3500 top end swap finished!

[silvergtjrad]

After minor difficulties my 3500 top end swap is done! There were a couple of things that didnt go quite as planned but no biggie. First thing was snapping a LIM gasket on accident, before I started the swap. I ended up buying a used set from the same guy I got my heads and lim from. Second thing that happened was I busted an injector when trying to pull it out of the old LIM. I cracked off the connection where the harness hooks up. The last thing was the coolant temp sensor. I read through all of the threads on here and 60*v6 but none of them stated that the 3500 ect sensor had to be used. The threads on the 3400 one are wayyy too large to screw into the rear head. Besides those few things it was easy as pie.

The 3500 heads were basicly stock. I replaced all of the valve seals, cleaned everything up real good, and ported/poished the exhaust ports a little bit myself. The LIM is a ported one from the 60*v6 store with a currently stock UIM.

The car really pulls hard up in the higher rpm range now. From 0-40 it feels the same or slightly faster but 40+ it definitely pulls way harder.

I still need to learn to use DHP and get this tuned, but it is running well without it. According to the wideband im not running lean at all which is good. Id like to get a new UIM on there too because a 65mm TB and ported lower arent doing too much with a totally stock upper on there!

[ihatemygrandamg]

Thats awesome. Pics up asap!

[timberwoof]

That's pretty sweet. Congrats

What did the parts come off of?

[silvergtjrad]

What did the parts come off of?
Im really not sure to be honest. I bought the heads and LIM off of onefastv6 on 60*v6

Thats awesome. Pics up asap!
There really isnt much to post pics of, it looks the same! Ive got a few though of the parts before they got put on, and when everything was taken apart.

[izayn]

How long did it take you to do the whole thing, If I can I might call on you to give me a hand in doing my swap. I have all my parts but I need a extra set of hands.

How far is woodbridge from the city limits?

Whole thing (meaning the dissassembly of the 3400 top end and intstall of the 3500)

[ihatemygrandamg]

Your using a stock 3400 uim?

[izayn]

Yeah they work with the 3500 swap. According to the guys at 60degreev6, 3400 UIM stock outflows the 3500 Stock. But It all cahnges when the 3500 is ported.

I'll try to find the link

[izayn]

Herer is the link 3400 vs the 3500
http://60degreev6.com/showthread.php?t=32319

[silvergtjrad]

How far is woodbridge from the city limits? Its around 20 miles or so. Little bit over a half an hour drive.

How long did it take you to do the whole thing
I started on wednesday afternoon and worked about 5 hours each day till saturday and then two more on sunday. So roughly 22 hours. That includes time spent running out to buy things I forgot to get , welding a bung in my downpipe, and wiring up my wideband. It was my first time doing any engine work so it took a little while longer.

Your using a stock 3400 uim?
Yes I am for now. I just bought a ported 3400 upper this morning from 60*V6

[ihatemygrandamg]

Yea I was thinking about doing the swap and using my ported 3400 uim, when I still had my car. The 3500 plenum is 65mm so theres no modding to that with a tce tb; I had the plenum matched to my 65mm tb, but Ben only charges like $50 to do the plenum.

[silvergtjrad]

Here are some pics I snapped before/during/after the install.
http://www.fquick.com/images/vehicles/full/470545362.jpg (http://www.fquick.com/garages/viewgallery.php?action=viewimg&id=45362)
Innovate LC1 Wideband
http://www.fquick.com/images/vehicles/full/470545364.jpg (http://www.fquick.com/garages/viewgallery.php?action=viewimg&id=45364)
Here is the gauge for the wideband. I bought the two as a package on dynotunenitrous.com No im not running lean, the car was just shut off.
http://www.fquick.com/images/vehicles/full/470545367.jpg (http://www.fquick.com/garages/viewgallery.php?action=viewimg&id=45367)
http://www.fquick.com/images/vehicles/full/470545368.jpg (http://www.fquick.com/garages/viewgallery.php?action=viewimg&id=45368)
http://www.fquick.com/images/vehicles/full/470545369.jpg (http://www.fquick.com/garages/viewgallery.php?action=viewimg&id=45369)
http://www.fquick.com/images/vehicles/full/470545363.jpg (http://www.fquick.com/garages/viewgallery.php?action=viewimg&id=45363)
Here is everything installed, nice new LIM and the TCE 65mm TB which I havent posted a pic of until now.
http://www.fquick.com/images/vehicles/full/470545366.jpg (http://www.fquick.com/garages/viewgallery.php?action=viewimg&id=45366)
Just after I got everything taken apart
http://www.fquick.com/images/vehicles/full/470545370.jpg (http://www.fquick.com/garages/viewgallery.php?action=viewimg&id=45370)
The mess in the garage, sorry it's sideways. Didnt feel like rotating it.

I took two videos yesterday of it running. One of the exhaust from the rear which sounds mean as hell and one from the engine bay. Im just waiting for them to be uploaded onto fquick. I'll post the links when they are ready:leg

[silvergtjrad]

http://video.fquick.com/thumbs_sm/2160.jpg (http://www.fquick.com/videos/Grand_Am_Engine_Bay_/2160)View Video on FQuick (http://www.fquick.com/videos/Grand_Am_Engine_Bay_/2160)
http://video.fquick.com/thumbs_sm/2159.jpg (http://www.fquick.com/videos/Grand_Am_GT_Exhaust/2159)View Video on FQuick (http://www.fquick.com/videos/Grand_Am_GT_Exhaust/2159)

The sound quality is horrible on the videos. Im gonna try to find somewhere else to host them because this doesnt do justice to the exhaust note!

[ihatemygrandamg]

That is awesome. It makes me miss my grand am soo much :(

Who made the airbox?

[silvergtjrad]

Who made the airbox?

The side closer to the engine (black piece) is the dr. speed cold air "box" which isnt a box at all. I bent up the other part (silver piece) to make it a box instead of a worthless piece of sheet metal. Its sealed pretty well and the only place air can readily come in is from the fenderwell.

[ihatemygrandamg]

Thats cool man. I proly woulda just converted to a real cai but whatever.

[silvergtjrad]

I proly woulda just converted to a real cai but whatever.
The piping and couplers cost money, this was free. Although I would like to change it at some point.

I shouldnt be complaining about money though. Ive easily dropped over 2 grand in the last 6 months on my car

[drumking1721]

hows that throttle body? i need one and im gonna get one,any difference?

[silvergtjrad]

hows that throttle body? i need one and im gonna get one,any difference?
Its a real quality piece. I couldnt tell anything by the seat of the pants feel but im sure it did something.... I hope! The "whoosh" noise from the CAI got much louder as well. When the car is idling high because it hasnt warmed up, the sound is very loud. You cant buy one mod and expect to feel a huge difference, its a combination of everything you have.

[drumking1721]

good thats what i wanna hear...im planning on that and ported UIM and LIM when i do my gaskets later this summer

[silvergtjrad]

im planning on that and ported UIM and LIM when i do my gaskets later this summer
Pick up a 3500 top end to put on. If you already have the engine that torn down to do the gaskets its only a couple of hours more work to put the heads on too. Without headers I think it would be much quicker as well.

[drumking1721]

the only thing holding me back is $$$

[ihatemygrandamg]

hows that throttle body? i need one and im gonna get one,any difference?

I had a 65mm tce tb, realy beautiful piece. I also had ben port the plenum of my ported 3400 uim to 65m to match my tb. I noticed better response throughout the entire rpm range. It is 9mm over stock haha