Scottie-GNZ

David, do not make excuses for your approach. You are going about it the right way. Good Luck. http://www.zdriver.com/members/scottiegnz/scotties240zt.htm ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z Scottie's GNZ

Thanks, Ross. Spoke to them, like what I heard and have a set on the way. ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z Scottie's GNZ

For those of you running the 82-83 caliper/84 vented rotor combo on the front, what are your pad recommendations? I just called Performance Friction and they do not make a pad for the ZX. Looking for a good street pad that has a solid feel that will haul me down from 125mph at the end of the 1/4-mile and have good cold stopping power. This is important because I use a line-loc for burnouts and need good grip on the fronts with dead cold pads. I cannot use racing pads that require a lot of heat to grip. I also specifically mentioned "solid feel" because I also have the ZX 2+2 booster and the 15/16" m/c. Do not know if a pad can help with the feel but I would like a more solid feel. TIA. ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z Scottie's GNZ

Vinh, If this is really a 12-sec Camaro, then that would be a good way to go if he can prove it. If the trans is original, you might get stuck with a 4-spd manual or 3-spd auto. However, if it has a 5-spd or auto with o/d, then borrow one of your buddy's G-tech and force the owner to let him prove his claim. If he refuses, then get the head and block casting numbers to verify exactly what he has, then do a compresion test. If it is a good engine, then the potential is there. You can then buy a junkyard drivetrain, put it in the car and get something back out of it plus sell your L28T stuff. If your goal is only low-12s and I guesstimate the weight to be 2900lbs with you in it, you only need 345RWHP. If you have all the L28T pieces, you are already there. You are already running low-13s with a bone-stock L28T. ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z Scottie's GNZ

Vinh, seasons greetings and welcome. The answer to your question depends on how much HP you are looking to get. If you just want a mild HP upgrade then the 84-85 will do you just fine, but a SBC sounds simpler. If you are looking to make some big HP numbers, you definitely want to keep searching for a 86-87. The 86-87 will cost a lot more up front but it was rated at 247RWHP and you can take it to 350RWHP w/o spending any money. The 84-85 can make that HP but it will take a lot. Here is a quick breakdown of the Buick Turbo engines: - 78-83 Carbureted Turbo - 84-85 EFI, non-Intercooled - 86-87 EFI, Intercooled With the 84-85, it is not just a simple matter of adding the I/C. ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

Steve, ask 6 folks who is their favorite injector vendor and you will probably get 4 different answers. Stick with a big name brand like Bosch, RCI, Nippondenso, etc. The 2nd question is the classic "how-big" that does not have a specific answer. I do not like to size injectors based on boost because not all boost are equal. An L28T with the stock components and a Starion I/C pushing 14# boost will probably be making 50-75hp less than one with an upgraded turbo, good I/C and fueling at the same boost. 12-18# boost as you state is a wide gap. If you have the components to support it, your eyes will pop at the difference between 12# and 18#. Since I would not recommend 18# with the stock turbo, I assume you are looking at an upgraded turbo. Most of the L28Ts that have recorded performance are getting about 230+rwhp with the stock components and a Starion I/C at about 13-14#. I ran the stock turbo at 17# but with programmable system and the aforementioned good components and was pushing between 287-300rwhp. I used the SVO 36# injectors that could support about 325hp. Any more power than that and the 420cc injectors is a popular choice. Of course, as Frog implied, any injector can be made to flow more by running higher fuel pressure like he did. HTH ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

I ran a 2-bar sensor and ran 17# boost. The 2-bar sensor does not stop you from running more than 15# boost, however, the ECU will continue to use the last values programmed in if the boost exceeds 15#. When I bought mine, I had no thoughts of running higher than 15# , so I ended up just making the last manifold pressure related value a little larger. Patrick has the 3-bar sensor and ran 19#. The primary difference you will notice is that when tuning, the 3-bar maps involving manifold pressure will have a little less granularity. Sort of like looking at 2 tachs that have a 270* sweep but one goes to 6K and another goes to 10K. ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

I would stick with a 2.25" pipe on the turbine side. The turbine outlet is only 2", so get a 2-2.25" hose at the turbo and blow out the pipe at the I/C end to 2.5" and use a straight 2.5" hose. This is what I am doing on the GNZ. The 3" straight-thru Borla should be fine and you do not need larger than 3". Do not want to come off as a salesman, but you might want to consider one of my DPs. This is what I used and what Patrick is using for his almost 120mph ride. Below you see a pic of the DP compared to the stocker and a pic of the DP and 3" mandrel exhaust. I have the same exhaust modified to fit the GN DP.

What are your exhaust plans? Like the I/C, you only want to do it once. Scottie

I ran the stock 71 tank and finally gave in and bought Mikelly's RCI aluminum fuel cell. If my stock tank level was low I had to be cautious and avoid hard acceleration. At the track I had to make sure I had at least 8-9 gallons in the tank. Does not sound so bad until you realize I only race with 112-octane at $5.50/gal. Ever heard a high-HP turbo motor at full song suddenly have no fuel? The other frustrating problem I had with the stock tank was the fumes, despite taking out the tank and replacing all the lines and having a metal vent tank. I am talking about gasoline fumes, not exhaust fumes. I suppose an in-tank pump would work supplemented by a surge tank, but that seems like a mod no easier than the other. ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

I am not certain you want to attempt installation without pulling the tank and making sure it is thoroughly clean and dry before welding. Here is what it looks like: I am sure someone on the forum has done this and can enlighten you. When patrick did his, he pulled the tank, had it welded and plumbed in braided hoses and AN fittings from the sump to the hard lines. ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

The compressor is not what will cause the lag, it is the turbine side. A t3/t04 implies a t3 turbine side but it can be had with different wheels in the turbine housing. There is a tendency to throw the term LAG around without fulling understanding what it means or is. The stock t3 has instant spoolup and was at full boost by 2800RPMs and that is not necessarily a good thing. When I ran my t3, it was almost impossible to launch the car without frying the tires. As impressive as it sounds and looks, it actually slowed me down as I could never get better than 2.0s in the 60' with 245 ZR-rated tires. I then upgraded to a t3/t04 and the car did not feel as strong off the line (some might say laggy) but the result was an effortless 1.74 60' and smoother acceleration through the lower gears. My advice is to speak with the turbo manufacturer and tell them your setup and goals and let them configure the turbo for you. ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

The rear sump is a must for drag racing, but believe me, with that kind of HP making the Z squat, any kind of hard acceleration with less than 1/2 tank is asking for trouble. EFI tanks have baffling and combined with the rear sump, you should have it all covered. Scottie

Not sure why you think an external pump is not a good thing. I guess I could go into theories about which components are better, but I prefer to tell you what I know works from experience. You can go with a fuel cell or rear sump in the tank. I used a Bosch external pump which I had in my spare bin for the 911 and when it crapped, I went with a Pierburg from Corky Bell. This is what my buddy is also using. Quiet and can flow 70+GPH. For the fuel lines I recommend .5" or -8 feed and the original 5/16" feed as the return line. I am using -8 braided hose and my buddy ran a .5" aluminum line. We both used custom fuel rails with an SX FPR. How much pressure you run depends on the injectors. Some injectors, like the factory units are rated at 36# pressure and most aftermarket units are rated at 43#. More pressure and the inj flows more, less, etc. E.g., my buddy is running 600cc injs rated at 43#, but he runs them at 36#. I ran the SVO 36# injs and ran them at 43# pressure. Both worked as we had big mph numbers for what we were running. The stock FPR is a 36# unit and is not adjustable. Sure you can "crush" it and get more pressure, but it would be 20+yrs old. If you plan on running 420cc injs, almost certain they were rated at 43# pressure,so if you used the stocker at 36#, the injs would flow less. E.g., if the 420cc injs were rated at 43# and you ran them at 50#, they would flow 453cc. If you ran them at 36#, they would flow 384cc. If you are thinking 400ish HP, the only component of the original fuel system you should consider using is the original 5/16" feed line to be used as the return. ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

Mike, I remember you saying there was a weird problem with the aluminum tank as a result of not having the foam, but I am switching ISP and looks like I deleted the old mail. I am having a strange problem with my FPR and wonder if it might be related and if anyone else with a fuel cell has seen this. I set the pressure (idle/vac off) to 45#. Car idles fine and pressure appears fine, but after driving for a while, the pressure will drop to 38#. I reset it to 45#, drive for a while and it jumps to 52#. Reset it to 45# and it eventually drops to 38#, ad nauseum. It appears to be changing + or - 7# of the target pressure. Mike, I remember you saying something about walls of the tank as a result of not having the foam, but my memory is getting bad (huh, who am I?). Since you were running a carb with only 6-7# you might not have noticed this phenomenom, but I wonder if it had anything to do with your mystery fueling problem? I plan on giving Jim Cook a call and see about ordering the foam and if they have a clue. Do you or anyone have a number for RCI? Cannot seem to find one. ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

Warning! Before I posted this, I realized I rambled a lot, so be forewarned I first want to say this post was not intended to sway anyone from a V-8, et al swap or buying top-notch L6 internals. A year ago I was faced with the decision to build up the L28T or do another Hybrid. Having already done the V-8 and L28T, I wanted to try something different and one day might try the VG30-TT route. Only problem is, despite looking sexy, I know it will not match the GN $ for $. I look at it this way. The optimum L28T setup would be with the top-notch internals AND the programmable system, qaulity I/C, fuel and exhaust system, etc. Not everyone can do that, so given a tight budget and the inability to do both, I would (and so did my buddy, Patrick) choose a good used engine and all the right components to make turbo HP the right way. Just would not make sense to build up an engine with forged pistons, etc and then have to skimp on the I/C by using a Starion/Saab, etc or retaining the stock engine management system and injectors or getting a hybrid turbo but having to use the stock DP and exhaust. DRAX, you are very observant in noticing that Patrick did not go cheap on certain things, i.e., the right things. As far as how much $$, I could not say because he had bad dealings with the body shop and had to take it to another shop to have things redone and finished. The detail work was all done by him since he had a lot of time on his hands. The shortblock was taken apart, boiled, checked and reassembled with new rings and bearings and the head had a standard valve job. Where the $$$ were spent was: SDS F, turbo, exhaust, Spearco/plumbing (see pic below), fuel system that consists of Pierburg pump, rear sump on tank, 1/2" feed line, fuel rail SX FPR, quality oil cooler and lots of braided hoses, AN fittings and ceramic-coating. For those of you planning a buildup, thats the stuff that kills your pocket. As for comparing my car with the T3 wheezer, he and I have have done that a 1000 times. My mph (110.97) was an indication of 12.70s instead of 13.02. Patrick's 60' was .31 quicker and his car is 150lbs lighter. The T3/5-spd combo spools so quick that launching my car was damn near impossible. By coincidince, both cars gained about 27mph in the 2nd half. Morgan, having gone both routes, I would go with the turbo shortblock. The NA block will work but is more prone to breakage if you detonate because of the rings. This is the perfect example of why it is so critical to keep the heat down and eliminate detonation. Patrick made considerable more HP with less boost!!. As for the distributor, you do not need it. Just fab a cover out of 1/8" aluminum. Note that the distributor does not have a gear and that is because it is driven. The oil pump is driven by a gear on the crank and the distributor is driven by a shaft off that assembly. There is no way to say how long it will take to tune an SDS. 2 identical engines could react differently to the same map, but they should be in the ballpark. Once we got the right injs for Patrick's car, it fired right up and the maps I put in are unchanged. The SDS shields you from a lot of the complexities of tuning. You have to determine a starting point for fuel based on engine displacement and inj flow rate. Here is my philosophy on tuning the SDS. Once you determine the starting point, build a fuel curve for driving w/o boost, based on the engine's torque curve. Build an iginition map based on the stock ignition curve with an initial of 20BTDC and a ramp up to about 39 at 3200 and then 39 all the way to redline. Once you have good driveability w/o boost, then you can build another map for adding more fuel based on boost demand. I like to do it in stages by limiting the boost to say 5 or 6#, tune, then up the boost to say 10#, tune, etc. As you add boost, you need to program in ignition retard based on boost. Here I use a guideline that says at 15# boost, the total ignition should not exceed 24 or 25 degrees. Since you programmed in 39 from 3200RPMs on up, then you need to build a retard curve that starts reatrding the timing at say 3# boost and ramp up to retarding 15 degrees at 15# boost, resulting in a total of 24 degrees. All of this is a starting point and the neat thing about the SDS is using the rich/lean to change the fuel mixture on the fly. You do not need to know or concern yourself with all the possible data points, as it takes of that. You just need to tell it how much fuel at what RPM, How much timing at what RPM, how much more fuel at what boost, how much retard at what boost. Those are the key maps, but you can also program for retard based on knock, cold start based on ambient and water temp, etc. Well, I am rambling again and that should be enough to chew on or confused and maybe even scare away potential users. But, you know, if you are scared of this or do not have the patience to fine tune, then you probably do not want a programmable system. ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

Anyone looking to build a quick L28T-powered Z-car should read this. A couple of months ago I posted some pics of my buddy's 71 with an L28T. Here is one of the pics I posted. Here is a little background on the car. It originally had a stock NA block, P90 head, Jim Wolf setup, t3/t04 hybrid, 440cc injs, Spearco I/C, stock DP and 2.5" press-bent exhaust, open 3.54 and 225/50 tires. The car ran a best 12.32 @ 114.5 running 22psi and detonated its way down the track. We decided to do some upgrades along the same path I took, so he installed an SDS "F" system, 600cc injs (run at 36# FP), one of my DPs and a 3" mandrel-bent exhaust with an Ultra-flow and a LSD. Couple of test runs and the junkyard NA block decided to pack it in by cracking the rings on 2 cylinders. Eventual effects of over 100 passes Since the motor was broke, we decided to run it anyway expecting it to hand-grenade and instead was rewarded with a 12.7 @ 113+ with 17psi boost and a soft launch. Daniel (74_5.0L_Z) was there to witness that as this car and his look identical, both drop-dead georgous. He got a junkyard turbo block and freshened it up with new rings and bearings (note I did not say pistons!!). For personal reasons, he decided to sell the car but had to see what it could do. Last Wednesday night on the first real test of the new setup, the car ran a best of 11.74 @ 119.9mph with 19psi boost on PUMP GAS and 225/50 radials!!!!. The car was a little "sluggish" in the 1/8-mile with only 92+mph, but it gained over 27mph in the 2nd half. To top things off, he got to break out a can of "WHUP-ASS" on a brand-new Z06, 3 times On the quickest run, the Z06 ran 12.4 @ 112+, pulled the Z off the line bad only to have the Z walk on him on the top-end. Man, am I proud of that car. Lets talk numbers. With the JWT setup, my formula spits out 304RWHP. With the latest setup, 350RWHP. Thats a 45hp increase from the SDS, good exhaust and bigger injectors (probably not that big a factor). Remember, FIRST TIME OUT, LESS BOOST, PUMP GAS, STOCK ENGINE!! Now, for those looking for this kind of performance, am I advocating not spending the big bucks for forged pistons? Absolutely not. My point is that you can go a VERY LONG way with the stock turbo engine if you can keep the heat down and eliminate detonation. Some folks would look at that little turbo and laugh, but what counts is the right combination of parts. Programmable engine management, Fuel system that can deliver, non-restrictive exhaust system and last but not least, a top-notch I/C. ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

What is the latest status on the SDS group purchase? If it is still on, let me know as I think I can help. If you look on the SDS dealers page, you will see that Racetech USA is the top USA distributor. Some of you have dealt with Carlos on your SDS purchase and for other items. Carlos is a close and personal friend and after speaking with him this weekend, he is willing to offer the 20% group discount if the purchaseis made through him. There are, however, some minor caveats. Mike (SCCA), if you are the one leading this effort, drop me an email and I can try to work this with you. Scottie

The hood is on the car!! That means it had its initial shakedown drive and so far, so good. Plan to get a couple hundred miles on it by the 20th and take her to the track for some easy passes to see if it will survive. ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

That car belongs to Derek Grubb from PA. Not sure why he had only 11.3 dialed in as that car has gone as fast as 10.59 @ 130+ with a 1.49 60' on 6" slicks and stock IRS, halfshafts and u-joints. That is the ultimate sleeper. ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

Dan, the pics must be on a server that is accessible to the Internet. If it is, then put the folloing in the message: If you do have them on the net, email them to me and I will set them up for you temporarily. Did you make it back to the track? ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

Can someone please educate me on GM cooling tabs and if anyone has used it, any negatives? After putting my engine back together, I cranked it up and she purred like a kitten until it warmed up and I started hearing the sound of liquid dropping on hot metal. Discovered that coolant was seeping pass the threads on the top of the ARP head studs . I called ARP and they said this is not uncommon. It seems studs that are in water jackets act like a wick and the coolant just work its way up. I pulled the heads and all the studs and put them back with a better pipe thread sealer. Also dropped the oil pan, cleaned out the oil cooler blew out all the external oil lines, etc, etc. $120 in gaskets and oil later, I crank it up again and same FRI**IN results. Another call to ARP and I am told it is not uncommon ( hello, hello, I have an echo ) for the leak to continue even after reapplying thread sealer. They recommend Aluma-Seal which major engine builders use and is guarnteed to stop the leak and not clog the cooling system . I tried it and it worked. However, I had to let the engine idle for about 30 mins before it sealed and then I let it idle for another 30 mins after to make sure. You guessed it, coolant in the engine. Off comes the pan, oil cooler, yada yada. I decided to do a pressure test before I started the engine again. All was good until I got it up to 15# where I saw one stud seeping. One. Damn!! I am hoping that because the engine was only allowed to idle, the Aluma-Seal is not yet fully effective. I am currently using a 16# cap and plan to drop it down to 11#, understanding the boiling point issue. My hope is that the lower presuure will reduce the chance of a leak. However, I feel I need more insurance and have heard good things about these GM cooling tabs and want to add it to the equation. Anyone ever experienced this problem or used cooling tabs or see any problems with what I am doing? If I have to pull the heads again, it will be a while before I touch that damn thing. I am burning up the funds for my liquid-to-air I/C project . Ah, the joys of trying to go fast. ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

What do you think of the Cobra R wheel? It is 17x9 with a 6" backspace and run about $700/set or less if you search the large Mustang BBs. With the Fords, you have the option of 2 adaptors, 4x4.5 to 4x4.25 or 4x4.5 to 5x??. I just bought a pair of like-new Welds Draglites 15x8 with 4.5" backspace with 275/50-15 BFG DRs for $240 + $50 shipping. Turns out the Mustang needs a 5.5" backspace and the tires rub and he could not unload them (in his limited Mustang World). It seems this is a common mistake by the 5.0 crowd and so with some searching and patience, there are bargains to be had. ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

As much as I want a lightweight hatch w/Lexan, not sure I would want to spend as much as it would cost to do it in carbon-fiber. Hey Jeff, I see you are in Orlando. Drop me an email and let me know what you have or your project. I am always looking for other Zs to hang with. I live in Chuluota, couple of miles from the track. ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z http://www.mindspring.com/~vscott911/gnz.html

J. C. Whitney sells the Suspension technique springs. $79.99/pair. Scottie