New Grand National - Help with a setup

DO NOT pull the heads unless you have to. If your valve springs are stock, then, yes, they are 100% too soft. You're fuel pressure is too low, you should be around 43 or 45 depending on your ship.

With the injectors, I'd go ahead and get a set of 60's and a matching chip and be done with that mod. It's rare to outgrow those and they idle good with good mileage. With the fuel pump, same thing, get a new one and power it with a hotwire kit.

With a stock/stockish build, the powerplate has shown it's a good mod.
 
I would get a second opinion on the compression test and leakdown test before I pulled them though. 4 of 6 cylinders leaking air that bad would not make 150psi of compression.
 
Thanks for the replies guys,

Would you not pull the heads even if the valves could be burnt? I assume the reason

All I can tell you on the compression test is that we screwed in the compression test fitting into the spark plug hole and rolled the motor over ~6-8 times and they seemed to peak on the gauge at about 150psi. 150 is pretty good on small block Chevy motors so I figured it was a pretty good number for these motors as well.

John Larkin, is there anything you would recommend doing differently on the compression test to get a better reading?

Thanks, Cam
 
Verify the valve is burnt before you pull the heads. These engines aren't really bad about 'burning valves' like you see on a SBC.

A compression test really doesn't tell you much about an engine unless it's a BIG problem. A better test would be a leak down test. It'll give you a number of how bad it's leaking and you can do like you've already done and listen to where the air is leaking.


Do your compressed air test again on the bad hole. This time while under pressure bop the bad valve with a rubber hammer and see if it shuts up.
 
Perform a leakdown test. See if the cylinders hold pressure. The compression test is only half the story. If the cam is not on the base lobe you will get a false reading.
 
All of the above plus,^^^
no need for $1500 heads for a long time to come'
-LT1 valve springs
-plugs id use autolite 24s on a near stock car but ac delcos great also
-wires MSD
-adjustable fuel pressure regulator and rail mount gauge
-fuel pump Racetronix340 hanger and all whole kit
-turbo intake side use a hard pipe and a K&N filter, stock tube has to have cracks someplace by now..
down pipe isn't visible in your pics but I would seek an after market TH style
 
Looks like you have a nice base car! All the rest will come, losing the clearcoat is a minor thing compared to major body work.
I have the RJC Power Plate and I definitely recommend. Jason has done his homework and testing on these plates and it seems like small insurance to make sure distribution to all the cylinders are even. Look at his boost controller and engine brace too. That engine brace is an engineering marvel.
Injectors: 60s will take you a long ways and will give you room to grow without having to upgrade again as you hit their limit. And there is little driveability issues with 60s, they are very street friendly. Go to Turbo Tweak and order his injector and chip set, whatever size you decide. Good value and a great company to deal with. You might want to look at his LT1 MAF and translator. He is a vendor for them and has great prices on them too. Your stock MAF will need replaced, if its not bad now, it will be. Mine was actually functioning fine and when I upgraded to the LT1 it ran even better.

I heard that the stock heads were put on by a machine that torqued each bolt at the same time. How true that is I cannot attest for. Point is: if you don't have to crack them open, don't. There are plenty of GN's that have never blown a head gasket or had them off for any reason.
 
Thanks for the replieseveryone,
VtheGNMan, Thanks for the Head torque explanation, that makes sense and I didn't know that.
V6sleeper, thanks for the parts list, wish I wouldn't have placed the order already :(
By the time your posts were made I had ordered some stuff from summit, Kirban and a few others. If you guys see any issues let me know, thanks! I got the following:

- Aeromotive 11169 Stealth Electric Fuel Pump
- Comp Cams 980-12
- E3 Spark Plugs ( ordered from summit but I figured they were pretty good as they are the only plugs listed on Kirban's website
- Trans Filter and other various gaskets that need to be replaced.
- Taylor Cable 64600 High Energy Spark Plug Wires.
- Power Plate ( as recommended by several people)


~ As for the Injectors and the Chip ~

I was looking at Turbo Tweak and they seem to be very good, I just had a few questions:
I was planning on upgrading the turbo and going to alcohol injection at some point in the near future... with that being said, I like the idea of the SD2 Chip Turbo Tweak has, I am very tech savvy and I like the idea of being able to tune cars with a laptop on the fly and all of that. I was going to go with the 60lbs injectors as they are capable of high 10s and are more than anything I would need. When selecting the chip from Turbo Tweak they ask several questions about what your turbo is and all of the necessary things they need to build your chip, my biggest question is should I wait until I decide on a turbo and MAP sensor before I buy the chip? or would I be able to reprogram the chip myself later on when I get the turbo?

On that note, is there any turbos you all would recommend? I am primarily looking at the Precision line of turbos, they seem to be very good.
I was also looking at a 3.5 in down pipe and a Precision Intercooler to fit in the stock location. Thoughts on those?

A Pro logger was also on my list of things to pick up as the SD2 chip requires it.

Thanks guys,
Cam
 
I wouldn't run the E3 plugs myself... Have a set on the shelf from the previous owner that never made their way into my car. I would run CR43TS plugs gapped at .032-.035. They are a step cooler than the stock 44's. Should be good for you on a stock set-up. When you up the boost, you can close the gap to .028-.030. They are cheap. I replace them USUALLY twice a year... Something like 13$ for the set. Another 19 yeard old Buick owner here... 10's are attainable on a budget...
 
ZNix, Thanks for the advice, I will definitely look into that! Glad to see someone else on here my age! haha Hows your Buick been treating you?
 
camarox53 said:
ZNix, Thanks for the advice, I will definitely look into that! Glad to see someone else on here my age! haha Hows your Buick been treating you?
Click to expand...

Well, I blew the headgaskets about a month ago doing some street racing. You can look in the Kill Stories section for that one. I have been taking it easy since. I need a new fuel pump, it's going lean on me. Hoping that will come in soon so I can some times with the new combo and drag radials. Other than that she is the best car I've driven. Powerful all around, and comfortable... Only thing it needs now is paint and a some decent speakers. The stock ones are a little weak for cruising with the T-Tops off lol.
 
camarox53 said:
~ As for the Injectors and the Chip ~

I was looking at Turbo Tweak and they seem to be very good, I just had a few questions:
I was planning on upgrading the turbo and going to alcohol injection at some point in the near future... with that being said, I like the idea of the SD2 Chip Turbo Tweak has, I am very tech savvy and I like the idea of being able to tune cars with a laptop on the fly and all of that. I was going to go with the 60lbs injectors as they are capable of high 10s and are more than anything I would need. When selecting the chip from Turbo Tweak they ask several questions about what your turbo is and all of the necessary things they need to build your chip, my biggest question is should I wait until I decide on a turbo and MAP sensor before I buy the chip? or would I be able to reprogram the chip myself later on when I get the turbo?

On that note, is there any turbos you all would recommend? I am primarily looking at the Precision line of turbos, they seem to be very good.
I was also looking at a 3.5 in down pipe and a Precision Intercooler to fit in the stock location. Thoughts on those?

A Pro logger was also on my list of things to pick up as the SD2 chip requires it.

Thanks guys,
Cam
Click to expand...
I say slow down abit and go with a regular low boost 15-18 with the 60 pounders and get the car mechanically sound....your thinking too much in advance. jus my suggestion...maybe even go to the for sale section and pick up some 50s and chip just to get it all started.
 
Take those E3 plugs and smash the porcelain part with a hammer. Then put the debris in a plastic bag, lay it on the road by the local cement manufacturer and pay the driver of the cement truck $10 to run over it. Then take whatever is left and toss it in the fire pit, baggy and all. Then, if you can still recover the charred remains, dig a hole outside 3 mile island about 6 feet deep and throw them in. Cover the hole with whatever radioactive dirt you can find, and call Kirban for a refund.
 
what u ordered,
-aeromotive pump I had in my wrx with no probs, no experience with one in a turbo buick tank..
-Taylor wires are good I run them in one of my cars but their are better ones
-rjc power plate(debatable ) some say good some say Bullcrap
-E3 plugs I would not run in a turbo buick mabe sbc or other, I don't know why dennis sells them under the GN page
 
Last edited:
Forget the SD2 chip, not for you for many moons proved by your shopping list. Listen to Znix, he's come a LONG way. NGK UR5 are a good choice for plugs too. Tighten the gap as the boost goes up.
 
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