V3 Installed!!! Lots Of Pics

Jason 302

10 Year Member
Aug 9, 2003
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Newark, Ohio
Just installed a brand new Vortech V3 Si Trim last week, just been making some small adjustments to it to get it ready for a custom dyno tune next Thursday. Install went pretty well, biggest PITA has been getting the power pipe to fit correctly, and finding the proper sized belt.

Aeromotive 340lph fuel pump installed. Also installed their 16307 wiring kit to power it, no pics though.
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There she is, in all her glory. I was like a kid at christmas unpacking everything when I got it.
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Installed some 42lb FRPP injectors, thanks @hoopty5.0
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I orginally bought some SVE gauges from LMR but should have done some research on mechanical fuel pressure gauges before I did. I decided I didn't want to run an isolator, and Auto Meter's electrical fuel pressure gauge was a whopping $230. So I went cheap and bought some GlowShift gauges which were less than $150 for both. So far, they seem to be reading accurately and reliably.
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Here you can see the fuel pressure sensor for my in car gauge. I could see how it might cause some interference issues.
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I COULD NOT get any sized belt to work with the FRPP A/C delete kit that moves the P/S up. The tensioner would push the belt into the water pump pulley everytime. Luckily I still had my old A/C and brackets so I installed them.
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Getting closer
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3.33" upper
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Had to make the hole in the fender well bigger and extend the MAF wiring. Trying to get the bypass fitting at the right angle without the power pipe hitting the black fender liner proved to be a pain in the you know what.
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I hadn't had a smog pump for years, so I had to buy a delete pulley in order to route my serpentine belt.
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I also had to tweak my fuel lines, as the power pipe rubbed against them pretty good.
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Finished product!
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I also want to thank @84Ttop for all of his help during this process, he's the man.

So far the car drives very good under normal driving routines. Only issue I'm concerned about is full throttle acceleration. I punched it just a few times at low rpm (2500-3000) and the car fell flat on it's face, spit and sputtered. If you ease into it it's not bad. I only did this a couple times, as I don't want any detonation before I get it tuned. I'm hoping it's a tuning issue than can fixed Thursday. Other issue is the belt. As I mentioned before, I had to put my A/C compressor back on so the tensioner wouldn't push the belt onto itself going around the water pump. It fixed it, but with the stock 90.5" belt, it's still only about 1/4" from rubbing against itself. I might try a 90" and see how that fits.

Any guesses what this thing will put down? It put down 290rwhp and 340rwtq about 10 years ago when I first built the engine. Sorry for the long right up, I hope everybody enjoys their day.
 
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In order for the accessory belt to work with the power steering pump moved up it needs to be a exceptionally tight. I've also seen guys that have clocked the tensioners in different positions and done all sorts of other goofy stuff to make it work.. I promise where there is a will there is a way.
 
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In order for the accessory belt to work with the power steering pump moved up it needs to be a exceptionally tight. I've also seen guys that have clocked the tensioners in different positions and done all sorts of other goofy stuff to make it work.. I promise where there is a will there is a way.
I'm thinking about going the easy route and buying an idler pulley/delete kit for the a/c compressor lol.
 
With the fuel line, I ended up ditching it completely and went with braided steel lines. The port for the schroeder valve was digging into the rubber elbow of the power pipe and it looked like a tragedy waiting to happen... Food for thought
 
I also had a problem with belt alignment with the tensioner. I ended up putting a couple of spacers behind the tensioner to align everything just right. Haven't had a problem since.
 
Good! definitely watch that belt alignment. If it shows signs of walking, fix it right away! Trust me!!! Also leave that boost alone until your tuner gets it. Bad things may happen...
 
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You will be fine just keep the RPM under 6k.

Thanks, that's what I plan on doing. Heck I was even thinking about 5500 rpm max during tuning, with just a couple runs to 6K.

Dart block 331 plans are in the future, but I would like to fund a few other things before I have to go there. Fuel lines & rails, aluminum driveshaft, full length weld in subframe connectors, etc.
 
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