Unexpected results

[HOTSIX]

Unexpected results

After the long haul on the restoration and rebuild of this car - I gotta admit I am a bit disappointed with the results the drivetrain is giving me.

I have done a TON of work to the entire car but also to the engine. Its brand new !! I have a brand new John Craig built TA-33C...new crank, valves, cam, etc etc.

What i'm getting at here is i'm not fryin' any tires. The car seems to pick up speed well after boost kicks in....but even if I load up the brakes with a lil boost before a launch...not much tire spin...on a peg leg car.

I figured the car to be a rocket with the mods...

Now with the Turbomotion V2 kit not available...the future looks dim.

I gotta be honest with you - I am considering a Chevy V8 swap.....

What can I do here guys...to make this car what I expected ? What I mean by that is an honest 13 sec car.....

 

[TurboBuickSix]

From your description I can tell you I get alot more from mine with way less parts.With a peg leg you should be able to set that tire ablaze without question.If I spool with 3-4 psi let of the brake and matt it all hell breaks loose and she spins like mad for until well after the 1-2 shift and pulls real hard.The other night I was fooling around and under full throttle It shifted into second and fished the backend so good I had to let out or I might have gotten totally sideways.It was really cool outside too,like in the 50's.I think you have the parts for way more than that,with a peg leg traction should be almost no existent.I say it's 1 of 2 things

1)tuning(my car was a total dog with the ATR chip but (get this)is very happy with a old tech hypertech chip(in stock ecm).I had to hook up the wastegate tuner style though because it would'nt limit boost at all.But the power and off idle response is super.

2)you already know that intake is terribly restrictive on the inlet and outlet ports,if nobody will mod it for you,do it yourself.Either way it HAS to be done or it will be choked to death no matter the turbo size.

Right now you should be complaining that your traction sucks!!and you need a posi now! Well good luck,hope it works out but if you want to run a small block sell the Buick and get a Monte.

 

[TurboRegal84]

Originally posted by TurboBuickSix

2)you already know that intake is terribly restrictive on the inlet and outlet ports,if nobody will mod it for you,do it yourself.Either way it HAS to be done or it will be choked to death no matter the turbo size.

Actually....The intake isn't THAT bad....After all Lee Thompson ran a 10 with the stock intake.


To get the intake to flow well you just have to open up the ports, and where the turbo enteres the intake. Remove the rough casting, and polish them up to reduce heat. After I had my intake ported I was shocked at how much it opened up!

After a bit of discussion with Lee Thompson he said that the intake is alot better then the 86/87 design. Why? The 84/85 cars were test subjects for water injection. After the air enters the intake it has to travel along the side runners before it reaches the main "area" for the intake ports. You can take advantage of this area by running alcohol injection. While the air is running along those side ports it can be getting cooled by the alcohol.

Open up the stock intake, and you should feel a difference.

I recently put on Ported heads, and a ported intake and the difference is amazing..The car pulls really hard on the top end as well as down low..also with ported heads the spool-up is amazing!

I still have a peg leg on my car (not for long tho) and if I spool up at all on the line I get a bit of wheelspin upon first letting off the brakes(at 1psi or so), and then when I get to about 12 psi of boost it hazes the tires a bit. On a street car with regular radials it is almost impossible to get a good wheelspin free launch while holding a decent amount of boost on the brakes!

I expect to run into traction problems as the weather gets cooler, but im sure its nothing that the Nitto's I just picked up can't handle.

Its ashame that we don't have much along the lines of Hot-Air vendors...S&S(Dave) used to take care of us, but after the situation with Kyle he really took a hit, and what happend with Jay it is ashame.

Don't give up on your car tho....Sometimes after you get used to how the car feels you think its slow....maybe park it for a little, and pick it up in a few months!

 

[TurboBuickSix]

Herb,Maybe I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure Lee ran those times with the stock intake ported out.Ported and not gutted that is.In bone stock form the intake runner opening is to small to fit your finger into! At least on mine it was,Damn I wish I could chassis dyno this thing.Lee if your reading please refresh the memory.Herb how is the alchy working BTW?

 

[TurboRegal84]

Lee ran the 10 with the Stock intake flow path...as in The air enters the intake at the rear...goes down the length of the intake, and then makes that sharp 180 Degree bend into the main port area (if you have ever cut open a stock intake you know what I mean)..yes...The stock intake is terrible the ports are very small and rough!

I was going to "hog out" the stock intake to create just an air box, but Lee talked me out of it because he had some problems with his car when he ran an intake using the 86/87 concept.

I am really into the "bolt on" stock appering performance, and using what GM gave us on our cars...so currently the TA-33 Turbo with the Stock ported (The ports, runners, and where the turbo enters are all stock as well as how the air flows in the intake...everything is just opened up a bit and polished) intake, and the full race port heads are working out well.

The alcohol is working out nicely...I am only running it on a low pump speed, because I run a Race gas/pump gas mixture. With the pump speed low I am running about 20psi of boost with rather rich O2's....When the weather gets cooler I will yank the boost up and increase the pump speed of the alcohol so I can take it to the track!

For the time being im enjoying just driving the car, and before I run it again I would like to do some interior stuff to it!

 

[WFO]

Originally posted by TurboBuickSix
Herb,Maybe I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure Lee ran those times with the stock intake ported out.Ported and not gutted that is.In bone stock form the intake runner opening is to small to fit your finger into! At least on mine it was,Damn I wish I could chassis dyno this thing.Lee if your reading please refresh the memory.

lee's intake is port matched to his heads,which are ported as well.


later,sean

 

[forcefed3.8's]

Honest 13 sec car? How about throwing away all of your mods, throw all of the stock stuff back on with a 160 stat and cone K&N, and go to the track. A long mod list doesn't mean a fast car. You have to tune it too.

 

[crazygn]

Post what you have some things set at, fuel press , tps, Any vac leaks header crack . I had about the same set up , but the stock headers and cross over , and i had a 206/206 cam and the car was a low to mid 12 sec car. You have what it takes , just find out what is going on with the car now. If i would floor the car it would do nothing , i think it needed a stall , but if i would build 4-5 psi up it would spin for a 1/8 mile . Even with the 275-60-15 on the back it would spin the tire a little at about 50mph.


what kind of boost are you running.

 

[crazygn]

Sorry i also had a spearco intercooler to , but reds hot air ran 13.0's with his stock turbo and no intercooler.

 

[HOTSIX]

I'm not really sure how to tune it I guess guys.

I have FP set at 37 PSI, R43TS plugs gapped @ .035....gotta check my TPS....

problem is - no scantool. If I did have one...i'd be into another problem - 85 ECM doesn't show much info....

So what parts should I be tuning and to what numbers ???

 

[WFO]

dude,you have to have some way to monitor knock and o2's.you can't tune these cars without them.

i'd bet that your car is running pig rich,but without a scantool there is no way to tell,and no way to tune.

there is NO way around having a scantool on these cars.you've thrown enough cash at this car to justify another ~$350 worth of scantool/ecm/chip.

later,sean

 

[crazygn]

Is the 37psi with the vac line on or off when you are checking it. Do you have a knock gauge, and what kind of boost are you running. Tps should be around .42 at idle , nothing over 5.00 wot.

 

[HOTSIX]

Stock (clean and flow tested) injectors and stock 85 ECM still in it....had the stock chip (85) 'till last night when I swapped out the stocker for the ATR Pitbull chip.

After chip swap it seemed to shift a 'lil smoother during normal driving...not hammering it. Not sure why or if this is just my imagination.

I dont know any O2 numbers since I have no scantool.....

How do I know where my boost it set at ? Just by what the max amount of boost is that I get when she spools up ?

After I set the TPS it ran much better. I have it set at .44 v at idle. It WAS set for .50 v !!!

It ran well after I knocked the FP down a bit to 35 PSI and set the TPS. Still not gonna say its a rocket though....

I'm not layin' any 95 foot strips of rubber yet.....

 

[turbo6x2]

Originally posted by TurboBuickSix
Herb,Maybe I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure Lee ran those times with the stock intake ported out.Ported and not gutted that is.In bone stock form the intake runner opening is to small to fit your finger into! At least on mine it was,Damn I wish I could chassis dyno this thing.Lee if your reading please refresh the memory.Herb how is the alchy working BTW?

I emailed Lee and he ported and polished a stock one and matched it to the heads. So this can be done with the right tools and a few free hours.