what are the differences in 3.1/3x00 crankshafts?

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

aluminum doesnt seem to be good for anything that gets alot of hard use.
we sell alumastinger aluminum ball mounts (the part that slides into your trailer hitch, and holds the ball -lots of people call this alot of different names) any how, they were rated @ 18,000 lbs trailer weight, and 2,000lbs tongue weight... works great in the one test, in the lab. so lets pass it. however they never thought of cold, or the fact they still threw in a steel ball. (steel tightly vibrating against aluminum causes bad things from what i hear, and we were getting ALOT comming back, broken. on light trailers too. weight ratings and prices dropped very quickly.


their arguement was they were made out of aircraft grade aluminum.... well, how many times does an aircraft get serviced? im pretty sure every time it lands. how about your trailer hitch? when shit dont work. lol they mostly failed in the cold, or the ones that died in the summer had obvious marks of abuse. but still, trailers all weigh in under the ratings.

[Superdave]

How have you determined that info to be true?

going off part numbers and rumors for now, however i have a TGP top end on the shelf and the heads are definitely different than the N/A version so logic dictates that at least some of the other rumors are true.


Once i'm done porting this TGP top end i'll ask the owner if he'll pull the pan and let me take pics of the crank.

Here are the rumor'd differences:

Unique crank, started as a heavy duty casting number 981 as seen in the all-wheel drive Chevy Astro, but this one is unique to the 1989-1990 Turbo Grand Prix and Turbo STE, being worked on after starting as a 981 crank! Proof; stock 981 crank part number is 10146900, “turbo” 981 crank part number is 10110549.

Crank Specs:

Material: nodular cast iron

Unique machining: Journals chamfered, with deep rolled fillets that provide residual compressive stresses for added durability

Unique Treating: Ion Nitrided with a hardened depth of .02"-.03" raising surface hardness from 30-35 Rockwell C to 60 Rockwell C.

Weight: 39.5 lbs

Unique Crank dampener, stock 3.1L part #: 14091896, turbo dampener: 10131060

[1988GTU]

going off part numbers and rumors for now, however i have a TGP top end on the shelf and the heads are definitely different than the N/A version so logic dictates that at least some of the other rumors are true.


Once i'm done porting this TGP top end i'll ask the owner if he'll pull the pan and let me take pics of the crank.

Here are the rumor'd differences:

Unique crank, started as a heavy duty casting number 981 as seen in the all-wheel drive Chevy Astro, but this one is unique to the 1989-1990 Turbo Grand Prix and Turbo STE, being worked on after starting as a 981 crank! Proof; stock 981 crank part number is 10146900, “turbo” 981 crank part number is 10110549.

Crank Specs:

Material: nodular cast iron

Unique machining: Journals chamfered, with deep rolled fillets that provide residual compressive stresses for added durability

Unique Treating: Ion Nitrided with a hardened depth of .02"-.03" raising surface hardness from 30-35 Rockwell C to 60 Rockwell C.

Weight: 39.5 lbs

Unique Crank dampener, stock 3.1L part #: 14091896, turbo dampener: 10131060

Very interesting. Def get pics so the archives can be filled in there blanks.

[geoffinbc]

What does a Chevy Astro have to do with a 60 Degree V6 motor? The Astro van never got a 2.8L it had the 2.5L (that would be sad) for a bit before the 4.3L became the only engine offered

[robertisaar]

What does a Chevy Astro have to do with a 60 Degree V6 motor? The Astro van never got a 2.8L it had the 2.5L (that would be sad) for a bit before the 4.3L became the only engine offered

i was thinking essentially the same thing.... except i didn't know an iron duke was an option... dad had a 4.3 astro for a little while...

[geoffinbc]

It was in there for 2 years I think. And I believe it was the only engine and also had a manual trans.

[no_doz]

1985-1990 were the years for the 2.5L Astro Vans

1990 year model=2.5l 96hp iron duke in a 3300lb van with a 5 speed/4 speed automatic 18mpg-city 24-highway-crazy stuff!

1985 year model 2.5l 92hp iron duke, 3300-3400lbs with 5 speed/4 speed auto-19mpg city & 26 highway-even better than the ones made 5 years later!

its a shame they would put in a 2.5 & 4.3, but not a 2.2/3.1--i wonder how ungodly gutless & pathetic those astrovans are compared to the 4.3 models-which are pretty damn gutless as it is.

1991 2.5 iron duke= 105hp@4800rpm & 135tq@3200rpms
1991 cavalier 2.2l = 95hp@5200rpm & 120tq@3200rpms
1991 lumina 3.1=140hp@4400rpms & 185tq@3200rpm

if they had just stuck a MPFI aluminum head 3.1 in those astrovans, just think of the mpg & driveability considering an iron duke can pull em around...

[pocket-rocket]

You would be surprised. My truck is only rated at 98HP and I've pulled all sorts of stuff with it. It's about how you gear it

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

gearing and suspension are almost the only things that matter when it comes to towing. you need some power, the more you have the heavier your pull vehicle are, and the more you can tow.

a gear ratio can change the factory towing specs on a truck too. just because the commercial says it will tow 15,000lbs, doesnt mean the one you buy off the lot will.

[Superdave]

yah, i noticed the astro thing too..

info came from this page: http://www.turbograndprix.com/Extens...ifferences.htm