Introductions, of sorts... (Forged/Turboed 3.5L)
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Woot!! :th_woot:
So I should probably try and update this a bit as things get a bit more intense as these days go on.
So after having raced at Thunderhill earlier this year in the Optima Search for the Ultimate Street Car series, I knew the weak points of the truck. One of which was the transmission which had burned itself to oblivion. So after I got a built 4L65 in the truck, I knew I couldn't let that happen again.
Enter B&M transmission coolers. These things measure 5.75x11x1.25 and are a plate style, giving them maximum surface area for heat exchange. I knew a long time ago I was going to be running fluid coolers in the fog light openings of the front bumper, so mounting these things there was only natural. What made it REALLY nice was an unused bracket in the original front bumper that required a quick cut with an angle grinder and bend with a pair of vice grips. Less than 10 minutes and I was done.
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Part of the plan was to remove the cooler that is built into the radiator. While the fluid-on-fluid type coolers are extremely efficient, they're usefulness drops considerably as temperatures continue to rise, so I opted to eliminate this from the equation entirely. Bonus was that it should also keep a small amount of heat out of the radiator. BUT! Because I went this route, there was nothing to help cool the transmission fluid while at low speed or sitting in traffic. So I ordered twin Spal 300cfm fans and mounted them to the coolers. Each one is independently fused so if one shorts out, I will still have at least SOME cooling for the trans.
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So now that I had this awesome cooling setup for the new transmission, I had to plumb it. The coolers themselves were set up for 1/2" NPT fittings which is WAY too big for one, but also not as nice as using AN fittings and braided lines. So to correct this, I went to Parker here in West Sacramento with what I thought was a very odd request. Due to special constraints, I needed a 90* fitting that went from 1/2" NPT to -6. The gentleman behind the counter took my cooler, double checked the thread sizing, and then disappeared for about 5 minutes. When he came back, he had a freaking bag of the exact fitting I need!
"Yea, we keep these in stock." Was his reply when I compared him to an angel.
So now I ahd the exact fittings I needed from the coolers and a quick trip to my friends at Motor Machine Super Shop yielded a plethora of military grade Aeromotive AN fittings, including a pair of adapter fittings to convert the hardlines from the transmission to -6 AN fittings. A 10ft section of nylon braided hose and I was out the door with a big ass smile on my face. I got home, watched a quick YouTube video on the proper cutting and assembly of the lines and fittings, and got to work. It was a little tricky at first, but I got the hang of it and now both the coolers are plumbed and the installation is as clean as ever.
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Then the last major piece of the performance puzzle showed up. I knew that even with the added cooling of the larger V8 radiator, and Supermod's efan setup, that sustained hard driving would create too much heat for the system to handle, so to drop the charge air temps and ignition temps, I FINALLY ordered a methanol injection system from Snow Performance.
This is a "Stage 2" system that has a progressive controller that can increase the amount of methanol being injected with increasing boost pressure. It has a 3 wire hookup and 3qt bottle for methanol solution. I'm undecided on the water/meth mix I will be running, but I can tell you that I will be spraying starting at 5psi and have full spray by 10psi. Or ultimate goal is 15psi and around 400rwhp on a conservative tune on 91oc.
Right now I need to get a fitting for the bottom of the methanol tank to get the feed line to the pump the way I need it to. I'm moving the overflow tank and eliminating the washer fluid all together. I had though about using the washer fluid tank instead, but I want to use the tank Snow Performance sent with the kit. So today I'll be mounting the tanks, wiring the methanol kit and finishing the wiring on the fans for the trans coolers (already done, just need to clean it up a bit) and then it's ready to be tuned. I'm also swapping the rear end with one I have in the side yard with a Tru Trac differential. That was another thing we found at Thunderhill that needed improvement and luckily, I already had the fix sitting at home. I'm also waiting to hear back from QA1 about a set of rear shocks for the truck, and there's one last company I'm talking to that MIGHT be making something very special for the truck, but that's a story for another day
:355group:
So after having raced at Thunderhill earlier this year in the Optima Search for the Ultimate Street Car series, I knew the weak points of the truck. One of which was the transmission which had burned itself to oblivion. So after I got a built 4L65 in the truck, I knew I couldn't let that happen again.
Enter B&M transmission coolers. These things measure 5.75x11x1.25 and are a plate style, giving them maximum surface area for heat exchange. I knew a long time ago I was going to be running fluid coolers in the fog light openings of the front bumper, so mounting these things there was only natural. What made it REALLY nice was an unused bracket in the original front bumper that required a quick cut with an angle grinder and bend with a pair of vice grips. Less than 10 minutes and I was done.
Part of the plan was to remove the cooler that is built into the radiator. While the fluid-on-fluid type coolers are extremely efficient, they're usefulness drops considerably as temperatures continue to rise, so I opted to eliminate this from the equation entirely. Bonus was that it should also keep a small amount of heat out of the radiator. BUT! Because I went this route, there was nothing to help cool the transmission fluid while at low speed or sitting in traffic. So I ordered twin Spal 300cfm fans and mounted them to the coolers. Each one is independently fused so if one shorts out, I will still have at least SOME cooling for the trans.
So now that I had this awesome cooling setup for the new transmission, I had to plumb it. The coolers themselves were set up for 1/2" NPT fittings which is WAY too big for one, but also not as nice as using AN fittings and braided lines. So to correct this, I went to Parker here in West Sacramento with what I thought was a very odd request. Due to special constraints, I needed a 90* fitting that went from 1/2" NPT to -6. The gentleman behind the counter took my cooler, double checked the thread sizing, and then disappeared for about 5 minutes. When he came back, he had a freaking bag of the exact fitting I need!
"Yea, we keep these in stock." Was his reply when I compared him to an angel.
So now I ahd the exact fittings I needed from the coolers and a quick trip to my friends at Motor Machine Super Shop yielded a plethora of military grade Aeromotive AN fittings, including a pair of adapter fittings to convert the hardlines from the transmission to -6 AN fittings. A 10ft section of nylon braided hose and I was out the door with a big ass smile on my face. I got home, watched a quick YouTube video on the proper cutting and assembly of the lines and fittings, and got to work. It was a little tricky at first, but I got the hang of it and now both the coolers are plumbed and the installation is as clean as ever.
Then the last major piece of the performance puzzle showed up. I knew that even with the added cooling of the larger V8 radiator, and Supermod's efan setup, that sustained hard driving would create too much heat for the system to handle, so to drop the charge air temps and ignition temps, I FINALLY ordered a methanol injection system from Snow Performance.
This is a "Stage 2" system that has a progressive controller that can increase the amount of methanol being injected with increasing boost pressure. It has a 3 wire hookup and 3qt bottle for methanol solution. I'm undecided on the water/meth mix I will be running, but I can tell you that I will be spraying starting at 5psi and have full spray by 10psi. Or ultimate goal is 15psi and around 400rwhp on a conservative tune on 91oc.
Right now I need to get a fitting for the bottom of the methanol tank to get the feed line to the pump the way I need it to. I'm moving the overflow tank and eliminating the washer fluid all together. I had though about using the washer fluid tank instead, but I want to use the tank Snow Performance sent with the kit. So today I'll be mounting the tanks, wiring the methanol kit and finishing the wiring on the fans for the trans coolers (already done, just need to clean it up a bit) and then it's ready to be tuned. I'm also swapping the rear end with one I have in the side yard with a Tru Trac differential. That was another thing we found at Thunderhill that needed improvement and luckily, I already had the fix sitting at home. I'm also waiting to hear back from QA1 about a set of rear shocks for the truck, and there's one last company I'm talking to that MIGHT be making something very special for the truck, but that's a story for another day
:355group:
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I love this little truck
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Good stuff! Meth is just what the doctor ordered!
Does your kit have a filter on it? I probably sound like a broken record (said it a few times on here), but those nozzles are easy to plug. Drop a little piece of anythng in the tank and your day might be over. AEM sells a pre-pump filter for ~$28.
Looking forward to seeing the outcome of all this. Your truck seems to be getting even more awesome by the minute! Keep it up! :salute:
Does your kit have a filter on it? I probably sound like a broken record (said it a few times on here), but those nozzles are easy to plug. Drop a little piece of anythng in the tank and your day might be over. AEM sells a pre-pump filter for ~$28.
Looking forward to seeing the outcome of all this. Your truck seems to be getting even more awesome by the minute! Keep it up! :salute:
West Coast Transmission here in Sacramento did the transmission. I chose to go with a stronger converter with a stock stall speed. There are a lot of good converter shops here in the Sacramento area and Zane at West Coast Transmissions knows them all. He's been doing this so long it boggles my mind. He had this thing back together in 3 days. No waiting on parts, anything.
So picking up where we left off;
Today the name of the game was methanol. I had to figure out a way to mount the pump, reservoir, controller, and relocate the radiator overflow. Then wire it all.
So to start, I pulled the washer fluid and over flow tank combo (which are actually two separate piece btw) and started playing with where I could mount the reservoir for the methanol. I eventually came up with an interesting configuration.
Once I had everything roughed in, I had to knock out some quick mounting solutions. Thankfully I had some sheet metal left over from other projects, so this was just a matter of drilling a hole and finding the appropriate hardware. I ended up reusing a factory nut/bolt on the fender.
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After mounting the pump, I could mount the controller to the top of the inner fender, and I relocated the factory overflow tank next to my catch can behind the passenger side headlight. A simple bracket made from some aluminum flat stock I had lying around utilizes the forward most fender bolt along with a pair of washers to space it properly.
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Then came a bit of a challenge. I am out of room in the engine bay. I know everyone thinks there's a ton of room, but the way to you have to mount the pump in relation to the reservoir makes it so space becomes a premium. Basically, the pump has to sit lower than the outlet for the reservoir in order to make sure that it is fed via gravity, and always primed. I came pretty damn close by moving the meth reservoir right next to the ECM, but a problem arose; it's too tall. Thankfully, I was able to rectify this with a quick trip to Motor Machine Super Shop and got a 90* fitting which moved the feed hose and made it so it didn't kink, assuring that the pump is well fed.
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I still have to permanently mount the reservoir, but this will be the final configuration.
Lastly, comes to a vary lack luster, yet equally important task; proper wiring. I already have my Spal fans wired to the relay with individual fuses so should one short out or fail I won't smoke the transmission. Well, I knew I still had to wire in the methanol controller, so instead of tapping into other power sources, or adding to the crowding on my terminals on my mega fuse, I am running a separate 8ga power wire from the battery which will feed an ATM sized fuse holder. This fuse block will provide power to the methanol controller and the Spal fans and is mounted at the top of the inner fender right next to the factory fuse box.
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You would not believe what a pain in the ass it was to get an ATM fuse block. Luckily Lehr Automotive Electrical is around the corner from my house, and literally right next door to Napa Auto Parts' NorCal distribution warehouse
In all of this wiring I've been doing, everything is weather proofed with shrink tubing and proper routing and protection for the wires. GM may not have given a crap how these trucks were wired, but I do...
I called it an early day today as it's about to start raining any minute. Once this "rain" (whatever the hell that is) is gone, I'll be doing any final mounting of major components and tidying up some wiring I didn't get to yet. Then I'll be mounting the methanol nozzle and running boost reference to the controller. After that, we're set to go. I am looking at Monday or Tuesday for a dyno session at Motor Machine Super Shop and making around 425rwhp.
Today the name of the game was methanol. I had to figure out a way to mount the pump, reservoir, controller, and relocate the radiator overflow. Then wire it all.
So to start, I pulled the washer fluid and over flow tank combo (which are actually two separate piece btw) and started playing with where I could mount the reservoir for the methanol. I eventually came up with an interesting configuration.
Once I had everything roughed in, I had to knock out some quick mounting solutions. Thankfully I had some sheet metal left over from other projects, so this was just a matter of drilling a hole and finding the appropriate hardware. I ended up reusing a factory nut/bolt on the fender.
After mounting the pump, I could mount the controller to the top of the inner fender, and I relocated the factory overflow tank next to my catch can behind the passenger side headlight. A simple bracket made from some aluminum flat stock I had lying around utilizes the forward most fender bolt along with a pair of washers to space it properly.
Then came a bit of a challenge. I am out of room in the engine bay. I know everyone thinks there's a ton of room, but the way to you have to mount the pump in relation to the reservoir makes it so space becomes a premium. Basically, the pump has to sit lower than the outlet for the reservoir in order to make sure that it is fed via gravity, and always primed. I came pretty damn close by moving the meth reservoir right next to the ECM, but a problem arose; it's too tall. Thankfully, I was able to rectify this with a quick trip to Motor Machine Super Shop and got a 90* fitting which moved the feed hose and made it so it didn't kink, assuring that the pump is well fed.
I still have to permanently mount the reservoir, but this will be the final configuration.
Lastly, comes to a vary lack luster, yet equally important task; proper wiring. I already have my Spal fans wired to the relay with individual fuses so should one short out or fail I won't smoke the transmission. Well, I knew I still had to wire in the methanol controller, so instead of tapping into other power sources, or adding to the crowding on my terminals on my mega fuse, I am running a separate 8ga power wire from the battery which will feed an ATM sized fuse holder. This fuse block will provide power to the methanol controller and the Spal fans and is mounted at the top of the inner fender right next to the factory fuse box.
You would not believe what a pain in the ass it was to get an ATM fuse block. Luckily Lehr Automotive Electrical is around the corner from my house, and literally right next door to Napa Auto Parts' NorCal distribution warehouse
In all of this wiring I've been doing, everything is weather proofed with shrink tubing and proper routing and protection for the wires. GM may not have given a crap how these trucks were wired, but I do...
I called it an early day today as it's about to start raining any minute. Once this "rain" (whatever the hell that is) is gone, I'll be doing any final mounting of major components and tidying up some wiring I didn't get to yet. Then I'll be mounting the methanol nozzle and running boost reference to the controller. After that, we're set to go. I am looking at Monday or Tuesday for a dyno session at Motor Machine Super Shop and making around 425rwhp.
I have a few small things to do before Throwdown, but nothing major. It's not like in previous years where I was ill equipped for the task at hand. I have spent the last two years learning as much as I could. In fact, one of my fellow competitors is a friend of mine who I compete and ride with at several events throughout the year (I told him about Throwdown last year and he ended up going and taking 2nd place.)
Talking to George (my friend), with our driving experience and comfort in our respective trucks, he's expecting there to be two events going on. One between him and I, and one for everyone else. He fully expects us to dominate in every area. He's going to be really stiff competition for sure. He's an SCCA chapter President and he KNOWS his truck and runs much better tires than I do. I will have the advantage in weight and possibly power as well, but I'm not nearly as good of a driver as he is and my tires aren't as nice. We're still waiting to hear if there is a tire sponsor this year, but if there is, that will level the playing field between he and I.
Talking to George (my friend), with our driving experience and comfort in our respective trucks, he's expecting there to be two events going on. One between him and I, and one for everyone else. He fully expects us to dominate in every area. He's going to be really stiff competition for sure. He's an SCCA chapter President and he KNOWS his truck and runs much better tires than I do. I will have the advantage in weight and possibly power as well, but I'm not nearly as good of a driver as he is and my tires aren't as nice. We're still waiting to hear if there is a tire sponsor this year, but if there is, that will level the playing field between he and I.
So a lot has happened since I last updated this;
I had been worrying about tires for this event and reached out to Nitto Tire as I had worked with them before. I was put in contact with Chase and he was all too happy to help support me with a set of NT05 tires measuring 295/35/18 and 295/45/18 for the event.
I have run the NT05 in the past and it is a really good enthusiast's tire. With a 200UTQG treadwear rating and tread design to ensure the maximum contact patch where the rubber meets the road it will give me a much better advantage than I would have had otherwise. Full disclosure: I've been running Nitto tires for years and have experience with the NT555, NT420S, and NT450. All of them are well built and designed. The NT555 is my favorite all-around tire, while the 420S is probably the best wet weather tire I've ever driven on. Not only that, but they grip. On the 420S tires, I was able to rip off a 12.6s 1/4mi and they have a 400UTQG treadwear rating.
So in addition to the awesome new rubber, Supermod sent me a new efan setup. My old setup from him was dying in a bad way and when I told James I needed the fan ASAP, he cleared his schedule to get it done and shipped out at no charge. I couldn't be happier with James' service and expertise. He's been an invaluable resource for electrical questions and is just an all around good guy who will always get my business. In swapping the fans, I was able to note some changes he'd made to the design. The first thing is that the 2 speed function is not automatic depending on the input signal from the coolant temp sensor, which in now worked into the lower radiator hose. Overall I feel it's a nicer and cleaner design, and by all indications thus far, should perform at or above the level of the previous design.
The big project was swapping the rear end with one fitted with a Tru Trac differential. I'd bought this off another member here on the nation sometime last year and was able to caravan it to my place with the help of several members (who I still owe beer.) It was supposed to be a simple swap, but things got complicated when dad "suggested" that we have the leaf springs modified to get another 2" of drop and also soften the ride a bit. So out it all came, and off it went to Sac Spring Works in West Sacramento. This is an old school shop that can fabricate anything I need and they also do blacksmithing. Go figure. Also, my family had done business with them for many, many years before I was even swimming in my dad's pants. Their service and work cannot be beaten and I'm proud to doing business with them again.
So now I have a custom spring pack and 2" drop blocks, giving us around a 4" drop in the rear. This presents a problem because 2 weeks ago, Naake suspension, the nation's favorite source for QA1 parts, partnered with me to get some adjustable rear shocks. Well, now the measurements won't work, so I'm headed to Naake tomorrow to get a different set of shocks and finish everything out. As any of you who have dealt with Naake before will surely testify, they are pretty much the nicest people on the planet and are also VERY knowledgeable about not only our trucks, but proper suspension setups. Also, they will beat Summit's pricing on shocks and springs, so if you've been waiting, trying to decide on whether or not to get QA1's or have been shopping around but can't pull the trigger, give Naake a call and let them know I sent you.
Sorry for a lack of pics. I'm currently laying in bed, hungover as fuck, but I promise I'll be posting new pics soon as it's all buttoned up.
I had been worrying about tires for this event and reached out to Nitto Tire as I had worked with them before. I was put in contact with Chase and he was all too happy to help support me with a set of NT05 tires measuring 295/35/18 and 295/45/18 for the event.
I have run the NT05 in the past and it is a really good enthusiast's tire. With a 200UTQG treadwear rating and tread design to ensure the maximum contact patch where the rubber meets the road it will give me a much better advantage than I would have had otherwise. Full disclosure: I've been running Nitto tires for years and have experience with the NT555, NT420S, and NT450. All of them are well built and designed. The NT555 is my favorite all-around tire, while the 420S is probably the best wet weather tire I've ever driven on. Not only that, but they grip. On the 420S tires, I was able to rip off a 12.6s 1/4mi and they have a 400UTQG treadwear rating.
So in addition to the awesome new rubber, Supermod sent me a new efan setup. My old setup from him was dying in a bad way and when I told James I needed the fan ASAP, he cleared his schedule to get it done and shipped out at no charge. I couldn't be happier with James' service and expertise. He's been an invaluable resource for electrical questions and is just an all around good guy who will always get my business. In swapping the fans, I was able to note some changes he'd made to the design. The first thing is that the 2 speed function is not automatic depending on the input signal from the coolant temp sensor, which in now worked into the lower radiator hose. Overall I feel it's a nicer and cleaner design, and by all indications thus far, should perform at or above the level of the previous design.
The big project was swapping the rear end with one fitted with a Tru Trac differential. I'd bought this off another member here on the nation sometime last year and was able to caravan it to my place with the help of several members (who I still owe beer.) It was supposed to be a simple swap, but things got complicated when dad "suggested" that we have the leaf springs modified to get another 2" of drop and also soften the ride a bit. So out it all came, and off it went to Sac Spring Works in West Sacramento. This is an old school shop that can fabricate anything I need and they also do blacksmithing. Go figure. Also, my family had done business with them for many, many years before I was even swimming in my dad's pants. Their service and work cannot be beaten and I'm proud to doing business with them again.
So now I have a custom spring pack and 2" drop blocks, giving us around a 4" drop in the rear. This presents a problem because 2 weeks ago, Naake suspension, the nation's favorite source for QA1 parts, partnered with me to get some adjustable rear shocks. Well, now the measurements won't work, so I'm headed to Naake tomorrow to get a different set of shocks and finish everything out. As any of you who have dealt with Naake before will surely testify, they are pretty much the nicest people on the planet and are also VERY knowledgeable about not only our trucks, but proper suspension setups. Also, they will beat Summit's pricing on shocks and springs, so if you've been waiting, trying to decide on whether or not to get QA1's or have been shopping around but can't pull the trigger, give Naake a call and let them know I sent you.
Sorry for a lack of pics. I'm currently laying in bed, hungover as fuck, but I promise I'll be posting new pics soon as it's all buttoned up.
So today I did the last little bit of work on the truck that needed doing and we're ready for Throwdown.
I've made a lot of changes over the last few weeks, but one stands out more than the others as having changed the behavior of the truck. Tru Trac. I haven't had much time to play with it and get used to it, but it is night and day when compared to the G80. The G80, for all intents and purposes is a low-speed locking differential that otherwise acts as an open diff. Because of how the G80 is designed, it inherently has a sort of lag, or laziness to it's behavior and is best used for it's intended purpose of low speed traction management. Not so with the Tru Trac. This differential could not give a damn what speed you are at, and engages so much faster than a G80 that it's hard to describe. When you roll into the gas in order to make the truck rotate with the G80, it's more in hope than anticipation that it will lock up and help you do what you think it's designed to do. The Tru Trac will make it so easy to rotate the truck under power that you have to pay much more attention to your throttle and steering inputs or you will be facing the guy who WAS tailgating you in some sort of awkward starring contest.
It will certainly take some getting used to, but I'm already impressed by it's superiority to the G80 and can't wait to play with it more.
Wednesday night is track night and I'll be there roasting tires.
I've made a lot of changes over the last few weeks, but one stands out more than the others as having changed the behavior of the truck. Tru Trac. I haven't had much time to play with it and get used to it, but it is night and day when compared to the G80. The G80, for all intents and purposes is a low-speed locking differential that otherwise acts as an open diff. Because of how the G80 is designed, it inherently has a sort of lag, or laziness to it's behavior and is best used for it's intended purpose of low speed traction management. Not so with the Tru Trac. This differential could not give a damn what speed you are at, and engages so much faster than a G80 that it's hard to describe. When you roll into the gas in order to make the truck rotate with the G80, it's more in hope than anticipation that it will lock up and help you do what you think it's designed to do. The Tru Trac will make it so easy to rotate the truck under power that you have to pay much more attention to your throttle and steering inputs or you will be facing the guy who WAS tailgating you in some sort of awkward starring contest.
It will certainly take some getting used to, but I'm already impressed by it's superiority to the G80 and can't wait to play with it more.
Wednesday night is track night and I'll be there roasting tires.
Yea, I haven't updated this for a while. I should fix that.
Yes, the truck felt much better with the wing on the rear. It would create MUCH more downforce if I had kept it the same height all the way through. It was raining on the way down to LA and you could see how the wind was flowing over the wing, and right where I cut out the center section, was where the air would gather.
Yes, the truck felt much better with the wing on the rear. It would create MUCH more downforce if I had kept it the same height all the way through. It was raining on the way down to LA and you could see how the wind was flowing over the wing, and right where I cut out the center section, was where the air would gather.
I've been thinking about my front end setup lately. The truck pushes like a mofo out of a corner, which if you do it right, can be advantageous, but I need to dial it back and get more front end grip. I just need to figure out how to go about it...
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