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Basic Specifications
Vehicle Color: WhiteEngine Type: 8 Cylinder
Transmission: Manual
Est. Horsepower: 498 HP
Est. Curb Weight: 3,500 lbs.
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Get your forum exposure. Click here and join for FREE!Swap_A_Holic's 1995 Pontiac Trans Am
1995 Trans Am with LT4 spec 383 and rear mounted turbocharger
About this Current Vehicle:
I bought this car in 2000 from a Chevy dealer. I got a good price on it, which surprised me since I don't usually buy from car dealers.
I bought the motor from a wrecked 1995 Z28 and a buddy rebuilt it for me, boring it .030 over and adding an Eagle rotating assembly with a forged crank, rods, and 9:1 CR pistons. A four main bolt conversion was done and LT4 heads and intake were used. The cam is a GM Hot cam, the headers are Mac midlength, and the turbo piping and fabrication is all DIY in my garage. The turbo is a 60-1 and is too small for the application. The car has a front mount intercooler and oil cooler and an electronic boost controller.
When the car was dynoed and tuned, it made 498 HP and 579 TQ at the wheels. Power drops off after 4500 RPM due to the small turbo. Boost maxes out around 14 PSI.
The rest of the driveline consists of a Spec stage 3 carbon clutch, an RPM Bulletproof T56, a Lingenfelter 3.5" driveshaft, and a 3.73:1 geared Moser 12 bolt rear axle.
Suspension mods include KYB shocks/struts and WS6 springs and oversize swaybars.
The wheels are 17" ZR1 replicas, 9.5" wide front and 11" wide rear.
Corvette C5 brakes were swapped onto the front, and later model (98+) F-body brakes on the rear, with Hawk pads.
The car goes and stops quickly.
I lost most of my pics of this car from 2003-2006 due to a computer crash.
As with most of my vehicles, there are several bug issues that need to be taken care of that keep me busy.
Vehicle Journal:
Aug 02
Water pump replaced, on to airflow inprovement
I've gotten the GM high volume water pump (part #12527741 $195 @ Summit Racing) installed and done the pre-wiring for the Dakota Digital fan controller. While under the hood, I noticed there was a large gap between the AC condenser & radiator:
When I first put the car together, I had sealed the condenser to the core support with some silicone sealer. Looking at how the air flows (a challenge due to the intercooler), once it gets past the condenser, it can go around the radiator. I measured the opening and found a length of 5/8 heater hose would slide in there after lubing it with some WD-40. I had a Goodyear hose #63824 leftover (Gates 28470 or Dayco 80404 are the same) from another project. This hose is a molded 90 degree bend with a long (about 24") and short (about 6") leg. I needed about 17.25" to get to the bottom of the core support, and then the short legs would tuck in at the top. To seal the top, the opening is larger, so I used some leftover 1" ID silicone heater hose- this is incomplete due to the piece I had being too short- you need about 24". The stock retaining top piece will fit fine once the top hose is pressed into place, and the short legs help to support it.
This will force all incoming air through the radiator, and will help the condenser to work more efficiently (better AC!).
Here are some pics of both installed:
Jul 30
Cooling problems & modifications
After a recent trip, the car began to run hot intermittently. It appeared the fans were not cycling properly and I traced this to the computer. Due to the age of the components, I have decided to replace the water pump with a GM Performance Parts high flow unit. At the same time, I decided I wanted an adjustable fan controller that would allow low and high speed operation as the stock setup does. I had never programmed the computer for the lower temperature thermostat as I have done with my other cars.
I reviewed several options, including dual sensors (low and high) with relays, a Spal PWM (Pulse Width Modulation- a neat way of starting a fan slowly so there is no large power surge) V3 controller (I have this leftover from the Challenger project), a Delta PWM controller (I use one of these on my Datsun), and a Dakota Digital PAC-2700 controller. I've used Dakaota Digital products in my Datsun to make the electronic speedometer work, and they seem to be a quality product.
After looking each of these options over so far as cost, modifications needed, and operation, I decided to go with the PAC-2700. The dual sensors setup would require extra plumbing and wiring, the Spal setup only uses PWM on one fan, and the other only runs on high, the Delta controller requires a probe to be mounted in the radiator fins (this can come loose or cause wear). The main drawback to the PAC-2700 was that it must be mounted inside the car, not under hood.
After reading the PAC-2700 manual, it is very flexible and allows programmable on and off temps for both low and high. I can also use my factory relays and wiring. Another nice feature is that it uses the stock temperature sender- it can be calibrated to match your dash gauge.
My car has a third fan in front of the AC condenser that needs to run when the AC pressure is too high. One problem with some fan controllers is that they run the fans whenever the AC compressor is powered. This is not optimal, since the fan should only run when AC pressure is too high. To deal with this, I am installing a Trinary switch in the high side AC line. This switch will allow the high side and condenser fans to run as needed. I'll continue to let the car's computer operate the AC compressor.
I was able to redo some wiring in the under hood power center and make use of an unused relay to power the condenser fan. All I had to do was run three wires inside the car for the PAC-2700:
Green- low speed fan
Blue- High speed fan
Yellow- AC signal from Trinary switch
The remaining wires can be connected with wiring already inside the car.
I've posted the diagram for this in my photo gallery.
Apr 14
Turbo swap
I have removed the 60-1 rear mounted turbo and replaced it with a new MP T70. This unit has a larger compressor side and also a larger AR (.96) on the turbine vs the .68 of the 60-1. I did a short road test & was impressed by the power level. I need to have it tuned and dynoed to see how this new setup compares to the old one, which stopped making power at around 4500 RPM.
Factory Options:
N/A
Exterior Modifications:
17" ZR1 replica wheels.
Interior Modifications:
GM CD changer and aftermarket speakers added.
Performance:
Dynoed at 498 HP/ 579 TQ at the wheels. Power drops off at 4500 RPM due to small turbo.
Suspension/Chassis:
KYB gas struts & shocks, WS6 springs, oversize swaybars with poly bushings, bolt in subframe connectors, adjustable Panhard rod, boxed lower control arms, tubular K-member.
Drivetrain:
383 stroker built to LT4 specs with 4 bolt splayed mains, LT4 heads & intake, 52mm throttle body, Eagle forged rotating assembly with 9:1 CR pistons, GM Hot cam, 1.6 ratio roller rockers, Canton oil pan, Mac mid-length headers, scratch built rear mount 60-1 turbo, front mount intercooler, Be-Cool radiator, 160 degree thermostat.
Spec stage 3 carbon clutch, RPM bulletproof T56, Lingenfelter 3.5" aluminum driveshaft, Moser 3.73:1 12 bolt rear axle.
Electronics:
N/A
To-Do List:
N/A
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