Hello all.
Looking for some advice (hopefully including the cost impact of your suggestion) for my project. Have searched and read quite a bit, but still interested in what you have to say about this specific case
Since this is my first post, little bout me, longtime G body fan, currently have a worked 81 elcamino and have been building cars at home for 20 years, and learning more everyday.
And a little bout this buick project. I've got a 95% complete 85 hot air engine. Story behind it was it got donated to a school along with a dyno by GM, was used for a while & set aside.
I've pulled the covers, oil pan, and a few bearing caps. This sucker is like new inside, we're talking under 500 miles wear. Also removed a black oversprayed oil filter, and the engine has never been repainted. Don't know if the history is true, but the engine's condition would back it up.
So this puppy is going into my next daily driver, after the complete engine package has been put together. Not really sure what that could be, but leading candidates would be a 67-72 chevy shortbox, or molesting the cleanest, lowest mile 73-77 A-body I can find.
The intent is to have something with stock 350 power, but turbo 3.8 mileage and manners. Then drive the wheels off it for 100K.
Now here's the catch. Would probably be fine with swapping a 100% stock engine, but I'm also a hot rodder so that's hard to do, and if we can squeeze a little more out of the stock setup for cheap, that's great. Everyone instantly says to ditch the top end and control system for intercooled stuff, because it'll net 30-40hp, and simplify aftermarket tuning. I really hesitate to do that, because at the moment, my turbo, injectors, etc are all REALLY low hours and don't want the expense of rebuilding high mile intercooled takeoffs on a car I'm gonna drive the wheels off of.
More swap details-
Transmission- standalone 2004r w/vacuum lockup switch, leftover from another project.
What I'm missing- coil packs, MAF, alternator, PS pump.
What I have- everything else, exhaust including downpipe, 2 hot air wire looms, one 85 ecm.
OK, so given what I have, and what I'm missing-
how would you deal with the electronics?
What would you do to coax 30hp out of the hot air?
If you went intercooled, how does that stack cost-wise to replacing what I'm missing to go hot air?
How do I deal with lack of a VSS without a GN instrument cluster?
What's to sort out the tuning? I know from my LT1 cars that self-tuning capability can exceed the hard parts cost.
And the other crackpot question- I deal with a real talented, and real reasonably priced machinist/fabricator. Since the final car will have more underhood room than a regal, should I consider having him fab an in/out spacer under the stock turbo and intercool it that way?
Long post, thanks in advance for the advice
Looking for some advice (hopefully including the cost impact of your suggestion) for my project. Have searched and read quite a bit, but still interested in what you have to say about this specific case
Since this is my first post, little bout me, longtime G body fan, currently have a worked 81 elcamino and have been building cars at home for 20 years, and learning more everyday.
And a little bout this buick project. I've got a 95% complete 85 hot air engine. Story behind it was it got donated to a school along with a dyno by GM, was used for a while & set aside.
I've pulled the covers, oil pan, and a few bearing caps. This sucker is like new inside, we're talking under 500 miles wear. Also removed a black oversprayed oil filter, and the engine has never been repainted. Don't know if the history is true, but the engine's condition would back it up.
So this puppy is going into my next daily driver, after the complete engine package has been put together. Not really sure what that could be, but leading candidates would be a 67-72 chevy shortbox, or molesting the cleanest, lowest mile 73-77 A-body I can find.
The intent is to have something with stock 350 power, but turbo 3.8 mileage and manners. Then drive the wheels off it for 100K.
Now here's the catch. Would probably be fine with swapping a 100% stock engine, but I'm also a hot rodder so that's hard to do, and if we can squeeze a little more out of the stock setup for cheap, that's great. Everyone instantly says to ditch the top end and control system for intercooled stuff, because it'll net 30-40hp, and simplify aftermarket tuning. I really hesitate to do that, because at the moment, my turbo, injectors, etc are all REALLY low hours and don't want the expense of rebuilding high mile intercooled takeoffs on a car I'm gonna drive the wheels off of.
More swap details-
Transmission- standalone 2004r w/vacuum lockup switch, leftover from another project.
What I'm missing- coil packs, MAF, alternator, PS pump.
What I have- everything else, exhaust including downpipe, 2 hot air wire looms, one 85 ecm.
OK, so given what I have, and what I'm missing-
how would you deal with the electronics?
What would you do to coax 30hp out of the hot air?
If you went intercooled, how does that stack cost-wise to replacing what I'm missing to go hot air?
How do I deal with lack of a VSS without a GN instrument cluster?
What's to sort out the tuning? I know from my LT1 cars that self-tuning capability can exceed the hard parts cost.
And the other crackpot question- I deal with a real talented, and real reasonably priced machinist/fabricator. Since the final car will have more underhood room than a regal, should I consider having him fab an in/out spacer under the stock turbo and intercool it that way?
Long post, thanks in advance for the advice
Aside from the Drag radials and the TA49 instead of a TA33c, that's my car.
