Spent some more money!

105# should be more than adequate for my application.

I am only going to remove the gear initially. I think you need to engine out to remove the shaft and plug the galleys. If I rebuild the engine I will remove the shaft and do the proper work at that time.

Going with a milled cover.

Thought about the waterpump. Were you the one who had the write up? How about underdrive pulleys. Anyone make them or can the GTP underdrive pulleys be used?

i know zzp has an alternator underdrive pulley. and i think someone makes a power steering underdrive pulley too.

I have a waterpump underdrive pulley. You just have to shave a little material off the torque axis braket for it to fit..

Alternator underdrive sounds like a bad idea, imo. If anything, you need a little more voltage/current during WOT.

Yes.. I did a little research and work to get that WP on. Fits great and works well also.

I'd probably stray from an underdrive pulley for personal reasons. I want that puppy to flow as much as possible to keep the engine cool. That's me though, many others have proven the underdrive will work well.

So I am dropping off my car tomorrow. Cam and IC are going in/on. It's too cold and I don't have the space to do it myself and I have a lot of faith in the guy... it's Paul from PRJ Performance (think wires, fuel rails, cams, etc...). The IC will be blocked off for now so we can find/fabricate a heat exchanger/radiator. The pump haden't arrived yet so we'll do it all at once next weekend.

I'm excited to feel the difference. It should be much more apparant when I get the IC functioning and go to the 2.8 pulley.

I've already got to the max hp for the stock tranny (reliability) so I have already made plans for the tranny upgrade. I've even started to think about removing some lbs from the car too. Don't want to go too far but I'm starting to get addicted to this "speed" thing...

I should be with the car throughout the process so I'll take as many photos I can- hopefully enough to put together or add to a writeup!

SWEET
i cant wait till you get that thing on the drag strip, and i'm sure you're anxious too.

hooray for mods!

I used this write up when doing my cam: http://www.mccgp.com/upgrades.php
I didn't feel the riv was different enough that someone confident in their abilities enough to attempt the swap wouldn't know how to get around them. I've recorded the differences in some post somewhere, most notably the fact he has the wrong LIM gasket p/n. Insert aluminum LIM gasket number here. Also, I'll have to check, but I think the manual just states to clean/reuse the rocker bolts.

Let me just say this: remove the engine. I thought I was pretty clever "saving time" and going through the wheel well. Never again. It's not as easy as on a w-body.

Quote :

i cant wait till you get that thing on the drag strip, and i'm sure you're anxious too.

I've already started to price drag wheels and slicks/drag radials.

Jason,

I would love doing the work myself and feel I have the know how, but I'm letting a seasoned 3800 guy step in. thankfully Paul can put up with my never ending questions and my desire to step in. Paul has the resources to remove the engine if needed and he has worked on a few Rivs even tho his speciality is the GTP.

COOL DUDE

So you'll be the first with an intercooler here right? I'm jealous! I can't wait to see the numbers.. You're running out of mods brother man

Pics please as time permits.

Bert

Don't think I'll run out of mods yet. Still have underdrive pulleys, electric waterpump, heads, bottom rebuild (overbore and machining for better oil flow), fully adjustable coil overs, poly motor/trans mounts (which I have started to cast!!!), NO2 and possibly water/alcohol injection. I want ot replace my steering rack with an aftermarket (Mustang II?) for quicker steering response and find out if the 13" big brake upgrade for the F-body will fit on the front of the Riv.

THEN... the diet starts.. removing the seats and replacing with lighter seats (recutting the foam on the rear bench to better match the new fronts), removing as much smog and emmissions crap I can, removing anything that is not necessary from engine bay and underneath car. Probably pull the original sound deadening and replace with better and lighter aviation grade material. I have even seen some people cut away at the braces inside the door to remove a lot of weight but I don't think I'll get that far. I'll have to think about removing what'ss underneath the bumper skins too.

Still have a lot of work to do... don't forget paint and interior...

congrats on the work starting Eric! PRJ is a fine place to have your 3800 work done, no worries there... Good choice!

Damn dude I'm jealous. Goodluck with everything. Please take pics!!

hey Eric go ahead man-there's no stopping a? 400HP is what we want to see! You go ahead.

Unfortunately the machine shop was busy until the first of April so they coudn't get to my LIM. I went ahead and ordered (and received)everything (IC pump, heat exchanger, 2.8" pulley, fuel injectors, plumbing, etc...) so I can do everything at once. Also decided to have the tranny rebuilt while I wait for the machine shop. Car is getting dropped off tomorrow for transmission- hardened input shaft, single chain with 3.29 gears, etc...http://tripleedgeperformance.com. I have heard nothing but good things about these guys. Monday everything else goes in. It did allow me to cast engine/motor mounts during the down time as well. They came out great and I will let everyone know what kind of effect it has on the car. I also pulled the rear suspension off of a parts car to modify with poly bushings and adjustable rear torque arms. Be prepared for lots and lots of pix!

wow Eric-so you left nothing factory in the car a?

I love how some guys do nothing but bitch about the Riv, and others roll up their sleeves and build a bad ass car!

Jack the R wrote:

I love how some guys do nothing but bitch about the Riv, and others roll up their sleeves and build a bad ass car!

i havent seen anyone biotch about a riv except some dumbass that hates upon carroll shelby.......

Update-

Transmission is in and I had a nice long 200mi breakin drive with it. I really, really liked the 3.29 on the highway even though the rpms were about 700-800 faster. Much, much easier to pick up speed without dropping down a gear. I wish I would have kept track of gas mileage to see how much it suffers- but then again that's the least of my concerns.

One thing I will have to get used to is the earlier 1st gear shift (mph not rpm). Also, on the way home it seemed like I was passing people faster than usual (I was doing 85mph). I usually drive a little slower so I might not be used to it but need to check that the speedo was reset for the taller gears. Like I said, it’s probably my perception because I usually drive a little slower.

Car is going back in for IC, cam, and 2.8 pulley (machining delayed the first install) so I will stiffen up shift points at that time although what they are set to now works very well.

I am very impressed with Dave at Triple Edge Performance (www.tripleedgeperformance.com) and strongly recommed him for tranny work. I have had several transmission rebuilds on my previous cars by other shops and have always been dissapointed in the rebuild for one reason or another. My Riv means more to me than any of those so my expectations were set very, very high and he surpassed them all. The guy knows his stuff and is more than willing to share his knowledge.

Hopefully the next update will be a performance review of everything installed including dyno results! Photos should be up tomorrow of the tranny rebuild.

PS; Dave did mention the Riv is a PITA to work on compared to the Grand Prix. I have heard this from other 3800 pro's too. Probably why we don't see a lot of support for our cars.

Interesting, I find the Riv much easier to work on than the W bodies. Same parts, more room.

I have been tracking gas milage since the day I bought my Riv and you'll be happy to hear that I didn't see any change in milage at all since the 3.29s went in back in January. Very Very happy with my new transmission, glad you are too!

how early is the first gear shift? stock is 11mph, any lower and you're not even using it
keep us updated on the I/C and cam install. always nice to hear mods working like they should.

Well, under normal driving it's fine adn you don't notice it. WOT (or even spirited driving)shift is 10mph+/- quicker it seems. Around 48-50ish I think.

i can't wait for a video of your new mods