[Sorrynotbryant]

Hey guys I purchased my first 2011 V about 5 months ago. It came with headers, intake and street tuned already done. It currently has 100,000 miles. I started buying parts i would like to install as a summer project. I’m stuck on what size pulleys I should get. I purchased a btr stage 3 torque cam and I would like to know what sizes would be most supportive without it being much of a risk. The v is currently my daily driver. I was looking at the montmotorsports upper pulley kit. If I were to get a lower as a separate purchase what size belt would be appropriate and when would an idler relocation bracket be necessary?

I’m new to ls engines and had a 370z before this. I’m trying to get as big of a grasp as I can before I begin this new project. Pretty excited but I want to make sure I take things slow and do it right.

 

[db-guru]

If you think you might ever add a lower, install it at the same time as the cam. It's basically free labor when done at the same time. Go with the ATI balancer and you can change pulley size with minimal effort. The 8.66" lower pulley is about a 10% overdrive. If you get the balancer and upper pulley kit from Mont, Taylor will get you the correct belt size.

 

[Sorrynotbryant]

If you think you might ever add a lower, install it at the same time as the cam. It's basically free labor when done at the same time. Go with the ATI balancer and you can change pulley size with minimal effort. The 8.66" lower pulley is about a 10% overdrive. If you get the balancer and upper pulley kit from Mont, Taylor will get you the correct belt size.

thank you for the explanation! From my research, I was planning on going with a 2.5/9.1 combo. I was planning on getting the 9.1 ati lower crank pulley. I’m a little confused on the balancer though. I do see that the balancer is a separate part from the lower pulley. If I understand this correctly, if I wanted to not go with a lower right away then I should go with the dampener and if I were to go with a lower, then a 8.66 pulley would be a good choice? Sorry if I seem pretty confused, I’m just trying to ask as much as I can.

 

[Karch]

The balancer doesn’t come with a pulley, so you MUST add one if you change balancers.

9.1/2.5 is fairly aggressive for stock heads, you should also consider heat exchanger loop upgrades.


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[Sorrynotbryant]

The balancer doesn’t come with a pulley, so you MUST add one if you change balancers.

9.1/2.5 is fairly aggressive for stock heads, you should also consider heat exchanger loop upgrades.


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awesome! Thank you for the clarification. I do not plan on doing anything with the heads at this moment. Sounds appropriate to go db-gurus recommendation of 2.5/8.6 combo if I’m keeping stock heads.

 

[Lt1z]

DSX will make any size lower you want too. I use that service to dial things in rpm wise rather then just going 8.6, 9.1, 9.5 etc

 

[jcs003]

Please do cooling mods!

 

[Sorrynotbryant]

Please do cooling mods!

Absolutely! I received my fabtech HX about a week ago. Do you have any other recommendations?

 

[jcs003]

Absolutely! I received my fabtech HX about a week ago. Do you have any other recommendations?

Intercooler Pump and oversized reservoir. Some have claimed the reservoir doesn't offer much, but they also don’t understand heat transfer and thermodynamics. @Karch And @Rubber Duck are versed in this language and hope they would agree.

I would type up an elegant analogy but typing from a phone I will restrain myself.

 

[Karch]

Reservoir is akin to having a larger fuel tank, it’s more reserve capacity to slow the heat rise of the coolant in the HX loop.


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[Ctarb1]

Would also consider upgrading to larger lines depending on your goals(12an) and delete the factory hard lines within the loop

 

[Karch]

Sure, always a good idea. The hardlines are smallish, I think .625” OD, so probably .527-.555” ID


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[Sorrynotbryant]

Intercooler Pump and oversized reservoir. Some have claimed the reservoir doesn't offer much, but they also don’t understand heat transfer and thermodynamics. @Karch And @Rubber Duck are versed in this language and hope they would agree.

I would type up an elegant analogy but typing from a phone I will restrain myself.

thank you! I will make sure to add the pump since the HX did not come with one and swap it withmy OEM one. I will look more into the reservoir.

Would also consider upgrading to larger lines depending on your goals(12an) and delete the factory hard lines within the loop

I will look into that for possibly a future project. I don’t want to overdo it especially since this is already a big project. But thank you for the advice!

Thank you all for the recommendations! I went with the 2.5 kit and 8.6 kit from mont. As far as the pulleys go, is there anything major I should look out for? Any bolts that are one time use? Any hardware and belts that doesn’t come with the kit?

 

[Vwlove56]

thank you! I will make sure to add the pump since the HX did not come with one and swap it withmy OEM one. I will look more into the reservoir.



I will look into that for possibly a future project. I don’t want to overdo it especially since this is already a big project. But thank you for the advice!

Thank you all for the recommendations! I went with the 2.5 kit and 8.6 kit from mont. As far as the pulleys go, is there anything major I should look out for? Any bolts that are one time use? Any hardware and belts that doesn’t come with the kit?

thank you! I will make sure to add the pump since the HX did not come with one and swap it withmy OEM one. I will look more into the reservoir.



I will look into that for possibly a future project. I don’t want to overdo it especially since this is already a big project. But thank you for the advice!

Thank you all for the recommendations! I went with the 2.5 kit and 8.6 kit from mont. As far as the pulleys go, is there anything major I should look out for? Any bolts that are one time use? Any hardware and belts that doesn’t come with the kit?

If you don’t already have an upper pulley, you will need to remove the snout and press the stock pulley off, then press a new hub for pulley you choose. The beauty of the new hub is you can change uppers relatively easy. now would be a good time to see if yours has a solid isolator; Lingenfelter has the best IMO and that may come with the kit from Mont. Would also be a good time to send the snout to Kong or Jokers or Synergy for porting.

As for the lower, get a good 3 jaw puller (careful, there are some crappy Amazon ones out there that bend and break) and an ARP or new stock GM crankshaft pulley bolt. Like db said earlier, lower is best done with cam swap but can be done separately.

You are probably going to have to reach out to your tuner as well with the new pulley. Did you get a copy of the tune when you bought the car?

 

[Sorrynotbryant]

If you don’t already have an upper pulley, you will need to remove the snout and press the stock pulley off, then press a new hub for pulley you choose. The beauty of the new hub is you can change uppers relatively easy. now would be a good time to see if yours has a solid isolator; Lingenfelter has the best IMO and that may come with the kit from Mont. Would also be a good time to send the snout to Kong or Jokers or Synergy for porting.

As for the lower, get a good 3 jaw puller (careful, there are some crappy Amazon ones out there that bend and break) and an ARP or new stock GM crankshaft pulley bolt. Like db said earlier, lower is best done with cam swap but can be done separately.

You are probably going to have to reach out to your tuner as well with the new pulley. Did you get a copy of the tune when you bought the car?

awesome thank you for the response. All i have is a dyno sheet from the previous owner. I moved to NC so i plan on working with a different tuner and some dyno time.

 

[Vwlove56]

Right on man! Keep us posted on progress…


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[Sorrynotbryant]

Hey guys some more questions I had that I see fit to ask in this discussion.

I’ll be taking off the oil pan in order to install the oil pump. I found an oem gasket that I will be purchasing to replace the old one. Is sealant something I need to buy as well?

what hardware would I need to spread assembly lube on? As well as what to drench in fresh oil?

Ive heard others say that they had coolant mixed in their cylinders during the disassembly so they said they waited to drain the oil until the heads were off. Is that necessary or could I just simply clean them off and proceed?

I have been doing my research and have no doubt that I can accomplish this myself with all the resources I’ve been provided. There are just a few things I’m not too sure about or can’t seem to find enough info for. Once again thank you all for the help!

 

[Blown376]

You're going to have to drop the K member to pull off the oil pan if you're going that way to access the oil pickup tube. Most here replaced the pump when doing a cam as everything was off the front at that point. You won't be able to remove the oil pump without removing the harmonic balancer and cover.
You don't need any sealant for the pan because the gasket is embedded into the mating edge of the pan itself.
You should put assembly lube on the O-ring of the pickup tube and prime the pump before installing, as well as shimming the pump if you can before final torquing.
When I pulled the heads, a bit of coolant ended up in some of the cylinders. I just soaked it up with clean shop rags, no issues with contaminating the engine oil at all.

I used this when I swapped the cam on my car. http://www.ls1howto.com/index.php?article=23

Good luck!👍

 

[kittyboy]

You'll want to add a small bead of gasket sealant into the gaps at the front and rear prior to installing the pan, insure that the sealant is fresh and everything is level. Also, you might consider a sump tube support, pan baffle, and relocation bracket.

 

[Karch]

I don’t think those are necessary on his stock block.


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