If all goes well i am making my debut at the track tonight....on 19" drag radials, to low stall and way to little gear haha

For those who havent followed heres an update. Last year at this time i decided to up the power level by doin heads and cam upgrades. Because of the differences in valvetrain my old turbo setup wouldnt fit on the taller covers so i decided to hack it up and relocate turbos under hood.

So i went from afr 195 heads and a baby 233 deg .564 lift hyd roller on ls7 lifters, to a cavernous Speier racing v2.72 head which is 245cc and a big 246 deg .640" hyd roller on morel lifters. Have 115 lb injectors instead of 80's

Fabbed actual headers for turbo manifolds instead of log hybrids. Larger turbine housings for the increased exhaust flow at high rpm. Ported the intake to the 1207 gasket! Alot larger than afr 195's!!

So with that i kept my old converter which was 4000-4200 stall but now its 3500-3600 on this motor. Still have 2.73 gears from stock rear but 3.42 12 bolt will be in this weekend. I went from 26" street tires to 27.4" mickey thompson radials on my 19" rims . They hook well on the street, but motor isnt beginning to make power until 4000-4500 so its a doggggg with this converter and gear until it gets up to speed. It cant do a burnout the gear and converter drag it down and it cant spool. I put a 2 step on it and can get some boost at 3k rpm which helped it get moving but man it wants more stall and gear

So i am gonna do some tuning at the track. On 11 psi right now hope to do 3 runs or more and up boost to 15. May do 1/8 mile first pass just to see how it runs. On street i have only done second gear pulls so it should be good but i wanna be cautious.
Car feeels strong but hard to say. It was rich last street run but logs are showing 86% cycle duty on injectors. Most calcs say 1000-1100 hp already but that cant be right. Its hopefully near that but we need to see traps and lean it down.
Car is heavy tho on these wheels tires. I wouldnt be surprised if inam 3700 now

 

Interesting for sure.

You shouldn't have a problem doing a burn-out at the track, you'll just have to instigate it in the edge of the water box.

Biggest thing I'd say is keep your wits about you roughly 100-200 ft out. With it launching overly lazy it's not gonna have a lot of momentum built up when that power really starts to come on and the back-end may try to drive around the front in a hurry.

 

The title says it all.Good luck on your test and tune.Looking forward to the times.

 

I dont expect ground breaking et's. I am not quite setup for that just yet. No lightweight wheels and bias plys yet. Etc. After all it is a street car haha

Just lookin to lay a good trap to see what kind of power it has. And i am sure with water box it is gonna spin easily. Just hope it is able to leave the line without breaking up on me. Sometimes it sits there tryin to spool and cuts out on me. Dont think its detonation but maybe ignition or compressors are surging and i get no air flow? Gotta play with it.

 

Good luck, I hope you have a parachute mounted up on your car because it sounds like you'll be needing it! How high do you plan on spinning it before shifting? Those sound like big heads, hello airflow! You could probably suffocate half the town when that thing starts spooling!

 

It seems to be spoolin my .96 a/r p trims as fast if not faster than my old combo did the .68's! I plan to shift at 6500 for now until i determine the powerband on the dyno. It should be strong to 6800-7000

 

Good luck man. That is truly one badass car.

 

Make sure you get vids!

 

good luck!

 

Would love to see vid, but I am def looking forward to results!

 

Good luck man. defiantly post some times.
I'm almost certain I'm not the only who will be waiting with bated breath.

 

looking foward to some mph #'s!

 

Well it didnt turn out as good as i hoped. Went there and set boost to 12 and figured i would stay at that level and tune for mph.

I had all kinds of issues lol. As expected car wouldnt leave the line. Two step helped a tad but still not high enough of rpm.

Its on a on off switch and my first pass i forgot to turn it off on launch and just hovered there for a few seconds before i caught on. Switched it off and then slowly went thru first and second somewhere at the 330-660 ft marks. Forgot to turn boost stage 2 on so remained at 6 psi. Just to check air fuel and it was rich but trapped 111 so it was moving well thru the gears after all that.

Next pass i think i got a cleaner one in but it wouldnt spool up off the line. Really took awhile longer than expected. Gear and converter just bog this thing down. Went 11.85 at 127.8 i think running a tad rich and basically starting at the 200-300 ft mark it seemed. I barely got into 3rd gear!

Next pass i started in second gear by mistake cuz my shifter sucks and i was doin neutral revs to get vacuum to help the keep car on the brakes but i only went back to 2nd. Rolled most of half track slow and once again went wot at the 1/8 and went 111.

Leaned it out that run and added 2 deg timing and at top of second it popped on me. Some kind of break up so not sure what happened. It was plenty rich and i dont think too much timing. Never saw knock retard. Oh well. Tried a deg less for next run
Blew intercooler pipe off and that was end of my night.

So i figured the gear and converter would hold it back but dang it was laggy. So i got things to work on thats for sure! Car still seems strong but i didnt get a real full pass. The 127 trap run wasnt bad but leaves alot to be desired

 

Can't be mad about that Justin, first passes on new combo - lotta playing to do yet.. Car was coming on strong after 1/8 mile..

 

Orr-I am just guessing here with these questions. Is there a chart that shows a relationship between engine rpm and the turbo speed so you don't run out of room with the turbo??. I've seen diesel turbo's spool up and top out. What would be a ideal rear end gear/-t/c stall for a turbo car like for yours??.

 

When you do get it dialed and tuned, it will be a monster

 

1gary

I dont have a turbo speed monitor but there are ideal speeds based on the compressor maps however i do not have one for these turbos. I can only guess based on similar sized units and actually smaller units with modern wheels because they will flow more than my old design. I should have plenty of turbo. My fuel system should fail to supply the power these turbos should make

For this combo if power is made to 6800-7000 i wanted 3.31 gears but went 3.42. I wanted to leave room to hit 160 mph. Stall? I think it needs atleast 4500. Thats 1000 above where i am at it seems. I can get 2 psi on two step but thats only 3000 rpm. If i could get it to hold 3600 rpm with a 4500-5000 converter and 2 step, look out it may leave on full boost lol.

I am changing my shifter cuz i cant get it to work. It wont let me get into park and sometimes doesnt get into 2 or 3 from 1. Really need to slam the ratchet and i dont wanna work out while driving. Suggestions for a forward manual shift? Lol

 

Next time out brother, will be better!

 

i cheetah is better than a quarterstick or whatever other variations are called. i had a tci outlaw and it was a decent shifter, but worked like a quarterstick. i went past 3rd into neutral all the time. (fwd pattern at the time)
would be difficult to make a cheetah work in a console, however.

 

Yeah i was lookin at the hurst quarter stick now with button for 2step or tbrake. I just cant get my b&m cable to work. It either doesnt go into park or doesnt go into first no matter what i do or how i adjust it. And it was binding on me on the drive home i couldnt get 2 and 3 sometimes. I hate it. Just worried all cabled shifters will be this way

 

Maybe need a new cable. I am going to end up with a button on each end of my T handle. One for T-Brake and one for Line Lock.

 

I guess i should try a cable before anything else but i havent used this one much i dont see how cables go bad lol. I do need to put the 2 step on a momentary pushbutton switch. My quick rig design was only temp for street testing not meant to be race used lol

 

My megashifter did the choose either park or anything other than overdrive. I chose park cause I live where there are uneven parking surfaces. Kinda don't like the car to roll away. Also it was a bitch to get outta park without wrestling with it.. had to "massage "the mounts with a bfh. Somewhat better now.

 

I loved my 1/4 stick, however I used a stock shifter for years in the T/A.. I now have a quarter stick II in the vega. Not sure about the shifter Diggler suggested, I am sure it's nice as well.

Justin, you could hook the 2 step to your brake switch also, so while on brake it will engage automatic.. Also start seeing in you can work that RPM up a little - Maybe just a 100 or 2 will help a good bit. 4500 will be insane boost launch and fun..

 

Tim rodeheaver was out there last night and my last pass he convinced me to try higher. I went to 3200 but felt it would push the brakes. I was right but i also didnt get a good neutral rev to set vacuum high and get good brake force so maybe it would hold more. Once i open the converter up more i think it will be awesome

 

Confused.. Is your Megashifter setup for 350 or 400 Hydramatic.. I know they give you the option and a pin to set it up like that, or you leave it alone for the 700R4 series..

 

I think mine is setup right it just is too short of a cable. If i set for park engagement i have no first gear. If i set first gear i cant get it in park. I played with cable routing and made adjustments but still cant get it

 

is the lever on the trans correct? using the lever that came with the shifter? in the right hole?

 

To best my reading and comprehension ability me and my dad both looked at it and the instructions and seem to agree its located correctly. But i wouldnt totally rule that out haha. I gotta do a rear end this weekend if its done at the shop today so i will inspect it again.

Also need to do speedo gear correction. 77 mph is 111 and 90 is 128 mph. Yikes

 

when you said it acted like the cable was too short, it made me think the cable needs to be on a closer hole to the trans linkage pivot. i would check it for sure, like you said.

 

Try a different hole on the trans' arm and see if you can get the throw it wants. - If it's missing any one gear theres a big chance it's only partially shifting others. That's a quick way to kill a trans.

I'm running a Cheetah/SCS in the camaro; love it. Have a quarter stick in the mustang that has been through a few of our rides, not a fan. Also have a pro-ratchet, I like it but it's not very street car friendly especially if you run a forward pattern manual vb.

 

Yes its a forward manual valvebody and i am worried about getting partial shifts and fraggig this trans. I was thinkin hurst pistol grip quarterstick as it had the button for tbrake/two step stuff

 

my issue with the quarterstick style shifter on a foward vb is when going to third. i believe you bump it to 2nd, and going to third you squeeze the handle and push until it stops. well, for some reason, i couldnt make myself squeeze the doo doo out of the trigger.... and wound up giving it half a squeeze which let it go past 3rd into neutral. friggin' a man... i did it no less than half a dozen times. it also sucks having to reach over with your left hand to put it in reverse. other than that, they have a nice feel and look.

someone mentioned a linelock and transbrake on the handle- i put my linelock up on the dash. it works good. mash brake, flip linelock switch, start burnout, shift, turn off switch and let it walk out.

 

Have had the mega shifter that worked perfect with a 700 and TH350, but my pro stock works badass with the TH400. I have reverse vb in it but I could see if you did not squeeze it with forward vb, neutral would surely be a issue.

 

I took the Hurst T handle and drilled and tapped it to fit the B&M long shifter.

 

I can't run the t-brake button on the shifter handle. Everytime I've had it on the handle I pull 2nd the instant I let go of the button. - My G's at launch are a tad higher than most y'alls though, lol.

 

Sounds like you would just need repition to get used to it?

 

I am gonna put my 2 step on my b&m shifter plate, push button release. When it goes of i will move hand to shifter. I dont leave hard enough to worry about gettin to it in time and with forward shift, i cant pull second

Nitrous express hitman kit is on its way. Gonna try this. 2 step 3000 rpm. Release button, nitrous will activate 3100-4000 rpm on a window switch. Trying 50-75 shots to bring turbos to life. After 4k i will never see that rpm again while bangin gears
3.42 12 bolt is goin in now just waiting on lca brackets and driveshaft u joint for 1350 yoke. I should have it ready by next week or this weekend if i hustle. If 50 shots dont work have 75-150 jets to try but need fuel jets for 150 shot. Carb kit jetting wont work with efi pressure

Goin to readjust cable on shifter to make sure things are right. If not i may upgrade but to what i am unsure lol i really want the stock shifter back

 

You should wire a normally closed relay inline of the n2o trigger switch and the 2 step button, this way while activated it will not allow n2o to activate. Or go more than 100 rpm above so no mistake.

 

been there, done that!

 

Pro-tree brake & 1500+hp - it's not a matter of getting used to it, but rather when you so much as think about letting go of the button you're already past the 60' clocks. Your arm will come back and if you're holding the shifter you will be in 2nd gear.

Compounding that I do the "cowboy arm release" off the t-brake, jerking my whole arm instead of my thumb(only requires one muscle movement to jerk your arm back, requires something like 4 or 6 muscles to move your thumb). If I do that with the button on the shifter, I have to release it & get back ahold of the shifter to make the 1-2 change inside of 1.5 seconds, reversing my muscle reaction as well as fighting the g-force. - Found when doing that in such a hurry I would tend to catch the release trigger and shift straight from 1st to 3rd.




The left hand steering wheel button in my car is the line-lock & t-brake(toggle switch dictates which function). When I stage I reach across with my right hand to activate the t-brake, thus as I jerk my arm back I'm already in motion to get ahold of the shifter for the 1-2 change. - I do have an air shifter in the car, but tend to make the 1-2 manually; sometimes manual 2-3, sometimes use the button(right side of my steering wheel).

In the old car I tried a pro-ratchet & liked it as well. I ran it for a while with the button still on the t-handle; I simply clicked it in neutral for a second when I staged, then pulled the handle back & held it thus engaging low gear, but not allowing a shift change until the handle had be released to re-center first. - Arm release off the brake, then ****** it fast for 2nd. Worked reasonably well, but the above set-up with the brake button on the wheel is much more "fluid" for me.

 

Great post Shagwell, thanks for taking us on a ride with ya.

 

I notice b&m sell handles with pushbutton switches already installed. May consider that. Put 2 step on that handle. Use other pushbutton to spray car but i fear that will not be consistant like window switch. But i am not reallly looking for consistancy. Plus with pushbutton i could spray in 3rd gear abit to cool intake temps. With 12 psi boost i was seeing a 25 deg temp rise in only 2 gears and still had 3rd to deal with so it needs cooled.
Pushbutton is easier to wire in too. Hmm we shall see

 

Alright just an update. After playing with shifter cable routing i just cant get it right. Now shifter wont bang shift 1-2 and sometimes 2-3 when i slam it

Sooo i bought a turbo action cheetah scs. Its more money than i cared to spend but after seeing it i think its gonna be worth it.

Ripped old shifter out and fabbed some mounts for it. Thats as far as i got so far. Cant really get under car yet to do the rest until i get rear fixed

I swapped in my 3.42 12 bolt and did a few days worth of driving. Heat cycling the gears to break them in even tho the shop said drive like i stole it. Last few times out i been in boost slowly leaning it out and adding lots of timing. Car loves it and feels like a monster. The 19's are holding on street in first gear after being heated up and it feels like car is pulling wheels from 30 mph rolls haha.

Buttt the rear has a bad axle bearing and seal. Found pool of fluid on ground one morning after pulling it into the garage night before after beating on it. So i gotta order a new bearing or 2. May do other side to make sure i got 2 good bearings. They are press fit style i guess, with backing plate and bracket being used as c clip elims. Summit carries the strange bearings so i will have em by tomorrow or wed. Need shop to press them on tho

Also bought the nitrous kit to help spool turbo off the line. Hitman plate kit. 3.42's help it leave alot better than before but still lazy. Small short duration hit will be all it needs i think.

Its gonna run like a supra. Mild 1.7 60 likely and 150mph traps haha

 

i had the same problem with my strange 12 bolt with c-clip elims. i think the last time i changed seals and stuff i FINALLY got it to seal... but it took a few tries. and its a pain with the brake backing plate and stuff on the axles. im anxious to see a good track outing with this car. should be impressive on 19" radials.

 

I hope i dont have issues! Rear was suppose to be 40 passes old and i wouldnt expect it to damaged already. Now i am at a cross roads... Do i just leave other axle alone which is not leaking... Or do i upgrade the bearing now to be sure i got fresh stuff?

I hope to get this car done soon and to the track to make a clean pass to see what it has in it.

 

Sounds like you are grinding your teeth ready to hit the track again!

 

imo, if its not leaking, dont touch it! lol it seems lke there was 2 seals per side. the inner one needs to be changed as well as the outer, and the surface on the axle shaft where the inner seal rides needs to be nice and smooth so it will seal up good. the axles can get nicks and gouges in these areas where the bearings have been pressed on and off, along with the wedding rings. mine had the tapered bearings. gosh its hard to visualize now, but i sure did have it apart a bunch of times. (this was on my 4th gen car)

 

Does appear to have 2 seals but axle bearing kit they sell only has one seal with it? I dont know what the inner one is? I have 2 regular seals for oem 12 bolts i believe but no idea if the inner one is like that

Summit only had one bearing in stock and it be a week to order another. F that i wanna be on the road again asap! Looks like i am changing one bearing this go round. Give me 2 months of run time before winter is all i ask lol