Kevin Shasteen

I definately plan on going crazy w/insulation if/when I actually get to convert to a V8...realy do get tired of the "Hotfoot" syndrome during the summers. Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner)

To know a 350 from a 305 you need to obtain block#'s. Get the #'s from the rear of the engine flywheel housing-just to the side of the distributor. Prior to '86' all blocks had a 7digit figure stamped into the block; while 86 & post blocks had the actual Litre "5.0, 5.7" ect stamped into it. Get those #'s & report back to us! To check for a 400ci just look at the harmonic balancer to see if its a non-balanced unit. Some 400ci blocks had a number stamped in to the side of the block. Still; once you've confirmed the block/you still dont know what's been done to the internals w/out a tear down. Dont forget; when you're throwing "HP" figures around to decide if you want Flwheel (FWHP) horsepower or Rear Wheel HP (RWHP) to reach the 350hp range. As you know; if your engine reaches the 350hp range the actual drive wheels only get about 80-85% of that power! So, if your engine has 350 FWHP & your rear wheels get 85% of that; your rear wheels then are putting out 297 RWHP. Likewise; if you want 350 RWHP then your engine needs to be cranking out the 411 FWHP range. Just a reminder! Kevin, (Yes,Still an Inliner) Vinh, I also liked your hood painting; Bruce Lee kicked butt/literally; isnt your hood picture a scene from "Enter the Dragon" at the very end where Bruce takes on the Master? Did you see the most recent Hollywood picture "Crouched Tiger Hidden Dragon"..very very cool movie! [This message has been edited by Kevin Shasteen (edited April 09, 2001).]

I wish I could help you on the coil wires; looks like we need our resident Engineer (Pete) to chime in here. I too have wondered why some coils require ballast resistors while others do not! Time to get the bat signal out-Pete usually responds to the bat-light. Pete-where are you? Kevin, (Yes,Still an Inliner)

Hey Frog, We're all interested in what eng.build you've chosen!!! Regarding Fuel Octanes; David Vizard in one of his books wrote a fine 6 page article on Fuels & Octanes/how they were derived. He also built a 14.7:1 comp.ratio engine to perform a test on 8 brand name service station fuels. I'll attempt to make this short. He claims even tho trends toward better performing fuels have improved/there still exists a 25% difference between the best fuels & the poorest performing fuels; so choice is an issue & that all equally rated Octanes where not equal in performance. The octane values of a fuel is normally tested on what is known as a C.F.R. engine. This is a large single cylinder engine whose comp.ratio. can be varied while the engine is running. Likewise; the fuels abilty to resist detonation is confirmed by changing the comp.ratio until the engine detonates. This value is compared w/the detonation level of a mixture of two basic fuels....Normal Heptane (N-Heptane) which detonates very easily and has an arbitrary rating of "0"; and Iso-Octane which doesnt detonate easily & has been assigned a detonation resistance rating of "100". Therefore; if a fuel blend detonates at the same level of a blend of 92% Iso-Octane & 8% N-Heptane (which is a merely a point of reference)...then it is given a 92octane rating. If it detonates at the same level as 100% Iso-Octane-its then given a 100 octane rating. If that isnt confusing enough-it gets more complicated. He says Europe uses the RON-Research Octane Number while the US uses a combination of the RON & MON-Motor Octane Number; the formula for obtaining octane in the states is the one seen on the pumps "R + M/2 = Octain Rating". The RON rating is arrived by running the C.F.R. engine at 600 rpms w/an intake temperature of 150*F. The MON rating is obtained by running the C.F.R. engine at 900 rpms w/intake temp's at 300*F. So, some fuel fractions may resist detonation very well when induced into the eng.at low temps but not show very good results at high temp's. Likewise; some fractions may be okay at low temps, yet not degrade significantly as temp's rise. A typical service station usually indicates its RON about 8points higher than its MON. The difference between the two is known as the fuel's temperature sensitivity. A high sensitive fuel may show "10" points difference whereas an incensitive fuel may only show "6" point difference. The immediate paragraph above indicates why some lower grade fuels perform better than some higher grade fuels. The old school technique of blending fuels was to add lead to the blend until the requried octain was reached/lead is gone so now fuels w/a natural higher rating must be used; such as Tolulene. Simply adding a naturally higher rated fuel sometimes changes the RON but barely effects the MON. The net result is the "R + M/2" value increases, but the MON, which is the level at which most steet vehic's run, changes little if any. In his test engine while testing the 8 different fuels; he tested 3 identical intake manifolds were tested-but prep'd differently: 1)Heated w/Exhaust Heat Riser 2)Exhuast Heat Riser Blocked 3)Water Cooled Heat Riser. This test gave three distincly different Intake Manifold Temp's for each fuel tested; at which time the Dyno would register the power output. The results indicated were that the "Daeco Race Gas 110 Octane" the highest rated fuel, didnt show its true value in terms of power delivered when using the heated intake manifold and not till the cooler manifolds were used did its higher rated octane manifest its full potential. His graph indicates that Texaco, even w/a lessor grade was a close match to the race fuel. The results are obvious-with the trend among modern fuels is that they do not tolerate high intake temp's and become detonation limited sooner; therefore, a concentration of keeping the intake temp's cooler will aid in utilizing the existing octaine values listed. He also claimed in another article in that same book; the largest gain in HP from the use of racing fuels comes from an engines ability to utilize comp.ratio's of 11:1 to 17:1. Sorry to ramble; just thought it was interesting & informative. Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner) [This message has been edited by Kevin Shasteen (edited April 10, 2001).]

I agree about finding a driveline shop that does custom axles. Dallas has a good one that's been in existance for decades; Michigan-the home of our finest V8 Iron/small blocks & big blocks by every Mfg should have more driveline shops than you could shake a stick at (there I go-ending a sentance w/a prepasition again)! Talk to local service dept's at dealers/find out who they use when they need a custom driveline made...or better yet/find a custom rod/speed shop that handles custom builds...ask them what local driveline shops will do custom work/they should be able to remedy your problem. Good luck & so so sorry about your delemma! That really stinks-you expect a shop that claims to be a "Pro" does something w/that large of a tolerance; pathetic! Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner)

My Devil's Advocate/Argument isnt what an engine will do or not do; it was simply-what is the intended goal of its owner...does someone want a car for all out performance or do they want a car that cruises at lower rpms(?). My car cruises fine in the mid 3k range, my point I guess I failed to make is that during our N.Texas Summers the extra RPM's generate a lot of heat on the floorboard; my A/C works fine but does nothing to remove the floorboard heat when the Ambient Temp's pass the 110* range; as it does quite frequently in Texas during a typical summer..Hot is Hot & a Hotter Floorboard is almost unbearable. If the RPM's were lower/then less heat would be generated & the floorboard would be cooler. Deffinately would want to go steeper gears in the rear if one were looking for performance at the track; I basically just posted a real life example of rpm's...the drop would be fine if you could keep it in the 2500-2700rpm range. If one had a T56 backing the 6 you could just stay in a lower gear till the need for speed manifested itself/that is what we do everyday-the T-56 wouldnt be any different; my car has an original 177k on it & its never been cracked open before/still average 25mpg....my only complaint is the extra heat on the floorboard; I'ld definately appreciate a 10k drop at cruising speed. Kevin, (Yea,Still a "Non T-56" Inliner) [This message has been edited by Kevin Shasteen (edited April 09, 2001).]

Keith Wilson of Wilson Manifolds out of Florida is known for building custom manifolds...its a known fact that some of his manifolds where rejected by Nascar because his manifolds had too much of a performance advantage. Definately not going to be cheap; but if that's what you're looking for-call him; a phone call never hurts. Along w/Wilson's number-here are some other sources you may wish to call & pick their brains...never know who knows who till ya ask/you know these shops gotta network w/each other! Wilson Manifolds 305.771.6216 The Carburetor Shop 909.481.5816 Fast Freddies (Webers) 714.540.3801 Mikuni America Corp 818.885.1242 Dart/World Performance 313.362.1188 Herman Enterprises (Intake Stacks) 714.592.0435 Braswell Carburetion 909.985.6308 Hope this helps; BTW-David Vizard did a comparison against a 650 Holley, 850 Holley & a set of 4 Webbers on an engine-the 4webber set up outperformed the others from start/low idle all the way up to 6300rpm's. Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner) [This message has been edited by Kevin Shasteen (edited April 09, 2001).]

How do you know its not a "low voltage click"; did you put a volt meter on it while turning the ignition switch? Most electrical problems are due to a bad groundwire somewhere in that circuit...the big problem comes when attempting to locate that "Bad Ground". You have theses circuits/components to search: 1) Lock Cylinder/Ignition Switch 2) Starter/Solenoid 3) Wiring between the components 4) If you have a starter relay-then that is a probability as well. 5) Dead Battery/Battery that goes dead 6) Alternator whose voltage reg.stays open & allows the battery to go dead My buddy & I were once working on an early 80's T/A & he had just rebuilt the motor; putting things back together & when it came time for start up....he'ld turn the key & the solenoid would click/but only once. When he got under the car & put a volt meter on it-full voltage was indicated; yet while I turned the key...the solenoid clicked and the voltage dropped...nothing/ziltch. Turned out the battery cable to the starter was loose even tho he "Knew" he had tightened it: bad connection...which is the same as a ground in the circuit: Check, Recheck & then recheck your rechecks of all the circuits involved; the problem is there-you just have to find it. As Sherlock Holmes once said; after the obvious is dismissed as the problem then the un-obvious is the culprit...no matter how obsurd the un-obvious is/that is the culprit (Not exactly a direct quote-but you get the picture). Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner)

I wouldnt go cheap on the Timing Gear Set; I'ld get a quality true roller by a "Big Name" seller like Cloyes. Some things you can go cheap; other things-you get what you pay for. I've read a couple articles in the past 10 years where some Big Name machine shop tested a dozen or so timing sets...even a few made here in USA were found to be off by a sizeable margin. Which ever gear set you go w/make sure you've found true TDC before you just blot it all together. Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner)

Thanks Owen...it was I that inquired about the T-56 backing a stock datsun 6; about a month ago. Richard, I'm currently running the factory 4spd & believe me-I could definately go w/a 6spd. Definately; I'ld prefer to have the 6spd behind a V8 & I admit/I wont be installing the T-56 in my car behind the stock inline 6; it was more/less just "Thinking Outloud" when I posed the question last month. However, as there is an argument for every rebuttle; here's mine for the 6spd behind a stock inline 6. What if an individual cant afford a 3k V8 swap (3k is a conservative swap and not highly probable as we all know) in to his/her daily driver any too soon but they could afford a 1200-$1800 6spd bullet trans...what are their gains you might ask? Well; I'ld first of all-not go w/the ZF trans because of its low .50 6spd & prefer the F-body T-56 which yields the .62 6spd; and the following #'s indicate the savings. Figure the rpm's at 65, 70 & 80mph: 3.54 rear gears 235/60/15 rear tires...26.1" diameter 4spd, 5spd, T-56 -vs- ZF T-56 1)Datusn '78" factory 4spd/4th @ 1.00:1 A)65mph = 2734rpm B)70mph = 3190rpm C)80mph = 3645rpm 2)Datsun '78' factory 5spd/5th @ .864 A)65mph = 2559rpm B)70mph = 2756rpm C)80mph = 3150rpm 3)F-Body T-56 5th @ 65,70mph & 6th @ 80mph 5th gear @ .80 6th gear @ .62 A)65mph = 2369rpm B)70mph = 2552rpm C)80mph = 2260rpm I dont know what the ZF's Y-Body T-56 has for a 5spd; but the 6spd at .50 @ 70, 80mph: A)70mph = 1595rpm B)80mph = 1822rpm We all know probably none of us would do 65mph in a 6spd Z; at least not most of us; unless we were forced to. I'ld have to question the ZF T-56 behind a Z also....but/it just depends on what one wants & what their intended purpose is (there I go ending a sentance w/a preposition again: My High School English teacher would cringe). Kevin, (Yes,Still a "Factory 4spd" Inliner)

That's quite an informative list/thanks for posting it. Kevin, (Yes,Still an Inliner)

Ditto what Davy said. Kevin, (Yes,Still an Inliner) PS: Davy-I'll catch you yet!

Twin-Turbo??? That is definately one serious Hybrid. I wouldnt even know where to begin; I'm a N/A kind of a guy. What's your ETA for testing the car? Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner)

Thanks Lone; My head is now hurting because its late & I'm smarter now; isnt there a rule you're not suppose to learn anything new w/in 30 minutes prior of going to bed(?)! Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner)

I have no problem being cheap...however; if someone wants a 377/the purpose for a 377 is its high revability in to the 7500rpm range and doing in consistantly & multiple times w/out failure (durability). That's a lot of stress on an engine...definately not for the faint of heart nor the empty wallet/bank accounted individual! If I was going to build a 377 I'ld go w/the Bowtie block-yea its more expensive but also tried/trued for performance! Shoot; if we're dreaming -moneywise- I'ld buy a Bowtie Alluminum block just to play with...I mean-since we're dreaming and all. Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner)

quote: Originally posted by TonyZXT: ...Only problem there seems to be two ideas of a 377, The most common seems to be a 400 w/ a 327 crank & .030 pistons. The other is the same only it's a 350 crank. Whats the story here? Little confused, Tony Rohn Tony, A 400ci has a bore 4.126 & a 350ci crank has a 3.48 stroke -vs- a 327ci stroke of 3.250. If you put a crank of 3.250 in a 400ci that would give you 348ci & if you used the 3.250 stroke w/400 after a .030 you'ld end up w/a 353ci...so you see-you cant get a 377 by using a 327stroke crank in a 400. To get a 377 you have to use a 350ci crank with the 3.48stroke & put it in a .030 400. One other thing about your idle quality; its usually a rule of thumb that in order to maintain engine quality w/long duration you will need a wider Lobe Separation Angle....so if you want the lope then go w/a cam that has a narrow Lobe Separation Angle w/a long duration & you will get that Lopy'ness your looking for! One more thing about cams; if your not sure about your profile you can derive close proximity of what you need by reading about your engine in other articles & comparing their cam w/your needs by: Lets say their build is too much and peak power comes in at too high of an rpm/you simply deduct 500 rpm's for every 10degrees of Duration removed to determine where your Peak Power will come in; or if the build is too small you can add 500rpm's for every 10degrees of Duration you add! You get the picture/just takes some time & a piece of paper/pen! Kevin, (Yes,Still an Inliner)

Yep; that's the URL Pete; you get an A+ for the day! Kevin, (Yes,Still an Inliner)

I have the book & like the book because of its ideas & it gives dyno runs after the build. Remember/when building any engine...as w/most of us-the "SBC" there are do's & dont's but the preparation is going to be mostly the same when it comes to tolerances. The two issues I like about the articles are it stated you dont have to settle w/bearing spacers as you can buy a Bow Tie block & use a crank w/smaller journals & it also had a tip on bearings I wasnt privy to earlier/that is when ordering Clevite 77 bearings you can order them w/an "X" suffix which designates your bearings as "High Revving" rod/main bearings...something that might ensure the life of your engine when going to 6500/7000rpm's (That alone is worth the price of the book). I too dont like it when someone does an excellant build but leaves a step or two out; kind of leaves you "just out-there" somewhere wondering what to do next. Remember-the prep work is basically going to be the same regardless of which build you are going with-the degree of tediousness (if that is even a word) depends on how small you prefer your tolerances. The pro builder machine shop knows that the average hobby builder doesnt have the gumption/tools to build a stroker by themselves...so there's usually not any reason to include every step in an article. If you are above the average builder & want exact details on building a SBC w/every step outlined; I found a SBC book that did just that, in fact-THEY BRAG IN THE INTRODUCTION that they "DID NOT" leave out any step & because it is so complete that anyone; even someone w/out prior eng.knowledge can use their guide & build a durable SBC. The name of it is: "How to Build the SBC" by SADesign by Larry Atherton & Larry Schreib...they refer to it as a "Workbench Book". Reference books are like Service Manuals...you should never limit yourself to just one manual/likewise-you should never limit yourself to just one book on the prefer'd build you like. I probably have @ 15 reference books on the SBC; I bought each one of them because they had an issue or article that separated them from each other with everything else being the same. I've even purchased a SBC book because it had "ONE" formula in it that I previously had not seen in any other books; now I have it as a reference when I need it! Once you build a collection of your preferences you can make an educated "guess" of what you want.....there are still a few books on the SBC I'ld like to get/some other day maybe; but you get the idea. Read about want you want; ask questions about what you want; read some more/ask some more questions & then make a decision & enjoy your ride. I'm probably going to go w/the 377 also; or should I do a TPI/LT1...or go w/a V6 turbo? Well I'm still thinking about it but I'll probably go the 377 route because of the high rev's. If you wanted a detuned version of the engine in the article-what about detuing it is troubling you? Kevin, (Yes,Still an Inliner) [This message has been edited by Kevin Shasteen (edited April 06, 2001).]

Thankyou Pete; sounds like something you'ld definately want to do w/the dash removed! Thanks again for the info Pete! Kevin, (Yes,Still an Inliner)

Are you running an AOD trans or Standard(?); if AOD, could the TV cable be misadjusted & effecting your shift on a rolling WOT? I'm not familiar w/the RPM Cam's profile; what is the Lift/Duration & Lobe Separation Angle? What Pistons are you running w/the RPM set up? Sounds like the new setup at low rpm's isnt comparable to your previous set up! Dont get frustrated...even tho it is frustrating/sounds like tuning issues, didnt the carb come w/instructions on tuning? Their tech line has "NOTHING" to suggest-what good are they if they cant help you thru this? Sounds like a huge let down in Quality Control if their "Tech-Line" cant help! A 7' floor display of 1year old rebuilt carbs is highly suspect(?). Just throwing this out there; you mentioned the plugs look fine. Are you running a "Hot" ignition(?); if your ignition is hot-could the hot spark actually be keeping your plugs clean-even tho you're actually running too rich? A bogging issue sounds like too much fuel! If it were a Holley-I'ld also suggest changing the jets/possibly the Vac.Sec.Spring! If the Edlebrock Carb/Pkg didnt come w/tuning instructions...have their tech line send you their "Flow-Chart" for diagnosing your carb...or suggest to their "Tech-Line" you're gonna be forced to dump their carb & go w/one of their competitors!!! I know Edelbrock is a customer oriented company...they'ld have to be after all these years/remind them that you have a lot of "Hot-Rod" friends that you have confided in.....including @ 670 of us HybridZ bro's who have read & processed your problems into our Memory Banks & as a result (If Your Problem Isnt Solved) WE WILL NOT BUY NOR CONSIDER BUYING AN EDELBROCK CARB!" And remind them that we have friends that we will talk to; and so on; and so on/and so on! You get the idea/The Consumer does have rights! You payed your money/now where are the results they promissed you? Kevin, (Yes,Still an Inliner) [This message has been edited by Kevin Shasteen (edited April 05, 2001).]

quote: Originally posted by pparaska: ...I put a Ford full size 1985 LTD blower fan in the 240Z housing...took some cobbling...puts out 3 times as much air! Pete-miester! Please elaborate; How much 'cobbling' did it take. Do you know if the 240Z housing is same/identical to a 280Z housing. Only parts modified is the housing/or was there some electrical as well besides 12v & ground wires to the motor? I too am jealous when I see another car in traffic & their blower motor (Texas Summer:A/C) is blowing their hair backwards & myself-with my A/C on & beads of sweat are rolling down the back of my neck simply because there are no vents in the rear. My A/C is quite cold....at the vents; but doesnt do much for the rear of the car-Where the 'Sun Shines In' as the 'Floor Heats Up' & I get cooked liked a piece of toast in the middle where the heat of the hot roof & the even hotter floor meet in the middle; okay-I'm rambling now; and no-I dont have the louvers for the rear hatch; should probably buy them. Very Interested Inliner here-awaiting your response Pete-ster! Kevin, (Yes,Still an Inliner)

Why dont you Volvo guys just bypass the relay....Dont tell me; if you bypassed it the "Bulb Failure Sensor-Bypass" Relay would sense that it was bypassed & then that "Bulb Failure Sensor Bypass-Light" would constantly flash(!)-what a pain! Kevin, (Yes,Still an Inliner)

The 305 head's combustion chamber is so small that the valves themselves are shrouded w/out much wiggle-room/thus airflow suffers. Airflow is not always the only thing to consider; most airflow benches dont test for "Swirl" which an important factor when considering efficiency w/airflow! A head my have great flow #'s & still be a dog because of its "lack" of swirl at a cirtain RPM! Be sure you know your cyl.head; those "Smog" years are known for having thin castings-if you go grinding in the wrong place you may thin the casting to a diminishing level where it cant disipate the heat quick enough-AKA..."Cracked Cyl.Head". Read about porting/or ask a lot of questions from knowledgable people before grinding on thin castings. (I hate tight budgets-I'm on one as well). Just FYI! Kevin, Yea,Still an Inliner)

Craig; if your questioning the appearance of the "Hood Pins" was referencing the W-25 pins I have a 70 Cutlass w/that factory set up....the Year One Catalogue has them listed & I dont know if Year One is online or not. The best bet is to find an Olds enthusiast w/a 70-72 Cutlass w/this set up; Usually the W-30's, W-31's & Rallaye 350's were factory equipped w/those pins. So, if you wanted to see their set up you could go & look at one/once you found it(?). BTW: the Olds factory Hood Pins are recessed into the hood about a 1/4"; so some possible cutting may be needed to get a flush appearance if required. Sorry I cant be any more help than that; if you can fabricate the Olds Hood Pins into a "Z" hood-it would be a nice set up! Kevin, Yea,Still an Inliner)

Yea, I always question alleged "Cost Builds" in articles when I read them. I'm sure some of the #'s are skewed as the "in-house" labor for machining at the high dollar machine shops are now lowered or even eliminated sometimes just to reach their objectives simply for 'sales' of magazines. Still, the 377 is & has always been one bad mamma-jamma of an engine. I'ld definately want one; if I could afford one! Wasnt there also a thread on HybridZ a few months ago that someone posted-which listed a URL that discussed a 377 build using special JE pistons and taller rods and allowed the piston to stay higher in the bore which netted the same HP/Torque w/out detonation even while using lower grade pump fuel? I dont know who posted it or what the title was but that sounded like a killer combo: a 377 w/all the power & capabilities of using lower pump fuel(!). Where/What was that thread titled? Kevin, (Yea,Still an inliner)