Sup guys, been a while since i been on. Someof you may remember me. I had an 03 tb with the 4.2. Long story short, i shattered a rod in the original motor(found about 30 pieces of the rod in the oil pan) and in the process destroyed the oil pan, rod(of course), crankshaft cradle, as well as completely ruined all oil galleries with the rod particles. Eventually found out that the problem was one of the bolts on the #1 cylinder main cap had begun to work itself out and was grinding into the cradle. Eventually it worked out enough that it snapped the bolt in half, taking the rod with it. If you remember me then you remember the posts i made about the noise i was hearing.(will post links to the youtube vids later).
After this happened, i went out,got a new(used) motor, dropped it in and started building her up. Keep in mind that my trailblazer(named the reaper) was built for show and "fool racing"(sounds and looks faster than it is).
After i built on it for a while, my pcm crapped out on me and i ended up having to get rid of it.
Now im coming back into a little more tim and am sourcing a new tb at this point. This one is going to be built more for speed(while still looking and sounding good) than just for show. With that in mind, i do have a general idea with what i want done, while needing help with the specifics.
Im thinking about a stage 3 shift kit with a tune for full manual shifting. This i am planning to accomplish with a ratchet shifter(winters makes an electric shifter with a plug and play harness for the 4l60e). My question with this is, i have planned to swap and older sbc and eliminate the pcm alltogether. With this shifter, will i be able to completely eliminate the computer in the car altogether or will i still have to utilize the pcm for transmission control(if i stay with this trans). I know i wont be able to control the line pressures, but my understanding is that this does nothing more than increase the feel of the shift and wont actually hurt the transmission. Are there another "supporting" mods i should consider for the transmission? I know absolutely nothing about trans(dont worry im not doing tranny work myself) but kind of want to get an idea of whats needed before i take it to my guy.
As far as interior goes, i already have it pretty much planned. Im ripping all the interior out including seats, center console, dash etc. Pretty much everything except the headliner and carpet. While everything is out, i will be building a full rollcage(planning for 8 point) that goes all the way up against the firewall(ties in against firewall, behind front seat locations, behind rear seat locations and at the hatch). After cage is built, the dash will be built onto it, so that the cage is basically the mounting point for the entire dash(with exceptions where needed). The front and rear seats will be replaced with racing buckets(making it a four seater) with x braces and harness bars behind each set of seats as well as from the "c" hoop to the "d" hoop(length ways not laterally). 6 point harnesses on each seat.
The dash will be extended and molded into the center console which will be one piece extending in between the front and rear seats and will be molded into the full trunk sub box. Center console will house a tablet for music as well as gps etc. Around where the stock head unit sits, as wells as guages, toggle switches for door poppers and windows, a couple of cup holders, and usb ports. Behind front seats will be dvd players(angled toward each seat) with the audio being send to a small set of speakers mounted in the headrest of each seat. Will also have a couple of cupholders and usb ports there too.
Front overhead console will house the toggle switches and key switch for ignition, as well as a single din headunti with aux cord coming from the tablet(basically just using as a preamp and occasionally fm). Trying to decide if i want to custom make a set of climate controls to go in there also(will have to do research and fiddle around to see if this feasible of course).
Exterior is still in the air. Thinking about shaving the doors, hatch, and gas door and mounting the filler neck somewhere less conspicuous. Possibly lambo doors, eventually a split hood, nice rims etc.
Engine, im not totally sure about. There seems to be very limited aftermarket support for the 4.2. If i can find a one with a 5.3, then that will probably open a few doors. Tunes pretty much a given. Any ideas as far as decent bang for buck performance adders for the 4.2?
Sorry for the long post, just trying to get my ideas out there and maybe see if any of you guys have any comments or suggestions. I do realize how big of an under taking all this is and i am well prepared(unlike the last one, this tb will not be my daily).
Thanks guys and as stated, any and all comments, suggestions, questions, or criticisms are welcome.
After this happened, i went out,got a new(used) motor, dropped it in and started building her up. Keep in mind that my trailblazer(named the reaper) was built for show and "fool racing"(sounds and looks faster than it is).
After i built on it for a while, my pcm crapped out on me and i ended up having to get rid of it.
Now im coming back into a little more tim and am sourcing a new tb at this point. This one is going to be built more for speed(while still looking and sounding good) than just for show. With that in mind, i do have a general idea with what i want done, while needing help with the specifics.
Im thinking about a stage 3 shift kit with a tune for full manual shifting. This i am planning to accomplish with a ratchet shifter(winters makes an electric shifter with a plug and play harness for the 4l60e). My question with this is, i have planned to swap and older sbc and eliminate the pcm alltogether. With this shifter, will i be able to completely eliminate the computer in the car altogether or will i still have to utilize the pcm for transmission control(if i stay with this trans). I know i wont be able to control the line pressures, but my understanding is that this does nothing more than increase the feel of the shift and wont actually hurt the transmission. Are there another "supporting" mods i should consider for the transmission? I know absolutely nothing about trans(dont worry im not doing tranny work myself) but kind of want to get an idea of whats needed before i take it to my guy.
As far as interior goes, i already have it pretty much planned. Im ripping all the interior out including seats, center console, dash etc. Pretty much everything except the headliner and carpet. While everything is out, i will be building a full rollcage(planning for 8 point) that goes all the way up against the firewall(ties in against firewall, behind front seat locations, behind rear seat locations and at the hatch). After cage is built, the dash will be built onto it, so that the cage is basically the mounting point for the entire dash(with exceptions where needed). The front and rear seats will be replaced with racing buckets(making it a four seater) with x braces and harness bars behind each set of seats as well as from the "c" hoop to the "d" hoop(length ways not laterally). 6 point harnesses on each seat.
The dash will be extended and molded into the center console which will be one piece extending in between the front and rear seats and will be molded into the full trunk sub box. Center console will house a tablet for music as well as gps etc. Around where the stock head unit sits, as wells as guages, toggle switches for door poppers and windows, a couple of cup holders, and usb ports. Behind front seats will be dvd players(angled toward each seat) with the audio being send to a small set of speakers mounted in the headrest of each seat. Will also have a couple of cupholders and usb ports there too.
Front overhead console will house the toggle switches and key switch for ignition, as well as a single din headunti with aux cord coming from the tablet(basically just using as a preamp and occasionally fm). Trying to decide if i want to custom make a set of climate controls to go in there also(will have to do research and fiddle around to see if this feasible of course).
Exterior is still in the air. Thinking about shaving the doors, hatch, and gas door and mounting the filler neck somewhere less conspicuous. Possibly lambo doors, eventually a split hood, nice rims etc.
Engine, im not totally sure about. There seems to be very limited aftermarket support for the 4.2. If i can find a one with a 5.3, then that will probably open a few doors. Tunes pretty much a given. Any ideas as far as decent bang for buck performance adders for the 4.2?
Sorry for the long post, just trying to get my ideas out there and maybe see if any of you guys have any comments or suggestions. I do realize how big of an under taking all this is and i am well prepared(unlike the last one, this tb will not be my daily).
Thanks guys and as stated, any and all comments, suggestions, questions, or criticisms are welcome.