I've been following the tread pretty closely. I like how you did your tensioner set up, still gathering ideas on how I'm going to do mine. I'm not running A/C so I can't follow your example exactly.
Care to share what you did to your 4.9 to give it more power?
Great thread, learned lots Thanks!
------------------ 87GT Auto 4.9 in progress! 86SE 5 speed 85GT 4 speed https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/027839.html
I read this thread every time someone post anything just because its about 4.9s, but i dont post because i dont have much interest in an auto swap myself. BUT you have done a great job on both cars youve done! Keep it up!!
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12:31 AM
BV MotorSports Member
Posts: 4821 From: Oak Hill, WV Registered: May 2001
I've been following the tread pretty closely. I like how you did your tensioner set up, still gathering ideas on how I'm going to do mine. I'm not running A/C so I can't follow your example exactly.
Care to share what you did to your 4.9 to give it more power?
Great thread, learned lots Thanks!
Not alot has been done to add pwr. I have the ram air scoops, Rockcrawls reprgrammed MEMCAL, 2 1/4 Y pipe, 3 inch Hi flow cat, 3 inch mandrel bent T409 stainless steel exhaust w/ a 3inch in dual 2 1/2 out SLP hi flow muffler. And the biggest pwr adder is the ZEX N20 kit. I am looking for 13's but wont know for sure till I get it to the track. *finger crossed*
Steven
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07:30 AM
BV MotorSports Member
Posts: 4821 From: Oak Hill, WV Registered: May 2001
Thanks Bobby, maybe we can get together when I get back from Long Island. Garth was over last night and hooked up the MSD ignition. Man I am glad I kept all the extra MSD parts! I cant help but to thank you for the fabrication skills I learned while working with you at the shop. "Just got to get in there and do it" as you would say.
Steven
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07:33 AM
Jul 8th, 2003
Dennis LaGrua Member
Posts: 15477 From: Hillsborough, NJ U.S.A. Registered: May 2000
Steven. Congratulations. Very nice job on the swap. Looks to be neat and very nicely done. I'm sold on the potential of this swap. If I can ever find a solid low mileage 4.9L engine tranny package, I am committed to doing one myself but I will probably like to add a turbo as on Pete and Beckys GT. Pete has been silent on the performance of his combo, but I would imagine that engine must really scream. I'm not sure how the 4.9L engine will react to changes in the chip program, but I believe that GM tuned this engine rather conservatively. Perhaps Rockcrawl will provide us with honest info on horsepower and torque via a new chip. I have info from Superchips about their 4.9L program and their claims are just outrageous. I would trust John's info to be more accurate.
Well got the battery, cables and misc wiring done today. Hooked up the batt and saw my indiglo gauges light up for the first time! Woohoo. Exhaust, dual circut heat exchanger and fliuds and I am done!
Battery: Lucked out and found a 26 series with 770cca and 900ca. Stock 75 series was too close to the pulleys.
Just to recap my car is a 1987 Fiero GT originally a 2.8/getrag. It now has a 91 Deville 4.9/4T60e. Swap was performed using parts from Ed Parks and my own design. The wiring harness is a real work of art!
I am waiting for Rockcrawl to return from the 20th so I can get my MEMCAL back after he performs his voodoo (thats a technical term) to it.
Well I got everything hooked up except for the few items listed above. I hooked up the battery and did a system check. I figured I would bump the starter w/o starting it. Well when I hit the key the interior lights dimmed but it didnt try to spin over. I did jump the blue wire to the yellow wire from my old neutral safety switch. Jim said that he moved whatever wire(s) on the swap harness for me so I wouldnt have to since I converted my car to an auto trans. So will a 4.9 spin over even though there is no MEMCAL in the ECM? Or is there something I missed in the neutral safety switch?
Steven
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02:53 AM
Jul 21st, 2003
BV MotorSports Member
Posts: 4821 From: Oak Hill, WV Registered: May 2001
Well, dropped off the fiero to the exhaust shop today. Got some neat tricks I'll have to show you when I get her back. BTW I'll get some pics while its on the rack.
Rockcrawl, if you are reading this, I REALLY REALLY need that MEMCAL. I'll try to call you again later.
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02:30 PM
BV MotorSports Member
Posts: 4821 From: Oak Hill, WV Registered: May 2001
Steven. Congratulations. Very nice job on the swap. Looks to be neat and very nicely done. I'm sold on the potential of this swap. If I can ever find a solid low mileage 4.9L engine tranny package, I am committed to doing one myself but I will probably like to add a turbo as on Pete and Beckys GT. Pete has been silent on the performance of his combo, but I would imagine that engine must really scream. I'm not sure how the 4.9L engine will react to changes in the chip program, but I believe that GM tuned this engine rather conservatively. Perhaps Rockcrawl will provide us with honest info on horsepower and torque via a new chip. I have info from Superchips about their 4.9L program and their claims are just outrageous. I would trust John's info to be more accurate.
Dennis, the trick here is to use a TDC cars 4T60e tranny. Has 3.42 gears vrs the typical 2.73 caddy trannys.
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03:03 PM
BV MotorSports Member
Posts: 4821 From: Oak Hill, WV Registered: May 2001
Looks exciting, the harness looks really nice too. Do the harness come with an SES light circuit, I heard a rumor that they do not? Just curious. Nice to see the pictures.
Pete
Ed does not have the SES light hooked up. After speaking with rockcrawl and sending him my chip to disable the error codes I can enable the SES light now. Seems there are some hard codes set because the ECM is looking for items that arent there with the fiero swap. I suggested that Rockcral contact Ed and set up some kind of deal to reprogram the MEMCAL's for his swaps.
Steven
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03:51 PM
BV MotorSports Member
Posts: 4821 From: Oak Hill, WV Registered: May 2001
Dennis, the trick here is to use a TDC cars 4T60e tranny. Has 3.42 gears vrs the typical 2.73 caddy trannys.
The 3.43 trans makes the car seem a lot faster, but I could never get my 3.43 car to run faster (1/4 mile) than the 2.73 car. I've now pulled the 3.43 out and put a 2.73 back in and sold the car.
quote
Ed does not have the SES light hooked up. After speaking with rockcrawl and sending him my chip to disable the error codes I can enable the SES light now. Seems there are some hard codes set because the ECM is looking for items that arent there with the fiero swap. I suggested that Rockcral contact Ed and set up some kind of deal to reprogram the MEMCAL's for his swaps.
If the harness is built properly there will be no error codes. I disable a few errors as a luxury only, not neccesity. I have a 4.9 Fiero here right now that is running on a stock un-edited Cadillac chip and the SES light is not lit. Whoever was doing the harnesses for FieroFactory didn't have enough experience with the 4.9 to be able to keep the SES light off so they just eliminated the SES circuit. It's not a rumor, Ed has stated this himself in a reply to someone on the Cadero forum. He now has someone else building his harnesses but I don't know if they include the SES circuit or not.
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09:01 PM
PFF
System Bot
Jul 22nd, 2003
BV MotorSports Member
Posts: 4821 From: Oak Hill, WV Registered: May 2001
About the exhaust, did you just block off the original exhaust opening on the trunk side manifold? Any pics of that area from underneath after completion? I imagine not since that big 'ol muffler would be in the way of the shot.
Larry S.
------------------
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03:02 PM
BV MotorSports Member
Posts: 4821 From: Oak Hill, WV Registered: May 2001
The shared collector was capped and a y-pipe replaced the stock 4.9 U-pipe. I just got the car home and will lift it and take some more pics. What till you see some of my "tricks".
Steven
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04:36 PM
BV MotorSports Member
Posts: 4821 From: Oak Hill, WV Registered: May 2001
Well Garth came over to help with hooking up the SES light and swapping pin locations on the C-500 for the neutral safety switch (remember my car was a manual now auto trans). After a quick call to rockcrawl we had it all squared away! Thanks Jon! I am hoping to have everything done and be able to take it to the Sat night cruise in.
Steven
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10:05 PM
Mastermind Member
Posts: 1396 From: Chicago, 4.9 IL Registered: Apr 2002
If the harness is built properly there will be no error codes. I disable a few errors as a luxury only, not neccesity. I have a 4.9 Fiero here right now that is running on a stock un-edited Cadillac chip and the SES light is not lit. Whoever was doing the harnesses for FieroFactory didn't have enough experience with the 4.9 to be able to keep the SES light off so they just eliminated the SES circuit. It's not a rumor, Ed has stated this himself in a reply to someone on the Cadero forum. He now has someone else building his harnesses but I don't know if they include the SES circuit or not.
I have Ed's gen II harness. I remeber Ed or Jim (new guy making the harness) said there was something the ECM was looking for and it would trigger a SES light. So they just disabled the light. Took me and Garth 5 minutes to enable the SES light. Are you sure there isnt something you are adding/removing that does the trick? I "think" it had to do with the CC or BCM or something. I'll call Jim and Ed tomorrow to see what it was. Guess I will know for sure once the MEMCAL is in and the car is running!Once again, thanks for all your help Jon.
Steven
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11:58 PM
PFF
System Bot
Jul 26th, 2003
BV MotorSports Member
Posts: 4821 From: Oak Hill, WV Registered: May 2001
Well, got my summit racing dual circut oil/tranny cooler and my 88 sway bar mounting brackets from HMS ordered today. Hopefully my MEMCAL will show up today or tomorrow. Spent a while on the phone with Rockcrawl. I feel pretty confident we can get the chip program nearly perfect. Should be up and driving sometime next week!
Steven
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03:19 PM
USFiero Member
Posts: 4877 From: Everywhere and Middle of Nowhere Registered: Mar 2002
I gotta come over and scope that out! Too bad I been workin' so much at my 'real' job. I need some parts, I wanna peek under that hood. This project is really coming along.
------------------ John DuRette Black 85 SE, undergoing work as we speak!
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10:15 PM
Jul 27th, 2003
BV MotorSports Member
Posts: 4821 From: Oak Hill, WV Registered: May 2001
I gotta come over and scope that out! Too bad I been workin' so much at my 'real' job. I need some parts, I wanna peek under that hood. This project is really coming along.
LOL as long as the "parts" you need arent under MY hood!
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03:54 AM
Jul 31st, 2003
BV MotorSports Member
Posts: 4821 From: Oak Hill, WV Registered: May 2001
Well, my car is up and running. It was very very uneventfull first start. FOund I had knocked one of the MSD 6AL wires loose and she fired right up. No leaks, no surprises. This made me very happy. In order to test fire it I looped the oil cooler and tranny cooler lines. I should have my dual circut oil cooler here NLT Friday. I have to tell y'all, I was dancing in the garage and patting myself on the back tonight! This was a very long swap since I changed so many things on my car. I still have to get it aligned, top off the fliuds, bleed the brakes, install the oil/tranny cooler, have the exhaust tips installed and wash it. Oh and the all important test drive! Yeah, I cant wait for that! But its official, I now have a running 4.9 Fiero! YES!
Steven
------------------ '02 Subaru WRX 14.61@91.87mph bone stock '87 Fiero GT 4.9/4T60e, ZEX nitrous 65hp shot, 88 cradle w/ 325# coil overs, Poly everything, Upgraded sway bars, KYB's, 16X7 M11's, 11.25 "Zettner" front brakes, Complete MSD ignition w/ 6AL box, Custom 2.5" Flowmaster exhaust, Grand Sport Corvette paint, Carbon fiber interior trim, '98 T/A CD w/ ETR, Reverse Indiglo guages, Pillar mounted AutoMeter O2, Hella H4 conversion. Follow its built up here: https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/027460.html
Always have engines, fiero parts and accessories for sale. Custom engine swaps and chassis modifications are available.
Congratulations Steve, I'm right behind you, Rockcrawls got my chip and I'm sorting out the wiring. Doesn't look so scary to do once you untangel the mess of wires and sort them out by sensor or switch. Another two to three weeks and mine should be running too. Then off to the muffler shop amd out for alighment. Dragon1/Brian
PS. And you know what...I'm havin' fun doing it. That's what it's all about.
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07:15 AM
Aug 12th, 2003
USFiero Member
Posts: 4877 From: Everywhere and Middle of Nowhere Registered: Mar 2002
I had the tranny shop do a few upgrades to the new trans and added 3.33 final drive gears, up from 2.73. They didnt get it back together today so I should have it back monday and well give an update.
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07:43 PM
Sep 1st, 2003
BV MotorSports Member
Posts: 4821 From: Oak Hill, WV Registered: May 2001
Well just thought I would give an update to complete this thread. The car is GREAT! I have been driving it for just over a week straight and I have had only 1 problem. Yesterday the TEMP needle fell off. It had been acting wierd anyway. Sometimes the needle would point straight or sidways but it would read accuratly. I could watch when the tstat and cooling fan were working. So, I guess I will order a new fuel/temp guage from the fiero store tomorrow.
I performed a complete fluids/nut/bolt/hose clamp check yesterday. Everything was perfect.
This is now the Fiero I have always wanted. the power is always on tap. Think of the power band of the 2.8 but imagine it pushing you back in your seat twice as hard. I took it over to Bobby and let him take it for a short ride. He came back and had nothing but excellent feedback.
Once again, thanks to everyone that put in wrench time, parts or advice. It was worth every penny.
