Turbo Meister

Dan, It's about time someone recognized your creativity. Your Z definitely has "a few toppings for some extra flavor". The photos, including the cover page, were nicely done to show all the time and effort you invested in your project. I was very much impressed with your Z when I first saw it at Rio Vista. The color and workmanship is outstanding. Congratulations and may this just be the beginning. Hanns

Jack, The Currie 9" Plus is just a heavy duty Nodular Iron ring & pinion housing with extra structural strengthening ribs and pinion support. The amount of torque that it is subjected to and the weight of the vehicle determines its longevity. Also, the age and general condition of the 9" is a factor in how long it survives. The lighter weight of the Z helps but My 9" was old and swap-meet quality. You would probably have better luck with a good condition stock 9" but it will not handle constant 700/800 ft lbs of torque drag-race starts. Many major drive-train specialists, Strange, Currie, etc., sell their own heavy duty R/P housings at reasonable prices. Hope this helps. Hanns

I have a narrowed 9" Ford. Once I got the Currie 9 Plus third member I have'nt worried about that part of the Z. A few drag-strip runs burned up the carrier bearing and clutches of the stock 9". According to Currie, the stock 9" is good for only 350 rear-wheel hp. I'm retired-it's time to play ( the faster the better )!!! Hanns

I have run 137 mph in the quarter mile with my TT383 Chevy Z at 10 PSI boost and 116 mph with 15 PSI in the 1/8th mile ( that equates close to 145 mph in the 1/4 ). I can now generate 25 PSI but I have no competition license and dont want to get kicked off the track again. With 29" tall tires, 4.11 gears, TH400-3800 stall, 137mph showed 6000 RPM at finish line. That's not theoretical thats eye-balling the tach; my set-up,anyway. Hanns

Ben, Glad to hear there is progress with your exhaust system. You wont regret changing cylinder heads because you will be able to run higher boost I found this to be true since my engine is running better with the lower compression than before. Keep working at it. Hanns

Pete, I appreciate your comments. If you do look me up I might have to give you a ride in the Z you'll never forget. Hanns

Thanks for the nice comments. In part, that's what makes the work worthwhile. The other part, of course, is getting nailed into the seat when you hit the gas. I will probably be at the national convention in June. See you then, Hanns

Thanks for the kind words. My goal is to advise and inform anyone interested in building a Z like mine. Unfortunately, I'm better versed in "Old School" technology as opposed to "New Tech". But I have learned a few things the hard way especially since I had to do much on my own. I'm still learning, myself, and may still catch-up with the "Today" crowd. Hanns

Thanks for the comment. I know you left a little early, but man that LS1 must have been flying to get back so soon. 8) Yes, I expected more members but I guess things happen!!! Hanns

Sp1ker and Zfan, Thanks for the comments. I really had a great time at the West Coast Nationals and enjoyed meeting all the Hybridz members. It was nice that they let us park together as a group. Unfortunately, none of us won any awards but we had fun anyway. Hanns

Looks great. For a minute I thought I was looking at my 72 Z. I'm using the 14.5 / 15 Quick-Time Pro Hoosiers. Is that what you have? Even the Ford rearend and coilovers look like mine. I will be looking forward to further pics as your project advances. I'm impressed. Hanns

Well, I like V8's, so I would recommend the LS1. Although the sr20det can be made powerful, it has to work so much harder and consequently wears so much more especially for a daily driver. Hanns

What is your goal with the car? If it's a daily driver and occasional racer you can't lose with the LS1. Although I enjoy driving my TTZ on the street, I cannot find anywhere but the dragstrip to safely jump on it because there is too much torque to hook-up on the street. The installation also requires custom exhaust system and mine is very primitive due to budgetary constraints. But for pure power there is nothing like a TT setup. Hanns

No, those are 14 year old Rajay turbos, which have been popular in the past for Airplane engines. These were given to me by a friend but there was lag due to too large turbine housings. Still, I ran 116 mph in the 1/8th mile at Irwindale Raceway, 3 weeks ago. I just installed smaller turbine housings and now I have almost instant boost. I haven't raced it since the installation but it should be even faster if The Z hooks-up. Hanns

No, I don't, however if you search for my postings you will find several entries where I listed information. If you can't find anything you can post questions on specific info you need and I will gladly answer them. Hanns

Terry, My Dyno-Sim says: With estimated 10:1 static compression ratio......448 HP @ 5500 RPM and 465 ft lbs torque @ 4500 RPM, flywheel numbers. This is assuming efficient tuning of timing and carb. The torque converter stall has no bearing on these numbers at this time. However, it comes into play when you put the power to the ground. Hanns Good-looking Z, by the way.

Don, It doesn't sound good if the engine was making noise before you discovered the pressure loss. Of course you can hope that the noise was only the result of the OP pickup rattling around the oil pan. Was there sufficient clearance between the pick-up and the bottom of the OP? Did something hit the OP that could cause the pick-up to separate from the pump? Hope the pump is the extent of your damage. Hanns

My oil drain lines from my Z's twin turbos, drain into either sides of the oil pan. I drilled a large hole near the upper front side of the pan and had someone weld a pipe thread bung at that spot. Then I screwed the drain fittings into the bungs on both sides. I noticed your turbo is on the passenger side but you should not have a problem snaking the drain down to the pan even if you have to bring the line forward and then return to the pan. As for the dampner, I dont think it matters for balance purposes what size it is. I'm using a 6 1/4 dampner for my internally balanced 383 Chevy but I could have used the 8" one for more dampening effect. However, with my modified setback position the smaller one clears better. Good Luck, Hanns

Andrew, According to Corky Bell, "An engine of 180 c.i. can benefit from two turbos. Two turbos can slightly cut turbo lag, as opposed to one large turbo, and allow a better balance of low-speed and top end performance. Over 350 c.i., twin turbos become a virtual necessity." My 383 Chevy uses two turbos but thats because a friend is letting me use them. They are slow to spool up but I've ordered smaller turbine housings to overcome that situation. Hanns

Stony,You are correct about the driveability. When I'm on the freeway at 70 mph I'm not under boost unless I punch it, and just cruising around, the Z acts like it only has a naturally aspirated engine. Hanns

John,Thanks for the complement. I agree about cranking up the boost being a benefit of lower compression. I'm currently searching for affordable and smaller Turbine housings so that the total boost can be increased. Yes, I already need new rear tires but I don't know why they wear out so fast. Hanns

Ben, I'm using an Aeromotive 350 gal per hour pump with bypass and it's cranked up to 28 psi for racing but only 15 psi on the street. It is easily adjusted while the car is running. However, you will have to use a high pressure pump for you FI engine. Hope you get moved quickly so that you can get back to what's important...building your TT monster. Remember there are guys waiting for your prototype system Hanns

Ben,What makes you think I got away with it. I have had to replace some molten pistons when my ignition timing was too high and I also learned to dump in plenty of fuel to keep the engine happy. The Z runs good on the street on 91 0ctane but I dont often punch it without some 108 in the tank. You are better off with the 9:1 CR you have now because it will provide some margin for error. How is the exhaust fabrication coming? I thought about your turbo placement and believe you could duct the turbo intakes under the cowl area to pick up cool air. I saw a V8Z that had the air cleaner to the carb ducted to that area. Hanns