3500 plenum upgrade.

rweatherford · Post by **rweatherford** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 7:24 am

I'll go for POLISHED. Painted is a lot easier though.

IsaacHayes · Post by **IsaacHayes** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 1:27 pm

Yeah Rex, but that wasn't a choice on my list! I haven't seen one of these fully polished yet. I do like the no-text 3400 manifold polished though, along with the vavle cover. This manifold is getting painted black with chevy text and bowtie to match my winshield banner, no if's about it. I've been picturing it in my mind for too long.

But what about that valve cover..... Hmm. Still undecided on orange/black...

EDIT: Rex: did you mean polished valve cover? That might not look too bad. I'm not sure how hard it would be to polish up, but it's smoother metal than the manifold. I added #6 as polished valve cover to the previous post.

JeffD · Post by **JeffD** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 6:20 pm

yeah, well the idea was to to finish the SC3800, but now the 3400 swap looks Quite appealing!
i'll probably still build the SC3800 engine but build it in a non daily driver. for now i'm sticking with either a top end swap, motor swap, or DOHC top end swap, (sigh)

IsaacHayes · Post by **IsaacHayes** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 3:13 am

If you've started on the 3800sc, finish it. 240hp stock is better than 185hp stock on the 3400. You've already got a power adder, and a computer that's tuned for it. Then all you gotta do is mod it and you go beyond 240 instead of trying to get to 240.

You didn't vote for which valve cover color!!

JeffD · Post by **JeffD** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 3:52 pm

yeah, i know but for me cost IS an issue, i gotta get ready for college and i need good gas milage and decent power. I can't take the time to tear out my wiring harness and put it a new one. might as well do a 3400 top end swap to keep my OBDI wiring harness.

i wouldn't stray to far from the color that you want to paint the UIM. i would just paint it black, the valve cover isn't the greatest looking piece of aluminum.

IsaacHayes · Post by **IsaacHayes** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 5:25 pm

So how far are you in the process of the swap? Have you not done anything to your car yet? Do you have an engine sitting there. Or is it just plans...? You need a second car if you do any thing serious to the beretta as it will take time. The 3800SC gets decent mileage. Sounds like you don't have the time or resources to do the swap at this time like me. Do a 3400 swap or top end for a little extra power but nothing phenomial should tide you over until later. I'm just doing intake swap as you know, not heads as the cost with everything would be close to a whole 3400 motor...

I agree, the gen3 cover doesn't look as nice as the gen2 which looks more like a SBC classic cover. I think I'll try to polish it, if that's too hard and taking too long (since I don't have a spare, I'll be doing it when I take the car apart), I'll paint it.

So I'm thinking polished, then if I don't like that I'll take off the front cover, paint it orange. If I don't like that, then it goes black. It's not that hard to take off the front cover, so I think this is the best way to approach it.

Hawes · Post by **Hawes** » Wed May 03, 2006 9:41 am

Black. Looks stock, and mean.

IsaacHayes · Post by **IsaacHayes** » Wed May 03, 2006 2:06 pm

You know it will probably end up black. I couldn't find the shade of orange I wanted. Either chevy red-orange or yellow is all they had. I guess I could get some regular spray paint, but not sure if that would hold up. I'll still try to polish it, maybe even a shiny brushed finish. But I'm sure it will end up black...

I got the semi-gloss black. I was going to go for low-gloss, but didn't want it flat black, and wasnt sure how low of a gloss low gloss was... I didn't get high gloss as it wouldn't look right on the rough cast aluminum manifold. So semi should be a nice inbetween (unless low is more of an inbetween)... argh.. The semi was sold out of the most, so hopefully it will look good.

I'm going to paint the plenum, LIM, TB, and TB adapter black. And probably the valve cover...

Asylum · Post by **Asylum** » Thu May 04, 2006 9:37 am

Use a 2.8/3.1 valve cover.
And polish it up all purdy.

You'll just have to use the breather hole to put oil in, but it will look 100% better than that dumb 3400 one

IsaacHayes · Post by **IsaacHayes** » Thu May 04, 2006 2:40 pm

Does the gen2 cover fit gen3 lower intakes and heads?

IsaacHayes · Post by **IsaacHayes** » Wed May 10, 2006 4:01 pm

Update: Scored a 3500 plenum for $90 shipped total.
Scratch the gen2 cover idea, not postive it will clear with the stock ratio rockers, and not sure it will clear the coolant pipe. Not worth the trouble. I'll still try to polish it, but I don't have a polishing wheel so likely it'll get spray painted. (it is a smooth cast though, and would polish nicely).

Working on getting the 3400 LIM, then it's just a matter of Well and I have to get some EGR stuff from a 3.1L, and some vacuum tube, bolts, stuff like that.

wht96 · Post by **wht96** » Fri May 12, 2006 8:47 am

dont polish, keep it black. im a sbc guy and chrome, and polished anything is getting old. i think the clean sneakey. look is in. clean not over dramatic. unless of course you already have an orange theme going on under the hood in wich case orange kicks A** as well. Your auto parts store doesnt carry hugger orange... whats the world coming too

IsaacHayes · Post by **IsaacHayes** » Fri May 12, 2006 1:57 pm

The orange just looked good on screen, and would help others take notice and look in my engine bay then realize something's different (intake manifold). Ya they didn't have hugger orange. They did have daytona yellow and grabber green though.

I do like the clean look too. That's why with it all black, and a nice chevrolet logo on there will look like something that came from the factory. Like a corvette engine cover type thing. Small details = handsome.

IsaacHayes · Post by **IsaacHayes** » Mon May 15, 2006 11:24 pm

Plenum came in. Came with all the accesories!! IAC valve(big sucker), EGR, Eletronic TB(65mm huge bore), and the MAP sensor, which I will keep and use so I don't have to mount my stock one somewhere, and then run a tube from it. Directly on the manifold is best, and the new one is small and comes mounted. I just got to get a different connector end on my harness.

I'll sell off the rest of the stuff I don't need. I know the EGR should work for 2000+ motors. I may be able to reduce the cost of this manifold to way less than 90 this way, so this is a great deal!!! The manifold even came with the extra vacuum port/tube by the alternator, so I can just plug back in my cruise with no extra work. I just realized I haven't gotten a 3400 lower ordered. I'll do that first thing tommorow.

Going downstairs now to sort through some some U-bin LuxeonIII's and pick the one with the highest lumens. (my other hobby).

IsaacHayes · Post by **IsaacHayes** » Tue May 23, 2006 8:07 pm

3400 Lower came in. It's got the threaded line for the coolant pipe (see my other thread). Just got to grind it for clearance with the rockers.

Went to the junkyard and sawed off a 3.1L mpfi EGR tube and base mount. Gotta bore out a bolt hole, get the right bolts, and eventually weld it to my stock EGR tube. Hopefully I can un-screw my stock one to take it out to get it welded. Putting a wrench in there with no room or leverge will suck!!! Maybe I can put a ball-peen hammer and tap the wrench until it breaks free??

Also got a 3500 style MAP pig tail connector. Just need bolts and gaskets for everything now and parts will be done.

Got a NASTY flat leaving the junkyard parking lot (if you can call it that). Sounded like a rock in the tread, but right as I pulled into a mechanic's shop I know close by, PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSST. Thank god I was there and not back on the highway as it would of been bad, not to mention the spare is probably flat again, and the stock jack is a joke as where it goes into the pinch metal it bends and folds over every time and shoots out from the car. Worthless POS.

Jacked it up and took out a weird looking metal thing, it was like a metal tube with a flared/flat end on it. It worked it's way deep enough into the tire that when it punctured it let all the air out like a big straw. If I would of had a place to pull over after leaving the junkyard, removing it before it got deper might of saved me.

I pluged the tire with 2 tire plugs coated with tire cement. It held. First I used one but it had a small leak at 45psi, so I put in another one. The reamer tool was still tight so I guess the hole wasnt super big, but still required 2 plugs. This was on my good tire too. I drove home on the highway.

Do you think if the plugs holds pressure, I'm fine? I've plugged lots of my tires before (got 2 in other tires right now) but never one with 2 plugs in one hole... I don't see it coming out all of a sudden as it's sticky and has that cement stuff on it.

I ended up making $25 at the place I pulled into to help out the autobody guy since he broke his hand when he hit a deer on his harley. Helped him figure out why a door panel wouldn't fit back on, and replaced a door handle on a sebring without taking out the window which has a million adjustment bolts. (his cast made it impossible to get his hand in there). Could of made more but he's going to spray my roof (spot where clear is cracking) and blend my quarter panel in (to match my replaced door) for free. I just got to prep it and bring him the paint.

Not counting gas, time, or a flat tire, the trip to the junkyard made me $15 and parts I needed.

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