On center with AC

[johnplogii]

Is it possible to run an on center stage II with the factory air conditioning? I guess anything can be done I really want to know how hard it would be.

Thanks

 

[S2V6RACER]

Tony Gomes has done it. Custom set of headers is necessary. I'm assuming you mean S2 heads also. With production heads it's even easier.

 

[johnplogii]

Thanks Ted! I am just thinking of changing direction with the car & going a little faster so I could go either way with the heads. I am assuming stage II heads will flow alot more?

 

[Mac in SD]

The only complicating factor is the support brackets that normally connect the #1 header flange to the back of the main accessory aluminum bracket. You would have to fabricate something to support the a/c compressor as the aluminum bracket would eventually crack without the additional support. That only applies to S2 heads. On stock-type heads, use your original steel support brackets. Whether or not they line right up depends on whether you spaced out your balancer or shortened the front cover. Either way, no big deal.

Some years back, White Racing had a steel accessory bracket for S2 heads on their website. It seems relatively simple: 3/16 or 1/4 inch steel plate with some bungs to properly space the alternator, PS and a/c mounting.

 

[S2V6RACER]

Thanks Ted! I am just thinking of changing direction with the car & going a little faster so I could go either way with the heads. I am assuming stage II heads will flow alot more?

The TA performance heads worked by DLS Engine Development are more than enough for a street/strip combo. I have been in the low 8.4x range at 163+MPH with them so depending on your goals, I think the TA heads are a good choice and they have held up to over 40 passes so far so I think we have a real winner in the durability department now using stock type head configuration.

 

[gnxtc2]

I think the driver's side bank is shifted forward around 0.120" to put the rods on-center on the piston pins. Aside from find an accesory bracket to fit the Stage heads, one needs to make a .120 spacer for crank and water pump pulleys to align to P/S, AC and alternator on the accesory bracket.

Some like to mill the timing cover .120" but you then have to deal with cam gear to distibutor/cam sensor alignment. I'll stick to making the shims for the 2 pulleys.

Billy T.
gnxtc2@aol.com

 

[johnplogii]

Great info, thanks guys.

 

[NCTURBOS]

I remember seeing one of Billy Anderson's cars @ B.G. a few years ago with A/C, PS, S2 heads, and I believe an on-center block. The car ran some easy 9.2x's that I saw.

K.

 

[Lee Thompson]

correct

I think the driver's side bank is shifted forward around 0.120" to put the rods on-center on the piston pins. Aside from find an accesory bracket to fit the Stage heads, one needs to make a .120 spacer for crank and water pump pulleys to align to P/S, AC and alternator on the accesory bracket.

Some like to mill the timing cover .120" but you then have to deal with cam gear to distibutor/cam sensor alignment. I'll stick to making the shims for the 2 pulleys.

Billy T.
gnxtc2@aol.com

The drivers side is moved forward .120 and the passengers side is moved rearward same amount.

 

[d90dan]

The TA performance heads worked by DLS Engine Development are more than enough for a street/strip combo. I have been in the low 8.4x range at 163+MPH with them so depending on your goals, I think the TA heads are a good choice and they have held up to over 40 passes so far so I think we have a real winner in the durability department now using stock type head configuration.

Off topic...
Ted were your heads CNC'd by TA?

 

[turbobitt]

Is it possible to run an on center stage II with the factory air conditioning? I guess anything can be done I really want to know how hard it would be.

Thanks

I'm running stageII with A/C. It has ben a while since I've been in the engine but from what I remember, I made a spacer to push the damper out to match the pully arangement. I also went one step further and bought a mezzeri pump and eliminated that pulley. I did fabricate a very tinny idler pulley and running the old steel race crank pulley thats very small on the belt OD. Don't know who made it but they were popular way back when. Spent many hours on the lathe cutting the intercooler fan hub off and to reducing weight. The accesory bracket is stock with a modified support in back of the alternater. I did crack one alternater running without the support. Ultimatly , everything lines up good and works trouble free. I have many street miles on this without any charging issues either. If I can find pictures tomarow I will post.

 

[Nasty Wendy]

Is it possible to run an on center stage II with the factory air conditioning? I guess anything can be done I really want to know how hard it would be.

Thanks

No finer example comes to mind.
Conley's Performance Plus - Chassis Dyno Center - Buy performance parts* and services for Buick, Chevy, Camero, Impala, GN and more]
Click on "BLACK".

 

[Mac in SD]

Some like to mill the timing cover .120" but you then have to deal with cam gear to distibutor/cam sensor alignment. I'll stick to making the shims for the 2 pulleys.

Billy T.
gnxtc2@aol.com

I remember a few years back that guys were having problems with distributor drive gear / cam gear wear, and they had done the spacer deal. I milled my cover and the alignment is perfect, and I haven't had a problem with wear. The Power Source book says mill the cover. If spacers were the way to go, you'd think that's what Buick would have said.

If you mill the cover and mill the main accessory bracket .120, everything lines up just right.

But to each his own. :biggrin:

 

[bison]

I remember a few years back that guys were having problems with distributor drive gear / cam gear wear, and they had done the spacer deal. I milled my cover and the alignment is perfect, and I haven't had a problem with wear. The Power Source book says mill the cover. If spacers were the way to go, you'd think that's what Buick would have said.

If you mill the cover and mill the main accessory bracket .120, everything lines up just right.

But to each his own. :biggrin:

Spacers are easier to make. Buick didnt rec using a production crank over 400hp etiher . There are thousands of us using it with no problem. If they told you to jump off a cliff would you? The book has a lot of useful info but it is just for reference these days. A lot of us found much more effective ways to do things.

 

[Mac in SD]

Spacers are easier to make. Buick didnt rec using a production crank over 400hp etiher . There are thousands of us using it with no problem. If they told you to jump off a cliff would you? The book has a lot of useful info but it is just for reference these days. A lot of us found much more effective ways to do things.

Thousands? With on-center blocks using spacers?

Whatever.

 

[bison]

Thousands? With on-center blocks using spacers?

Whatever.

If you re-read your post and then carefully read my post you would understand. Maybe

 

[S2V6RACER]

Off topic...
Ted were your heads CNC'd by TA?

There was work done by TA and Dan did some other things to them. I didn't write down what he did, but it was a lot of chamber work from what I remember.