Aj's CompG build progress thread (car has a new owner!)

[AjL227]

UPDATE 10/3/2015

James now owns this car!

I figured now would be a good time to start a members ride thread as it is completely torn apart downstairs...

I got my 2004 Grand Prix in March of 2007 with 7,xxx miles on the clock.
The vehicle was owned by my grandfather, garage kept and still to this day is garage kept.
The car was mint...

This is the 3rd time the engine/transaxle has been pulled.
1st time, I pulled the trigger on installing a cam/head studs way too early @ 58k miles back in Jan 2011.
2nd time, the stock transaxle started slipping around 80k miles in Sept 2012. I put in a temporary junkyard unit.
3rd time, I shattered the input shaft of the junkyard unit in April 2013, only 6.9k miles later.

I regret not making the trip earlier, but I had dropped off my slipping factory unit to Dave @ TEP on February 18th.
We brought four 4T65's, two of which were to be built and two for core/parts.
I bought a 7/8" chain with 2.93 ratio gears & a 4340 chromoly input shaft off of a friend, the same day prior to the road trip.






Here is the most recent picture of the car, a little over a week before I popped the input shaft.
Ironically I had just put the summer wheel setup back on, go figure.



On Sunday April 7th, the input shaft went bye bye into the converter during a 1-2 shift.

By early morning on April 10th, I had the engine/trans removed.



Inferno front lip that has been waiting to go on since January.





On May 19th, Dave finished up both transmissions and we hit the road.

We brought him an LS4 4T65 out of an burn victim Impala.
We also brought him the temporary unit. Note the input shaft.



Alas, after a long pain staking wait. Here it is. My Triple Edge Performance hunk of sand blasted aluminum. Pretty.



We picked up a new OEM front bumper cover from an old timer out in Indiana. Believe it or not, he had the remnants of a Subaru BRAT in his shop.

Here is a shot of our payload that day loading up outside TEP, what we've come so far for.



As of now, I've finally attained some free time to work on getting it together as I have this entire week off and everyone else's car is done.
Bright and early later on this morning, I'll be hitting the garage for some wrench time. I'm so excited, I can't sleep.

[16MustangVet]

Blasted trans looks great the goals for this summer?

[AjL227]

Proper dyno tune time. X > 350whp w/o N20
X < 12.0's in the 1/4
X > 112 MPH trap speed

[spazzz]

My favorite Comp G out there...... because its' black and because you know what you are doing!!
Are you a mechanic by trade?

[AjL227]

I am. I was a tech at Chrysler back in 2011, and I was a tech at the largest Lexus dealer in the whole midwest from late 2011 to late 2012.
Right now, I've just been working on side projects/for myself because that seems to be the only way to gather $ and not get the **** tax'd out of you.
Illinois sucks.

[TexasTanker19kilo20]

Very nice build.

[AjL227]

Aside from taking my time, going slow and suffering from OCD. I think you'll agree with me that the cradle is clean enough.
Trans was going in a half hour ago, but then I realized I needed more length on the crane when I had it overhead, so I set it back down.
It'll go in later this morning. I don't need to make a tired mistake here.

[spazzz]

Clean...big time.
Be nice to see some Vids when you get it done. Never really see enuf of this car.

[AjL227]

"Do you even lift?"
It took me about 30 minutes to drop it in, nice and carefully lining it up slowly.
I need a camaro/firebird V6 horizontal bolt alternator bracket for my 140 amp alternator going on.
Gathering the last of parts, before I drop the engine in.



.

[Fivefingerdeathpunch]

I lifted once.

[ericspecullaas]

I lifted once.

lift with your legs not your back

[AjL227]

So you may be wondering why this isn't done yet.
A week ago, I changed the water pump on my cousin's '07 L32 GP GT.
While bleeding the coolant, the upper rad hose burst suddenly and burned; luckily just my hands, in 7 different locations.
They all eventually became blisters with the exception of one small section which just burnt the skin off immediately.
I should have gone to the emergency room, but I'm a stubborn mother****er.
I couldn't get to sleep that night without my hands in a bucket of ice water, which had to be flushed every half hour since the ice melted FAST.

When I woke up, I could move around freely but I was essentially crippled as far as my own work.
Life still goes on though, I finished fixing my cousin's car that following day.
Much needed rest over the weekend.
I did another water pump on a 2001 GT Monday.
Tuesday, I threw on 42.5# injectors, 3.2" pulley, and tuned my friend's 2004 intercooled 1.9 rocker'd CompG Tuesday.
Yay for having access inside any 2004 Grand Prix PCM.

Today, it seems like the worst is all over. My hands feel back to themselves, even though they still look atrocious.
I went down to the garage this morning and masked off the engine for re-painting the blower.
It looks real nice and glossy, a few more coats of clear and we'll be done.
I installed the reman'd torque converter. Blue torque converter = race car?
I also touched up the entire wiring harness with electrical tape and loom in the areas needed.
My RockAuto order shipped Tuesday morning, most importantly containing the 2000 Firebird V6 horizontal bolt alternator bracket/tensioner.
I have an ACDelco 140amp alternator upgrade already with the connector, from the junkyard. I just need to solder it into the harness.

I'll post more pictures of the car progress all together as more gets done.
Here is a picture of my hands from today.
Mind you, they feel completely healed at this point. The burnt section on my left hand finger; shown in the picture, literally was a blister larger than the finger itself.

[Fivefingerdeathpunch]

Lovely hands.

[Schmidty]

let me guess... first time smoker??
heres a hint.. next time throw the cig before it gets to your fingers...

[lsxftw]

subscribed

[AjL227]

I wish.
I'd prefer 100 cigarette burns over that eruption.
I'm feeling good, I'll be down in the garage by 9am/10am.
If the alt. bracket arrives tomorrow, I'll have everything to get it running before the weekend.

Sent from my DROID4 using Tapatalk 2

[AjL227]

I haven't posted much.
Blower & VC's repainted.
Engine/trans reunited.
I got my 6 month old axle set warrantied and installed.

Things left to do...
- 140A heater hose fittings!
- Solder 140A alt connector.
- Solder snipped wire in wideband harness
- Grind down 140A alt bracket (one I/C hose path is blocked)
- Bleed brakes
- Install hood/bumper/lip
- Find GXP/SE spoiler
- Paint bumper/lip at some point

This picture is almost 2 weeks old.

[spazzz]

Waiting to here about the track. Whats the tentative completion date?

[AjL227]

Hear about the track?
At this rate it'll be done sometime next year.

[lsxftw]

Hear about the track?
At this rate it'll be done sometime next year.

ah man