It has been a busy summer here at AMS so naturally my hearse project has been coming along slower than I would like! My good friend Shane Smith has been picking away at the turbo kit as time allows. Hopefully we can get back on track as the Texas Mile is only 3 months away!
Now the fun really begins as we construct the turbo kit. The factory truck exhaust manifolds make a great base for the turbo kit when reversed so I decided to go that route. Guys have run in the high 8 second range on similar set-ups so there should be no issue with what I am trying to accomplish.
With the exhaust manifolds flipped facing forward we added 2″ 304 Stainless Steel schedule 40 pipes that Y into a split scroll T-4 flange. This is a really solid foundation but for safety sake we will be adding some support brackets once the kit is complete.
Greetings Hearse Fans! It has been a while since we did an update! We took a little break from the Hearse while we prepared our Drag EVO, Porsche 996TT and GT-R for the Texas Mile .
When we left off we had gotten the engine into place and were waiting to fit the transmission. For this build I chose the GM 4L85e from a Chevy Van. The transmission is larger and stronger than the 4L60e that was removed. Even so the 4L85e is rumored to have a limit of about 800 ft. lbs. of torque so I will probably need to upgrade should I chose to add any more power. The next step will have to be a 3 speed Turbo 400 transmission but I just really wanted to keep the drivability of the overdrive for now. Fingers crossed.
I turned to long time friend Lawrence Loshak and his company ETE Reman in Milwaukee Wisconsin to rebuild and upgrade the 4L85. Although they don’t specialize in performance transmissions Lawrence told me he had a couple of gear head technicians that could help me out.
While I was waiting for the transmission to be upgraded I contacted Dean at DRC Transmission in Arlington Heights IL. for suggestions on a torque converter for my combination. Given the weight and power combination he suggested we start with a 3K stall.
We have been making some progress on the Hearse this week. We were all excited to get the new engine installed but first we needed to address a couple things. Before installing the LQ4 engine our head Hearse Technician, Danny, sorted through the factory wiring harness and eliminated the unnecessary wiring.
Since I am on a budget I decided to stick with a stock Chevy LQ4 long block for my Hearse. The engine only has 18k on it so I am hoping this engine will last me the 2010 season. I turned to our friend Larry Hamilton at Speed Inc. in Schaumburg IL. for advice on some improvements to my LQ4 engine.
The first thing we are addressing on the Hearse is the rear differential. The stock 10 bolt rear end would not hold up to the torque of the new power plant combined with the weight of the Hearse no matter what components we could throw in it. To avoid the expense and hassle of putting in a fancy 4 link suspension I opted to go with a bolt-in Ford 9 inch assembly from Moser Engineering.
