Ha ha yeah I understand. Finding room to do a real top speed run (on a track that is long enough) may be a challenge.

Even with the ZR1 having a bigger motor you have already got around that advantage by dialing up the boost. I take my hat of to you and the group of folks who helped tune your car too. I know running that much boost on a car that still gets driven on the street is a real challenge.

The 5.3L LS-style motor is to the Gen 3 &4 LS-style family of motors as the 305 motors are to the Gen 1 small block family.

I don't have a number on how many LS1's GM made but I know that the 5.3L motors were installed all over the place in trucks and vans so finding them is easy (and cheaper to get in to compaired to larger LS style motors - just like the 305 motor is compaired to the 350 Gen 1 style motor.

Both the 305 and 5.3L LS motor would cost less money if you purchased them from a wrecking yard as compaired to an LS1, LS2, LQ9 (LS family motors) or 350 or larger cubic motor from the Gen 1 small block family.

 

It is not over yet! No fishyness here! I found that I had made a mistake on the poll close date, and when I found that the poll would be closing a day early I adjusted it. I am the only one that can adjust the poll and had no ill intentions in doing so. I wanted to make sure that members who still wanted to had the chance to do so by the end of the month.

The poll system isn't set where I can just name a date and time to close the poll, it is set on days and miscounted. Sorry for any confusion.

 

Why would you say it's a challenge? I disagree.

 

It's a challange because it takes special talent and exprience in my opinion to have a motor that will run at high pressures and be reliable enough to live on the street.

A boosted motor has be started from a good strong foundation from the block, rotataing assembly, cam, heads, intake, turbo or supercharger, intercooler (if you choose to use one), radiator etc.

You also have to understand how the extra incoming charge from the incoming air (which now may be hotter and is at a much higher pressure that a naturally aspirated engine) and fuel charge are going to affect different aspects of the engine from overall air flow through the motor, fuel requirments, engine tolerances, ignition timing etc.

A lot of people who run boosted motors have to custom fabricate exhaust manifolds for the turbos that they run and some are better than others. Exhaust is another area that is different on a boosted car from the materials that you may use, the size, and making sure that the other components in the engine compartment don't get fried by the heat.

A buddy of mine used to have a 2009 VW GTI with the 4-cylinder turbo motor. It was all stock. Even after you drove the car around town or on the highway in a less than spirited manner the passenger side fender was un-touchable afterwards because it was so hot from the turbo's heat. The materials that you may have to consider using on a boosted car are different as well especially at really high boost levels like White Devils TA is going to be running at.

A lot of these issues are applicable to naturally aspirated engines as well but, the extra pressure and heat that the boost provides ups the possibility of a significant failure and trashing of parts when something finally does let go.

Think of it this way a lot of things in life are not hard - if you know what you are doing and have knowledge and experience to back it up. For example brain surgeon could come on here and say removing a cancerous brain tumor is easy. Most of us are not brian doctors and don't have the education or experience to perform that kind of operation. So cracking open someones head and knowing what to do to get the tumor out would be foregin or hard for us.

 

Maybe 10 years ago, but not today.

Pick up an issue of GMHTP they'll spell out the recipie required to make whatever power level you want reliably... if you don't see what you want this month, try again next month.

Not that hard, figure out what power you want to make, guesstimate the BSFC being a little conservative, and calculate the fuel required. BSFC changes for a blower car vs. a turbo car, but again, not that hard. Aeromotive has quite a few technical articles on their website that tell you how to do just this. Fuel pump selection is subtle in terms of difference in choosing, but again not hard.

True, but proximity is your friend. I fabricated the hot and cold sides in my car, and haven't had a problem with heat. Agreed that you can cripple backpressure and performance if you don't know what you're doing, and that you can limit the lowest boost achievable if you don't know what you're doing.

What do you consider a really high boost level? Boost is all relative... I've been making 15-25 psi on the street for years, making 700-1300 rwhp and tuning the engines myself. From Vortech S trim to T trim, to YStrim, to precision PT88, to PT106, to PT114 to twin PT7675, I've run them all. At the track I've made ~2250 flywheel hp at 30-32 psi.

Sure, things have to be beefier... you can't expect a minimum weight crank or set of pistons to live.... much like a diesel engine has much beefier components you need to choose the proper component for the application.

The level of information out there is staggering compared to when I started messing around with it. now vs. 10-15 years ago is apples to oranges. I would argue that it's SO MUCH easier today it's not even funny.

 

Ha ha yeah I get your point Andrew. Lol lets find out who won the November contest first. Lol then you can all give us a good lesson on how to build the ultimate boosted.

 

No hard feelings man! I'll forgive

 

Must be the same system we used for voting in Florida a few years ago. It created some issues

 

good race this month!

 

Congrats to WhitedevilTA! November COTM! Tight race this month, and another AMAZING example of our members quality restoration work.



Winners page coming!!!

 

Congratulations!!!

 

Sweet Car and Sweet Win. Hopefully one day I'll be able to join the ranks of COTM.