and so it begins
 

takin the car apart today to do the hg. wish me luck. sorry for not postin in liek forever. this is ganna be so fun

marc

hey what do u guys think would be good numbers to safely boost at if i use arp head bolts instead of studs. and if i use a graphite gasket intead of a metal one?

thanks
marc

p.s. any1 feel liek commin to salem mass to work on a lovely supra? this thing gets frustrating. im only liek 20 minutes outside boston :)

seeing as ive only gotten 2 solid days to work on it its ocmmin alone great. just got the whole intake manifold and throttle body off today. so now the cams r exposed and juts pretty much needa pull the head. shoudl be done with that part in 2 days. we have a streak of nice weather this week, supopsed to hit 70 tommorow.

piiics
 

well heres sum pics of what ive got done. but ive got a problem. i cant get the turbo heat shield off due to a stripped 12mm nut that is hldin thew back part of it on. any1 know how to tackles this problem, ive been spraying it with wd40 forever and the 12mm just keep slippin off the sides...any advice?

Whoa could you get those pics any smaller? :)

You have a couple of options for your stripped 12mm nut problem. 1 is get a big pair of vice grips (locking plyers) and clamp that mofo on there REALLY tight. Might want to have someone strong clamp it on there for you if you can't. The 2nd option is you can buy a "nut buster", they are like $10 from the parts store and work pretty good, they destroy the nut, but at least you can remove the part and you can always go buy a new nut. I have one right here next to me and if you want I'll post a pic of it.

post away. this little basard is pissing me off lol

Here's what they look like. Ive used it on exhaust nuts before with good results. Use it only as a last ditch effort. Try the vice grips first.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f2...e/DSC00593.jpg

ok will do. ill see tommorow

well the bolt cant be reached w a nut buster, not enoug hroom. my dads bringin me a grinder from work and im just choppin it off.

but on another note, i hear u have to machine the block too to put a mhg in. do i needa pull the block too? or can that be done w the block in the engine bay

With the block still installed in the vehicle, you can lap the block yourself by hand, but the lapping tool is like $400 and you need lapping compound. And you need to remove the dowel pins that are in the block (that help line up the head). And they don't just come out, you need to use a special puller. Plus it takes hours, upon hours to lap the block by hand, you are looking at, at least 12 hours of hand lapping, probably more if the block surface is really bad. Or you can rip the block out, strip it down and send it to a machine shop. Which is alot easier said than done.

Just use a stock replacement head gasket. Trust me, your block sealing surface is not in good enough condition for a metal head gasket. The block surface needs to be in brand new condition as in "straight off the assembly line" condition. The factory head gasket leaves "bite marks" in the block surface that need to be fully removed in order for a metal head gasket to not leak.

You should leave your cam covers on, their placement is crucial to your starting the auto at a later date. It's going to be easier to pull the entire tranny at the same time as the engine. I say easy but the truth is you have some work to do either way.


I lapped my block while still inside the engine bay. Because there's just no need to pull it if you can keep from it. I hope this doesn't bite me in the ass and if it does it'll be a ground zero rebuild.

well i dk, im not pulling the block. couldnt u just liek wet sand, steel wool, any other highhhh grit abrasiv material, it till its pretty much smooth?

That's what a lapping tool does. Its a heavy (like 60lbs) disc about 12 inches in diameter. You use a special lapping compound that acts as an abrasive. You can do this with the block in the car, but it WILL kill your back. And like I said you need to find a way to remove the dowel pins from the block because they will interfere with the lapping tool.

Hello those dowel pins are half the battle I think, lol.

ok well it seems the dowel pins r ganna be the problem, and if u can just wet sand it or use rubbing compound or sumthign to smooth it out y not just do that, i dont think u necceserily need a lapping too. u culd essentially use a disk sander with high grit and sum kind of rubbing compound, im almost 100% sure there ways around this...all i gatta do is take those pins out then.

Your'e almost 100% sure of what???? That your gonna be in the market for a new engine soon, or that you really want to rebuild the entire engine after 5 heat cycles. Because you'll be lucky to get that far if you take a da sander with 80 grit to the block.

I'm sorry but that's simply the most ignorant statement that I have heard in a long time. You can do this by hand if you have to without a lapping tool. You would be better to get a straight 2x4 instead of a powered sander.

Start with 240 grit and a sanding block from the autobody section of your local parts house. Get a feeler gauge and a tool with a machined edge. Use fresh cheap oil as lubricant. Atleast this way you can't screw anything up to the point of having to pull the block.

Whoa calm down there buddy :)

There is an easy way around it. I used a whiz wheel. It's a 90 degree angled die grinder with a whiz wheel attachment. I used the red 3M abrasive disc meant for aluminum (block is harder than aluminum, its cast iron). I just lightly hit the block with it, at light throttle, using circular motions, never staying in the same place for more than 1 second. You can see what it did to my block in my BHG post. I've been beating the shit out of my car for 200 miles so far and its just fine.

I had a lapping tool but no compound, plus I didn't even want to attempt to get the dowel pins out so I just went the easy way. You can say all you want about my method, but it works. My block actually looked better than ddmcse's did after he lapped it by hand. Thats not what I said, He said it after looking at my block in person.

and dude, b4 u try to call statements ignorant..maybe u shuld read what i had actually posted. i said use a high grit sand paper dude. 80 is not high grit. im talkin high enough that u wuld not feel uncomfortable wiping ur ass with it. 80 grit wuld do sum damage to ur butt hole.

I'm going to apologize to the both of you.

I'm passionate about all things auto. I get carried away.
So I apologize for funking up this thread.

yea i understand man it was just a thought tho lol. not nessecrily what i was ganan do. i was plannin on doin it by hand. and it is wat im ganan do. lol and im not doin this lal by myself ive got my dad if i need him, thats only if i need him. ive planned everythign up to here, and have doen all the work myself up tho this point. soo we will see in a feew weeks whats ganan happen. i can have the head machined and shit for free so that end is no problem

ok guys just got the head off and hg pulled, ganna do sum more tommorow to the block.

shuld i go studs, or bolts....the engine is stayin in the car, so if it is incredibly hard to do studs w the engine in the car ill just go w bolts...but i need other opinions.

If you use studs, the last 4 (2 on each side) closest to the firewall have to be installed after the head is on. No big deal.

Unless you are planning on running more than 14psi with a bigger turbo, ARP bolts will be fine.

it wont be hard to do studs when the head is on tho?

k, ordered the studs last night, and while i was at it a 3 inch aftermarket turbo elbow to mate with my 3inch megan dp :) :). im planning on shimming the waste gat atleast 4 washers while im doin all this, the supra shuld be bosting a decent amount of power after i finish my hg swap...i cannnot Fckin wait

The ARP studs have an allen head hole in the top of them and the stud kit will come with the correct size allen wrench. You use that to install them. But do NOT torque the studs. The studs only go in hand tight and you torque the nuts to 70ft/lbs or higher.

ok, thank you very much.

if i opt. not to do a metal head gasket, how much boost do u think an original headgasket..graphite maybe, will hold. or how much hp will be safe to run it thru with the use of head studs?

A stock head gasket (new) with ARP bolts, has been proven to withstand 14psi all day.

Head studs are meant for full race applications. It's more about the quality of the head gasket install (head and block machine work, etc.) than what hardware you use. ARP head studs are the best in the world, there's nothing better.

alright dude. I found this out the scenic way.
Your arp washers have to be installed after setting the head onto the HG.
Because if you set it on the studs and try to install them....., there is no clearance for washers.

So even after dropping the head you still have to remove what studs you have installed to place the washers.

You don't need any studs in the block. The placement pins will catch the head and line it up.

So..., then you install the washers. Now you won't have room to place the nuts on the studs so you thread them and then drop them through the washers. Then hand tighten them with your allen wrench. My studs didn't come with the allen wrench but I have plenty so no big deal.

After you have the studs "finger" tight. Use your deep welled 14mm socket and an extention and tighten the nuts to finger tight. No wratchet. Do it by hand.

Now you are ready for the torque wrench. Follow the bolt pattern in your tsrm. Everyone says to do it in 3 stages of torquing. I did mine in 5 stages and went to 85lbs. ARP says to go to 80 lbs.

Whatever you do..., DO NOT FORGET TO USE THE MOLLY. On the tops and bottom of the studs. A little bit of molly goes a long way.

You will find that the #10 stud is tight even after rotating the cam to the flat spot. If your socket hangs up...., remove the wratchet and wiggle the socket with the extention attached, and they will come loose.

I just did mine over the weekend. This is the easiest way IMO. Take your time. Don't rush the torquing process. I also kept my allen wrench and moved it one spot behind me as I moved forward. Because if you have to leave it for some reason or look up for too long. You'll be lost.

Don't stop torquing half way through a cycle. After all 14 are tight..., take a break. Give them a few minutes to acclimate, smoke a joint or wack off, whatever floats your boat and then go back and repeat the process.

Kidding about the joint and slapping the ham there. lol.

These are just opinions and there is a reason they are free.

I also have a top line head gasket that is brand new that I didn't use. Its' thickness is 0.76

If you would like it..., make me an offer, and you cover shipping.

Very well put supramacist!

Even with ARP bolts, the cams have to be just right to fit the socket in there.

*Sniff* *Sniff* I smell weed.....LOL

Funny shit man.

Ok back on topic.......

Man, you can do as you like..., but I went and bought a fat tube of crc brand molly. It was right at 4 bucks. Lube everything as you put it together.

Cuz if your rides like mine..., I'll be working on it again.

Oh..., and Thanks Double H. I do what I can when I can do it.

k well, i had my head inspected, and it does not need ot be machined, just having the gasket material taken off and smoothed. the block im ganna do myself.

whiel my turbo is pulledi ordered a 3inch turbo elbow, it came today..o soo polished and big. it looks so nice. i cleaned up my turbo too. and shimmed the wastegate 4 washers. i want ot know how much horses i will be puttin out with the 3 inch elbow, 3 inch down pipe, k&n intake systerm, and the shimmed w.g.

I believe you get 4 to 5 hp from shimming the waiste gate but again that is all hear say.

Going to 3 inch exhaust all the way around will give you some nice top end. It shouldn't mess with your lower end torque too much sinse you're a GTE.

I would guess the exhaust swap would give you an additional 10 hp. But I am sure someone will correct me sinse I am ball park guessing. I think those are pretty safe or "close" estimates.

needs to be pulled out, check for tolerance, warpages etc.. don't want to go that far and something go wrong after all your hard work!! good luck:)

what does, the head? i said the head has already been checked by a mechanic, just needs to have the gasket material taken off..the mating surfaces look better than brand new and are in excellent condition. just need ot remove the gasket material and ill be throwin the mhg in soon

i thought shimming the wastegate made the stock turbo boost more..a couple psi i thought

You said the mating surfaces are "better than brand new" yet you still have to get the gasket material off the block?

My friend, you have alot of work to do. How, may I ask, were you planning on removing the gasket material from the block surface?

Can you post a pic of your block surface?

A full 3" exhaust with no cats, including replacing or gutting the turbo elbow will net you 30whp on a turbo MK3.

Depending on what mods you have done, you can gain anywhere from 6-10hp per psi of boost you run, but you can't just keep uping the boost and expecting 10hp per psi with out the proper supporting mods like fuel pump, injectors, exhaust, etc.

You can't just slap on a metal head gasket with out AT LEAST hand lapping the block. Even then, you are rolling the dice. Only way I would put a metal head gasket on my supra is if I sent the block to a machine shop. Trust me, ddmcse told me ALL about how he thought he did a good job hand lapping and ended up doing the head gasket all over again.

But if you are hell bent on using a metal head gasket without machining the block, then I guess nothing we say can stop you.

Man that's harsh'n.

no like, the condition of the head and block r very nice..u can still see the marks where it was machined from the factory..no gouges, cracks, warpage..ill hand lap it...very well too