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Finally started work on the car

3K views 38 replies 17 participants last post by  TeCKis300 
#1 ·
Alright guys and gals, after a couple years of searching and going through countless posts, I finally figured out what I was gonna do with the car. I doing the GTE shortblock and w58 transmission. Now I know this is nothing new and exciting but maybe it will help some people out. I luckily found a 98 GTE block from a local performance shop. It was used with about 5k miles on it.

I was gonna pull my engine separate from the transmission cause I wasn't planning on swapping the tranny yet. Let me just say I have alot of respect for you people who pulled just the engine or just the trans. Needless to say I gave up and pulled them together.



This is my first engine I have pulled and will be swapping so I am no expert. I am going to automotive school so I have a pretty good idea of things. So far I would not say this has been that hard of a project. As always having the right tools is one of the keys. The hardest parts so far have been the getting out the crankshaft bolt and loosening the head bolts. Those were on there tight as can be. Oh and finding out that I couldn't pull the engine separate:blush: I have been working on this for almost a month now at a slow pace cause I do not have much time with school and work and I want to make sure I do it right. As of now I have my old block basically stripped and am ready to start swapping parts over to the new.
All thats left on old motor.

Head

clutch pack, pulleys, and a few other parts.

I still have to find some parts to finish, not to mention a turbo kit. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask. I would like to try and make this informative as I had some blank spots in my research. So as I go along putting it back together I will try and update what parts I needed and so on. Also I know I'm going to have some questions as well. For instance, one of the dowels is missing on the GTE block that is used to line up the head. Is this a problem or does it really matter? Thanks in advance for any answers.
 
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#2 ·
Looks like a fun project. Mine took me 4 months to complete :)
But then again I did a full GTE VVTi swap, not just a bottom end.

Anyways, the dowels are you talking about the 2 metal stopper things that holds the headgasket in place and lines up the head to block? Your stock GE motor should have 2 in there unless you lost it. Either way, I think you're fine if you assemble the motor on a engine stand. Put a few headstuds in first(assuming you are using ARP 2 piece nut/stud headstuds) and slide the head down and you will be good to go. The metal stopper things are useful for lining everything up when putting the head on first without any headstuds. It's a necessary piece when putting the engine head on with the block still in the car. I don't think it's possible to put the head on a engine that's in the engine bay with headstuds installed because the head will most likely hit the firewall.
 
#3 ·
Ya it's been alot of fun so far. Ya they just line up headgasket and head with the block but I wan't sure if they had any other use. I have 2 in my GE block but I don't think they are coming out. I tried to pull them out while trying not to mess them up but neither one would move at all. So I guess I'll just be putting a couple headstuds in to line things up. Thanks for the reply.
 
#6 ·
Hey..........MAN air freshener!!!!!
 
#10 ·
Do you guys know any good injectors to get that are drop in? I looking for ones that require the least modification. I need at least 600cc. After searching I read a couple posts that say the 89-91 turbo rx7 and the Skyline R32 rb20DET injectors are straight drop in and have the same plug but can anyone confirm that? Thanks
 
#11 ·
Just a little update. Got the head on the GTE block and am waiting for some o-rings and gaskets to come in before I can put together the rest of the motor. Everything has fit together perfect so far.
Block and head cleaned ready to go together


together as one


Also just picked this up

And just for a little comparison between the two blocks. The bolt on the left is the GE bolt from the VVT-i oil line on the block and on right is GTE bolt for the VVT-i oil line. I'm guessing on the GTE block it is used as the oil feed for the turbos?

 
#13 ·
Very motivating......Makes me wanna rip er out & start wrenching!!
 
#14 ·
So I just got my trans today. Its kinda funny how small the w58 is. I came home and it was sitting on my porch like any other regular package.
This is with the w58 with the w55 bell housing. It didnt come with a bell housing.

The w58 also had some damage to the tail shaft. Oh well I got to swap it anyway.

Since it had the damage and missing the bell housing I got it for very cheap. So I figure its worth trying until I can afford an R or V. Hopefully I'll get the tail shaft swapped over soon then I can get it all back together. Everything is almost done.
 
#36 ·
Good progress and glad to see someone else take on the DIY adventure.

Just a comment on this tranny...I'm worried you got a pre-90s W58. I can't tell for sure from this pic, but the sandwich plate looks like an alloy one. If that's the case, it is WEAKER than you original W55. The color of the W58 sandwich plate should be the same rusty steel color as the W55.
 
#15 ·
I hope you checked if the head is straight and nice a flat. That head looks like it have a very rough surface for the gasket, what did you use to clean it?

When you drop the headgasket in make sure you use some Permatex copper sealer to ensure the a good surface. The copper spray will fill in any minor imperfections.

Lastly, if it was me I would have ripped that whole motor into pieces, measure and mic everything out. Just because a motor is nearly new and have low mileage does not mean it is perfect and ready to go. You already have everything to that point some micrometer and time does not hurt. I hate to see all that go together and have something as minor as a bearing failure kill the entire motor.
 
#17 ·
I used a gasket scraper. I made sure it was smooth and clean before I put it back together. I had the block checked over thoroughly before I started doing any assembly. Thanks for the concern. I would hate to see something happen to it as well. Very good tips of wisdom.
 
#27 ·
OK I got it to work out. Our driveshaft slides right on. I'm not to the point that I would pay to have it installed yet. I mean, this is what I'm going to school for and what I want to do. It has caused me some headaches and frustration, but if you just take a step back and do something else for a little while you can continue right on. Not to mention I have learned alot and has made me feel pretty good. I just put the motor back in partly. Tomorrow its going all the way back in once I fill up the tranny.

This is how you torque the crank pulley bolt.

And a little peek into what the finished motor is going to look like.
 
#33 ·
Not much. I go to school in the morning then work in the afternoon during the week. So on a good day I might get 3-5 hours. At least I have the weekends for now while work is slow. I didnt mind not driving it about a month ago when the weather was still crappy but now its getting nice and I'm getting the urge. So it needs to get done.
 
#35 ·
wow I admire your courage and skill. Looks really good so far.
 
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