06 Bu SS 3900 Build

[gectek]

Well I guess it is time to update everyone on my ongoing project for the past few months. The car is an 06 Bu SS with the 3900 and 4t65 trans. car came equipped with traction control and 3.69 gears. Fast forward to last week. The engine got torn down to the shortblock. Got a reground cam from delta cam. Custom length Manton pushrods. Manley Race Flo Valves (thanks WOT Tech, maybe they will work better than some results have shown). Then pac 1218 springs, manley TI retainers and tooled steel locks. Then the heads were ported by Big Ben. Thanks. Milled .010 (should have been more). Used ARP head studs, thanks again WOT Tech. Then Put back together. This is a VVT engine, hence the regrind. Sucks, but oh well. Throwing away the normal 3900 upper ( ram horn or double 6 intake dual plane intake with tuning valve) and putting the 3500 VVT on it, single plane. Going to cut that nasty air reservoir off the front and get it welded shut. no porting on anything else. GM already uses the MLS style gaskets, but i would have liked a thinner one, but cometic is not done yet or i would have gotten them from WOT Tech as well. May get the ARP rod bolts as well. up in the air about that one. Stock rockers until scorp gets them done. Cam specs are 208/212 .520/.519(with the 3900 1.7 rockers) lift on a 114 straight up. I think it will be a good one. Hybrid lifters. Also using the ARP flexplate bolts and crank bolt....thanks WOT Tech. I am basiacally all ARP'd out lol. Good prices from Ben. Main studs are about the only thing i didnt do. I did also opt for the ARP header studs. They will be put on soon also when the engine is put in.

On to the trans. Took the 3.69 open diff and change the gear ratio to 3.42 and put in the LSD from EP. Then rebuilt the whole thing with Blue plates from Raybestos. Also getting a BM cooler. 2850 stall.
Also upgraded to the brembo brakes from the cobalt SS turbo. They will save 15 lbs on the front and work awesome. Using a magnaflow high flow cat and 2 magnaflow mufflers. getting rid of the under the pan exhaust and running an over the trans crossover into the single cat off of an impala. Tuning will be done by me. Itll be alot of fun. Oh yah and ARP wheel studs to round out the package.
I believe that is it for now. It will be done in the next few days.
Here are some pics. Sorry i didnt take more, but i wanted to get it together quickly as it is getting cold here. lol.
enjoy
new intake over old one


shiney ported exhaust port by Ben

freshly rebuilt trans and 2850 stall

[gectek]

arp wheel studs, for wheel spacers to fit the brembos and to make sure they dont snap off lol




and the engine was so new and hardly used, there were no stains or anything in the pan. also due to my vigilant oil changing lol.

[gectek]

Old 3900 TB opening....

new one going on

that little (what appears to be a reservoir) is going to get cut off and welded shut....or filled. I think i would most likely like to get it cut off than filled, but we shall see.

I am also poly filling the front mount. Its in the kitchen curing right now lol. pics when it gets done.

[RedBird]

very nice!!! I'd like to get ahold of a 3500VVT upper to compare to my LX9 one.....

also.... in for pics of the 3900 rockers? i'm assuming it's already been covered somewhere by someone, but any possibility of swapping them back, into my 3500?

[Superdave]

Nice!


that should haul some ass for sure.

[1988GTU]

3900's ftw

[gectek]

the 3900 rockers will not fit in any way shape or form to the nonVVT engines. sorry. already been tried, but a few and myself as well. Im not from missouri, but you gotta show me anyway. lol.

[IsaacHayes]

How come the swap to the non variable intake? Was the 3.69 FDR stock??!
How many miles on the trans, and how did the stock clutches look? The cam isn't really that radical, should have no problems being a DD.

[gectek]

No probs with a DD. The clutches were brand new looking, besides the right CV shaft taking a shit and killing the planetaries on some parts, lol. The 3.69 is the stock FDR for the newer 4t6x trans for some reason. just swapped to the 3.05 instead of the 3.29 diff and nets a 3.42. DONE.

the non variable intake is alot better IMO. the dual plane is made to promote torque. which is dumb on a V6 with this much displacement. Plus it is made rather shoddy. the intake tract is half that of the regular 3500 vvt one. there is no need for the tuning valve at all. i made a separate switch to activate it when i wanted, but decided just to trash it. no use really.

[IsaacHayes]

Why the downgrade on the FDR? Just for better mileage or did you have traction issues too? I don't know what height tires the malibu is running, but I know on L body wheels that would result in lots of wheel spin and not let you wind it out much.

Interesting on the UIM... And that notch you are going to fill, does anything connect to the bottom of that? (LX9 has EGR down low there)... It might be just to quieten the intake noise?

[gectek]

Nothing goes down there. on the 3900 in the bu, nothing goes down there either. No egr, nothing. its just a hole. strange. prob to help quite the noise yah.

and the reason to go down in FDR is due to it not needing as much gear really. changed the FDR and it ran alot better. it will now go through the traps at at better rpm. the larger CID didnt need so much gear. they run on stock 18" rims. tires make it fairly tall. they are a 245 iirc dont remember the aspect, like a 50 i believe.

[gectek]

MOAR PICS!!!!
engine is in, accy drive stuff is mostly in. next is ac lines, upper mani, and some other things. this thing is coming together pretty fast. looking to have it worked up by the end of next week ready to go with full exhaust.

[geldartb]

looks good.
im interested to see how it sounds cammed.

[gectek]

me too....vvt will prob take some of that away though.
i forgot its getting a magnaflow cat and 2 magnaflow mufflers.

[geldartb]

it still should haul ass and sound decent.