What's new
By:
TurboTransAm.com

Register today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

Repairs Started

TTA984

TTA984

Gold Member
My engine problem was a cracked piston. The engine is fine except for the one cylinder, #4 cylinder. Compression was very good in the other 5 cylinders. The shop is taking the engine out of the car to do the repair, much easier to work on it out of car. Who know the early history of #984, the majority of the miles were put on the car in the first 4 or 5 years in new jersey.

As far as the heads go , I am just keeping my stock heads and have the valves reworked and not getting them ported.

I have a extra set of TTA heads that are ported that I would sell. They are not ported by Champion but by someone else. These heads have the original TTA castings.

By taking the engine out of the car, if they find something else that is bad or needs replacing, it would be easier.

I hope to have it done in a few weeks from now,
By the way the guy working on the car has a TTA also.:drool:
 
why would you not use the ported heads since you have to pull the engine anyway? Who ported the heads and what else do they need? How many miles? How much for the heads?
 
robert lee said:
why would you not use the ported heads since you have to pull the engine anyway? Who ported the heads and what else do they need? How many miles? How much for the heads?
Click to expand...


Well Robert, I bought these heads a few months ago and I did not know they were ported. I took them to Champion and they said they were already ported, but not by them. They took the valves and springs off them and cleaned everything really good, they have no cracks or any thing like that. They possibly have bigger valves and they valves and springs would have to be reinstalled. The people at Champion said they were probably used on another turbo-buick motor other than a TTA. Possibly ported in Kentucky.
I will sell them for what I have in them and that is $300. The combustion area of the heads require some kind of o ring, that Champion pointed out to me. But they could still be used on a TTA since they are original TTA heads with the rare casting #.

I will try to post some pictures if anyone is interested.
 
Last edited:
robert lee said:
why would you not use the ported heads since you have to pull the engine anyway?
Click to expand...

Because of the work an O-ringed block needs done...Not worth it at what I *think* he has in mind for the car.


Also, If it were my engine...and I cracked a piston...I would certainly have #4's rod bearing checked and of course the middle 2 main bearings too.


I take it you have found a replacement piston??


...
 
WS6 said:
Because of the work an O-ringed block needs done...Not worth it at what I *think* he has in mind for the car.


Also, If it were my engine...and I cracked a piston...I would certainly have #4's rod bearing checked and of course the middle 2 main bearings too.


I take it you have found a replacement piston??


...
Click to expand...


Thanks for the tips. The man working on the car is a GM World Class Tech. I am sure he will find anything else that is wrong. No, he is in the process of taking the engine out of the car. And he said he would check on a piston.

Are the original pistons hard to find?
 
TTA984 said:
Are the original pistons hard to find?
Click to expand...

I don't know how rare they are, I mean lots of people probably save the original "take outs" when they put forged pistons in....Like I did.

I see them from time to time come up for sale, and I'd sell mine if you can't find one.
 
Here are some pics of the ported heads I have, notice the groove in the combustion chambers where somekind of a metal 0-ring or wire goes into. I am thinking these were expermental heads for a Turbo Regal, maybe back in the 90's when they found out these heads had a better flow with the TTA.
 
Last edited:
TTA984 said:
Here are some pics of the ported heads I have, notice the groove in the compustion chambers where somekind of a metal 0-ring or wire goes into. I am thinking these were expermental heads for a Turbo Regal, maybe back in the 90's when they found out these heads had a better flow with the TTA.
Click to expand...

I'm not so sure about any experimental head . But more than likely it was for use with a copper headgasket and the block will have a matching receiver groove machined into it.

Nothing experimental about that, it's been done forever.

Unless your you're clawing your way down into the 10's I see no use for these heads. In fact, if you are seriously going to go that fast,reliably, then you would use a ported GN iron head or aluminum GN head.
 
WS6 said:
I'm not so sure about any experimental head . But more than likely it was for use with a copper headgasket and the block will have a matching receiver groove machined into it.

Nothing experimental about that, it's been done forever.

Unless your you're clawing your way down into the 10's I see no use for these heads. In fact, if you are seriously going to go that fast,reliably, then you would use a ported GN iron head or aluminum GN head.
Click to expand...


It makes sense to me, I didn't want to use them with my stock block. Maybe someone will have a use for them.

I am using a TA49 turbo and 60# injectors that are match flowed ,along with a turbo-tweak adj chip. Also I am going to add a Walbron 340 fuel pump with a hot wire. It should run pretty decent with this setup, and I may add alky later.
 
TTA984 said:
It makes sense to me, I didn't want to use them with my stock block. Maybe someone will have a use for them.

I am using a TA49 turbo and 60# injectors that are match flowed ,along with a turbo-tweak adj chip. Also I am going to add a Walbron 340 fuel pump with a hot wire. It should run pretty decent with this setup, and I may add alky later.
Click to expand...


Also notice the Epoxy in the Intake Ports. Looks like it has held up well.
 
TTA984 said:
It should run pretty decent with this setup, and I may add alky later.
Click to expand...


It's my mildly experienced opinion that running without alky or race gas,you're best not to exceed 16-18 psi of boost...on today's pump 93 gas.
 
WS6 said:
It's my mildly experienced opinion that running without alky or race gas,you're best not to exceed 16-18 psi of boost...on today's pump 93 gas.
Click to expand...


I was talking to a engine builder a few days ago, and he told me todays gas is not good for our engines. He said it is highly recomended to use alky with our turbobuick engines.
 
Update on #984:

It is still in the shop and the engine should be out by now. The guy working on the car is letting me have the heads off his 21k mile car to use, he has champion heads on his TTA.

I will be going with Alky, my mechanic has it on all his turbobuick cars. It will have 60# match flow injectors which I got yesterday from turbotweak. Along with a walbro 340 with a hotwire kit, which should be here in a couple of days.

I finally got my ARP headbolts and washers, it took over 2 weeks to get all them, because the medium sized ones were on backorder.

All this along with the TA49 turbo and a good tune.


Also my mechanic is going to install my Katskin seat covers on the front and rear seats, he installed new covers on his TTA a while back.

It sure is going to be nice to drive my TTA again.:)
 
No, still in the shop. I hope I can get it out soon. The motor should be in the car by now. They replaced all the gaskets as well as
the rear main seal while it was apart. They took the oil pan off and everything looked really good. The shop is putting bigger 60lb injectors and razors alky kit as well as having the heads reworked with new headgaskets. Blown headgaskets was the initial problem. I am also having a walbro 340 with a hotwire kit installed.

I got a complete katskin leather seat cover set that they are also to install.

I will call for an update this week , and hopefully the news will be good.:beach:
 
Called today and the motor is back in the car, it is not completed and running yet.


He has started replacing the seatcovers.

An important tip to replacing leather seat covers. He told me the secret to replacing and getting them on was to let the covers set in the sun for a couple of hours, that way they go on much easier. He said he did that on his TTA and it was much easier.
 
Everything is almost completed on #984

We are waiting on Eric to burn me a new chip to match everthing else that I have done.

The man that did my work has TTA 78. It has the same setup as my car, he said the best 1/4 mile time is 11.3 for his car.

If I can get close to this I would be very pleased.


I ask him if he knew about the renunion and he said he had heard a little about it. He is very busy now with the shop and they are building a new house. He told he to take plenty pictures at the renunion.
 
Last edited:
So what's the run down of mods? What's your turbo convertor combo?

DP?
Tires?
Injectors?
Heads?
Cam?
Boost psi?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top