Some pics of my Stage 2

[Underboost]

Can't wait to see it done! Good Job

 

[jdpolzin]

OK, well an hour turned into 3 hours!!!! Thanks for the compliments guys! Tonight I dug into the water leak a little further, found a couple of the water fittings are leaking in the intake. I am a little gun-shy now to tighten them much since I had so many problems with the first couple intakes. The headgaskets are leaking slightly also. I didnt really have time to check into those tonight but tomorrow i plan to drain the oil for a second into a clear glass and see if I have any water in there. I suspect from what I have been told that the copper gaskets have a tendensy to seep. If the intake gaskets or intake bolts arent leaking, I bought some GM stop leak tablets so hopefully that will do the trick. This seems to be a common cure to leaky copper headgaskets. If I do have water in the oil, I'm not sure which route I will take with it. I have checked the oil a couple times now and havent found any milkshake or seperation.

On another note, I am learning the XFI with some great help from other board members. I got the TPS dialed in and the throttle responce seems perfect. Tomorrow I will try to dial in my A/F ratio to get it to idle a little smoother. Right now the A/F at idle is 6.5:1 so thats really rich and it idles like a freaking lumpy big block then dies out eventually. Nothing the FAST system cant be tuned for though!

 

[jdpolzin]

I forgot to ad this pic ealier in the thread but I want to add it now cause I love it! I thank BigWood Racing and Premier Concept (my coater) for this beauty!!!

 

[jdpolzin]

Well one step forward turned into 29 steps backwards. I drained a little oil into a glass and found it was a nice dark olive green color. Time to take everything on the top end back apart and find this coolant leak. I believe its the headgaskets so I'm going to re-torque them and inspect the intake to see if that may be leaking as well. I need to take the headers, turbo, downpipe, and coolant pipes off to get the the head bolts. I'm hoping to god I can get to the passenger side back bolts so I dont have to pull the motor again. Wish me luck guys. If it doesnt work this time, keep your eyes peeled on the "For Sale" section. I've about had it.

 

[GNBRETT]

You've come this far, might as well finish it. Ur keeping the AC? Coating looks great.

 

[jdpolzin]

You've come this far, might as well finish it. Ur keeping the AC? Coating looks great.

Yep, the AC will still definately be used! This is a true street car! Hopefully I get this damn coolant leak figured out!

 

[GNBRETT]

Yep, the AC will still definately be used! This is a true street car! Hopefully I get this damn coolant leak figured out!

What temp is that coating rated at? Did you do the headers as well?

 

[jdpolzin]

On a sie note, I took everything back apart today and checked the torque on the head bolts on the passenger side where most of the leaking is coming from. Everything check exactly as specked by Champion. Not sure where to go next. I have a pressure tester on there now with the oil drained and the plug off to see if I'm getting water in the pan and i havent seen a drip yet. the car also didnt smoke like water was in the cylinders when we started it. There are no other leaks I can find except for the bottom of the heads. The original oil was a dark color with an olive green tint but it didnt seperate when I had it in a glass and it wasnt a milkshake look like usual. I'm not even sure now that it's even getting into the oil. I'm thinking the coloring was just assembly lube or maybe the color of the oil.

I get frustrated but in all reality I knew there would be small issues to contend with. I really am excited for this thing but it seems like a neverending battle! I guess thats what you get when you want to go fast though!!!

 

[jdpolzin]

What temp is that coating rated at? Did you do the headers as well?

The rating is 1600 but the coater said it's good for more like 2000. He has never seen an issue with a turbo car but the black is rated for 1800. Yes the headers and crossover are all finished sterling silver. The IC pipes, exhaust side of the turbo, accessories bracket, turbo bracket, fuel rail, and a few other odds and ins are also ceramic. Everything else is powder coated 80% gloss black.

 

[jdpolzin]

Well sorry guys but there will be no GN in the "For Sale" section!!!!:biggrin: Things are looking up for me now. I pulled everything apart, checked torque on the heads and they were dead on as I thought. There is still some seepage on the bottom side but I think the GM sealing tablets are doing the trick. I had water leaking out of one of the water pump bolts so I re-taped it. I also checked torque on the intake bolts and found one was slightly off. Not much and I dont think there was enough there to cause a leak but at least it may have helped. I ended up talking with Mike about the oil I drained that had an olive green color to it. There was no seperation in the glass that I drained it into after sitting all night and we think the discoloration may have been from blue assembly lube and oil. After getting it all back together I put a pressure tester on the cooling system again and left it over night. I did find a little seepage under the passenger heads mostly but nothing dripped out of the oil pan and it went from 20lbs to 17lbs over night which isnt much of a drop. I fird it back up today and let it idle for abut 20mins. I will be checking the oil again to see if I have any discoloration. There is no smoke out of the tailpipes so I dont think I have any leakage into the cylinders. I think the tablets are going to do the trick. After idling with the tablets, the seepage reduced quite a bit. We shall see!!! I'm just glad it's back together and things are looking better!! ------Jeremy

 

[jasjamz]

Post some vids on youtube or something. We like to see and hear them in action! Hope it all works out well. Hang in there!

 

[SS_Sean]

 

[RobG]

I forgot to ad this pic ealier in the thread but I want to add it now cause I love it! I thank BigWood Racing and Premier Concept (my coater) for this beauty!!!

That motor is lookin' sweet Jeremy I hope you get it all buttoned up soon!!

 

[BadAssGN]

Good to hear things are looking up..

Now shake out the rest of the bugs and drive that MOFO


You planning to bring her to Ohio this summer??

Maybe you can pick up a hoe after a biker knocks the crap out of her again....


LMAO

:biggrin:

 

[jdpolzin]

Well I am definately on a learning curve with this car. I cant thank everyone who has helped me enough. The XFI is another beast I am learning to tame. I have had a ton of help from Blazer406, Dr. Boost, and Cal. You guys are awesome!


BadAssGN, I would love to go to Colombus but I really dont think I will make it. I plan to go on the Hot Rod Power Tour this year and thats probably about the only thing i will accomplish due to funds but we shall see! I do hope to drive this beast soon but I still have to get the XFI tuned properly, paint the new drivers door, smooth the bumpers, and get the frame cut to fit the rear tires. I also need to do some adjusting to the exhaust. I have the GN1Performance 3" dual stainless and it is a very nice system but the tailpipes need some work. They were a bit too long so I had to trim them where they meet the mufflers and I need to put a little more bend into them after they go over the rear end to get them to tuck a little better. Progress is continually movig forward so I just need to keep on trucking!

On a side note, I do think the GM sealing tabs did the trick on the heads. After running it at idle, while tuning the FAST tonight, I noticed the leaks stopped so that is a HUGE relief. I just hope thy stay that way! It did leak a little out of the bottom of the heads, mostly drivers side, when I first fired it up tonight, so I am wondering if this is going to continue. I hope it isnt just sealing becuase the heads are expanding and thus leaking when cold. Only time will tell!

 

[coach]

Good to hear things are looking up..

Now shake out the rest of the bugs and drive that MOFO


You planning to bring her to Ohio this summer??

Maybe you can pick up a hoe after a biker knocks the crap out of her again....


LMAO

:biggrin:

That hoe is still trying to speak ENGLISH...She will still need a ride when we get back this summer.

 

[BadAssGN]

That hoe is still trying to speak ENGLISH...She will still need a ride when we get back this summer.

You shoulda given her a ride, I'm sure she woulda shown some gratitude. :biggrin:

 

[coach]

You shoulda given her a ride, I'm sure she woulda shown some gratitude. :biggrin:

I was watching the other chick throw the temper tantrum . Remember, she almost hit my car with that pop bottle...Crazy B$%#h . Were you there when the green Mustang stalled right in front of 3 GN's. He had to be so embarrassed...CLASSIC

Until we meet again my friends...
Coach

 

[BadAssGN]

I was watching the other chick throw the temper tantrum . Remember, she almost hit my car with that pop bottle...Crazy B$%#h . Were you there when the green Mustang stalled right in front of 3 GN's. He had to be so embarrassed...CLASSIC

Until we meet again my friends...
Coach

I almost forgot about the Evil chick throwing a tantrum....

I missed the Rustang, I musta been recycling beers..

Interesting Night for sure....:tongue:

 

[coach]

Jeremy and Zack will remember for sure. I t was a bad azz car...right up until it stalled on the side of the road. Kept crankin' the motor and when it finally fired, he was gone like a bullet. We were laughin' our butts off. Someone said, "I would rather shoot myself than have to tell my friends what happen in front of a gang of GN's"
Classic quote.

Take care,
Coach


Getting ready to turn some wrenches this next week...tune in for details.