Gas Guzzling Project. 572 Big Block?
- Thread starter T-Bagg
- Start date
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My 95 Tahoe has been a evolving project. It is never quite done. The first change from stock was bolting on a Vortech Super Charger kit. That was really sweet. That jump in performance was the bait that got me hooked.
I tried nitrous along with the SC and managed to break a few parts. I decided at that point that accelerating like a bomb fragment was kind of fun, but blown, nitrous was the wrong way to do it.
After researching other options, the Banks Turbo’s, seemed to be the most reliable way to make the big power. The Twin Turbo kit, I bought from them will produce 1050 hp on a small block. I don’t have the wick turned up all the way yet. I wanted to make sure the drive train would take it before I take the boost up.
My last trip to the dyno showed that I need another fuel pump and bigger injectors to move up to the 1,000 hp level. That is going to cost me another thousand bucks or so. I may just switch to E85 while I’m at it. It would not take that much more.
As far as how much I have spent on mods, that is hard to say. It would have been a lot less if I had done the Twins first. I have probably spent $60,000 over the past six years. Probably $20,000 of that was for things tried and removed or broken.
I’m not into body work and things like that, I just like messing with all of the new electronics and gadgets that are available now. I had to have my alternator beefed up to put out 150 amps to keep up with all the added electrical goodies.
To me it is a better investment than buying a new truck. It will last me forever and it is exactly what I want or will be, whenever I get done. lol
My kids are grown up and on their own with their own families. My wife and I have always been hot rodders. She learned how to drive in my 1966 425hp 427 corvette. So I’m doing what I would have done when I was twenty if I had the money then. Her car is a 94 Camaro that would be a 10 second car if I could get better traction. For now it’s best time is 11.03 @ 130 mph. So it’s a family deal, this pissing away money on general motors products.
I know that is more than you wanted to know, but the one thing I have learned is that a lot of money could be saved by starting with a plan. Even if it takes years to get to the finished product. I wasted a lot of money because I just started experimenting with various speed parts without thinking about the whole package.
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2248384 :crazy:
.
I tried nitrous along with the SC and managed to break a few parts. I decided at that point that accelerating like a bomb fragment was kind of fun, but blown, nitrous was the wrong way to do it.
After researching other options, the Banks Turbo’s, seemed to be the most reliable way to make the big power. The Twin Turbo kit, I bought from them will produce 1050 hp on a small block. I don’t have the wick turned up all the way yet. I wanted to make sure the drive train would take it before I take the boost up.
My last trip to the dyno showed that I need another fuel pump and bigger injectors to move up to the 1,000 hp level. That is going to cost me another thousand bucks or so. I may just switch to E85 while I’m at it. It would not take that much more.
As far as how much I have spent on mods, that is hard to say. It would have been a lot less if I had done the Twins first. I have probably spent $60,000 over the past six years. Probably $20,000 of that was for things tried and removed or broken.
I’m not into body work and things like that, I just like messing with all of the new electronics and gadgets that are available now. I had to have my alternator beefed up to put out 150 amps to keep up with all the added electrical goodies.
To me it is a better investment than buying a new truck. It will last me forever and it is exactly what I want or will be, whenever I get done. lol
My kids are grown up and on their own with their own families. My wife and I have always been hot rodders. She learned how to drive in my 1966 425hp 427 corvette. So I’m doing what I would have done when I was twenty if I had the money then. Her car is a 94 Camaro that would be a 10 second car if I could get better traction. For now it’s best time is 11.03 @ 130 mph. So it’s a family deal, this pissing away money on general motors products.
I know that is more than you wanted to know, but the one thing I have learned is that a lot of money could be saved by starting with a plan. Even if it takes years to get to the finished product. I wasted a lot of money because I just started experimenting with various speed parts without thinking about the whole package.
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2248384 :crazy:
.
Actually I've really appriciated all the input you've given me. Setting up a plan is exactly what I'm trying to do. That's really the reason I found this web site. So I could get input from people that know things; So I don't have to spend to much on trial and error and spend more on performace and muscle and the parts to handle it the first time.
Rivieraracing
Full Access Member
Just saw your pics 95T, that's a sweet ride!! I saw your trailer brake controller
, I can imagine that would be a fun tow rig, I can only imagine how thirsty your motor is when towing a trailer!!! It would be worth it to me!!:thumbsup:
, I can imagine that would be a fun tow rig, I can only imagine how thirsty your motor is when towing a trailer!!! It would be worth it to me!!:thumbsup:sasquatch094
Full Access Member
wow 95twintt.. your hoe is nuts.. thats one of the sickest things ive ever seen done to a hoe.. how hard was it to make those twin turbos work?? did u have to do any special wiring or anything?? do you remember where u got those at?? thanks
Animalbmx,
As soon as the weather gets a little warmer, I’ll be cruising University Avenue almost every Saturday night. I could meet up with you there and save you the trip.
T-Bagg
In retrospect, I think the item that should be the base of it all would be the shortblock. If you are going to ultimately get up to heavy horsepower, it would be nice to get the foundation done early. That is not so much money as it is a pain in the butt. I built up a LT1 to put in this Hoe and when I went to install it, I decided it would be too much effort to redo all of the fixtures on the front of the engine, i.e. alternator, power steering, air conditioning. At that point, I yanked out the Hoe’s engine and took it to the machine shop and turned it into a 4 bolt 383 with forged rotating assembly, manley rods and 8.5 : 1 pistons. As it turned out, I went to the Vintage Air front runner later on anyway and that changed all of the fixtures to a different layout than stock.
If you start with heads and a cam like so many of us did, you will most likely end up doing the engine block when it blows rather than on your schedule. Actually the two bolt mains will take a lot of power as long as you don’t spin it past about 6500. I really didn’t need the 4 bolt mains, I just got caught up in the “might as well†syndrome. Oh, I also switched to a roller cam, which the stock 95 did not have. I also went with roller rockers and beehive springs on the valves.
Rivieraracing
I could not find an inertial brake controller that worked the way the way I like, so I hooked up a hydraulic controller and added a weight selector for how heavy the trailer is. The featherlite trailer is two different animals between having a car on it’s back and being empty. The selector knob allows me to be able to set the brakes so they will not lock up when empty, like they did with all the inertial controllers I tried.
The real beauty of Turbo’s is that they do not spool up and blow unless they see enough heat in the exhaust. When cruising down the highway pulling the car on the trailer the turbo’s don’t do anything unless you put your foot in it to pass. It typically runs about 12 inches of vacuum in the manifold and no boost while cruising. In the old days with the supercharger, it would have a couple pounds of boost waiting outside the throttle plates. lol So I don’t see much difference in fuel economy between pulling a trailer or not.
Sasquatch094
The twin turbo’s are easy to do if you have an aftermarket engine computer. I use the Tec3 from electromotive. I also use a separate computer for the transmission. That is the TCU from TCI. It requires rewiring the entire engine compartment. That is not that big a deal, because the wiring harness comes with the two new computers. You just have to some solder some wires together. The Turbo’s were bought direct from the factory, Banks. It’s the Gayle Banks website. Most of the parts I found and bought over the internet. The engine computer was bought direct from their factory, Electromotive. My memory is a little fuzzy on where some of the small detail parts came from. I do remember some of the companies like Belltech, Bosch, RC, Innovate, Perma Cool, Siemens, Holley, Airflow Research, MSD, and Stewart Warner.
Thanks to all for the kind words………….
As soon as the weather gets a little warmer, I’ll be cruising University Avenue almost every Saturday night. I could meet up with you there and save you the trip.
T-Bagg
In retrospect, I think the item that should be the base of it all would be the shortblock. If you are going to ultimately get up to heavy horsepower, it would be nice to get the foundation done early. That is not so much money as it is a pain in the butt. I built up a LT1 to put in this Hoe and when I went to install it, I decided it would be too much effort to redo all of the fixtures on the front of the engine, i.e. alternator, power steering, air conditioning. At that point, I yanked out the Hoe’s engine and took it to the machine shop and turned it into a 4 bolt 383 with forged rotating assembly, manley rods and 8.5 : 1 pistons. As it turned out, I went to the Vintage Air front runner later on anyway and that changed all of the fixtures to a different layout than stock.
If you start with heads and a cam like so many of us did, you will most likely end up doing the engine block when it blows rather than on your schedule. Actually the two bolt mains will take a lot of power as long as you don’t spin it past about 6500. I really didn’t need the 4 bolt mains, I just got caught up in the “might as well†syndrome. Oh, I also switched to a roller cam, which the stock 95 did not have. I also went with roller rockers and beehive springs on the valves.
Rivieraracing
I could not find an inertial brake controller that worked the way the way I like, so I hooked up a hydraulic controller and added a weight selector for how heavy the trailer is. The featherlite trailer is two different animals between having a car on it’s back and being empty. The selector knob allows me to be able to set the brakes so they will not lock up when empty, like they did with all the inertial controllers I tried.
The real beauty of Turbo’s is that they do not spool up and blow unless they see enough heat in the exhaust. When cruising down the highway pulling the car on the trailer the turbo’s don’t do anything unless you put your foot in it to pass. It typically runs about 12 inches of vacuum in the manifold and no boost while cruising. In the old days with the supercharger, it would have a couple pounds of boost waiting outside the throttle plates. lol So I don’t see much difference in fuel economy between pulling a trailer or not.
Sasquatch094
The twin turbo’s are easy to do if you have an aftermarket engine computer. I use the Tec3 from electromotive. I also use a separate computer for the transmission. That is the TCU from TCI. It requires rewiring the entire engine compartment. That is not that big a deal, because the wiring harness comes with the two new computers. You just have to some solder some wires together. The Turbo’s were bought direct from the factory, Banks. It’s the Gayle Banks website. Most of the parts I found and bought over the internet. The engine computer was bought direct from their factory, Electromotive. My memory is a little fuzzy on where some of the small detail parts came from. I do remember some of the companies like Belltech, Bosch, RC, Innovate, Perma Cool, Siemens, Holley, Airflow Research, MSD, and Stewart Warner.
Thanks to all for the kind words………….
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