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Hey guys, I've seen lots of knowledgeable folks on here so I'm just going to ask. I'm going ultra-low-cost endurance road racing with a 2.8 from an 86 blazer installed in of all things a chevette. Besides the addition of an accumulator how can the 2.8 be modified to improve reliability? I need to keep the stock 4x4 oil pan to have the clearance I need from the front cross-member. I understand that people racing these engines put a higher pressure spring and modified the oil pump to bring oil pressure to 70-80 psi. I had also kicked around the idea of fabbing up a windage tray. What do you guys think? What would you do to keep these engines alive for 24 hours of continuous abuse at high RPM?
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Are you having trouble making it live 24 hours now? If it is fast enough now, I would run it until it breaks and then fix up what broke and continue on until you have enough weak links fixed. Larry -
yup, just about all the engines regardless of original manufacturer had trouble running the entire event last time around. Lots and lots of bearing failures all the way through the field. Although that would be expected considering very few did anything to prep these motors that were already high mileage before they were turned to racing. I'm trying to minimize cost through keeping mine alive if I can. We haven't run this motor yet but we blew up the bottom end of two stock chevette motors in 7 hours of racing.Comment
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I would go with a little more clearance on the bearings and a higher volume oil pump, you may be able to fab up some sort of oil cooler and just ditch the filter. Sounds like the top end is fine. LarryComment
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I would not use a higher pressure oil pump unless you want to wipe out bearings. Ill have some high performance bearings tested later this week for fitment but expect they are perfect. Not cheap though. Id expect cooling and oiling to be problems.Ben
60DegreeV6.com
WOT-Tech.comComment
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I'd add an oil cooler and remote-mount the oil filter so you can run a larger one. The oil pump is debatable but at the very least run good oil with plenty of zinc additive.
as far as block prep, take a die grinder to the lifter valley and de-burr the oil drainback holes and smooth out everything there, check the drainbacks on the heads and make sure they are deburred and as open as possible. Also use good headgaskets so you don't have to worry about them at all.
For cooling, you don't have a lot of options other than playing with the pulley size on the water pump and additives for the coolant. Maybe someday us RWD guys will have a good electric water pump option... Hint, Hint Ben
Good Luck!Comment
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If you are having bottom end problems you will probably want to move more oil through the engine even if it is at a lower pressure. You will need a pump that has a higher capacity, not necessarily a higher pressure. Open up the bearing clearances a little to get more oil through them. A simple screen in the oil line will work fine, no filter is really needed for what you are doing, I would put a cooler in line, that would be cheap and probably help out more than anything. LarryComment
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50-60 PSI oil pressure is plenty, add a baffle to the pan to control the oil and if you can make it wider or deeper to hold more oil below the crank. If you are running high rpm you will have a LOT of oil in the top of the motor and only a little in the pan and will suck air at times and starve the mains.Comment
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hence deburring all the oil drain backs. Good luck and let us know how you made out.Originally posted by dskopek View PostComment
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