Thought i would post an update on the life and times of the "Grenade" engine. Its still running just fine under the hood of a 1971 Chevelle. Its just a simple N/A setup with headers, Victor Jr intake and a 650 double pumper. Runs awesome and has never showed any sign of problems after all the abuse. Its funny to drive it around making solid 13 second power and think what the hell that little engine did back in the day. Junk parts for the win!

 

I also forgot to mention the cylinder head problem i had right off the bat turned out to be the guide had fell out of the head and slid down the valve stem. The grenade almost ate shit over that one! I pulled the one head and replaced every guide to be safe. Been running great ever since.

 

I was curious as I have a 2 bolt main sbc sitting here to do a rebuild. Gonna need to hone the cylinders a little but after reading some of this thread every stock part is going back in. Low boost single turbo build for sure here. Great thread!

 

I tell ya for a fact that the weakest link is the stock rods and they fail in an unexpected way. You get much past the 700 whp mark with the timing a tad too hot and they bend and buckle. My buddy Joe just did that in his junk 350 after a 9,71 pass at 26 degrees timing. Keep the timing low and junk will live a long time.

 

. I enjoyed the whole grenade thread , that gave me the motivation to do my homemade build .I'm still on my gen 1 ,2 bolt sbc, with new pistons but still std crank lol. Good to hear an update

 

I haven't been on here in 3 years, and I see the grenade thread it still going lol.

 

Wow, what a trip this has been! I read the entire thread from the beginning. What an inspiration it was. Like reading about all your projects too. How about an update on your sons chevelle, your 66, the trans am, and your chevelle? Oh and the caddy too! Marty you gave me a second wind, keep it up!

 

Hory Schit, this thread is still alive? Man I got some reading to catch up on from way back when.

 

Heck if building a grenade wannabe but have cash and want bit more security either swap bolts (not really necessary on turbo car with low rpm, OR swap out rods for a set of cheap Eagle rods. Slide piston out, swap rods slide back in. MY choice, is do good scuff up with 180-220 ball hone, my way is squirt good run down cylinder of 15w40 shell oil, start honing in and out then start spraying brake clean or gumout as I hone. Brings up great finish. then with either new cheap pistons on eagle rods or old stockers cleaned up, install new set of sealed Power moly rings or hastings moly rings. Clean crap out of block. Marty style would be pressure washer and simple green and blow it clean. setting new rings 0.005" larger than oem widest gap at least for turbo use, id leave oil rings as they come from box. slap it together. as long as heads are not lightweight castings(look on short bolt side of heads (sbs) if its straight its heavier, if it dips in between bolts they are light wegiht heads OR if they have choke stove ports in both center exhaust ports.
Then follow grenade build, small cam etc.

 

If I were going to do a gen1 350 these days as a grenade, I'd go get a Vortec 350 from the yard with a ton of miles, consider regapping rings but probably change valve springs and cam and go. Maybe not even change the cam depending on goals.

 

agreed. And if your gonna throw the boost at it , treat it somewhat like the sbe Lsx engines in that low rpm big boost is not your friend if you want rods to stay in it.

Me and a buddy did a 2001 1st gen vortec for his cutlass. sbe, swapped the cam, used small port trickflows , single gt42, blowthru 750 on e85.
Convertor is 4000 stall from his last N/A motor. But still works good and should take the abuse when we turn it up.
Right now on 6-7 psi it feels like a very low 11s car. Or if times dont mean any thing. Mfer gets down!!!!

 

found it, my inspiration to make this pig of a stock 1991 corvette l98 run

 

It's crazy this thread still exists since 2006. Every now and then i remember to jump on here and see if it's still up! No real updates except the grenade is still alive and well in the 71 chevelle. It doesn't get driven much but a few years back made a trip to the racetrack where it happily ran a 13.08 in the 1/4. I guess thats easy street for all it's done in the past but watch a tunnel ram and 6500 rpm blow it up regardless of horsepower!

I do have a completely stock internals junk built LS destroker with twin turbos i could probably start a thread about. Its a 6 liter block with a 4.8 crank and china hot air twins hooked to a 2004R and has ran 9.70's without breaking anything. It's the car in my main photo. I appreciate y'all tuning in once in a while and keeping this thread half ass alive!

 

I thought you already had a thread about that one? Maybe I'm crazy or was that a totally different destroked 6L I am thinking of?

 

Oops maybe i did. I get on here rarely and probably forgot i made a thread.

 

https://www.theturboforums.com/threads/4-8-crank-in-a-6-0-block-buildup-questions.370501/

Last time it got seen was just after the fire. Your kiddo is probably what over 5 foot tall now?

Maybe time for an update or five

Also, you still got the 4th gen? There's a couple guys on another board that are working through a couple of them. Were you using the OE box and what were you using to tune it in the first place?

 

I was following Marty in Facebook up until about a year ago when I quit Facebook. Last I heard he still had the car and was running mostly the Chevelle. I posted a ton of pics for him after the LS engine fire he rebuilt it VERY nice! I will try to find the threads abs post them here. He is a smart dude, and his son Timmy is a huge gear head!

 

here is his last mention of the Grenade car and that was 2015, I hate to think 7 years later it’s still outside.

on page 13 are the pics I posted of his rebuild.

https://www.theturboforums.com/threads/4-8-crank-in-a-6-0-block-buildup-questions.370501/

 

Marty, Sir, this was a great adventure for everyone that reads it. With all the cheap ebay turbos and intercoolers, cheap EFI management systems, and all you have learned through the years. Would you consider doing it again? Just to show folks again that it doesn't require expensive trick of the week parts to go fast? Maybe some good rods tho?