LDK Build 2.0
 

Hi Everyone!
It's been a while - so good to see everyone is still active on the site.

As some of you know, I documented the LDK swap build on my 2010 SS Auto . Since then, the car has been tuned by ZZP, we installed a 3" catless downpipe/3" exhaust setup, and a LT1 fuel pump to support all the bolt ons, as well as a trans tune from fellow HHR enthusiast Shane Hatfield. Now it's time to take the engine out and do it all over again. This (hopefully) will be the last time the engine comes out of the car, as it's time to strengthen internals for a bigger turbo.

Here's what will be going in the car:
Wiseco Pistons
ZZP 4340 Rods
Supertech 94# dual springs and retainers
Stage 2 LHU/LDK cams by Comp Cams/ZZP
BorgWarner S257SXE turbo
ZZP exhaust manifold
ZZP catless turbo downpipe
TiAL 42mm actuator
TiAL 50mm BOV
ZZP upper intercooler charge pipe with BOV flange

The goal is to get to 500 HP on 93 pump gas. This car is rarely driven (maybe 1,000 miles a year) and is primarily a show car that I'd like to take on the drag strip for exhibition. Ryan at ZZP said I can easily get to 475WHP with what I currently have on the car, and what's about to go in. They mention the concern about blowing the trans, but we all know what 2005HHRauto has done on the strip with his 4t45e!

I plan to document the build process like last time, but the only difference is I'm going to film it as well. Check out the intro video here -


Looking forward to sharing this build with all of you...again!

Looking forward to the build, and pictures, we love pictures !

Drummerboy just subscribed to your Youtube channel. Well put together, background music, meh.
Question:
1) Did you rob Fort Knox to to this or is someone at ZZP your uncle ? :lol:
2) I guess when you say 500 HP that's at the flywheel ?
Will be following along on this build.
You have done your homework.

I wish that was the case - would have been cheaper! In all honesty though, this is much easier since family is helping with the labor.

And I'm talking to the wheels. With everything else done to the car already, these additional mods should get us around 475WHP on 93 easily (according to Ryan at ZZP). It's a matter of seeing how the 4t45e holds up to it.

Many thanks - I want to do this once, so it's been a few years of researching!

I am tuned by zzp. With zfr6758 to 320whp. They strongly advised me not to go any higher with my auto transmission.

Nick, in your Youtube video you showed the pistons. con rods and balancer. You never mention if the rotating assembly will be balanced.

Generally high end rods and pistons are already weight matched. WIth a 4 cyl they are opposed, ie 2 up 2 down, zero balance. When I have LNF's balanced they have been spot on, fwiw.

Interesting

Yes - a friend has a 8.5 second fox body on small tires, and his machinist is doing the engine (he owns an HHR as well). Installing all internals, cams, and checking the crank.

This motor only has 4,000 miles on it, so it should be ok.

Word on the street is GM put around 600 to the wheels with an auto HHR back when it was in production. Don't know how true that is but hearing that, and seeing 2005HHRAuto's posts about what he's done, I'm willing to challenge this.

I even talked to Fred at SMG Motoring, who sold a beefed up 4t45e on Cobaltss.net a few years back that could easily handle that kind of power. Unfortunately they don't touch the trans since GM no longer supports the 4t45e for racing purposes. Fred said exactly what 2005HHRAuto has mentioned - replace trans fluid/filter frequently, and keep temps down. I'll run an external trans cooler along with the OEM, and I have a trans tune on the car to help keep the temps down. Last thing Fred mentioned was to keep the car in I if I put it on the track - that will keep it out of 4th and help keep temps down.

Could it fail? Absolutely.

The mystery is when will it fail?

I agree. With your power level intentions you'd be wise to replace the half shafts.

They are not available for auto. I will be watching his build. Very interesting to see how auto transmission is gonna hold up to that power level.

Not really true. https://www.driveshaftshop.com/domes...evrolet/cobalt
I've contacted them, would need to send them an existing shaft to compare or get the measurements they want.

Totally forgot about that option.

If you have the money anything can be fabricated.
DrLoch sorry for the repeat of their site.
https://www.driveshaftshop.com/domes...evrolet/cobalt

UPDATE:

Memorial Day Weekend we officially began the journey with this build. We had the motor/front end out of the car is a little over 2 hours.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...911162525d.jpg


The rest of the day however was us stripping the motor down to the block and head. The machinist wants it in its basic form with no extras attached to it. Although this motor only has about 4000 miles on it, doing this build has helped us see some issues that need to get fixed along the way.

First thing - fuel on the front of the block. When we tried to remove the opel injectors, the fuel rail came off, but the injectors were stuck in the block. Turns out one of the injectors is missing the straw that goes into the fuel rail. This could be the reason for the fuel leak, and definitely the reason why the car would break up on the top end.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...9df97ea47e.jpg

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...d5b7ed874a.jpg

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...cfc984d715.jpg

Another thing we noticed was oil around the HPFP. Originally we thought it was due to the LT1 fuel pump in the engine, but it was from the intake cam sensor. Further inspection showed a nic in the rubber grommet - easy fix!

Removed both intake and exhaust manifolds - everything looked good up front. Exhaust manifold however there was a little black ring around the far left port. This explains why I would blow a little black smoke under heavy load.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...c1cd2d4fac.jpg


Other than that, everything else looks good - as we expected since the motor only has about 4000 miles on it. Removed the valve cover, stock k04 turbo and oil lines, the water pump cover, front cover - basically everything until we had a bare block and head.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...25fc77a1b2.jpg

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...8e36e3745e.jpg




Check out the video of us removing the motor from the car here! -
That's it for now - we are planning on dropping off the stripped down motor and all internals to the machinist this upcoming Friday. I'll update when we get the call to pick it up.

OK first thing first, I never hit the bell on your youtube to get a notice. Yeah I'm dumb at times.
Second, you know those chains can go bad real quick, like at 100K. You should change them now and save yourself some grief. :biggrin2:

Hit that bell!!!

and yes - mostly the guides tend to fail around that time. As of right now I average 1000 miles/year or less, so I’ll be long gone before 100k. :poison:

I did, I did.

We're back at it. Picked up the motor from the machinist (John at Master Machine in Salem, NJ) last week.

Everything that was done:

• Teardown and clean block, head, any components going back in (valves, rocker arms, etc)
• Check and polish crank
• Install Wiseco forged 86mm pisons and ZZPerformance 4340 Rods
• Install ARP stud kit
• Install ZZPerformance/Comp Cams LHU/LDK Stage 2 cams
• Install SuperTech 94# Dual Springs/Retainers

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...37203daf0c.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...ce08b3025c.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...33edf7f3d6.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...f678a59db2.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...e01a440bcf.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...058f6cc887.jpg


Next Saturday we start putting the car back together.

Fun!! That’s awesome, more pictures or maybe some how too’s for the Assembly

UPDATE!

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...2a0255647a.jpg


2 weeks ago we started with assembly. First step was to install flywheel/flexplate to engine
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...03e651ba78.jpg



The machinist didn't re-install the chains, so that was task 1. Super easy to do, but we used the Cloyes YouTube Video for a visual guide ( ).
It's very easy to do when you do the following:
Make sure crank is TDC (key cutout should be at 12 o'clock position)
Balance Chain - TWO chain links are same color, 1 is different (colors vary depending on chain)

• Intake balancer sprocket mark/arrow should be at 12 o'clock poison, Exhaust sprocket mark should be at 6 o" clock position
• Line up colored link (1 different) with mark on intake balancer sprocket
• Line up other colored link (one of the two similar colors) with mark on exhaust balancer sprocket
• Wrap chain around water pump sprocket
• Line up last colored link (again one of the two similar colors) with mark on crank sprocket (around 6 o'clock position)
• Install Balance Shaft Chain guides - easiest to install top guide, right side, then left side. CHAIN WILL FIT IN CENTER GUIDE GROOVES!
• Install Balance Shaft tensioner. Confirm all links line up with sprocket marks BEFORE REMOVING PIN FROM TENSIONER. If lined up, remove pin (no boom)
• Install oil nozzle
• Install smaller crank sprocket to crank shaft.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...0f0054be85.jpg


Cam Chain - Again TWO links are same color, 1 is different (colors vary depending on chain)

• Line up colored link (1 that is different) with diamond mark intake sprocket, and fish chain through cam drive chest (through BOTH sides of casting bosses), and get the cain over the crank shaft nose.
• Install cam sprocket. Since our engines are VVT, there's a pin that is inserted into the end of the cams (also known as indexing). We made a mark on the outside of the cam sprocket to make it easier to line it up with the cams. Once fully indexed (should do so smoothly), install new sprocket bolt (finger tight).
• Install left side tensioner guide
• Line up colored link (one of the two similar colors) with diamond mark on exhaust sprocket. Index sprocket onto exhaust cam - you might need to rotate the intake cam counter-clockwise (just a SMALL amount) with a 24mm wrench to get the exhaust sprocket to index. This is easier with a friend!
• Confirm that colored link (one of the two similar colors) aligns with crank sprocket mark around 5 o'clock position
• Install left hand guide, and install the upper bolt access plug (use thread sealant on threads)
• Install primary chain tensioner, and activate by compression about 1/8" to the top of the pivoting tensioner guide (see youtube vid linked above around 13:15 mark).
• Install upper guide

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...714ca4b6e7.jpg
Midway through cam chain install



Although the video advises not to rotate the crank (since color marks will not align back up with timing marks), we did it anyway a few rotations just to make sure nothing is hitting. Nothing hit, so it was time to get the engine back on the front cradle, and start putting it back together. We installed:

• Re-install water pump cover and lines
• New front cover and gasket
• Re-install Opel Injectors/rail
• re-install LT1 fuel pump
• re-install TTR manifold with Performance Autowerks heat spacer (reduces heat transfer between engine and manifold)
• Install Performance Autowerks heat spacer between throttle body and manifold
• Install new LDK valve cover that I got powder coated black
• re-install int/ext solenoids
• Install new ZZP exhaust manifold
• Install ATI super damper

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...0afabfa950.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...04935cf515.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...d7f06b95a5.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...cc3ed3f4fc.jpg

This Saturday we're back at it.

You choose not to use the top bolt replacement for the front guide?

Nah - the original seemed just fine and is holding tension.

https://zzperformance.com/products/e...ain-guide-bolt


Much stronger then the bolt

Last Saturday we finally got the motor back in the car. Just a few more steps figuring out the air intake and vacuum lines.

UPDATE - This build is DONE

Nice build! I need to retune, I should reach out to ZZP. Have lots of their parts and HPT.


also, have a LDK from them.

**UPDATE ON THE CHANNEL**

We finally put the car on the dyno to see what kind of numbers it can put down!

Two things.
What was the top RPM limit of the pulls ?
Did you remove the air filter just for the tests ?
Thanks

Top RPM limit around 6300

I have a turboguard filter that I'll primarily run. The filter is more cosmetic for shows.

So the one you have on the engine for testing is going to be used on the street also?
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...30d2c992ac.jpg


No cold air intake ?

Yep! That’s the one.

If it's open to the air why even use a screen that size ?
Looks good for stopping wood chips though.

And squirrels hiding their nuts.

thats the turbo guard max. The regular ones have a screen. I have one but only plan on using it on the dyno

That’s better than this to keep those rodents out!