use this long ½” ratchet for leverage. You will want it set to tighten so that when you turn it, the tensioner will twist up and loosen the belt. Take the belt off the pulleys. You can also wait until after you remove the cross brace, but I like to get it out of the way now.

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[BOTTLEFED]

22. If you haven’t done so already, drain the coolant and oil now. I put a big, flat Rubbermaid bin under the lower radiator hose and disconnect it and let it drain there instead of messing with the radiator drain plug. A little more messy, but gets it done real quick. You can also drain the block by removing the plugs in the sides of the block under the headers. The plugs are square head and take a special square tool. I only drain the block when I’m flushing the system (which I just did last year and don’t need to in this rebuild). If you haven’t flushed the system, now is a good time to do it. Drain all the oil and remove the filter as well. Then put the filter back on to protect the pedestal.

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23. Remove the starter. From the top, disconnect the small wire first. It is held on with an 8mm nut. The larger wires are held on with a 12mm nut. If you didn’t disconnect the battery, you will know it when these wires touch the frame Move these wires out of the way. The wires are sitting on their respective studs in this pic.

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24. Now get under the car and remove the 14mm bolts attaching the starter motor. Use a 8” extension to get to them from the bottom. Here is the starter removed.

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[BOTTLEFED]

25. This next one is very tricky and you’ll have to decide how you want to do it. You could have the A/C system evacuated of Freon and just leave the compressor on the motor. Or you can do it this way. Remove the four 12mm bolts holding the compressor to the block. They are very difficult to get to and you will need a couple different ratchets and wrenches to get them loose. Leave the top rear one for last because with the A/C lines in the way, you cannot pull it out completely. This is as good a pic as I could get of the bolts.

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26. Once the compressor is detached, it will be hanging by the A/C lines. It doesn’t move far, so just push it forward onto the steering rack. You can tie it up out of the way a little if you like.

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27. Move to the other side of the engine and find the 3 connectors under the right header. These are the O2 sensor harness, crank angle sensor connector, and coolant temp sensor connector. Disconnect them and make sure they are free of the block.

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28. From the top, undo the 10mm nut connecting the engine ground wire to the frame.

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[CWhiteRun]

Here's a little nifty trick I found to keep the mess down when draining the coolant. If you have a decently powerful shop vac then you can turn it on and hold the hose underneath the top outlet of the engine and slowly pull the hose off of the block. You would think that the coolant would rush out all over the place but even if the hose is off a little it will **** every bit into the reservoir. I managed to drain almost the entire coolant system through the hose a minute or so after taking removing it from the block and didn't have a single drop of coolant on the floor....and I did check because I didn't think it would work. The only coolant that was left was a little bit in the lower radiator hose and some trapped in the block which didn't come out until the engine was on it's way out of the car.

 

[ViperTony]

Excellent Tim! One trick I picked up here a while ago was to re-route that single black wire that is part of the harness on the driver's side for the O2 sensor. When I moved the ac compressor out of the way, I simply unbolted that black wire and re-routed it over (instead of under) the condensor. This gave me plenty of wiggle room to move the O2 sensor to the collector area on some after market headers, such as Belanger, without having to splice the O2 sensor harness or use an extension.

 

[EllowViper]

Ahhhh...brings back memories! You'll have to post some pics of your busted/bleeding knuckles at some point. That's inevitable. By they way, tried to fire mine up yesterday but no luck. Cranks but no fire. Haven't checked too much other than fuel. I think everything got plugged back in OK...but the crank sensor miight have gotten banged around a bit during the install so maybe I need to check the status of that. The cam sensor I only unplugged and never physically removed it from the timing cover. I assume its depth should still be OK even though I put a new timing set in. Other than those two items, nothing on the engine should be different as far as I know. I'll check the coil connectors and engine harness stuff you reference in your post as well. Lord knows I've had those off enough. Frustrating since I wanted to get it on the road this weekend.

 

[LifeIsGood]

...very nice Tim! I'm on pins and needles to see the whole process and your progress...great information .

 

[EllowViper]

Someone posted to try and re-set the key fob (lock/unlock) and see if that resets my ignition. Might be why I have no fire. Makes sense since everything had been unhooked, dead battery, and now attempting to start. Hopefully it will work....

 

[BOTTLEFED]

Stripped down to the bare block

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long crank is long

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weighed it at the machine shop and it came in over 85lbs

All rotating parts are now at American Automotive Machine in SLC for a full component balance.

I'm finishing up the writeup now. I'll post the rest later today.

 

[EllowViper]

Just an FYI. You can't get stock sized main bearings anymore...only +.001 undersized is as close as you can get to stock. Sean had a complete set for around $220.00 (Clevite H). Bit me in the butt and forced me several additional weeks delay getting the crank ground and sized for undersized bearings. Stock-sized rod journal bearings are still avail and I was able to stay within stock spec with just a journal polish on the rods. Another FYI is that most sets do not include #3 main that has the thrust bearing incorporated. Just be aware of that when ordering main bearings. Need to specifically ask.

 

[BOTTLEFED]

Just an FYI. You can't get stock sized main bearings anymore...only +.001 undersized is as close as you can get to stock. Sean had a complete set for around $220.00 (Clevite H). Bit me in the butt and forced me several additional weeks delay getting the crank ground and sized for undersized bearings. Stock-sized rod journal bearings are still avail and I was able to stay within stock spec with just a journal polish on the rods. Another FYI is that most sets do not include #3 main that has the thrust bearing incorporated. Just be aware of that when ordering main bearings. Need to specifically ask.

Thanks Eric.
I didn't know the new sets don't come with the #3 main bearing. I'll have to check on that. I just ordered the sets that Greg recommends in the first page in this post:

Depends. CP likes to run some of their pistons too tight IMO. Depending on who you talk to over there....you may hear as tight as .0035". You can call back and someone else there may tell you .0055". Had it happen. A forged piston on a power-adder engine will usually gall when set up at .0035". .005" is as tight as I would run one. .006" is safer.

MS2253HX is the Clevite main bearing you want. It has .001" extra clearance over stock. The stock engines are very tight IMO on main bearing clearance. The stock clearance rod bearings are fine.

Mains : Clevite MS2253HX

Rods: H series -http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CLE-CB481HN/

P series- Clevite CB481P Clevite 77 High-Performance Bearings

The HN series bearing above is narrowed, and has a little less eccentricity than the P bearing. The P bearing is a little wider. They're both good. Take your pic.

 

[BOTTLEFED]

29. Disconnect alternator wire by removing the ½” nut. Then disconnect the harness on top of the alternator. (sorry for the blurry pics)

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30. The cam position sensor sits right above the crank pulley/damper. It is a simple push-to-release clip, but usually it is very tight so make sure you are pinching the tab and only pull on the connector, not the wires. Notice in the pic that there is also a tab on the bolt next to it that holds the harness. You will need to pull it out or remove the bolt to get the tab off.

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31. On the top front of the driver-side head is the coolant temp sensor. Disconnect it.

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[BOTTLEFED]

32. You will notice the harness is held by a tab on the front corner of the valve cover by one of the bolts. Loosen it and pull off the tab. Now the engine harness should be free from the motor and can be pulled out of the way.

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33. Remove the radiator hoses from the engine inlet and outlet. You can take them off the radiator and take them out, or just leave them on the radiator and tie them out of the way. I use a 1” and 1¼” pvc caps to plug the hoses from leaking.

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[BOTTLEFED]

34. Removing the cross brace is next. Unbolt the power steering pump cooler from the front of the brace and lay it to the side. Then unbolt the two 9/16” bolts from the frame on each side. The forward-most bolt on my car has a nut on the inside of the fender so I have to reach in and hold it with a wrench while loosening the bolt. I’m not sure if that is stock, but I am mentioning it anyway.

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35. From under the car you will need to unbolt the brace from the frame as well.

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36. Pulling the cross brace out can be very difficult. I always have the car up on jackstands supporting the lower lateral frame rails so as to relax the upper lateral rails. This loosens the tension against the brace and allows it to pull out. You will work it up and out one side at a time. There is a rivet that sticks out that can catch on the brace on the left side of the frame. I use a pry bar to help it over this and to leverage the frame to pop the brace out. It takes some effort, but it will come out. It’s like one of those chinese puzzles; once you get it, it will just slip right out.

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[BOTTLEFED]

37. With the cross brace out of the way, it makes pulling out the power steering pump a cinch. I have a billet pulley and bracket, but the stock will be the same (wait, you don’t have an upgraded pulley and bracket? Get it… NOW). There are three ½” bolts holding the pump to the bracket. You can see two from the top and one is directly below. Use the openings in the pulley to get to them (as seen in the pic).

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38. The PS pump will still be connected by the lines. You can disconnect them and drain the fluid, or just tie the pump forward, out of the way like this.

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39. Move to the right rear of the engine bay. On the ’97 GTS, this is how the coolant hoses look coming from the heater core. Other models and years look different. Disconnect these hoses from the cylinder head and move them out of the way. I put a 1” plastic elbow in them to keep them together and from leaking. [note: I have my hoses covered with a heat resistant shielding to protect them from the header heat since I don’t use the manifold shields. You can see this on other hoses and lines throughout my engine bay. These are not stock, so don’t think you are missing something on your car when they don’t look exactly like mine.]

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