Tony D

My reference to the AIR pump was only to illustrate the size of the A/C compressor on a Geo Metro, not that you could actually use an AIR pump for anything that asthetics... As for Air/Air being discounted, industrial stationary compressors use aluminum Air/Air units for cooling interstage air very effectively. Some two-stage units (stainless steel precooler, Aluminum Main Cooler) will have approach temperatures within 5 degrees of ambient. Not bad when you consider it's ingesting 455F air on the inlet side at full load. And this is 24/7 service! Cooper Cameron (Cooper Turbocompressor, or whatever they are called this month) has had a small centrifugal multistage compressor available for close to 10 years now. 125 to 350HP range, supplying 125psi air. Those are AIA Coolers on it, and the air temperature will be very close to ambient on the outlet side of the cooler. Thing is, if you cool too much below 85 degrees F, you will start getting a lot of condensate in the airflow, the more relative humidity the more you will get. Most industrial application will limit first stage intercooling to 120 F inlet temperature to the second stage simply to keep condensate entrained. They just upsize the second stage wheel or compression element to compensate for the lessened air density. The amount of condensate that can be entrained in the air almost doubles from 85 to 120 F. And again as it gets colder, you will get more condensate. As BLKMGK mentioned seeing 'fog' from the BOV, this is totally possible, and indicative of the 100 % Relative Humidity in aftercooled, compressed air. Any object that quickly drops the pressure will experience a JT effect, meaning a quick temperature drop...and the entrained water vapor will condense and turn into fog. In extreme cases, this 'fog' can be what is going into the engine... This can be 'bad' if the condensate is in sufficient quantity to lock a cylinder. In an A/C based system (Freon), this WILL be a consideration as at 35 F you will have condensate running along the I/C piping. The easiest thing for elimination of this, is small pinholes in the bottom of the pipe with a soft rubber flap covering it tightly---under vacuum the hole is sucked closed by the close proximity of the rubber, under boost the condensate is positively eliminated through the holes, free to spew all over underhood components below them! (You can pipe it with flappers like on the old road-draft tubes the VW's had...but...what a pain!) As for scoffing at A/C based systems, the project got a passing grade in Industrial Technology, and was proven in concept, real world, in a hot environment. You have to know what you're doing with the A/C, and one of the big considerations is the accumulator sizing. This goes with any sort of system using compressed anything. With a big enough accumulator, you will get by with progressively smaller and smaller compressors. It is FAR more suitable for a Street Car, than a Bonneville Racer. Street cars will rarely, if ever see more than 15 to 20 seconds of boost where the A/C must cool the charge. At all other times, it will, as mentioned above, eliminate all stored heat in the exchanger for better transient heat elimination. I digress...

No, they are not. But I know plenty of L-Engine people running HKS and no O-Ring. They really are a stopgap...If you misfuel and detonate, something is going to break. If you O-Ring, it will be your pistons, regardless of what super-duty unit you have. With just the HKS, you might blow the head gasket, but unlikely---JeffP sunk the ring lands in five pistons without ever hearing any detonation whatsoever...plain old HKS Gasket. So it's more overkill than anything else. Properly fuel your engine, clamp it to the block properly with good fasteners, and either setup will provide yoeman service. Detonate, and it doesn't matter what you have, something is breaking, likely expensive pistons. Personally, I'll prefer to blow the head gasket and save my $100 per pistons! LOL

"the way water expansion will work, is it will freeze and take the easiest way out...this way is the freeze plug....not cracking iron........" No, the way water expansion works is hydraulic pressure, it's equal throughout the system IF the water is fluid... A "Relief Valve" only works in a FLUID system. When it becomes solid, it expands against the other solids and the cast iron will break. Anybody arguing this point is simply ignoring the obvious question I have always posed: If their Function is NOT for holding CORES in place (hence the name "core plugs") then what in the world is the liquid that is going to Freeze in the INTAKE MANIFOLD PLENUM??? In this case, it is a Core Plug Hole. And you Insert a Welsch Plug into it, where it plugs the core plug hole. There is a logical, engineering argument AGAINST the term 'Freeze Plug', and and equally strong engineering argument (up to and including Foundry Practices for over 100 years) for the term "Core Plugs". The people at the local generic auto parts store have how many hours of engineering coursework behind them? How many years actually working in the automotive business? Like I have said repeatedly: 'Just because you screwed your sister for 17 years doesn't mean it's right!' As this subject is heading towards the 'beating the dead horse' realm... I will add the obligatory note: The difference between simply being ignorant, and being stupid is refusing to see the facts. When the facts are presented, and you refuse to change your incorrect stance, you cross over from the realm of the merely ignorant, to the stupid. Not knowing is one thing, knowing better yet still clinging to the old terminology is plainly stupid. Period.

Been Done, our Bonneville car has been running the Summitt Racing V-8 universal electric water pump kit since 1999. Simple hookup, it works. Just not as pretty as the CSR Pump Setup.

Want a good explanation on why you WANT to run a thermostat? grapeaperacing website has an extensive article on the micro-spot boiling in the head... While you may 'not overheat' on an anecdotal level, what you are doing to the head, and the rest of the engine without a restriction at that point is not good, and the article referenced explains it very well. Someone else can find it again, it was in the 'favorites' of my old laptop, but no backup when it crashed... so the search is up to you! The adventerous will link it here as well...

Actually there has been experimentation with freon-cooled engines. Yeah, they use Freon to cool the water jackets. A bit extreme and environmentally taboo these days, but some college guys in IA / IT classes in the day did some more Freon-Based intercooling activities. Long and short of it, it worked, the HP they got above standard intercooling was more than the parasitics of the compressor and the weight of the system. And that was almost 30 years ago now. Take an A/C compressor out of something like a Geo Metro (about the size of an old A.I.R. Pump) and use it, along with a LARGE HP Accumulator and decently sized Condenser Unit (using the A/C Core from a Chevy Impala for the Evap in the Pressurized Air Side might work well...) for well below ambient cooling. The idea with the Large Accumulator is that the more capacitance you build into a system, the smaller a compressor you can get to drive the system. This means that even with the smallest compressor available, you will still have 'cycle time off' where the only parasitic is the belt drag a nd disengaged clutch. Figure either a Fixed Orifice, or a Capillary Expansion Valve setup to achieve a set chilled air temperature of no less than 35 degrees F (you get lower than that and you will 'blow ice chunks' into the intake and open valves...don't ask me how I know this...) and you will have one hell of a consistent air density. This is the plan for our ZXT at Bonneville. There will be precooling of the air through conventional Air/Air, the secondary cooling was thought to be Air/Water using the aforementioned Ice Tank....but I started thinking about a street application and the duration of the pulls thinking that I may want something more self-regenerating. Like you said, 'halfway round the track and you're out' doesn't appeal to me either. Sure I could put a BIG ice tank, but water has a way of making bad things happen when it's inside a car at speed. I'd like it all to be 'out front' and underhood if at all possible. The electric devices will assist an Air/Air Intercooler, but the amperage and transistor sizes needed to really cool air in that great a quantity would start being prohibitive at the voltages we have available in the vehicle. Take a look to 'refrigerated air dryers' for industrial use---they are exactly the same thing---the thermal mass dryers are quite large and work by chilling big slabs of aluminum as air flows through them. The theory is that refrigeration can overcool the heat sink, and then cycle the reefer compressor off for less energy usage. The only difference in a Dryer as opposed to an automotive intercooler (and it doesn't need to be different, mind you) is that in a dryer the incoming air is precooled by the outgoing air---the outgoing air is then heated up to around ambient so you have a dewpoint differential and less cooling is required from the heat sink. The Honday F1 Turbo cars used a blocked intercooler with their exotic fuel because it wouldn't atomize below 140F. Similar here: heat the air back up to a standard temperature that is sustainable... It would take some calculation and trial and error, but I think a functional Refrigerant Based Intercooler system (primary or supplementary) is totally possible...

For Land Speed Events there are a lot of Air/Water I/C's out there, mainly because many of the cars have a blocked front end, and don't want air flowing through the grille opening. But there areseveral that run an Air-Air unit up front, and then a smaller Air/Water unit closer to the engine for better than perfect intercooling. Constant temperature is constant temperature. The nice thing about a water-air unit with a heat exchanger is that in stop-and-go traffic you have the thermal mass of the water that needs to be overcome before the water starts needing to reject heat. This heat-sink action can be very beneficial for air temps till it starts performing similarly to an Air/Air unit once the water is up to temperature, and must be cooled through whatever means you chose... Hooking the A/C line to the cooler is a gviable option as well... Trim cooling would work well in that instance!

End of Crankshaft for a Nissan.

Two injectors down 20% on flow because something like a fuel filter's cellulose fibers got clogged in the inlet injector screens will easily be compensated for by a manifolded O2 sensor where you made the other 4 injectors pig rich... JeffP's engine lost four or five pistons from detonation from the very same thing. Watched on the wideband at is instantaneously went from 12.5, 18.0, 22.0 as quick as the display would accomodate it. Never heard a ping, never heard a rattle... Just Jeff calling one day saying "there's a lot of smoke coming from my valve cover, it's overwelming my breather box already"... Flow testing is the only way to verify them. RC here you come. As for an electric water pump...who needs water flow at lower engine speeds. This didn't happen at lower engine speeds, it happened above 3500rpm, best guess.

Deadhead fuel rail, with swarf logging the back two injectors, causing them to run lean?

Les Heath? This guy wasn't from West Virginia by any chance, was he? I knew a Les heath when I was on Okinawa.... And yes, the G-Nose Headlight covers are expensive...

I would disagree only because I have seen crossflow 'two pass' intercoolers where both inlet and outlet are on the same side. They can be configured any number of ways...say for a 12" high I/C, the bottom 6" flows left to right, and the top 6" flows right to left---with an open plenum on the end to allow the reversal. If you have a conventional tank setup, yeah, I could agree that diagonally opposed is better.... Then again changing the tanks isn't that big a deal either! Why Comprimise?

That guy is fishing.... That is more than I spent for my entire 71 Fairlady Z S30-06225!

Braaap... of course I have to be looking at this post as my 15 year old son walks by and sees your bolt-action photos... you bassssss-tard! LOL Looks like now I will be machining a bolt-action.... Why do I even venture off the car-related section when The Boy is still lurking about? When will I learn? LOL

What kind of Helmet Cam? I bought one of the Oregon Scientific Helmet Cams---it's not exactly a 'lipstick' camera, but it works O.K. for our Bonneville Car. Always looking for digital motion cameras that I can use to monitor various things during the run...call it a 'visual datalog'... I bought the 2Gb SD storage chip at Fry's for something like $19, and now I can record 2 hours digitally on the thing. Really disgusting when you consider I paid almost $1500 for my VHS CamCorder in 1985...and this one was a whole $167 + the Memory Chip cost!

BAH! Stateside Door Panels... You tease, you!

Imagine the weight of the 100L factory rally tank! (32 Gallons)

I forgot the name of the at-home fueling system you can buy and hook up to your home's natural gas line, but it was around $1500 outright. Of course, there are state and federal tax incentives....this can seriously cut the price. It will take overnight (around 6-8 hours) to fill a smaller car's tank with about 12 gallons (gasoline) equivalent of CNG at aroudn 4100 psig (for operation to a temperature compensated 3600 psi)---slow fills always give you more range due to being able to go right up to the safety relief valve setting on the tank... Anyway, the amortized costs of the fueling is about 40 cents a gallon when you factor in electricity to run it. Your payback on the cost of the unit depends on how much you use it and how much gasoline costs locally... Anyway, IMPCO is the OE supplier of Propane and CNG components to GM at least. I took care of their flowbench, testing, and R&D CNG Fuel Injector complex from 99 to 2002---right across from John Wayne Airport in Costa Mesa...Santa Ana, whatever... I believe IMPCO is a parts/components suppler. There was a company on Gothard Ave in Huntington Beach called "AFV" (Alternative Fuel Vehicles) which was a BIG converter of busses, cabs, and specialty vehicles. You may be able to see if they have a listed number or website and check them out for components as well. My thoughts on the conversion were to buy a surplus government vehicle for cheap, and scavenge the major components onto another vehicle. If you think about it, there are PLENTY of CNG Crown Victorias, and swapping that WHOLE 5.0 drivetrain (or even the new modular 4.6) into a Z would be fairly straightforward. The BEST part is that you can (after the car is converted) here in CA, apply for the "HOV" lane stickers. CAN YOU IMAGINE: "Tree Huggers" in their cramped and generic Prius and Insights trundling along ALONE in the "HOV" lane (carpool lane) and being passed by a ROARING SNORTING HYBRID Z powered by CNG? I mean, I drove a CNG truck with those Carpool lane stickers on it, and was continually pulled over by the CHP and Sheriff. I GOT OFF playing the 'hippie' with phrases like 'Hey, Duuuude, it's a CNG vehicle, Duuude. Didn't you see the sticker?' They always were shocked, and then apologized for pulling me over. One even said "Sorry, I'm an Idiot! I looked right at it, and it didn't even register! Have a nice day!" When was the last time a cop apologized to you for pulling you over? I mean, many times I was doing 80 in a 65 when they pulled me over, and the DOH-Factor just made them run back to the cruiser with their tail between their legs! I mean, really, that ALONE is worth the conversion hassle in my book! LOL

Chances are great that you still have the flexplate spacer on the end of the crankshaft. Heat it up a bit with a propane torch and pull on it, and VIOLA! the standard L-Engine Pilot hole is BEHIND the spacer---which has a much larger hose to support the pilot spud of the Torque Converter. Don't feel bad, people always think that spacer is an integral part of the crankshaft, and in some cases have tried bolting the flywheel on to it! The L6 engine has the same pilot hole for ALL crankshafts: 1969 L20A to 1984+ LD28 and everything in between.

Regrind the L-Camshaft with welded lobes, and the crank then matches the L-Cam, firing order is as simple as swapping wires on the cap (or in the ECU). Diverse firing orders aren't anything new to the Buick Guys. Internally/Externally Balanced engine would be the question I would ask---if the firing order changes it's usually for a reason...operating rpm, vibration harmonic, etc... Why the order is different is worth exploring, making an L-Engine work with that crank setup is just a matter of having the lobes reground to match the crank configuration. And I doubt anybody doing this kind of swap wouldn't have a custom ground cam already...

McFadden-Dale Hardware, 32nd Street, Phoenix... (I think) They have a good selection of assorted fittings for just about any kind of tubing. Thing is, they are 'just' a hardware store. Any nut or bolt you want (metric) in stainless steel is in there as well... Good Luck!

My thoughts would be along the lines of #2 over #1, as the cool side is shorter; and #3 over #2 as overall length is shorter. The differences you will see will be different based on the intercooler used in each case, as well. But you DO have a way to easure intake temps: Go to Omega.com and get some thermocouples...stick them in the piping and monitor with a recording multimeter. My Fluke 87 has "Min-Max" so charting max rises and drops is fairly easy. If you get a rotary switch and a readout, you can flip as you drive. It's how the OEM's did it before all the fancy digital logging instrumentation came along. Heck, even reading millivolts directly off the thermocouple and then doing the conversion will work....

And you get pyrotechnic commentary as well! Those three were destined for the next 'desert shootout' with the boy...we don't shot up all the V-Dub cases before he turned 13... All we got now laying around are those Mag Fans... Now they have a new lease on life, to the detriment of the Boy...But we will substitute other pyrotechnics (maybe 3" mortars) on the next outing...

Unitrax in SoCal (Anaheim I believe) has set up JeffP's diffy, and it's still quiet after countless hours of full-on Dyno Passes, they also did John Coffee's Rusty Old Datsun Diffies (Quaifes)...

Normally you would want to overfeed the mains with the booster to insure flooded inlets. I don't know the Z32NA Flow Rate at 3psi, but that is what you sohuld look at... chances are very good that it will have more than the fuel flow of the two mains at that inlet pressure. If you run those returns into the surge tank, it should really keep it topped off. You still should have one line return from the surge tank to the main tank in order to allow air to bleed off the top of the surge tank. Some will use a Hobbs Pressure Switch at 3psi to light up a green/red LED or warning light to show if there is a problem with the boost-pump system (if the surge tank doesn't have at least 3psi, the light comes on) Some may go as far as to hook the main pump or an ECU permissive to that same style switch to drop the engine out should fuel flow become interrupted in any way.