Pyro

I ran my IC pipe up between the engine mount and alternator to avoid the oil filter.

Use the dynomax bullet in the trans tunnel and the hooker aerochamber out back. Otherwise, just a single dynomax super turbo out back should do the job.

reclock the compressor and run the ic tube under the block.

Need to heat the turbine/center section with a touch to reclock. Loosen up the bolts then add head and then the turbine spins easily relative to the center section.

I recently build a z exhaust system with a v8 (350cid) for a friend of mine. Used block higger headers with dual 2-1/2 pipes to a Y-pipe to a single 3 inch pipe to a dynomax super turbo muffler. Use my welder and mandrel bent pipe and Y-pipe from summit racing. Cheap to do it yourself (if you have a welder). But it sounded really bad in the car. (lots of drone). So, I installed a h-pipe right after the trans and added dynomax bullet mufflers on each side before going into the Y-pipe. Had to move the Y-pipe all the way back to the rear diff. After these changes the exhaust sounded great on the inside and the outside. Also used some exhaust flex joints right after the headers to reduce vibration. Next time I would use 2-1/4 dual into a 3 inch single or dual 2-1/2 into a single 3-1/2 inch pipe, as these areas are the same.

I recently build a z exhaust system with a v8 (350cid) for a friend of mine. used block higger headers with dual 2-1/2 pipes to a Y-pipe to a single 3 inch pipe to a dynomax super turbo muffler. Use my welder and mandrel bent pipe and Y-pipe from summit racing. cheap to do it yourself (if you have a welder). But it sounded really bad in the car. (lots of drone). So, I installed a h-pipe right after the trans and added dynomax bullet mufflers on each side before going into the Y-pipe. Had to move the Y-pipe all the way back to the rear diff. After these changes the exhaust sounded great on the inside and the outside. Next time I would use 2-1/4 dual into a 3 inch single or dual 2-1/2 into a single 3-1/2 inch pipe, as these areas are the same.

sounds like clogged injectors to me. I had the same issue with an "old sitting z" 7 or 8 years ago. costs about 30/each to get serviced or 60/each new.

Get one with adjustable mechanical advance and adjustable vacuum advance. Might also consider getting a smaller cap distributor. http://www.summitracing.com/parts/MSD-8360/ Otherwise, a regular MSD HEI distributor will do fine ($140) , but you will need to shorten the mechanical advance slots. You need vacuum advance!!!

Here is another link. http://www.superchevy.com/technical/engines_drivetrain/completebuilds_testing/sucp_0910_chevy_350_engine_build/viewall.html

I would rather have a good q-jet than a holley any day, but that is easier said then done. Qjets are hard to setup and even harder to rebuild sucessfully. The guy who wrote the book on qjets (cliff) wants 500.00 and 6 month to get you one, at least the last time I checked. I had some good results with Qjets but not quite there. Beware of buying a "rebuilt" Qjet, as most of these rebuilders hack them up. So I went back to a holley 3310. Can't beat the value, durability, and performance. Only $250 from summit.

Those lifters are not for a roller cam. I would buy a "complete" 350 vortec engine with a factory roller cam. Look for a 96 to 2000 350 vortec engine from a truck. these engines will make 300hp with just headers, intake and carb. Can get a good used vortec engine for less than $800. modify the heads for more lift, swap the cam for a little more duration, add a rpm intake, holley 3310 750cfm, block huggers, and you can easily make 350 to 400hp (depending on cam). Should be able to do it all for under $2000.

I don't like the JTR trans mount. I built my own and one for a buddy of mine and it came out much nicer (my mount stays completely under the trans tunnel and mounts to the tunnel, not to the floor board). The engine JTR engine mount stuff is ok, but easily made yourself. (like most parts in the kit). It comes down to how much access and ability do you have with shop tools, if you buy the kit or not.

I made the shifter linkage for my buddy's 350 trans with stock shifter. Seemed to work ok. Took a little trial and error to get the linkage arm that mounts to the trans the right length. Performance shifters can be a pain due to reverse lock out, racketing, and pull releases. And they can get expensive. I have used both, and for a daily driver, I prefer the stock shifter.

Avoid the air gap intake, as they don't like cold weather at all. Get the regular rpm intake and get a holley 750 cfm 3310 carb (summit racing). A Hei distributor with a built in coil would be best. (summitracing.com). You will also need a low rise air filter. Not sure of the mounting position. Looks to far forward to be the JTR and not far enough to be scarab. The hood release is cut out so the distributor was in the way. I think the guy place the engine there so the shifter would come out in the right spot, as you don't see many 4 speed manual conversions. One of the reasons the JTR conversion was set back was so the T5 speed shifter would come up in the right spot.

don't use a regular filter on the suction side. These filters are around 40 microns which is too small for decent flow with suction. buy a 100 micron filter from summit racing. The bigger the better.

I would run about 25 degrees of timing with 12 psi of boost on a 7.4:1 cr engine (stock turbo compression, with 93 octane fuel) What octane fuel are you using? I feel 4500 rpm is right at the most sensitive detonation period of a L28. I recently had a similar issue with power falling off, I couldn't find the problem and lived with it for a month or two, then the alternator failed, I replaced it and the "power fall off" went away. Same thing was happening to a friend of mine with his retro fit turbo Z, so he had his alternator checked and it was only putting out 30 amps.

If you have locked out the mechanical advance then why do you need a boost retard system? Just set the timing to 28 to 30 degrees and use the vacuum advance as normal. 28 to 30 degrees of timing works well with 8 psi of boost and 7:4:1 cr.

Your graph is hard to read. A stock turbo cam is done by 5000. A weak alternator can make the power fall off sooner than it should.

Just use the stock efi pump with a return style fuel pressure regulator. A quiet and durable setup. Aeromotive makes a nice return style fpr that goes down to 5 psi.

I moved my afm to the front of the raditor. Cut the wires and lenghten them. Yes, the fmu and share the manifold vacuu,/pressure line.

I dumped all the extra pumps and installed one 044 bosch pump. This pump is a monster and quiet. Amazon had the best price for the pump and summit racing has the metric fittings. I kept the hob switch and use it to power the pump with "battery" voltage on boost. I did this because I noticed the original wire to the pump only has 9-10 volts when running (I guess due to old wire?). 10 volts to the pump off boost makes it even quieter.

The stock efi intake is designed for low rpm torque. So a 290 degree can is a mismatch for the stock intake and stock efi system. I'm sure the engine would run with a big cam and the stock efi intake, just not ideal.

Here is a "HP from extra compression" calculator. Looks like a 3% increase going from 9 to 10:1, which would most likely be less due to non-ideal tuning for 91 octane. http://www.bgsoflex.com/crchange.html

Going from 9 to 10;1 cr doesn't add much power, maybe 3 or 4%. Not worth the extra tuning mess to me. If you run a bigger cam, then the 10:1 would be no problem. A cam around 290 degree of duration would work fine, but would idle rough and would not be a good match for the stock efi intake. Why don't you build another turbo setup, so when your current engine needs a rebuild then you will already have another turbo engine ready to go?

Yes, megasquirt would be the way to go. I often find myself fantasizing about getting megasquirt. But for now I stuck with a fmu. I'm currently running 10 psi of boost with around 80 psi of fuel pressure and 30 degrees of locked timing (7.4;1 cr and a stock na cam) I have a 044 bosch fuel pump externally mounted.