there is always the GMWbody.com forum for your non-TGP W-body fix  :icon_biggrin:

the new owner of the domain (i sold it last week) has made ALOT of improvements.  for awhile there no one could join because of the spam issue but the new owner of the site fixed all of that and has already made MANY improvements since he took over last week.  AND it always works :icon_biggrin: unlike w-body.com

it's hard to read w-body.com for me anymore because there are soooo many posts.  i think it's time for a 2nd w-body related forum to help spread the load but that's just my opinion.  hopefully it doesn't come down to a competition of sorts :icon_neutral: and both sites can work together without anyone from w-body.com getting offended by gmwbody.com trying to recruit members.

crap down again "The browser could not find the host server for the provided address".

it's starting to seem like it won't work for me from midnight until noon, but will work from noon to midnight.

yeah it's doing the same thing to me too again.

well it's working again now!  thanks!

i can no longer access the forum.  i could for awhile today but now it won't "can't find server" or some BS.  was i banned or something?

i think it only costs me $15 to resurface a flywheel here.

yeah, this guy that bought the SPEC clutch (and my old Cutlass) had barely enough for the clutch.  i also gave him a spare complete LG5 longblock with the car and hopefully he will build that up soon.  lately he has actually been fixing stuff on the car.  at first he seemed to be abusing the shit out of it but it's still truckin' at ~270k miles!

wow, i seen this clutch today and it is NICE.  i think he got it from TWE performance or something like that for $340.

i seen my old Turbo 5-speed Cutty today.  the rear tires (which were on the front lol) are COMPLETLEY bald.  and i mean completely smooth all the way across!  haha.  kinda wonder why the clutch went out in one year but then again it was making crazy torque way down low.

the 3400 'LA1' also has a better oiling, more displacement of course, and a roller cam as killinprixs mentioned.  the downside it there really aren't any aftermarket cams available (as far as i know) but i'm thinking the stock 'LA1' cam would be just fine anyway.  i don't think there is any difference between the 3.1 MPFI naturally aspirated 'LH0' cam and the 3.1 MPFI 'LG5' cam.  another downside (IMHO) is that the TGP 'LG5' engine just looks way cooler!  if you could, try to get a plenum from a Ventura van - i don't think they say "3400 SFI" on the top.  but they still don't look as cool and obviously don't look original at all when you pop the hood.

i have seen pics of ground down TGP exhaust manifolds on the 3x00 heads.  they seemed to work (with LOTS of grinding to match to port shape) BUT their isn't much "meat" left for sealing so i thought it was a bad idea.  those pics scared me away from the idea; especially considering the heat and pressure associated with being turbo'd.  i would rather use an early log style 3100 'L82' rear exhaust manifold and block off the downpipe or cut it off and weld it shut.  as a side note however, i haven't tried any of this myself so take it for what it is!.  lots of good info can be found on the J-body forums though.  i just don't want to give you the impression i actually know what i'm talking about with experience to back it up.  i've only read ALOT about this stuff from other people who have done it.

the T25/T28 hybrid might not be very efficient.  i *think* you would have to machine the stock compressor housing to fit the T28 compressor wheel which can lend itself to excessive heat.  but i could be way off :)  i would rather go with something like a GT2871R (with a the biggest turbine available) if you are set on keeping it simple with the T25 flange.  but if you can weld and fabricate, go 3400!  the 3.1 MPFI engines are kind of like the old TPI 'L98'- ALL low end and that was it.  whereas the '90s 'LT1' 350ci had great midrange more like the 3400 'LA1'.  you could also go really wild and go with a 3500/3900, but then their are more hurdles such as drive-by-wire throttle so something would need to be done about the throttle body and cable.  some people have even turbo'd the 3.4L DOHC 'LQ1' engine, like timg (local guy, have seen and ridden in this car in person and it was CRAZY!).  i just don't like the 'LQ1' engine.  bad design IMO and difficult to work on.  GM didn't get the DOHC V6 right until the newer 3.6L IMO.

considering the price of a low-mile used 3400 and that you said you can weld and do custom exhaust work, i would go 3400 and get a Turbonetics T3/T04E.  get some larger injectors and learn to tune or buy a chip from someone with a similar setup and tweak it for your car.  add a 5-speed Getrag 282 if you want, or build up the 4T60.  you could also use a newer 4T65E-HD but i think you would need an expensive piggyback controller to run the 65E.

the thing about the T3 upgrade is the rest of the bottlenecks you'll have.  namely the plenum and LIM with their long skinny intake runners, heads, and the exhaust manifolds.  you might just consider dropping a 3400 in there and turbocharging that.  a used/low mile 3400 can be had CHEAP and forged pistons are already available if you wanted to build it up.  the 3400 can actually breath and won't fall on its face above 4000 RPM.  you could run it on you current TGP wiring harness and ECM/chip with some tuning and injectors.  obviously it wouldn't be SFI anymore, but it would work really well.  lots of people on the J-body forum are doing that with great success.  the big problem (for me at least) is fabricating and welding a rear exhaust manifold and making a crossover pipe and downpipe.  add a 50-trim T3/T04E with a .63 A/R turbine and that car would scoot with minimal lag.  you could just shelve the original engine for later use.  the Garrett dual ball bearing GT turbos are NICE but $$$$.  a Turbonetics T3/T04E hybrid would be about half the cost of a Garrett DBB GT turbo.

however, the stock turbo can get a TGP into the high 13s.  i think some here have done it.  just depends on how fast you want to go.

the guy that bought my turbocharged 5-speed '91 Cutlass last year had the clutch go out on him.  all i had in there was a Luk RepSet, and with the car dyno'ing 337 ft/lbs it's no wonder it didn't last long.  anyway he bought a SPEC stage-3 clutch.  IMO it's a little overkill but i don't know much about these things and have never had a SPEC clutch anyway.

is this going to be a clutch that is more like an on/off switch?  or the type of clutch that is going to give your left leg a real workout to use?  will it make the car any "easier" to launch?  just curious what he is going to have to expect.  i will be helping him install it next week right after the flywheel is resurfaced.  hopefully it can be resurfaced as i've already had it done twice i think.

i have bought PLENTY of parts from Nordstrom's.  good guys to deal with for sure.  they even have a couple of TGPs engines fwiw.

i used to live about half hour from them.

EDIT: they even have an LG5 on ebay right now...from a maroon TSTE!:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1990-PONTIAC-GRAND-PRIX-ENGINE-MOTOR_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1713Q2em153Q2el1262QQcategoryZ33615QQihZ016QQitemZ260328079906

and you should be able to find one for about $20 at a local j/y :)

awesome, these engines can last a lonnnnnng time when taken care of.

btw, my old Turbo/5-speed '91 Cutlass sedan is still running great!  my friend that bought it last year came over last night and wanted help finding a new clutch.  he's going to get another LUK RepSet for now (which is what it has now) since he's short on cash, but will eventually go with a SPEC when he rebuilds the extra LG5 engine i gave him with the car.  i'm going to be helping him replace the clutch soon.  it will be kind of cool to work on it again.  i believe the Cutlass is up to ~270k miles now.  it's still using the Cutlass's original LH0 engine that was turbocharged with TGP parts at 227k miles.  never been rebuilt either.  as far as internal (shortblock) parts go, all i did was replace the oil pump and timing chain when i turbo'd it.  i've been telling him to join this forum but i don't think he's all that into internet forums.

right on :icon_cool: