Scottie-GNZ

Stick to drag radials. They got me into the 10s just fine.

Seems like most folks are interested in a center console, but is it possible to make a one-size-fits-all console? I thought there were enough differences in the 1st gen to make that not possible.

Anyone know of an A-pillar pod that fits the ridiculously thin Z-car A-pillar?

John, congrats on the new time. Do you have any pics of the limiters you used? Is it permanent or can you hook it up when going to the track? I am nowhere as quick as you but I know what you were going through with the front-end lifting as you accelerate. Do not know if I will need the limiters but just in case, let me know. Send me private email ifyou like. Seeing the odd camber/toe of the Z front-end at launch on your site is scary to know the car could be doing that at speed. I could only dream of my car weighing 2200lbs but if it could.......

Jim, wanna know how fast your Z would go? My buddy tunes and drives a Titan Motorsports-owned car and will be competing in the full NHRA season. It has a Greedy T-88 on a stock bottom-end and the car set a national record of 9.83 @ 152, ON 325 DRs and 6-spd!! They have it stripped down to 2900lbs, still a porker compared to a Z.

SWEEEET Mine is undergoing a slow body transformation and I can only hope it will look that.

Depends on whether or not what you sprayed was 02 sensitive. Regardless, you are probably still running the original one so you should just go ahead and replace it. The Bosch single-wire unit works fine and only cost $20.

I wonder if Phil (SPL311) knows about that roadster? As for the truck.

Go here and subscribe to the mailing list, then you can post the queries to folks who will know. This engine is sweet and has become very popular with the Fiero crowd. http://www.gnttype.org/sc3800/

http://www.pentastarpower.com/feets/newpage.html

Greg? Greg Who? He don't know diddly How ya been? Where ya been? How's the stageII? Regarding the spoolup problem, there probably is something wrong there but 240Z Turbo makes a good point, i.e., do not compare the "feel" of the hybrid to the feel of the stock T3. I had all kinds of problems launching with the stock T3 but it sre felt snappy. I switched to a hybrid and the first reaction was that it felt "soft" but I dropped .35-sec of my 60' first time out. It was making a lot more power. No surprise there. DOWNSHIFT. Like some of the other guys said, the obvious things to check for are running too rich at the bottom-end, wastegate puck not sealing shut, exhaust leak BEFORE the turbo, timing way off.

Be careful when buying used turbos in a scrap yard, especially ones that have been out in the elements for a long time. If the exhaust is off the car you could get lots of rust buildup in the turbine side and if the oil feed line is off or open, you could have moisture in the center section which will ruin the bearing.

As I reflect on my L28ET setup, I kick myself in the butt for not running drag radials. No matter what lauch technique I tried, I would fry the tires of the line and put the car sideways on the 1-2 and could never get a 60' better than 2.0x. The car would recover and scream in the 2nd 1/8-mile gaining a best of 27mph between the 1/8 and 1/4 (you drag racers, compare that to other timeslips) and a best MPH of 110.97 but run only 13.0. The problem of course was the quick spoolup of the OEM t3. When I switched to the t3/t04, I only ran the car once. I do not know the specs of the turbo as it was slightly, ahem, WARM , and I did not look a gift horse in the mouth. IOW, I got it for almost nothing. It obviously did not have the Nissan OEM turbine components because the car lauched with less dramatics and with no practice clicked off a 1.74 60' and a 12.7 @ 105, yep 105 (??). Found out later my OEM fuel pump connections were badly corroded and I was not getting enough fuel on top-end. It was a tired junkyard engine that was on its last legs and I had already made the decision to swap engines.

As for building the engine, you are going in the right direction. The specifics should come from someone who has built a similar engine (WITH SUCCESS!) or the engine builder. Consider head porting and a mild cam upgrade as long as it is a cam configured for a turbo. Keep in mind though that what you have listed will help the engine live at full boost but contribute little if anything to reaching your HP goal. To make 400rwhp from a turbo setup you will need the right combination of quality bolt-ons and tuning and tuning (not stuttering). Turbo, DP/exhaust, I/C, fuel system (injs, pump, FPR), engine management. These bolt-ons will not only make the HP, they will help avoid detonation which you absolutely must do regardless of how strong you build the engine. The right bolt-ons could and will cost more than building the engine so make sure you factor that in the budget. Please, also factor in suspension and brakes upgrade as YOU WILL NEED THEM!

If you will have an SDS F, big Spearco and only shooting for 300rwhp, you certainly do not need anything bigger than a t3/t04. With those components, you will make 300rwhp w/o even trying. My buddy has gone 11.74 @ 119 with the same setup at 19psi in a 240Z and that equates to about 350rwhp. You certainly do not want the quick spoolup of the OEM t3 but do not sacrifice bottom-end because you only care about top-end power. With the correct t3 turbine side you can get what you want. Lag gets old real fast. You might want to rethink your idea on ign retard. As SleeperZ said, ditch the water inj idea. With the Spearco and programmable capabilities of the SDS, it is not needed. Build your own ign and fuel curves to maximize power and eliminate detonation. That is why you have the SDS.

Forget about a quad turbo and I even have to question why you need twins on a SBC. K.I.S.S. and go single turbo after you decide how to route the crossover pipe. Many folks think they have to go twins to eliminate turbo lag. Wive's tale. I have also heard folks say go twin T3s because you can get used T3s cheap. The turbos are only a fraction of the cost of such a setup so that should not be the deciding factor. One thing I would ask folks when they say they have or want xxxhp, is to specify flywheel or RWHP as it makes a big difference, espcially when building an NA. Using a conversative .8 net at the wheels, 500 at the flywheel is only 400+ at the wheels and 500 at the wheels is about 625 at the flywheel. ZROSSA, based on my ET/MPH/WEIGHT, I am making about 440+RWHP which would be about 550 at the flywheel with the automatic. My engine internals are stock but I am using an upgraded turbo (single). The comment regarding the SBC making more low down torque is only true if it is forced induction. A 440rwhp NA SBC will make less torque than a 440RWHP GN. Finally, ZROSSA's point about the applying that much torque to the Z chassis is not to be taken lightly. That much power/torque in a stock Z chassis will not only turn it into a pretzel, IT IS DOWNRIGHT DANGEROUS and is not to be taken lightly. I know I am repeating myself .

What plans do you have for an I/C and exhaust? Do not skimp in these areas. Good Luck. Brings back lots of memories.

Well Dan, you decided to ask a mouthful, didn't ya? GNs came with a variety of T3s. The early ones were carbed, the 84-84 were non-intercooled with the turbo mounted right up on the intake and the 86-87 were intercooled with lots of improvements. The early ones had a carb . The 84-85 were not I/C'd and you were limited in the mods you could do. They are not a good base for making 450HP. I am more familiar with the I/C versions and they ran 12psi from the factory. I will only address the 86-87 as I feel the early setups are not worth pursuing unless yiou have one already. The 86-87 used a 3-bolt turbo unique to the GN. No problems finding one in the Buick community. You can go a long way with the stock tturbo but is not the way to go for 450hp. The GN and Sy/TY engines are both V-6 turbos but worlds apart. The 4.3L is a 6-cyl SBC and nowhere as strong as the Buick 3.8L. A stock unmodified 3.8L can handle up to 550hp w/o detonation but why risk it. Nothing is interchangable between the 2. Problem with this approach is that you will need a decent c.r. and cam to make 350hp with the n/a and that is the opposite of what a turbo needs. If having a 450hp turbo engine is the end goal, I would build the n/a with all the parts needed for the turbo in the shortblock. Do the heads, get the correct turbo cam and low c.r. pistons for the turbo setup and run it n/a until you are ready to switch to turbo. Hate to tell you this, but it probably will not be cheap. It is a lot more expensive trying to piecemeal a turbo setup. You best bet is to find turbo parts off a Sy/Ty but the electronics is not the best. In my opinion, you might be better off searching for a complete Sy/Ty engine, go with that stock, then over time, get an SDS and a T04 and GOOD I/C. The 4.3L is not a strong turbo engine but what makes them break is the fact that the engine management system is not conducive to modifications, the I/C is not efficient and owners try to push too much boost through them. With a good I/C and a programmable, you can avoid detonation and safely run more HP. Remember, it is detonation, not boost, that breaks engines. Probably not what you wanted to hear, but I do not want to see you charge into a project w/o the right budget. Whatever you budget, ADD AT LEAST 25%, repeat, ADD AT LEAST 25%.

Life sometimes dishes out "challenges". Deal with it as such because the strong always pull through and I know you folks will. Having faced many challenges myself, I know it helps to have support, even just someone to talk to. This group is here for you and we pass on our best wishes.

Jason, thanks for the heads up and I will file his info away. 8.90 @ 158 in a 3740lb car is about 1,150rwhp, so that makes it a $tageII motor. Friggin awesome powerplant. Not sure why he is running only a 10" tire unless he is trying to run in a special Buick class. He could probably spin those all the way through the 1/4-mile.

Hobbs switch.

Steve, nicely done.

Fast240, nice numbers. What was the 60' time? Any pics?

jens, I do not know if there are any official numbers published, but when I lock up my 2004R at WOT in 3rd, I see a 10% drop in the RPMs. Note that is at WOT and it is possible there is a little more slippage then.

Where you moving to?