Hey everyone! This weekend was productive, but as usual, some problems occurred.

Everything as far as what's connecting the engine to the car is disconnected. The parking brake line, although a major pain, eventually disconnected, though I may need to replace the cables when all of this is done.

The next step is to remove the brake calipers, disconnect the struts, and drop the cradle... but this is holding me back:



The ceiling crane had some issues while I was idle on the project, and needs to get re-certified, and will do so on Tuesday.


This is the dolly I made using 3 2x4's. Works out to be a perfect size for the cradle, and is wide enough to support the suspension arms.





This is all of the crap I pulled out of the engine bay so far. I hate GM's insulation.



This is the awful battery tray. This will not be here when the new engine goes in. I have a battery relocation kit.

Also as a side note, in the last few weeks, I found my current battery isn't holding a charge very well, so I'll be going to an Optima Red Top sooner than planned.

More photos to come in a few minutes.

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Petty Officer Michael C Casaceli
Aircraft Electronics Technician Second Class
Patrol Squadron Ten
United States Navy

Ok, here's the next batch:



As I said, all the stuff up top is off. This disorganized spagetti mess is unsat! I'm shooting for a much cleaner look with the Ecotec.

As I promised earlier in the forum, this is the setup with the flywheel:



The order of the parts is numbered in the photo, with 1 being the part closest to the crankshaft. The flywheel will look different in about a week, as I'm having my machinist grind off the teeth so it will clear the starter motor housing.



It's getting there...

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Petty Officer Michael C Casaceli
Aircraft Electronics Technician Second Class
Patrol Squadron Ten
United States Navy

Fieroturbo,

Put your passanger side axle in and turn it and tell me what happens

Looking good so far.

quote Originally posted by Fosgatecavy98: Fieroturbo, Put your passanger side axle in and turn it and tell me what happens Looking good so far.

Fosgate, I already know where you're going with this, don't worry bud, I'm way ahead of you.

During the gap between January and April, although I didn't have time to work on the project, I did have time for observation and research here and there. I spotted that to get it to line up right things did have to shift to the passenger side. Initially, it seemed a small enough shift that it wouldn't be an issue, but it wasn't jut the axles that concerned me, it was also the clearance between the accessories and the strut tower that concerned me too. I would like to be able to change the belt when the time comes.

A keen eye you have BTW!!!

I can't push the engine any farther to the driver side on the mount, so I'm going to re-drill the mount holes in the cradle. It's a very simple fix. I'll have to shift the distance that the U-cut is made in the crossmember, but that's not hard.

I wasn't going to get into the details until I had photos, but since you brought the subject up, I figured I'd dish the info.

So anywho, this Saturday will hopefully be the day the old motor comes out. The day the new motor goes in depends on 2 things:

1. My machinist finishing grinding the teeth off of the flywheel
2.GM getting the upper mount bolt in on time

I noticed when I was doing some final checks on the engine, one of the bolts for the upper bracket that goes between the head and the mount wasn't quite right. I look at it closer, and I find that it's bent. Nothing big. Just $3 now to avoid hundreds of headaches later on.

Well, that's all for now!

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Petty Officer Michael C Casaceli
Aircraft Electronics Technician Second Class
Patrol Squadron Ten
United States Navy

Actually Im ahead of you

The big brown metal thing coming outta the tranny hits the oil pan and I had to grind about 1/8th inch off in a few spots to clear and even then its very very close.

Your spacer looks alot like mine, although I am using the quad 4 fidanza flywheel and a custom ceramic clutch pressure plate(the whole setup ended up costing about $320).So i had to use studs going to the flywheel. It came out extremely good. One of the perks of using the 2.4L flywheel was the starter ring comes off with 3 allen wrench bolts.

I will be putting the motor in the car tomorrow, I will tell ya how the megasquirt turns out

The oil pan and the transmission!?!?! I had no clearance issues at all between those. That part bolted up fine for me. I thought you were refering to how far to the left or right the tranny was placed would affect how far the CV joints would be stretched or compressed.

As far as the flywheel, I could have removed the 3 allen screws on my Fidanza flywheel, but looking closer at where the toothed ring was positioned, I noticed (at least on mine) that the ring provides some additional structural support for the pressure plate mounts on the flywheel, and given that it's an aluminum flywheel, losing any support is bad.

Yeah, you probabbly are ahead of me. I may have gotten started on this sooner than most of the others, but this tedious little thing called the military really tore into my spare time over the last 3 years. It's amazing with my new and more laid-back job in the fleet how quickly the bags under my eyes dissappeared (lol).

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Petty Officer Michael C Casaceli
Aircraft Electronics Technician Second Class
Patrol Squadron Ten
United States Navy

The transmission doesnt hit the oil pan, just the axle portion( right where it comes out of the tranny), Im thinking it has to my transmission and motor as the castings on the ecotec seem to vary more than the weather here in michigan. Ive looked over 4 or 5 ecotecs and all have tiny variances here and there.

Yeah I dont have a job and school is almost done so I have all the time in the world, just lacking funds to get er done

I did notice that, but I think the 2004-up Saturn Ecotecs, and 2005-up other GM Ecotecs had that part sticking out more. I think the 2003 I have should be ok. We'll see. If it is in the way, it's a piece of aluminum that isn't doing any major purpose.

My flywheel is at the machinist and should be done this week, GM is reshipping (cause they sent the wrong one) a new bolt for the upper mounting bracket (just discovered the old one was warped), and I'm also contemplating what to do about the flywheel bolts (read here: https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/082621.html ).
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Pics! Yay!

Here's some more shots of the 5/8" flywheel spacer and how it mounts between the flywheel and flexplate.











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Petty Officer Michael C Casaceli
Aircraft Electronics Technician Second Class
Patrol Squadron Ten
United States Navy

[This message has been edited by fieroturbo (edited 05-10-2007).]

OKay, I have to ask this, on that 88 V6 engine mount, did you have to drill the cradle to fit it? I've got the 88 as well, but have been told I'll have to drill the cradle to make it fit.

So far, I haven't had to drill the cradle, just cut out that U-gouge in the crossmember.

The only thing I had to do for the lower mount was mod the V6 mount itself, cutting out the two bolts on the top, and then cutting out a corner on the top, then also cutting some stuff off the lower Ecotec mount bracket.

I may have to drill two new holes into the cradle, but I won't be sure till the axles go in.

Mostly, it's just alot of cutting.

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Petty Officer Michael C Casaceli
Aircraft Electronics Technician Second Class
Patrol Squadron Ten
United States Navy

I wanted to wait on this set of pics......... but I can't wait anymore! It's the best part of the motor... besides the lightened crank.

The cylinder head cover... 100% completed and 100% beautiful, if I do say so myself.



I should point out that the nice and shiny grooves aren't painted. That's 100% hand polished aluminum.

I ditched the plan of painting the grooves cause they looked like crap up close. This is much nicer.



And this is my hand carved Pontiac emblem. The scribed look on the emblem started as a screwup. When I was cleaning the paint out of the grooves, I put two scratches in it. Then I thought of how the weathered emblem looks on my 88, and used that for inspiration, and here it is.



And this is the upper mount and the upper mount bracket. I love how polyurethane can be painted and it won't chip off.

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Petty Officer Michael C Casaceli
Aircraft Electronics Technician Second Class
Patrol Squadron Ten
United States Navy

The old motor is out.



Surprise!

There was a painful cost for the great results though...



This is what a forehead looks like when it's just been hit by an 18mm wrench. I was loosening the forward cradle bolts and my head was really close to it (a really dumb idea), and the wrench let go of the nut, and I smacked myself in the head with it.

But yeah, to see this sight before me, it was worth it...



The total evolution, which I expected to take 2 hours, ended up taking 2 days. The famous "88 Fiero cradle bolt anchor dilema" has struck me as well. Both the driver and passenger side let loose.

This photo is the only way I could see what was going on in there. I had no other way to see the anchor except to stick my camera up there and look into one of the holes with it.



I'll have to cut an access point so I can get to the anchor, sandblast it, weld it, and paint it.

Here are two shots of one of the bolts I cut, with and without the cradle over it.



Took about 2 1/2 hours to cut them off.

I'm tackling this after I fix the anchors. This battery tray needs to go.



Also, as a bonus, I have two videos!!! The first one is hilarious!!!

You'd think the first time I hear a loud "POP!" I'd stop lifting... nope, it takes a second one for me to realize I did something wrong!

http://img532.imageshack.us...deo0514070011rf4.flv

Up, up, and away!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://img532.imageshack.us...ideo051407001on2.flv

Here she sits for now. You don't want to know how I got it out of the garage bay.



Sorry about the lousy audio on the videos. The upload didn't work right.
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Petty Officer Michael C Casaceli
Aircraft Electronics Technician Second Class
AIMD Brunswick (2007-present)
Patrol Squadron Ten (2003-2007)
United States Navy

[This message has been edited by fieroturbo (edited 05-14-2007).]

This is one of my favorite threads. You're doing some great work.

When I get the money, space and ... money I'm going to do this Ecotec thing and get ready to be flattered; I'm sooo imitating that cover.

Cover looks great!

Hopefully you will have better luck with the turbo setup, but I am having some problems getting the car moving in 1st gear and think its the lightweight flywheel/ceramic clutch combo thats giving me the trouble, Its fine in reverse, but 1st it just wants to bog and stall.
Im still playing around with settings in MS tho

quote Originally posted by Edaw 0: This is one of my favorite threads. You're doing some great work. When I get the money, space and ... money I'm going to do this Ecotec thing and get ready to be flattered; I'm sooo imitating that cover.

Sweet! It would be so awesome to see a cover done up in yellow... especially the yellow version of the paint I used... maybe with some metallic blue streaks mixed in there. When the time comes, I'd be glad to do one up for you. Honestly, I'd love to get into professionally making show quality engines, especially one like the Ecotec that gives me so much to work with.

And thanks for the compliment!

quote Originally posted by Fosgatecavy98: Cover looks great! Hopefully you will have better luck with the turbo setup, but I am having some problems getting the car moving in 1st gear and think its the lightweight flywheel/ceramic clutch combo thats giving me the trouble, Its fine in reverse, but 1st it just wants to bog and stall. Im still playing around with settings in MS tho

Glad you like the cover! Thanks! Sorry you're having issues though. With what I've read up on with MS, I've learned some tricks to help me start things up, but my also help your issue too.

When you start up in first, are you the type of driver that just slowly releases the clutch till you move (which is best for the life of the clutch), or do you get going like I do, and give it gas? With our lightweight setups I think we need to treat it like a race setup, and risk being a little rough on the clutch.

Also, have you looked into the acceleration enrichment settings? Maybe you need to lean it out a bit in the pre-1500 RPM area. I've heard alot of the Ecotec guys talking about this issue when going lightweight, but frankly, I think it's just a matter of getting the settings right and changing your driving style.

By the way, do you have a wideband O2 sensor? I HIGHLY recommend it for the setup we have, and for your issue.

And what are you doing as far as ignition?

I think you need to post some pics of your setup, or start up a thread.

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Petty Officer Michael C Casaceli
Aircraft Electronics Technician Second Class
AIMD Brunswick (2007-present)
Patrol Squadron Ten (2003-2007)
United States Navy

Good news. The flywheel is back from the machinist, with the teeth grinded off, and it fits perfectly now and has no issues clearing the starter motor housing. Probabbly shaved off some weight too, possibly down to an even 7lbs (was 7.75).



Bad news. I may need a new flywheel. I was installing it, and all was going well, but right at the last pressure plate bolt... it broke! Not even sure how. I didn't even go to 30 lbs of torque. So, it's going back to the machine shop. Hopefully it can be removed without damaging the threads. I tried a reversal drill bit with no luck. The threadlocker dried quicker than I thought.

Good news. The flywheel bolts I got fit PERFECT with the spacer and the flexplate behind the flywheel. Unlike the pressure plate bolts, these don't suck!

More good news. I pressure washed the transmission, engine cradle, and rear suspension today, and it looks sooooooo much cleaner now, and is ready for rust removal and painting. No picture though, as I forgot my camera on the day I did it.

Even greater news! While I was working on my engine, one of my co-workers was working on his. He went out back by the tire shed to paint his engine mounts, when he heard a squeaking noise. One noise turned into many. What do we find in the pile of tires?

Kittens!


They're now in the loving care of one of my former co-worker's family. This brightened my day after the bolt breaking in the flywheel.

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Petty Officer Michael C Casaceli
Aircraft Electronics Technician Second Class
AIMD Brunswick (2007-present)
Patrol Squadron Ten (2003-2007)
United States Navy

Sent you a PM.

Looks like the swap is coming along good.

Did you put washers or anything between the bolts and the flywheel? I was afraid that thebolts would tear into the aluminum flywheel. I used the thing off the flexplate, the little guard for it and used that has the spacer.

quote Originally posted by Fosgatecavy98: Ignition I am using OBD1 1993 cavailer DIS setup mounted where the stock Powersteering pump was. Once I got it setup correctly it works extremely well!

What I meant to ask was, are you using an MSD (or similar) unit, or did you get the Megasquirt n' Spark setup?

Good news with the flywheel. A machinist right down the road from me says he can get the bolt out without hurting the threads. We'll see in a few days.

As far as the flywheel-to-crankshaft bolts, I didn't use washers, as that's how it is stock. Part of it too was that I wanted as much of the bolt threaded into the crank as possible. Putting washers there made the bolts just a little bit to far out for comfort. Without washers, the bolts are threaded into the crank perfectly.

I did torque down the flywheel bolts, and after I had to pull it back off for the broken P/P bolt, the surface by the crank-flywheel bolts looked fine, so I'm not worried about it. But I like your idea about using the flexplate like that. It will probabbly add some more strength in that spot.

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Petty Officer Michael C Casaceli
Aircraft Electronics Technician Second Class
AIMD Brunswick (2007-present)
Patrol Squadron Ten (2003-2007)
United States Navy

quote Originally posted by fieroturbo: What I meant to ask was, are you using an MSD (or similar) unit, or did you get the Megasquirt n' Spark setup? Good news with the flywheel. A machinist right down the road from me says he can get the bolt out without hurting the threads. We'll see in a few days. As far as the flywheel-to-crankshaft bolts, I didn't use washers, as that's how it is stock. Part of it too was that I wanted as much of the bolt threaded into the crank as possible. Putting washers there made the bolts just a little bit to far out for comfort. Without washers, the bolts are threaded into the crank perfectly. I did torque down the flywheel bolts, and after I had to pull it back off for the broken P/P bolt, the surface by the crank-flywheel bolts looked fine, so I'm not worried about it. But I like your idea about using the flexplate like that. It will probabbly add some more strength in that spot.

Im not using the MSD Dizzy. Its just a stock ICM and Coilpack from a OBD1 Cavailer. Got it for $45 bucks, I was debating on using the MSD setup but that would set me back over $200.

When I said washer I was just talking about the harden 'sheild' on the flexplate. You didnt grind that off? Mine had the little rivets that stuck out higher than the rest, so we grinded those out and took the harden shield off and cut washers from those holes and hit them on my layther to get them round, and used them on the aluminum flywheel. But I also used a 12 bolt setup instead of 6 long ones. But I also used the LD9 (quad 4 2.3L) flywheel which has a different bolt pattern. So far with me moving it around and revving it up it is all holding together just dandy.

One thing that is nice about the adapter and spacer. In an emergency I could back the engine off the transmissing and stick my hand between the 2 of them through the starter opening on the transmission. I tested this out while it was out of the car, incase the TO fell off or a bolt loosened or something simple.

The guys who built my clutch worried about the flexplate, flexing when the starter engaged. But I havent had any problems with it yet (knock on wood) Infact unless you looked closely, you couldnt tell it had a spacer and adapter operates just as a normal setup would. Just the way it should be

quote Originally posted by Fosgatecavy98: Im not using the MSD Dizzy. Its just a stock ICM and Coilpack from a OBD1 Cavailer. Got it for $45 bucks, I was debating on using the MSD setup but that would set me back over $200. When I said washer I was just talking about the harden 'sheild' on the flexplate. You didnt grind that off? Mine had the little rivets that stuck out higher than the rest, so we grinded those out and took the harden shield off and cut washers from those holes and hit them on my layther to get them round, and used them on the aluminum flywheel. But I also used a 12 bolt setup instead of 6 long ones. But I also used the LD9 (quad 4 2.3L) flywheel which has a different bolt pattern. So far with me moving it around and revving it up it is all holding together just dandy. One thing that is nice about the adapter and spacer. In an emergency I could back the engine off the transmissing and stick my hand between the 2 of them through the starter opening on the transmission. I tested this out while it was out of the car, incase the TO fell off or a bolt loosened or something simple. The guys who built my clutch worried about the flexplate, flexing when the starter engaged. But I havent had any problems with it yet (knock on wood) Infact unless you looked closely, you couldnt tell it had a spacer and adapter operates just as a normal setup would. Just the way it should be

I understood which ignition module you're using (the unit that up's the power to the coils), but what is being used to control the timing to the module? Are you just using the stock Ecotec ECM for that?

As far as the flexplate, take a look at the little dimples on my spacer compared to the rivets on the flexplate.



That's how I compensated for the rivets.

I have an idea about how to compensate for any excessive flex in the flexplate during starting. The torque converter bolt holes may line up with the pressure plate bolt holes on the flywheel. I could have those holes threaded all the way through and attach the flexplate to the flywheel on the outer part.
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So far, no word on the broken bolt. Also, I'm having issues getting new ones in grade 10.9, as well as new rear cradle bolts.

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Petty Officer Michael C Casaceli
Aircraft Electronics Technician Second Class
AIMD Brunswick (2007-present)
Patrol Squadron Ten (2003-2007)
United States Navy

Just got done reading this thread. I've been wanting to do a turbo ecotec in my fiero for a while now and this thread makes me want to even more. I would like to keep the factory computer though. Great thread, I'll be watching it closely from now on. Excited to see it progress further.

quote Originally posted by el_roy1985: Just got done reading this thread. I've been wanting to do a turbo ecotec in my fiero for a while now and this thread makes me want to even more. I would like to keep the factory computer though. Great thread, I'll be watching it closely from now on. Excited to see it progress further.

Thanks for the compliments! Honestly though, as I've said before, I highly recommend waiting till I finish and get it working, that way I can make a complete list of what to expect in the project, and make it easier for others who do it with the stock tranny.

A quick update. I've tracked down better pressure plate bolts. Not what I prefer, but they'll work. I also found out that I overtorqued the bolts a tad. Probabbly why one broke. It still ticks me off that GM used such a weird thread size and diameter: M7 x 1.00. I see no reason why they couldn't simply do an M8 x 1.5.

Still no luck on grade 10.9 rear bolts for the cradle. The new front ones came in today though, as well as a new Isuzu 5-speed throwout bearing. The old bearing is ok, but I figured since I have the tranny off, better to do it now.

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Petty Officer Michael C Casaceli
Aircraft Electronics Technician Second Class
AIMD Brunswick (2007-present)
Patrol Squadron Ten (2003-2007)
United States Navy

I'm not worried about getting into a few hangups. I found a 2003 cavalier for 1400 with 80,000 on it. So I may go get that and dismantle the thing. Then just sell what I don't need. In the mean time I will be looking into turbo sizes. Since I don't want any lag and I'm only shooting for around 300hp maybe a little more. I really like the fact that these engines handle so much boost with 10:1 compression. The research I've done today alone has made me glad I chose this engine over the 3800SC.

quote Originally posted by el_roy1985: I'm not worried about getting into a few hangups. I found a 2003 cavalier for 1400 with 80,000 on it. So I may go get that and dismantle the thing. Then just sell what I don't need. In the mean time I will be looking into turbo sizes. Since I don't want any lag and I'm only shooting for around 300hp maybe a little more. I really like the fact that these engines handle so much boost with 10:1 compression. The research I've done today alone has made me glad I chose this engine over the 3800SC.

My friend, you have the best balance of ambition I've seen yet... not to big (like me), yet not too small.

The 300HP number is easily attainable. I recommend going to Hahn Racecraft for your turbo setup. They've attained 310HP on a completely stock Ecotec motor (without blowing it up) using a T3 60-trim turbo; a great turbo for good throttle response with decent boost.

One thing though... don't go above 12 psi. It's beyond what the stock headgasket can take, and also, a smaller turbo will make more heat per amount of pressure than a larger turbo making the same amount of boost.

A headgasket change on the Ecotec is pretty easy, and multi-layer steel gaskets can take 30 psi, so that might be worth the trouble.
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Good news. The bolt was removed from the flywheel. There is thread damage though, and I'm pretty sure that the next time the pressure plate goes on will be the last time it goes on. For that hole, I'll need to back off on the torque level and overdo it on the threadlocker to compensate.

So basically... if I ever fry the clutch, the flywheel will need to be replaced with it and the pressure plate. But for now, I'm hoping it's good.

Still no luck finding rear cradle bolts.

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Petty Officer Michael C Casaceli
Aircraft Electronics Technician Second Class
AIMD Brunswick (2007-present)
Patrol Squadron Ten (2003-2007)
United States Navy

I've been toying with the idea of upgrading to forged rods, pistons, gapless rings, turbo cams and new head gasket. Just to make sure I have nothing to worry about. Then if I ever get the itch to add a bit more power I can just do it without worrying about putting a rod threw the side of the block. I guess we'll see what happens when I get the engine. If it has any blow-by to it then I will be doing the bottom end right away.

How hard was it to get the timing chain back on and timed correctly?

quote Originally posted by fieroturbo: Good news. The bolt was removed from the flywheel. There is thread damage though, and I'm pretty sure that the next time the pressure plate goes on will be the last time it goes on. For that hole, I'll need to back off on the torque level and overdo it on the threadlocker to compensate. So basically... if I ever fry the clutch, the flywheel will need to be replaced with it and the pressure plate. But for now, I'm hoping it's good.

Why not helicoil it? Search for Helicoil M7 kit # 5403-7...sure it's a lot of money (~$70) but you'll only have to buy it once, and you're covered should this ever happen again! If you keep your eyes open you can score a good deal:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBay...em&item=260108851915

Worst case scenario, you could always tap it slightly oversized and use a slightly larger bolt, of course drilling the whole a tiny bit bigger. Right?

Bryce

quote Originally posted by el_roy1985: How hard was it to get the timing chain back on and timed correctly?

It's very hard when you don't know what you're doing. I found out though that it helps to remove the exhaust cam gear when getting the chain on and off the engine. Makes life alot easier. When the time comes for you, or anyone to do their cam timing, I'm more than happy to give you instructions.

The balance shaft timing can be a chore too if you can't find the gold-colored chain link. The oil covers that color up pretty well. If you get neutral shafts, this is irrelevant.

quote Originally posted by Nashco: Why not helicoil it? Worst case scenario, you could always tap it slightly oversized and use a slightly larger bolt, of course drilling the whole a tiny bit bigger. Right?

The machinist said he could if needed, for about $70, but I felt it's not worth it. I've already dumped enough money into this flywheel. The remaining threads should be ok for one more go at it if I use enough threadlocker and don't torque it as much, but when this clutch fries, it's going to mean a new flywheel.

I'll probabbly keep a second flywheel/clutch/pp assembly ready to go, on the side for when that happens, possibly a 6-puck setup, if one day I exceed 300lbs/ft of torque, which is the current clutch's limit.

I'd tap it oversized, but here's the thing... if I use a larger bolt, that will mean that side of the flywheel will have more weight, which means it will be unbalanced. I know it doesn't seem like much of a weight difference, but it's on the outer edge of the flywheel, so it will have a greater effect, even more so when I get in the 8000 RPM range, and also because it's an aluminum flywheel, and there's less weight on the opposite side to counteract it.

If the weight of the flywheel were double, or even triple, the balance would be respectfully 2 or 3 times less affected. I just don't want to take any chances.

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Petty Officer Michael C Casaceli
Aircraft Electronics Technician Second Class
AIMD Brunswick (2007-present)
Patrol Squadron Ten (2003-2007)
United States Navy

Hey gang! I Weighed the two engines today.

It seems the Ecotec is 50lbs lighter. And yes, I had them similarly configured for the test so as to eliminate variables.

This change, plus the battery relocation to the front (which weighs 35lbs) will result in slightly more than a 1% weight shift to the front (if my calculations are correct).

My pc is being stupid right now, so I'll post photos later.

Also, I have an Iron Duke for sale with only 64k miles on it if anyone is interested.

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Petty Officer Michael C Casaceli
Aircraft Electronics Technician Second Class
AIMD Brunswick (2007-present)
Patrol Squadron Ten (2003-2007)
United States Navy

Ok, so I did a tushie-load of stuff this week. I also fixed my pc (enough to get pics on here at least), so here are the pics.

The Duke.


The Eco.


Later on I also threw the turbo on the Eco, and it came out to 14 lbs. Not bad for the performance gain it provides.
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quote Originally posted by AquaHusky: OKay, I have to ask this, on that 88 V6 engine mount, did you have to drill the cradle to fit it? I've got the 88 as well, but have been told I'll have to drill the cradle to make it fit.

To follow up on what I had said earlier, I found that Rodney's mount didn't 100% agree with the holes in the original cradle from my car like it did with the junk R&D cradle. I didn't have to re-drill the holes elsewhere, just make them a bit wider (a few mm) so the mount would slide in and out smoothly and not damage the threads.
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This is a nice comparison shot of the difference between polyurethane and rubber. Um... yeah, I think that's a no-brainer.
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Here's shocker #1 for the day. The cradle/drivetrain before I treated it:


The cradle/drivetrain after I treated it:


So pretty!
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Some great news regarding the flywheel problem. It's on, and it's good to go! I got the other 5 bolts in, torqued them, then took care of the 6th one. Covered that one in tons of threadlocker, and backed the torque off by 5lbs. It's holding nicely.


----------
Tossing the engine and tranny together, I ran into a few small issues.


What Fosgate was talking about with the axle was partially true. I didn't have to remove much metal from the spot he was talking about, but rather I had to remove metal from multiple places.



Next, I had an issue with the top two bolts attaching the adapter plate to the motor. The red indicates where the shaft hole lines up to on the tranny, and blue indicates where the bolt head was hitting.


Easy fix.


Next up, here's the last thing I had to do to Rodney's mount. I was having an issue with the bolt head hitting the Ecotec bracket. I got a bolt with a similar shaft diameter, put the bolt head outward (it was facing towards the motor), shortened the end the nut would go on, and welded the end to the bracket. A nice, flush, and secure mod.

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So, um, yeah... it's done. It goes in next weekend, pending GM getting me the correct rear cradle bolts, and me fixing the anchors for them.












Until the car is ready, here it sits... here... it waits.

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Petty Officer Michael C Casaceli
Aircraft Electronics Technician Second Class
AIMD Brunswick (2007-present)
Patrol Squadron Ten (2003-2007)
United States Navy

Told ya it would hit the axle

Looks extremely nice!!!

I dont understand the prob with having to grind the spots off in the transmission? I didnt have any prob with that. Also did you check to make sure it goes into gear and shifts and stuff? I used a crowbar to engage and disengage it to check for proper clutch engagement.

Cannot wait to see more pics!

looks great! do you have your megasquirt stuff ready to put on? a play by play on that and the ignition would be interesting .

quote Originally posted by Fosgatecavy98: Told ya it would hit the axle Looks extremely nice!!! I dont understand the prob with having to grind the spots off in the transmission? I didnt have any prob with that. Also did you check to make sure it goes into gear and shifts and stuff? I used a crowbar to engage and disengage it to check for proper clutch engagement. Cannot wait to see more pics!

The crowbar is what's in store for today. I was playing beat the clock yesterday, and it's a miracle I got it together before the shop closed.

The reason behind having to grind the transmission stuff was because I'm using some hefty bolts, rather than allen screws (which I hate using), and the bolts were hitting the metal areas I marked on the tranny. I used special washers I fabricated to bow into the countersunk holes so I could use regular bolts without hurting the aluminum adapter plate. All in all, it's a strong and reliable assembly.

quote Originally posted by wftb: looks great! do you have your megasquirt stuff ready to put on? a play by play on that and the ignition would be interesting .

I'm actually having issues with Megasquirt. The last time I hooked it up to the stimulator board to try loading the ignition stuff, the injector pulses weren't firing, and a resistor on the stim board started smoking.

Thankfully, I work on stuff like this every day, so fixing it isn't a problem for me. I think I have a shorted out transistor by U7 on my V2.2 board.
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Thanks for the compliments guys! I'll keep you posted about the clutch engagement.

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Petty Officer Michael C Casaceli
Aircraft Electronics Technician Second Class
AIMD Brunswick (2007-present)
Patrol Squadron Ten (2003-2007)
United States Navy

So much for getting it in this weekend. GM fell through on getting the right bolts. GM officially DOES NOT carry rear 88 cradle bolts.

I'll have to do something custom.

Still haven't gotten into the shop to crowbar the clutch. Got out of work a little too late to get into the shop before they close.

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Petty Officer Michael C Casaceli
Aircraft Electronics Technician Second Class
AIMD Brunswick (2007-present)
Patrol Squadron Ten (2003-2007)
United States Navy

I had very little probs with MS after I realized my wiring for the crank signal was backwards (GM switched the colors go figure) I highly suggest ya get a Wideband o2 it helps SO much. I could give u one of my older ms files for the ecotec but i dont think it would do u much good with a turbo since I dont have anything above 100kpa tuned since im not boosted, and im sure ur using larger injectors

quote Originally posted by Fosgatecavy98: I had very little probs with MS after I realized my wiring for the crank signal was backwards (GM switched the colors go figure) I highly suggest ya get a Wideband o2 it helps SO much. I could give u one of my older ms files for the ecotec but i dont think it would do u much good with a turbo since I dont have anything above 100kpa tuned since im not boosted, and im sure ur using larger injectors

I'm actually getting a Bosch unit (and the controller/gauge combo) from "DIYautotune.com". I've been planning on it from the start. It's nice that MS can switch between normal and wideband. I was really impressed by that.

An older MS file could help, as I'll need something to start off with. I'm not 100% sure the turbo will be attached when I first start the motor. I'm thinking I'll try to just get it running first, put a few gentle miles on it, then worry about the turbo and an exhaust system.

My injectors aren't too much bigger. They're 330cc, just like the supercharged ecotecs.

As far as wiring, as I said, that's the easy part for me. My problem is tuning, as my experience is limited.

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Petty Officer Michael C Casaceli
Aircraft Electronics Technician Second Class
AIMD Brunswick (2007-present)
Patrol Squadron Ten (2003-2007)
United States Navy

[This message has been edited by fieroturbo (edited 06-07-2007).]

Question, I am looking into doing an Ecotec swap as well. I was planing on putting a turbo on the car later on down the road, the question is with wftb's car his motor is tilted 5degrees i think he said. I know your is not tilted at all. I was wondering if you got any oil burn like he did. Because I really want to avoid buying a pump to pump the oil from the return line. And the next one is how what would be easier for some one with no car wiring skills MS or doing what wftb did and piggy back the ECMs and such. Any help would be welcome.