Was in the mood to finally clean up my compressor cover which was getting oxidized and a bit pitted/corroded over the last 2 seasons.. Not the greatest lighting in these pics, but you get the idea. I only really focused on the area of the cover that is visible when it it is installed in the car lol.

Sanding disc @ 320 grit to remove gouges/deep scratches
Wet sanding @ 800, 1000, 1500 to remove all other blemishes
Mother's Mag & Aluminum polish to finish it off









Also just for fun I was practicing some launches... Shifts could definitely be faster, but I was trying to get a feel for the tires/grip off the line.

 

R154 transmission can hold 615whp or more?

 

You can search around and find varrying results with the R154.

Some guys have broke them with 400whp - while some guys have no issues with 800whp.

As far as actually destroying them, it has more to do with the torque and how you drive it. With my setup making 400 lb ft at the wheels, I think I'm still in a relatively safe zone with the R154. But with all these transmissions being so old nowadays anything can happen...

 

9/10/2014:

A couple weeks ago I attended a track day with a bunch of friends, and unfortunately I ended up getting towed home.

At about 7500rpm in 3rd gear I heard a strange sound almost like "shinngg" and an immediate decrease in power. I let off as soon as I heard it and dumped into neutral, then glanced at my oil pressure and saw it reading 0! All I could do then was shut off the engine and hope for the best.

With life and work being busy, only now had a chance to start taking things apart. I was hoping for a clean break of the pump without damaging much else, but it looks like my luck ran out..

When the pump broke, it still managed to pump shavings and bits of metal into all my bearings and passages

Conclusion: GE oil pumps are more fragile than GTE

I've already ordered a PowerHouse racing modified GTE pump to avoid this happening again. My buddy is running his 1994 Supra on bone stock bottom end making 1100whp revving to 8400rpm for some time now - so there's no question that pump is stronger. Now have to figure out how I want to rebuild this whole thing..

 

The motor has finally been torn apart. The thrust bearings are actually in perfect shape. Almost no visible wear on them whatsoever.

Turns out the crank was scored bad enough that it would need to be ground down and polished, requiring oversize bearings. Even though many people say this is fine, I prefer to stick to OEM size bearings everywhere. So I've got another used crank now, and it has been sent out for polishing only.

The block itself is fine - perfectly re-usable. Will just need to be flushed out and a light honing. Oil pump this time will be the PHR modified Toyota 2JZ-GTE unit.

I will be keeping my same Wiseco pistons, with a fresh set of rings. For the rods, I've opted for a slight upgrade over stock GTE - Eagle H beams. Nothing crazy, but at least a bit lighter than stock and still within a reasonable budget.

All bearings will be ACL Race series again. Upgrading the main bolts to ARP studs.

The head is completely re-usable as well, but we are disassembling to install new SuperTech forged valves and fresh valve seals.

ACT clutch assembly + OEM 1jz flywheel will be sent out for balancing - just in case. Also will be swapping to my Driftmotion built R154.

Progress has been slow with the motor - but at least the plans have been figured out and parts are either ready to install or on order.


I managed to work out a deal to retain a hoist until my car is running again so I could take care of some other much needed items:

- Tein Flex coilovers
- New OEM camber bolts/cams/nuts all around (most are completely seized, and have to be cut out)
- New OEM rear control arms (bushing has failed on one)
- New OEM front lower ball joints (preventative maintenance)
- New OEM tie rod ends (preventative maintenance)
- Figs poly bushings for front caster arm (#2) and lower control arm (#1)

Crappy pic, I know :/

 

Got a couple updates...

Crank is back from polishing - ready to install now. Pretty much just waiting the new bearings and piston rings...


Tein flex with new suspension bits is installed - the old bushings were a real pain in the *** to remove !

Using a hacksaw first to cut some of the rubber to get the middle sleeve loose, then the torch to melt the rest to get it out. Then hacksaw again to cut the metal collar. Gave the arms a thorough scaling to remove all the loose rust and corrosion, and then several coats of industrial rust pain lol. Also made sure to use LOTS of anti-seize this time....

 

It's coming along slowly here...

New (used) Aristo crank back from polishing, ready to install


Head being re-assembled with my Supertech valves


New Eagle H beams



Bottom end assembly will be happening next..

 

Forgot to keep this thread updated, but the build is actually done now - so here are the rest of the updates!



11/07/14:

Some further progress with the bottom end today


Crank installed with ACL race bearings and ARP main studs:




Assembling pistons/rods:




Comparing Eagle H beams to stock GTE rod:




Ready to install piston/rod assembly - just waiting for the fresh rings!

 

11/13/14:

Motor is pretty much assembled - just a few small things to bolt back on.


Had to prepare the new built trans from Driftmotion. Swapped over the bellhousing, extended shifter housing and linkage inside. Also was curious to just verify my "built" parts were actually in there lol




Opening the stock R154:




Driftmotion R154 (billet shift fork looks nice!):

 

11/17/14:

Motor has been put back together... just putting on the timing stuff, small fittings, brackets, etc while its still on the bench..




Dropped it back into the car - now in the process of bolting back all the manifolds, harnesses, lines etc... I hate dealing with lower intake manifold lol

 

11/25/14:

Don't really have any new pictures to post, but the final push to get everything buttoned back up is over!

Car is now driving again for a few days while the weather holds out and to make sure everything is good.

The motor feels great as does the new transmission and suspension. Easier and crisper shifts and much less body roll/squat/dive

With the GTE oil pump and fresh motor I'm seeing LOTS of oil pressure lol -- ~120psi on cold start idle, ~30psi hot idle, ~100psi hot 3000rpm cruise. It will probably drop down a little more as the motor breaks in and also during the warmer summer weather.

Now wishing the winter could hold off for another month or so lol

 

This is my favourite sleeper car
Not as big of a sleeper as the turbo dodge caravan I drove back in the day, but if I wanted to build a sleeper, this would be it.

 

Thanks. I'm definitely a fan of sleepers... as you might tell from the other car in my sig

 

Great posting man definitely enjoyed reading this over and over and over again. Very informational. Personally i would have gone 2jzgte and r154 but i like the corvette engine so im thinking of doing ls1 and t56 combo and then doing boost on that engine.

 

Thanks.. It's a tossup between the GE and GTE really at this point. If you are going to build the motor regardless, you can go either way. I suppose knowing what I know now it would be easier to have started with a GTE... but the initial cost to do motor swap + turbo kit + management + fuel system etc etc adds up fast.