Rebuilding a 3.4 V6/60 for my 1987 Fiero SE/V6!!!

[82-T/A [Work]]

Hey guys,

I hope to be a regular on here. I think I created this account probably 20+ years ago? I don't know... not sure what it says next to my name... but I've been on here for a long time. I had a message waiting for me in my inbox that was sent to me in 2004 and I guess I never responded. Crazy!

Anyway, I have a 1987 Pontiac Fiero SE / V6 5-Speed. It's been in storage for about 15 years (I check on it every so often). I put it in storage back in 2011 when I took a job that required me to move every 3 years. Lately, I've been slowly buying parts for a 3.4 V6/60 engine rebuild that I want to do, but just haven't had time because I've been so focused on helping my daughter with her car. She's 17, not sure if anyone has ever seen her on YouTube, but she's restored her own Pontiac Fiero (a 1985 2m4 SE / Iron Duke), and is now restoring a Corvette. This was her latest video if anyone is interested: 1984 Corvette CFI Engine Bay Restoration — Part 2: Gen Z Garage Episode 64


Anyway, she goes off to college in a year, and then I'll focus on my car. Or, I may have her build my engine for me (since she rebuilt her Iron Duke). I've decided on a 3.4 V6/60 Gen-1 engine, and a factory Fiero red intake plenum. Yes... I know, haha. I will be doing the DAWG mod, and will do everything I can to hog it out as I realize it's the biggest restriction. My goals are to make the absolute most power I can out of this engine, while making it look as stock as I possibly, possibly can.

So here is what I've purchased so far:
- 3.4 V6/60 DCC9 Remanufactured Engine from NuTech (AutoZone)
- Gen-1 Iron Heads w/ mild porting from ARI Racing Engines
- SI Stainless Steel "Tulip" valves (the sodium-filled ones that have the narrowed but hardened stem to allow for more air flow)
- Comp Cams 1.52:1 Roller Rockers
- Crane Cams PowerMax Crane H-272-2 (Apparently bought one back in the day and still have it in the original box)
- Crower "Cam Saver" Hydraulic Lifters (have a notch machined into the side to allow oil to go right onto the cam lobe)
- Melling High-Volume Oil Pump
- West Coast Fiero Shorty Stainless Steel Headers w/ factory EGR
- FAST EZ EFI 2.0 System
- Accel 17lb Injectors
- 3.4 DOHC Pistons (supposed to give me higher compression, anything from like 9.2:1 to 9.5:1 from what I understand)

... and I think that's it.

The engine I bought was a perfectly rebuilt 3.4 V6/60, but I've already removed the heads and gave them away to someone who needed them since I have the ported heads. I'd like to replace everything in the engine with the absolute best, highest quality stuff I can possibly get. I realize it's only a V6/60, and I realize it's a Gen-1 3.4, but this is my high school car. Yes... I'm old as shit now, 48 years old, and this was the car I had in high school. So, I want to relive how much fun I had with this car. I've had much faster / more powerful cars since... so I'm not interested in making this Fiero the fastest car in the world... but what I do want to do is put very high quality parts in it. I'm the kind of obnoxious driver that likes to keep the RPMs up, and go through the gears with the 5-Speed and down shift as I slow down so I can hear the engine whine down.

I really appreciate any advice... I've got a really great machine shop here in Florida that builds race engines for people, works on a lot of old and new stuff. They're awesome. I'm trying to think of anything I need to buy that can improve the reliability, reduce drag, efficiency, whatever. I'm going to ask the machine shop to balance the crank to the absolute best he possibly can, even though the engine probably won't produce power above 5,600 rpms. I just want to know that it can.

I also don't know what kinds of rings to get... there's a bunch of different price points and options, and I don't know the difference between chrome moly, or what I should even be asking for. I also have a windage tray with main cap bolts from the donor engine it came off of. Is it OK to use these bolts in the engine I'm building? I know you can reuse main caps and rod bolts, just not cyl head bolts because they're TTY.


I realize this is kind of a ramble, but I really appreciate any help... thank you!

[SappySE107]

Are you sure they are sodium filled? I have yet to see any for a 60V6 engine. Narrower stem doesn't improve flow. I have tried 8mm on the bench with no flow change. Get an oil pump with 3/4 inlet, no high volume, no high pressure.

[SappySE107]

Total Seal rings. Custom forged pistons. Forged I beam rods. 3100 block with 2.8 crank. Custom roller cam for high duration/low lift.

That is what I would do. A 3.4l with that top end is going to limit RPM. Id keep the displacement at 2.8 or 3.1.

Does the windage tray clear the steel oil pan?

[82-T/A [Work]]

Are you sure they are sodium filled? I have yet to see any for a 60V6 engine. Narrower stem doesn't improve flow. I have tried 8mm on the bench with no flow change. Get an oil pump with 3/4 inlet, no high volume, no high pressure.

I am not honestly sure. They are basically unobtainium now, and most of the links that show them available give a 404 error. The company is still in business, they are just no longer making them for the V6/60 anymore. This is the company: SIValves | What’s New

I've seen a few places where it said they were sodium filled (like the Porsche motor valves). But it says nothing about that on the website. The valve-stems narrow just before the valve itself, effectively creating what would be a larger opening for the intake and exhaust. So, they do improve flow (assuming the rest of the engine and intake can support it). It's appreciably less since the diameter of the valve stem is much smaller than that of the valve opening itself... but it does equate to what would otherwise be a slightly larger valve. I'm not sure why people don't just grind and install a larger valve for these heads? Maybe there's a coolant port or something there.

Can I ask why high volume and high pressure would be a bad thing? I went with a higher-pressure oil pump in my daughter's Iron Duke when we rebuilt it, and that thing is just awesome.

Total Seal rings. Custom forged pistons. Forged I beam rods. 3100 block with 2.8 crank. Custom roller cam for high duration/low lift.

That is what I would do. A 3.4l with that top end is going to limit RPM. Id keep the displacement at 2.8 or 3.1.

Does the windage tray clear the steel oil pan?

I already have the 3.4 block, and for sure I know the top end will limit it. I'm planning on modifying the intake plenum using what the Fiero people call the DAWG mod. I'll do that myself, but have a local aluminum welder finish it up for me (I can't weld in aluminum). I'm looking to have the entire intake from plenum to intake manifold go through the extrude-hone process. The heads I have are already have been ported by a shop that does this for V6/60s.

The windage tray does clear the oil pan. I have another one, but I'll probably re-use the one that's already on my engine and put it on the 3.4.


What would be the benefit of the forged pistons? I'm not opposed to getting new pistons, but I have DOHC pistons already that should bump my compression up to at least 9.5:1. The biggest thing for me is that I'm looking to keep the engine totally stock looking... so I'm stuck with Gen-1 heads and the factory intake. Though... the Gen-1 heads have been ported.

Can you tell me a little bit more about the Total Seal Rings? Do you have that on your shop? Thank you!!!

Interested in the forged I-beam rods too. Do you have a set that will work with the 3.4 block?



Thank you!!!

[82-T/A [Work]]

SappySE107, I looked on your site and didn't see rings for the 3.4. Can you tell me a little bit more about what I should be looking for, or do you happen to have them on your site?

I'm looking at the following:
2.8 / 3.1 Gen 2 Performance Timing Set | Wide Open Throttle Technologies - I assume this will fit my Gen 1 engine?
Forged I Beam Connecting Rods | Wide Open Throttle Technologies - Are these lighter? Or just more durable?
Multi-Layer Steel (MLS) Performance Head Gaskets | Wide Open Throttle Technologies - Is this worth getting instead of normal FelPro?



Thank you!

[SappySE107]

I don't sell the rings by themselves, only with the forged pistons. I can get them but measurements have to be taken from a replacement set for stock pistons if you aren't going forged.

I doubt SI ever had sodium filled valves. They would have been $30 a piece or more.

As I said before, narrower valve stem flowing better is theory only. I have flow tested the iron heads with a thinner stem with no increase in flow. I have tested the same on aluminum heads with no increase. Its only on paper, based on nothing useful.

I forget what the dawg mod is, but I remember not seeing anything the fiero community has developed for the top end being impressive. The truleo manifold is half way to something good.

There is a guy who put a tall ass tunnel ram setup with a carb? at the very top It might be a throttle body, I forget. He is making 200 whp, maybe 210, I also forget the exact amount. It peaks around 6k I believe. So thats what it takes to make RPM.

Forged pistons can be made with a dome for even higher compression. I don't think its a good idea for iron heads to have high compression but that is based on books, not experience. No swirl ports, no heart shaped chamber, deep combustion chamber. Its not a great recipe for high compression on pump gas anyway. There used to be forged pistons that were 12:1 for the iron heads. Racing stuff. So it could take it but with what fuel? I have no idea.

The benefit is the rings can be thinner and a better material than OEM. Also possibly weight but if you go high compression, maybe not so much. They would be full floating pins which is great if you were to be tearing it down often

For the money, the DOHC pistons are great. Much better than originals.

Forged rods require forged pistons, but forged pistons can be made press fit to the .906 pins of the stock rods if desired. You could have the stock rods deburred and balanced with ARP bolts and that would be plenty good for this build.

Sounds like you have a windage tray from a 3.4 DOHC then. Thats the only one that fits the steel pans.

[SappySE107]

I thought about it and I bought a bunch of rings already and took measurements. I have the 3.4 DOHC ring specs if you are using the .030 dome version. I don't think the other version has been available for a while.

[86euro]

So what is the 'dawg' mod for the plenum? Is that the one where you cut open the underside, open it up and then weld aluminum plate back on the underside?