I am my own worst enemy...

Feel free to post about anything here, just keep it work safe.
User avatar
Rettax3
Registered User
Posts: 1805
Joined: Mon Oct 22, 2012 3:34 pm

Re: I am my own worst enemy...

Post by Rettax3 »

Well, I've been busy making life more complicated... I've added an '82 Trans Am -fairly rare original four-speed car- to the group. Decent shape overall, it took an hour or so to get it running, decent "PMD" special interior, but with some bad (though isolated) rust issues (the roof, and because of the roof the left front floor-board, which is toast), and a worn-out camshaft (#4 and #8 exhaust valves don't open properly). As the only Third Gen offered with the four-speed, the car is actually quite a collectable even with the L.O. 305, so I am tempted to fix it, but I really bought it for the air-extractor vented fenders (already swapped-out), as I have been unable to find a set for my GTA (which I am still deluding myself into thinking I will be painting this summer. Well, maybe next...). So, the fate of this car is as yet unknown, but it won't be staying with me...

I've also just bought a replacement to my old (and much missed) ZX-11D Kawasaki. My Suzuki GSX-1100F is a great bike, came with a big-bore kit punching it out to 1236cc's and a 4-1 race header, and it is hard to find WOT on that thing -it pulls and revs too fast to crank it open all the way most times. But, the old Kat doesn't handle the greatest, and I don't like feeling nervous on twisty roads, and the skinny tires on this bike start out with nervous, and like me, it is a bit long in the tooth. So, I was toying with the idea of going for a ZX-14 (found a beautiful example for a better-than-fair price), but ran across a ZX-11 that broke its' chain which then smashed a few parts at the back of the engine-case. Aside from that, the bike is beautiful, has a few nice add-ons (like a Yoshimura stainless exhaust system, fully polished frame, wheels, and swing-arm, and some carbon-fiber trim here and there), and has barely over 30k miles on the clock. It looks repairable, worst case scenario I can swap in a ZZR-1200 engine as a bolt-in option and go up about 10 HP to 160. Best case, ebay has my parts for less than $100. I'll post some photos later in the week, after I get it home.

Edit:
Here is a pic of the bike. It may take a few days to get it home, but this is it, kind of like coming home again...
Almost identical to my previous ZX.  World's fastest production bike for six years.  Now there are more than a few that can take it, but at 10.43 at over 130 mph through the quarter and a 0-60 time of 2.8 seconds, these bikes are nothing to look down on, and they handle like they should for a bike that fast.  Comfy ride too, if a little low on the bars...
Almost identical to my previous ZX. World's fastest production bike for six years. Now there are more than a few that can take it, but at 10.43 at over 130 mph through the quarter and a 0-60 time of 2.8 seconds, these bikes are nothing to look down on, and they handle like they should for a bike that fast. Comfy ride too, if a little low on the bars...


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
User avatar
Rettax3
Registered User
Posts: 1805
Joined: Mon Oct 22, 2012 3:34 pm

Re: I am my own worst enemy...

Post by Rettax3 »

Rettax3 wrote:Pulled the GTA's engine out for a new crank-kit last week, and found some other issues inside the engine, so I've been debating on what to do with it. It is the numbers-matching original, so I guess I will fix it and keep going forward on it. I pressure-washed the bay while it was (mostly) empty, and will now take the opportunity to strip it down and repaint it, since I am going with a different color than the original 'Flame Red' (similar to Chevy's 'Cayenne Red', not bad, but not my first choice for this car either. I haven't decided for sure if I want to go with white, or just stick with a black epoxy paint inside the bay. I'm leaning towards the black, but I know I am going with white on the car, so...
It has taken me a long time to come back around to this -after I found the piston-skirt damage along with the toasted crank, the car just got put on the back-burner. I wasn't too worried about it -the car had sat outside and uncovered for the past ten years anyway. This week, I finally got around to spraying most of the engine-bay (still have some work to do on the firewall and frame-rails). I won't just 'spray bomb' it, I want it clean under the paint, and don't really want half-painted A/C lines and wire-loom, so it takes a while. The battery-tray (positioned on the left side for Pontiac F-Bodies, and right side for Chevys, don't ask me why, but the car actually has two battery trays :unknown: ) is pretty badly rusted-out, but everything else looks solid up front. WS-6 Performance Suspension package = effing HUGE sway-bar up front... I'll try to snap a pic of the bay when I am done painting it. I went with a flat-black bumper coating -pretty hard and scratch-resistant, but with a flexing agent that MIGHT help keep it from chipping if a wrench happens to drop on it during a tune-up... Turned out nice so far.

The L98 5.7L TPI engine is NOT going back in for the foreseeable future -it has been strapped-down to a mover's dolly (like a lot of my engines) and will reside in the back of my shop until whenever... I'm doing enough SBC (Small Block Chevy) build for my 'Vert IROC-Z to possibly last me a lifetime.
The rotted why-was-this-ever-even-in-a-Trans-Am 700R4 autoslush that came with the car will eventually be sold as a core. Here are a few teasers of what will be going INTO the car:
This...
This...
Minus this...
Minus this...
Plus this...
Plus this...
...This...
...This...
...And this, equals...
...And this, equals...
...Well, you do the math. :Yahoo!:
Though not as valuable from a collector's viewpoint, it will out-perform this.  Better flowing heads, stronger block, better balanced and stronger internals...
Though not as valuable from a collector's viewpoint, it will out-perform this. Better flowing heads, stronger block, better balanced and stronger internals...
For those familiar with the '89 Indy Pace car, the one just the year before our beloved Beretta Indys, Pontiac had offered a unique 3.8 SFI (in '89!) turbo-charged powerplant derived from the Buick Grand National, which in '87 was the fastest production American car, even stomping on the poor 'Vette, and apparently back-seating even the Ferrari F-40 in the quarter-mile, from what I've read. Not bad, for a Buick... By '89, GM had decided to revive the 3.8 Turbo, and crammed it into the narrower F-Body bay, with some modifications and compromises. According to the books, the engine lost about 21 HP, all of this either insurance-governed paper-myth (it is widely known that GM under-rated the Buick GNX at 276 HP, it actually produced closer to 300 HP, so who knows what the TTA actually cranked out), or an issue with the narrower heads, different exhaust, or some emissions-based issue. It still cleared the 0-60 launches faster than the '87 GNX, by one tenth of a second. Trying to find a nice TTA (Turbo Trans Am) Indy for under $20k is mostly wasted effort, the cars command too much money now. I will in no way be 'cloning' (or 'tributing' :roll: ) the TTA -they all had Camel Tan interiors and automatic transmissions, and are simply too rare to chop up, even for me. I don't like Camel Tan interior, and despise automatic trannies. I will be painting the car white, but will keep the red interior. I have also acquired a fourth-gen 3800 Series-2 Firebird intake manifold, so I don't have to worry about flipping the transverse-engine's intake around and running into problems clearing the alternator, but neither intake looks like the one used in '89. So, I will basically be building a GTA-T instead. Adding the air-extractor vented T/A fenders are a must for me, despite the fact that neither GTA nor TTA came with them, and I'll likely be installing one of the offset cowl-induction 'Turbo Bulge' (c'mon, how could I not? It is referred to as a 'Turbo Bulge' hood!) Trans Am hoods, also reused on the later Third-Gen Formula Firebirds, because I like the look of them even over the stock vented GTA / TTA hood. So, slow progress forward, but definitely a goal in mind with this car. I will have to finish buying some of the minor pieces, like an F-Body 3800 A/C compressor bracket, external Waste-Gate, and BOV (or more likely 'Bypass Valve', as the L67 3800SC ECM I will be using on the car uses both MAF and Speed-Density for fuel calculations). I haven't committed to an exhaust system idea yet, but I am thinking about dual outlets out of the ground effects (the right side is already busted at the rear corner) near the rear wheels, and the turbo's downpipe will definitely be 3-inch pipe. Most likely, I will be starting off with the early 3800 F-Body ram-horn exhaust manifolds to start with, they flow okay and clear the Third-Gen under-hood components, and I already have a set from when I first started working on the GTU. Someday, I will likely build headers for it though -I am still sick of building headers! Not sure how much time I'll have on this over the next month or so, but my current goal is to have it running before winter. Not really in a hurry, obviously. :pardon:


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
User avatar
woody90gtz
Registered User
Posts: 4698
Joined: Thu Jul 11, 2002 8:45 pm
Location: Walton, NY
Contact:

Re: I am my own worst enemy...

Post by woody90gtz »

You need to bring your evil genius to Berettafest some day...


91 "SS" - WOT 3400/5spd - 13.29@101.6 - World's fastest N/A FWD Beretta
96 "T56" LS/6spd/8.8 RWD swap - 13.45@104.7 lol
GEARHEAD dezign youtube
User avatar
Rettax3
Registered User
Posts: 1805
Joined: Mon Oct 22, 2012 3:34 pm

Re: I am my own worst enemy...

Post by Rettax3 »

woody90gtz wrote:You need to bring your evil genius to Berettafest some day...
You keep saying that... :wink: I would love to, but it would take me like a week just to get there, plus the time for the 'Fest and the drive back. If I wanted to keep my license, that is. :twisted: Ironic to me that the Berettafests (and most of the prominent Beretta owners, of course) are held mostly in the areas that EAT these cars. :unknown: Still can't figure that one out...


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
heavywoody
Global Moderator
Posts: 1991
Joined: Sun Nov 03, 2002 4:10 pm
Location: Concord, NC
Contact:

Re: I am my own worst enemy...

Post by heavywoody »

Where are you from?


Geoff
95 Z26 Turbo 3400 5spd - R&D Project
Beretta Preservation Society - Director of Acquisitions
Image
User avatar
woody90gtz
Registered User
Posts: 4698
Joined: Thu Jul 11, 2002 8:45 pm
Location: Walton, NY
Contact:

Re: I am my own worst enemy...

Post by woody90gtz »

Well, these cars were popular is snowy areas. But there have been plenty of years in the souf. Even out west!


91 "SS" - WOT 3400/5spd - 13.29@101.6 - World's fastest N/A FWD Beretta
96 "T56" LS/6spd/8.8 RWD swap - 13.45@104.7 lol
GEARHEAD dezign youtube
valentind75
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2020 11:37 am

Re: I am my own worst enemy...

Post by valentind75 »

GT_Indy wrote:Yah the rwd 6 speeds are expensive Garde Meubles Bordeaux, I drive mine nice when I take the T/A out. lol. The only rwd 5 speed I have is the AR-5 in my 08 Saturn Sky, that car has the LNF stage 2 kit.

The 282 gears couldnt take it?
The kit is not bad at all, especially if it is well adjusted.


Post Reply