Scottie-GNZ

Tim and others, thanks for the offer. I want to run the car this weekend at the "Funday/Sunday" event where they allow cars to run with "No Time" and not even the track knows what the car ran. Why? I do not have the cage yet and do not want to get kicked off but still would like to get some idea of what the car is doing. I have a friend with a Vericom which is much better than the G-tech but big and heavy and last time I tried it, 2 of the cups would not hold so I had to use lots of duct tape to stop it from flying off and decapitating me. Also, as a last resort I can use my datalogger. On a whim, I ran the car last night and shut it off at the 1/8-mile just to see what bugs I could shake out. It ran 6.85 @ 101.02 which equates to about 10.75 @ 128.1 but I have lots of tuning to do as it was extremely rich off the line and thru 1st and 2nd. I have lots of adjustments to take care of that but the clock is what will tell me if I am making improvements. Here is an example of where a dyno is of no help because you cannot tune for launching and 1st and 2nd gear on a dyno. Not bad for the 1st time out considering the car's strength will be top-end. I was also willing to settle for 1.55s on DRs and got a 1.567 w/o wheelspin. Weighed the car and looks like around 3040# w/me making it 290# heavier than the Z but this car is like a Caddy compared to the Z.

Anyone in Orlando have a G-tech Pro I can borrow for this weekend?

Here is what the Nissan t3 flange must look like. The exhaust hole IS NOT centered between the bolt holes.

I did a long writeup more than once on this topic and do not feel like repeating myself. Do a search and you will find it. BTW, there are many other reasons why not beyond those discussed here.

Hmm, I happen to own a 84 911 convertible (see sig) and your description does not sound anything like mine. 911s are a different breed and you cannot draw a conclusion on just a first drive as it takes time to get used to the idiosyncracies such as the clutch pedal and shifter. However, the responsiveness of the engine, the handling and the incredible brakes should have left a strong impression from a 1st drive. BTW, 84 Carreras have a 3.2L engine with 207hp and should have crisp throttle response. Now, my opinion might be somewhat biased since I have owned 911s for so long but sounds like your buddy's is tired or needs a good tuneup.

With no changes to the default settings, now have the boost up to 26.5psi with no knock/spark retard and the EGT is only reading 1500*. Another couple psi boost? Scary! We will see how this translate to HP on the track soon.

Dnaught14, I understand some of what you are saying and look at this "problem" with alky/water injection same as I do with NOS. A lot of the bad rep from these systems come from folks who repeat hearsay without firsthand knowledge and from people who simply use the system in the wrong way and the DIYers who do not get it right. Alky (w/o a lubricant) can be damaging to the pump and hoses if you use a pump that requires lubrication and you use hoses that are not alky-tolerant. Alky can be damaging to the engine (like NOS) if the proportions are incorrect, the system does not allow adjustments, you simply miss the limitations AND you unknowingly run out of alky at full boost (ironically, a common occurence). Now, I hate to sound like a salesman, but my buddy probably has the most well-thoughtout system on the market. The pump he uses does not require lubrication so it cannot be damaged by alky. While you can buy your own hoses, his kit only comes with high-quality, alky-tolerant braided hoses. The kit also includes a low-level sender so only the stoooopid who ignores the ultra-bright LED warning light will run out at the wrong time. The key component of his system is the progressive controller that in a nutshell, allows you to tune when the pump kicks in and to ramp the pump pressure as boost increases. So, if you need lots of alky at 20psi, you do not get the same amount when the pump kicks in at 5psi. Despite all this, not much can be done for those who simply do not take the time to monitor and tune accurately and that goes for any high-performance setup. Doug, I will be with him tomorrow doing some fine tuning on my car and will have some discussions with him.

Hostile? I guess you missed the smiley (2, in fact) and the "But seriously...". Spork, what I can do is work with him to design a kit for the turbo Zs and with turbo Zers to organize a group buy. When I say design a kit I mean the right tank, the right location for the tank and pump and custom hoses to fit that setup. No rubber hoses and clamps here. Only the best quality methanol-tolerant steel-braided hoses with AN fittings. The hard part of course (like designing most custom pieces) is having a car to take the correct measurements and trial fit.

Based on what? Been running "so much boost" for over 5 years, At least 100 10-sec passes on the same engine with the stock bottom-end. That says it all :D But seriously, there is a difference being being scared of something different and being dligent and smart about tuning.

If the engine is not laggy, leave the exhaust housing alone. I believe the 2.5" exhaust is becoming a restriction. The engine is responding to the boost increase but not enough and the torque seems low. You can prove that by dyno'ing the car again with no changes but disconnect the exhaust from the DP. Also, the RPM and MPH makes me believe the car has a 3.90 final drive so you might try a pull in 4th if the dyno can accomodate that kind of "speed".

Finally got around to taking the car for a spin to test out the system. HOLY PUMP GAS, BATMAN Filled the tank, turned it on with the default settings and hit the gas. 22psi boost straight out of the box and the EGT was less than 1500*. Next, hook up the LM1 and start playing with it but first I have to bleed the brakes some more from installing the braided lines and install some new ball joints.

The boost and EGT gauges should go together and be in line of sight w/o shifting your head or eyes (too much). I would put them in a pillar pod or a pod on top of the dash over the tach/speedo. I also like Richard's idea for those 2 gauges.

Couple of comments. Not saying there might not be a problem that needs addressing, but we are making the same classic mistake of comparing HP numbers from different dynos. Could part of the problem be the dyno/run? What gear was this pull done in? The graph is showing MPH not RPM and it looks like 5250RPMs occured at about 74mph. If this was 3rd gear with a 3.70 and 25" tire, 5250 should be more like 82mph by my calculation. Now if he is running a 3.90 it would be closer to the dyno sped and of course a 3.54 would make it worse. Am I off base or is this a consideration?

Where are you located in Orlando? Would love to get together and check out that car.

Happy to help.

That's who and what I was referring to. The progressive feature is why I am using his kit. Anyone can make an inexpensive DIY kit but if you are looking to run big boost/HP, this is the correct way to do it.

I use a 200-4R and love it for its light weight, gear ratios, OD and lockup, but they are not bullet-proof, no matter how much money you throw at them. However, you need to put it in perspective, because when you read about turbo Buicks, keep in mind those cars are in excess of 3800lbs and trying to push 600+rwhp. Closer to your situation, my Z weighed in 2750lbs w/me and had about 520rwhp and I wailed on it hard with a t-brake and QTPs (see sig). More important than the 520 rwhp was the 600+lb/ft of torque at lower RPMs and flashing the converter to about 4800RPMs . With that kind of abuse, I had breakage and many frustrating problems. The breakage was the front pump (twice, surprise!!) and the other issues were with the governor spring popping off and the converter (no fault of tranny). Now, a 350hp crate NA will probably have, lets say 350lb/ft of torque and you will probably use a 22-2400 stall converter. My tranny is a BRF code for the 3.8L turbo (you probably want to look for a BRx coded tranny) and with the things that A.G. said, you should be fine. As A.G. also said, find a D5 converter which is a stock 3.8L turbo with about a 23-2400 stall and also figure out how to wire up the lockup.

Tick-tock, tick-tock........ BTW folks, it will be worth coming to SEZ just to see this setup. (No pressure, Mike )

I was thinking about having this done to the RX7 inner and outer ends until I discovered that they are made to a JIS spec that brings them close to 4130 chromoly. Although I did not follow through, I would have looked into a local company, 300below, http://www.300below.com. If I end up breaking a CV shaft then I will have the shafts done as they want $530 for a pair of chromoly CV shafts (just the shafts). CV shafts should run about $60/ea but doubt (hope? ) I will break with the foot brake and DRs.

Rick, I am using the system from Alky Control, http://www.alkycontrol.com The owner is a friend and fellow Buick turbo enthhusiast. I am going to see if I get him up to the SEZ to help promote the product. dr Hunt, 3.8L Buick turbo longblock, +.020 hypers, ARP rod bolts and head studs, CNC-ported heads and intake, mild cam, 75# injs, 57mm TB, turbo - 66mm compressor/p-trim turbine with .63 housing, FMIC, 3" DP and exhaust, 9.5" 3400 stall convertor, TH200-4R (BRF), 3.07 final drive, stock ECM with Translator+ and LS1 MAF. See sig for best time which factors out to about 520rwhp and still manages hi-20s mpg cruising. Drivetrain now in a 2nd-gen RX7.

Z-Gad is dead on. You cannot put a definitve number on this. When I ran CVs with 280 stubs, I broke a CV (the shaft itself, not the tripod) launching with DRs. The DS CV broke and the experts say it is usually the PS that has the breakage, so you never know. As a comparison, I was leaving a lot harder on a t-brake and netting 1.55s. If it were me, I would not leave the line with the 100-shot. I would add a timer to delay the shot for .5 sec to eliminate any shock or wheelspin. If you are truly concerned, then make the swap or look into cryo treating the 240 stubs.

I am currently upgradng my car to use alky injection and should have it completed this weekend. At a minumum I expect to match my top HP number (520rwhp) with 93-octane. C-16 is now $9.25/gal in my area! http://www.alkycontrol.com/