'79ProwlerOrange

:D:D:D:D:D:D

well as some of you know i was seriously considering dropping, well, shoving a 8.1L 496 big block in the vette. well a buddy and i are building a merlin s10, except really cheaply :lol: we actually want to see how little we can spend while making at least 12 second ETs at Bandimere Speedway (5280ft above sea level.) the s10 was $100. we have 350 longblock for it that was $130. anyway i was considering a turbo for it when Frank (stingraycrazy) said he has a turbo manifold he will sell me. so i called Frank up, and somewhere in the conversation (i think its when he told me how much his friend with the chevelle had in his 720ft lbs of tq turbo setup) Frank can help me out, and im sure alot of you other guys with the hookups can too. basically i can get turbo'd for very cheap, and put out better #s than the 8.1 in stock form. (there is nothing performancewise out for the 496 yet. :( ) either way im still planing on a ROD 6-Speed. and the idea of a manual and a turbo excites me.

So 8.1L with plans to mod when parts come out
OR
Turbocharged 355.

also are there any ways to drop compression to about 8:1 - 8.5:1 from 9.9:1 besides low-comp pistons. i really dont want to tear apart my 3000 mile engine. i know there are thick headgaskets, but i dont know how much that will drop it. new heads with bigger combustion chambers are possible, but i dont want to do that unless there is no alternative. :cheers:


[Modified by '79ProwlerOrange, 7:12 AM 12/22/2002]

Fevre

If you don't have forged pistons already you will probably want to switch to them if you plan on pushing the limits of the turbo and engine. If you already have forged pistons then a head switch would proably be the best thing. Also, make sure you have a cam that will be suitable for turbo charging. With EFI, turbo and the 6 speed you should get killer gas mileage and power to spare.

Monty

You know what my answer is, turbocharge it. If you do it right, with the right turbo and intercooler, you can easily make much more power and torque than the big block and it will have better streetability when you're just cruising around or stuck in traffic. With the lower compression ratio and mild cam, a turbo engine drives like stock when you're not playing around.

Depending on your goal, something like a T76 would work well and you should have no problem spooling it up with a 6 speed. Even a 60-1 would be good for almsot 600hp with good heads. I'd also recommend a blow off valve with a turbo that big and a stick, you'll be moving alot of air and it will save the turbo.

Also, a turbo is a huge benefit at the altitude you're racing at. With boost, you can regain much of the power you lose due to altitude.





[Modified by Monty, 8:47 AM 12/22/2002]

'79ProwlerOrange

I see your on Franks side then... i should have known. :lol: ive got forged pistons, crank (reground L-82) and rods. the rods and pistons are eagle and can take punishment. my engine builder told me a 250-300 shot of nitrous would be no problem if i had lower compression. what heads do you reccmmend? if i have to swap heads, i want to know what i should get. i dont want to spend too much on heads. i aldreay have a pretty mild cam. lift is just under .500 and duration is 230 and 240 (im skectchy on exact #s) at .050

i want a blow off valve just for the cool woosh sound :D id get it on a stock Dodge Mini-van turbo :D :lol:

The Turbo sounds great, mainly because it would end up costing about 1/2 of what the BBC would cost, assuming i get everything cheap. Are there any EFI units that are pretty cheap? i would rather have EFI anyway, but with a turbo its more important to me. thanks guys. i think your just telling me what i want to hear :D

Monty

The cheapest EFI system I have seen is the Holley Commander 950 stuff, and from what I've seen, they provide good performance too. If it's your first aftermarket EFI system, it's a good start because it's got all the features you need without overhwelming you with too many options and tuning variables. Literally, 90-95% of the tuning is in the base fuel and spark maps, everything else is usually pretty close for most applications.

Other than the compresison ratio, everything else sounds good. That cam is a little larger on the exhaust than what most people would run, but just by a few degrees. It'll be fine. What's the LSA?

If it was built for 300hp of nitrous, it'll take alot of boost as long as the tune is good and it doesn't detonate. Boost is not rearly as hard on engines as nitorus is - rpm and detonation breaks parts not boost.

Turbo systems do make cool sounds...;)

'79ProwlerOrange

do you know how much the Commander EFI costs? im not sure what the lsa is. i lost my cam card somewhere in storage. :mad pissed me off. I do remember that my cam is very similar to the cam in a stock 72 LT-1.

i'd like to say i want to have a sleeper, but i'll be honest. if i have a turbo i want it to whine louder than a 2 year old that got told NO.:D so Monty, if you can try and find a turbo cheap. i remeber you said you could ask arround, and Frank said he got his off ebay, so im defineatly going to check that resource. :cheers:

'79ProwlerOrange

here are a few turbos i found on ebay. tell me if they suck or not as im new to turbos.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=1875129229
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=1875163474
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=1875129881
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=1875126450
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=1875242208
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=1874784903
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=1875026199
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=1874903267 :jester

well i only got to page 22 of 81 when searching for "Turbo" on ebaymotors. i just need something to aim for.

Stingraycrazy

Ben,

My vote is for the Turbo :thumbs:

For a 355 I would go with a T04E .70ar housing & 60 trim wheel for the compressor / 1.49ar housing "P" trim turbine on the exhaust. You could also use a T04B H3 or 60-1 compressor with the same exhaust setup. This would supply enough air for a 15 psi system but I would stay with 12 or less with a 8.5:1 compression motor without an intercooler. Remember this is a draw through setup and will need a positive compressor seal turbo. Blow through turbos like mine and Monty's do not require this because there is little vacuum on the inlet of the Turbos.

There is a guy on the forum that has a Twin Turbo TPI (Very Nice) setup running on a C4 (Can't remember his name) that you could model your exhaust after. It looks like he used two block hugger headers and carried the crossovers under the motor into the turbos on each side. He did a very nice job and I think it would be the most economical / efficient way to make a turbo header system. All you would need to do different would be to loop the passenger outlet into the drivers with a Y pipe before the inlet of the turbo on the passenger side. It would keep everything clear on the drivers side by the steering box, brake booster and clutch linkage. You could also keep all of your accessories this way including A/C because everything would be behind the face of the motor. Thats how my buddys Firebird setup is going to be. Here is a pic of the twin turbo TPI setup. I like how tight the turbos are to the motor, very neat. You would use a 3" or 4" single exhaust out of the turbo and run it into a conventional "Y" Corvette rear exhaust. That would be a sleeper...






Here are some pics of the Martin intake. It's a two piece intake that has trap doors under the carb flange to allow a normal path of air/fuel mix when not in a boost state. The intake is new and could use some porting on the inlet and outlets of the turbo once you decide how and where the turbo is going to be mounted. The kit was sold with cast exhaust manifolds and aluminum inlets and outlets fitted between the turbo and intake. You can find the all the remaining pieces on Ebay if you look but if this was my deal I would fab the inlet and outlets & go with the exhaust inlets as listed above. Top it off with a tuneable Holley Commander 950 and change your screename to Smokedtires2... :crazy:








[Modified by Stingraycrazy, 10:52 PM 12/22/2002]

Stingraycrazy

Here's two more pics of the Martin intake. I guess there's a limit as to how many pics you can post per reply. :crazy:






[Modified by Stingraycrazy, 11:02 PM 12/22/2002]

'79ProwlerOrange

That intake is :cool: i do like the exaust idea. one thing i dont understand. why would my turbo have vaccum pressure and your blow throughs dont? because it would be a single turbo, or because of the intercooler? because if at all possible i would like to stuff a couple intercooler up in the grilles, like on Merlin522. i would hide them behind a couple grilles, but all the same. i know how much intercoolers help, and ive heard of some wacky custom ones being made from diesel intercoolers and the like. if possible id just grab some off a DSM or subaru.

another thing. i only saw one Holley Commander 950 unit on ebay and its starting bid is $1,800! :eek: that sets me way over my budget. i think i saw a couple efi units mande by http://www.affordable-efi.com or something like it, but didnt get a price. how much boost do you think my carb could take? could i bolt on a TBI setup from a 87+ camaro? Im kinda setting my budget at $2,000 all said and done because thats what i could get the BBC for. i know the turbo setup would give me a ton more power, torque, and drivibilty, but i also think the 496 would be pleanty of fun. :yesnod:

thanks for helping me out Monty and Frank. this turbo is sounding like a great idea, but i need to iron out the details. :cheers:

'79ProwlerOrange

forgot...


that IS a condom on the valve cover right? :blush: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Stingraycrazy

Hey The draw through turbo sucks air through the carb. When the throttle blades are closed you will have vacuum on the turbo (compressor side) and if there are no positive seals on the shaft you will suck oil into the intake. Not good, unless your fogging for misquotes! :lol: You can have a TO4 converted if you can't find one that’s has one.

For the DFI You could go with a 4DI setup, I've seen them go for less than $500 used on Ebay. Or you could just stick with the carb, that’s what my buddy’s Heavy Chevy has... Give me a call at home and I can tell you better over the phone. My two finger typing skills aren’t the best :crazy:

Stingraycrazy

Dude that's just tape... :lol:

'79ProwlerOrange

Thanks Frank. That actual conversation really helped. i know i can get waaay under my budget.

now... where to get "Turbo" emblems? :lol: :jester i just may get that custom license plate "SLEEPER" :yesnod:

Stingraycrazy

You bet, anytime... :crazy:

DaBo

12's in an S-10 is an easy task on a budget.

I used a 355" SBC...TH400 with 3000 stall and trans brake....narrowed 9" with 4.56 gears. 28 x 10 MH slicks.

The engine was reported to produce around 425 HP. I have a complete list of parts if you are interested.

I ran consistant 12.0's and 12 teens at 120+ MPH. With a little more tuning 11's were very reachable. I didn't have a cage, so 11.99 was the quickest I could leagally run.

I had a total investment of less than $5000 and ran it almost every weekend for 3 seasons without any problems.

I hope this info helps in your search.
Good Luck!!