Northstar V8 swapped 95 Monte NEW PRICE $3500
I have decided to move on. It was fun rebuilding the car but now it is time to let it go. Three cars is getting to be too much.
The details.....
Bought the car 9/27/08 with 136,424 miles and a blown motor and transmission. Drove 750 some miles each way to get this car. Basically the head gaskets were blown so badly that coolant was dumping into the oil drain back passages and past the pistons and into the oil thus eating away at the rod bearings.
I bought the car thinking it ran slightly hot, boy was I wrong. Two weeks after the motor was done for I spun 4 rod bearings so I parked it for the winter (about 4-5 months) until it was warmer out so I could start working on it.
After looking over the car I decided everything was garbage on it. The trans. and motor leaked severely the front brakes were gone bad tie rods bad ball joints everything was shot. So I decided to rebuild it all.
Here's basically the run down of what I did.
Motor
What was done....
Had the block hot tanked and cleaned. Complete inspection was done on the block and the heads. Had the cylinder walls honed to get the dex-cool stains off. All the main caps and rods were checked for proper size and inspected.
Parts
Reman Crank
4 new rods
reused stock pistons, new stock rings
new rod bearings, and main bearings
New GM TTY bolts for mains and rods
New GM oil bed plate (This is what the oil passes through to the mains, and rods. If not replaced they leak internally and externally)
Heads were resurfaced, cams polished and worn lifters replaced
New valve seals installed
New timing components like tensioner's, intermediate sprocket gear (bearing was worn due to metal in oil)
New sealed power oil pump
New harmonic balancer
Two new o2 sensors, new GM knock sensor
A/C Bypass pulley
Idler pulley
Tensioner Pulley
New reman alternator
New serp belt and water pump belt
All gaskets were replaced
x2 throttle body gaskets
egr gasket
X2 Intake gasket
Back fire valve on intake was also replaced (seal was bad)
injector o-rings
valve cover gaskets
X2 exhaust mani. gasket
X2 head gasket
water pump seal
t-stat seal
new t-stat
water x-over gaskets
front and rear main seals
New seals on the oil filter plate and oil cooler lines
front cover gasket
cam seal for water pump shaft
No oil pan or half case seals were used just GM rtv. The lower end of these motors DO NOT SEAL WITH STOCK GASKETS. THe dealer wont even sell them they are a waste of time instead they sold me a tube of rtv. It has worked wonders. If you have ever changed oil at a quick lube for about a week you wil understand what the issue was with these motors they leak like you have never seen a motor leak.
As for the completely stripped head bolts I drilled and re-tapped all 20 of them for a larger coarser threaded head stud. The northstar is known for head gasket failures. The head bolts over time pull the threads from the brittle aluminum due to the casting process of the block. They are die casted blocks which I am told leaves lots of air in the aluminum. When you drill the blcok it turns to almost a dust.
The head stud kit was purchased from northstarperformance.com for I wanna say $550.
Transmission
Complete over haul was done
Tear down and inspection of all hard parts was done.
New torque converter
New sensors
New shift solenoids
New TCC solenoid
Everything but input and output shafts and chains were replaced. Virtually a new transmission.
Work on trans. was done by a very reputable shop locally that builds lots of race car transmissions and industrial truck transmissions. So they know there sh*t.
Cv axels were inspected and new grease boots put on also
Suspension/brakes
New front and rear calipers
New stainless steel brake lines
All new hardware
Raybestos ceramic pads front and rear
Raybestos rotors front and rear
Disc brake conversion done on the rear also, car was originally drum.
Stock lateral links
BMR tubular poly urethane trailing arms
Poly sway bar links front and back
Powder coated rear knuckles and front sway bar
New control arm bushings
New outer tie rod ends MOOG
New ball joints MOOG
Interior
I have 90% of a black leather interior. Trim and all. No front seats was gonna keep the red buckets that came with the car.
New oem black carpet
Mint rear leather seat
black trim for around the door and rear window with the leather insert
black carpeted rear deck cover
Thing is none of it but the front seats is installed but all of it is included along with the hardware.
Car has no stereo I bought it like this but it does have very nice JL audio 6x9's and 5-1/4's up front they sound super clear.
The exterior of the car is the worst part the paint is peeling which is common for the mid 90's gm white. Over all there is no major rust underneath the car or on the body. No rusting rear quarters or rear shock towers here.
With 4,500 invested (kept all receipts) plus the price of the car of 2,500.
I'll start at 4500 OBO
Price drop to 3500
Give me a call if you'd like for anymore question's I know I forgot a ton of stuff
219-218-3778
Dave
Oh yeah forgot to add the car has all new custom made 3 inch exhaust with a magnaflow muffler.
And now for pics of the rebuild
All those pictures were of the old leaking junk that was in there
Now for the new stuff
I have decided to move on. It was fun rebuilding the car but now it is time to let it go. Three cars is getting to be too much.
The details.....
Bought the car 9/27/08 with 136,424 miles and a blown motor and transmission. Drove 750 some miles each way to get this car. Basically the head gaskets were blown so badly that coolant was dumping into the oil drain back passages and past the pistons and into the oil thus eating away at the rod bearings.
I bought the car thinking it ran slightly hot, boy was I wrong. Two weeks after the motor was done for I spun 4 rod bearings so I parked it for the winter (about 4-5 months) until it was warmer out so I could start working on it.
After looking over the car I decided everything was garbage on it. The trans. and motor leaked severely the front brakes were gone bad tie rods bad ball joints everything was shot. So I decided to rebuild it all.
Here's basically the run down of what I did.
Motor
What was done....
Had the block hot tanked and cleaned. Complete inspection was done on the block and the heads. Had the cylinder walls honed to get the dex-cool stains off. All the main caps and rods were checked for proper size and inspected.
Parts
Reman Crank
4 new rods
reused stock pistons, new stock rings
new rod bearings, and main bearings
New GM TTY bolts for mains and rods
New GM oil bed plate (This is what the oil passes through to the mains, and rods. If not replaced they leak internally and externally)
Heads were resurfaced, cams polished and worn lifters replaced
New valve seals installed
New timing components like tensioner's, intermediate sprocket gear (bearing was worn due to metal in oil)
New sealed power oil pump
New harmonic balancer
Two new o2 sensors, new GM knock sensor
A/C Bypass pulley
Idler pulley
Tensioner Pulley
New reman alternator
New serp belt and water pump belt
All gaskets were replaced
x2 throttle body gaskets
egr gasket
X2 Intake gasket
Back fire valve on intake was also replaced (seal was bad)
injector o-rings
valve cover gaskets
X2 exhaust mani. gasket
X2 head gasket
water pump seal
t-stat seal
new t-stat
water x-over gaskets
front and rear main seals
New seals on the oil filter plate and oil cooler lines
front cover gasket
cam seal for water pump shaft
No oil pan or half case seals were used just GM rtv. The lower end of these motors DO NOT SEAL WITH STOCK GASKETS. THe dealer wont even sell them they are a waste of time instead they sold me a tube of rtv. It has worked wonders. If you have ever changed oil at a quick lube for about a week you wil understand what the issue was with these motors they leak like you have never seen a motor leak.
As for the completely stripped head bolts I drilled and re-tapped all 20 of them for a larger coarser threaded head stud. The northstar is known for head gasket failures. The head bolts over time pull the threads from the brittle aluminum due to the casting process of the block. They are die casted blocks which I am told leaves lots of air in the aluminum. When you drill the blcok it turns to almost a dust.
The head stud kit was purchased from northstarperformance.com for I wanna say $550.
Transmission
Complete over haul was done
Tear down and inspection of all hard parts was done.
New torque converter
New sensors
New shift solenoids
New TCC solenoid
Everything but input and output shafts and chains were replaced. Virtually a new transmission.
Work on trans. was done by a very reputable shop locally that builds lots of race car transmissions and industrial truck transmissions. So they know there sh*t.
Cv axels were inspected and new grease boots put on also
Suspension/brakes
New front and rear calipers
New stainless steel brake lines
All new hardware
Raybestos ceramic pads front and rear
Raybestos rotors front and rear
Disc brake conversion done on the rear also, car was originally drum.
Stock lateral links
BMR tubular poly urethane trailing arms
Poly sway bar links front and back
Powder coated rear knuckles and front sway bar
New control arm bushings
New outer tie rod ends MOOG
New ball joints MOOG
Interior
I have 90% of a black leather interior. Trim and all. No front seats was gonna keep the red buckets that came with the car.
New oem black carpet
Mint rear leather seat
black trim for around the door and rear window with the leather insert
black carpeted rear deck cover
Thing is none of it but the front seats is installed but all of it is included along with the hardware.
Car has no stereo I bought it like this but it does have very nice JL audio 6x9's and 5-1/4's up front they sound super clear.
The exterior of the car is the worst part the paint is peeling which is common for the mid 90's gm white. Over all there is no major rust underneath the car or on the body. No rusting rear quarters or rear shock towers here.
With 4,500 invested (kept all receipts) plus the price of the car of 2,500.
I'll start at 4500 OBO
Price drop to 3500
Give me a call if you'd like for anymore question's I know I forgot a ton of stuff
219-218-3778
Dave
Oh yeah forgot to add the car has all new custom made 3 inch exhaust with a magnaflow muffler.
And now for pics of the rebuild
All those pictures were of the old leaking junk that was in there
Now for the new stuff
Last edited:
