The '88 Lesabre T-type, updated!

[allanb]

yes, thats a nice color. the red looks good too, neat and clean! i havent done much to my engine for appearance yet. still mainly focused on performance right now

[Z-type]

Thanks man! I agree...definitely better to get the engine running before you shine it up, or so to speak.


Progress! Got my 2.5" pulley in the mail today, and should have the tune from Sinister tomorrow or Friday.



Because I was bored and can't do ANYTHING else on the car until I get an LIM and rockers, I put some new O-rings on things. The PCV valve:


The LIM metal coolant line under the alternator:


And just for fun, here's the nest I have to dig through to get to the rear valve cover, sooner or later. I guess it won't be as bad once I take the alternator off.


I have a small pile of new gaskets all ready to go, and I'm getting the supercharger ready to ship off to my friend to port it. Working on getting a '92-'93 LIM and then saving up some $$ for rockers.


That's all for now - like always, I will update when something significant happens!

[1oldman]

I really enjoy reading about your project. Looks like a show car to me. If I lived close by I'd be under foot and a pain in the you know what trying to help - lol! Great looking car!! - BC

[Z-type]

Thanks BC . Definitely wouldn't mind a helping hand! A project buddy is always fun .

[jonnevilleSSEi]

Giving Jonneville a serious case of Garage Envy. Car has a clean rectangular look. It's nice to see the simplicity of expression in the LeSabre design and I also like that you carried the color theme through under the hood. My Regal LSE was a similar color, loved what it did in the sun. That car would have been phenomenal as a GS and somewhat tricked out.
A shame I had to sell it (Thanks Aamco butt-heads) but if they had fixed the Trans correctly, I never would have gotten the SSEi so it's all good.

[Z-type]

Thanks man! I would have to agree on the look too! It's so simple and '80's, but like the Regals of the day, it WORKS and still catches eyes. Of course a lot of it probably has to do with the color . If your red was anything like mine, it's different colors everywhere you go. I've had it go from a deep red to a pink, all the way to a deep purple under certain street lights.

Your car isn't in a garage?? It's far too nice for that...that needs to be fixed!

[1oldman]

a serious case of Garage Envy. Car has a clean rectangular look. It's nice to see the simplicity of expression in the LeSabre design and I also like that you carried the color theme through under the hood. .

So that's what's wrong with me!?!?!?! LOL - BC

[Z-type]

No comment

Looks like my blower made it to my friend's place in Canada with no issues. Wait, did I say no issues? His one co-worker told him that the box looked like it had been punched in on one side, so I'm interested to see if there's any damage. I packed it to the point where I wouldn't hesitate to drop it off a small building, but still...

[wdudetocool]

your car is amazing ,kudos my friend........

From LesabreT.com:


Hello all,

Another update on the project. I got the engine torn down for modifications today. Didn't take me long, but I'm not done either. I still have to remove the valve covers (the rear one :x ) to do the new rockers but since I don't have the rockers yet, that can wait. Anyway, pictures!

Hood removed once more.


Draining coolant to try and avoid later messes with the LIM.


Hmmm...oil on the supercharger gasket. PCV problem, methinks.





LIM removed.



LIM and fuel rail (thank goodness for the fuel line quick disconnects). The lines were still holding pressure too! I haven't driven this thing for over a month.


Stuffed the head ports with lint-free rags until I get the new, ported, non-walled LIM on there.





Just a reference picture to compare to the porting my friend is doing on the supercharger later on.





In other news, I have a 2.5" pulley on the way - should be here Monday or Tuesday. I also just got done talking with Ryan at GMtuners.com (Sinister Performance) and I have a new PCM tune on the way as well. I have to get some cash to buy the new rockers!

[1oldman]

It's looking good!!!!!!!!! - BC

[Z-type]

Thanks guys! No recent updates really. Supercharger is getting worked on as we speak, still saving cash for rockers. Just a waiting game at this point.

[Z-type]

Hello all,

Popping in for an update and a question. First, the update!

The supercharger is done getting ported (only need to smooth the inlet and replace the needle bearings) and I bought rockers!



I'm excited for those things. I know they're easy to install, and for some reason it makes me wonder why they cost so much. i mean, I know why, but I think you see what Im saying lol.

Anyway, onto the question. I've done a fair bit of reading on the subject of tensioner pulley sizes once you drop supercharger pulley sizes. From what I gather, I've dropped the SC pulley from 2.85" to 2.5" Pulleyboys pulley, and I'd need to go a size or two up in tensioner pulley size. Since I dropped just over 1/4" in SC pulley size, would it make sense to use the 3.25" tenioner pulley, or go up to the 3.5" pulley? I guess the 3.5" would be better for belt slip prevention but is it really necessary to go that big?

[J Wikoff]

Use a 92-93 tensioner and you should be fine.

[Z-type]

Thanks J! I actually did a bit of digging and found out the pulley on my old LN3 is 3 1/2", so MAY use that one if it looks right. If not, new pulley it is.

[devin1986]

That's a great looking car.

[Z-type]

Alright guys, everything got back together, but there's a problem. Rocker noises GALORE. The car started right up though, has great vacuum, no visual or aural problems besides what sounds like the rockers. This video here is the first startup after re-assembly. It's hard to hear the noises exactly, but the sound that sounds like a lot of static-y air is what sounds like every rocker/pushrod on the engine.



When I installed the rockers I noticed that there was a bit of back and forth play on some of them even when torque down, like whenever both valves would be closed on a certain cylinder. The pushrods would have a bit of play. After cranking the engine a few times when I first installed them, it seemed like they tightened up some but not all of them, and not consistently.

What concerns me is the Yella Terra mounting plate...it doesnt have guides for the pushrods to be right on center with the rockers like the stock plate did. I ran the car for two minutes, twice, and the noise never quieted down.

Has this happened to anyone before? Could my pushrods be too short somehow? I didn't think that was a factor with the '94-'95 engines...

EDIT: Here is a video of member eazhar's 3800, doing exactly what I experienced when I installed them. Lifters not pumped up enough on my engine yet? I ran it what I thought was a while, does it take more time than I thought?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MyfPHWNyno

[Z-type]

Well friends, I swapped the old rockers back on (only took me an hour, woohoo!) and there's zero noise whatsoever now. Before I took the Yella Terras off, though, I checked for play and torque. There was a very minute amount of play on some of them (I assume ones with valves that were closed for the moment) and torque didnt change. Still 25-26 ftlbs. I don't get it. The car starts and idles like the champ it's always been right now with the old rockers. And yes, I used the Yella Terra re-useable bolts.

No noise coming from the lifters that I can decipher, so I would assume they're all good for now. Pushrods must be the problem.

Thoughts? I have a good knack for this kind of stuff, but I'm no expert.

[J Wikoff]

Describe the play in the rockers and pushrods a bit more. Do the pushrods do more than spin? Do the rockers slide or rotate in a direction they aren't supposed to? What does the pushrod do when the rocker moves throughout its play?

[Z-type]

Hi J,

The pushrods spin freely and can move 'in and out' something like 1/32". Very little but it shouldn't be moving at all. The rockers do not move left or right, just rock back and forth because of the pushrod length/pushrods being free. I could understand if they just spun a little, but it just seems to me like they're short. The pushrods dont move when you rocker one of the 'loose' rockers back and forth by hand.

I hope that was descriptive enough, I"m terrible at explaining things.

[J Wikoff]

Oh, I see now. The rockers rock a little by hand. Did you mention your lifter health earlier? When I took the original lifters out of my old engine, a number of the pushrods seats had collapsed and seized at the bottom, some had seized at the top, and some I could still compress by hand. If you have some that are seized at the bottom, you'll see that slop.

I have the 1.7 ratio YT rockers, so I think the trunion plate is different. Is there a top and bottom?