The Chupacabra. Quad Turbo Vette Kart.
05-29-2017, 12:36 AM
#42
Restricted User
Thread Starter
Put the trans back in. Still doesn't work. Car won't move unless I rev the hell out of it. I'm pretty close to switching trans builders to myself.
05-31-2017, 10:27 PM
#43
Restricted User
Thread Starter
I also picked up a 100% bone stock TH400 to run behind the 100% stock 4.8 for the time being. It is driving now.....
06-01-2017, 09:40 AM
#47
TECH Regular
With everything I've seen you post it should be no problem for you. I had my 4L80 done by someone else and I had to pull it back out and rebuild it myself.
06-01-2017, 10:54 AM
#49
Restricted User
Thread Starter
Both times, it sucked the converter bone dry but didn't pick up anything from the pan.
The stock TH400 will work for now. I'm going to use a spare manual boost controller for the vacuum modulator and I should be destroying tires today.
06-01-2017, 12:25 PM
#51
TECH Regular
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 433
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
06-01-2017, 01:06 PM
#53
TECH Regular
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 433
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
From what I see, the only things that would make it a no-go in California are emissions related. Seems to have all the other minimums covered.
06-01-2017, 09:13 PM
#55
Restricted User
Thread Starter
This town is flooded with old rat rods. Tons of car shows all over town all of the time. There are 2 cars & coffee shows within 5 minutes of my house every saturday. SCCA does autocross right down the road from me. The local park has major car shows all summer and is the local spot for a rat rod meet every couple of weeks.
From what I can tell, I need bumpers, headlights, tail lights, turn signals, backup lights, seat belts, windshield, wipers, rear-view mirror, tread on the tires, and thats about it for Ohio. My Nova doesn't even have working turn signals, backup lights, or windshield wipers right now, so technically the corvette is more road legal.
No doors and top is common on Jeeps. Open wheels and no hood is pretty much the local rat rod scene. I should be fine.
Highway Patrol might try to pull me over at some point, but local I'll be fine.
06-01-2017, 09:17 PM
#56
Restricted User
Thread Starter
So careful in-fact, that the length of the downpipe before the merge with the other turbo is inversely proportional to the length of the primaries going to that turbo. For example, the long downpipe on the front driver's side turbo. Its 4 times longer than the downpipe on the turbo that it merges with. The header primaries going to that turbo are also 4x shorter.
The cylinder that fires first out of the 2 on each turbo has a primary that is 50% longer than the 2nd one.
The exhaust note is very strange, especially since I unevenly paired the cylinders. So I used 1 and 3 on a turbo, and 5 and 7 on another. Most people will say you need to merge 1 and 5, and 3 and 7.
So I ended up with a very unique exhaust note and a bone stock 4.8 that free revs faster than the 12:1 solid roller 4.8 I tuned a few weeks ago.
06-02-2017, 10:13 AM
#57
Restricted User
Thread Starter
After a few miles, I've noticed a few things.
The car handles extremely well. Almost alarmingly. Even with very old very very dry-rotted tires, I can carve corners like nobody's business. The downside? The ride is extremely harsh. The front isn't so bad, since I've added most of the weight back on. The rear? Might as well be solid. I have to rethink my battery hold-down.
The rear brakes don't work. Broken brake line. Even with 20+ year old front brakes, it stops fine. The benefits of not weighing anything I guess.
I have a leak at the drain fitting in the pan on the driver's side. I welded the aluminum from the inside but apparently there is a small hole. Would probably take a week to lose a quart. I don't want to remove the pan, and I don't want to risk fire by draining the pan and hitting it with a weld on the outside, so I will likely JB weld the fitting on the outside.
Using a manual boost controller for the TH400 seems to be working OK, but I haven't made much boost yet because it just does donuts when I tap the throttle.
The car handles extremely well. Almost alarmingly. Even with very old very very dry-rotted tires, I can carve corners like nobody's business. The downside? The ride is extremely harsh. The front isn't so bad, since I've added most of the weight back on. The rear? Might as well be solid. I have to rethink my battery hold-down.
The rear brakes don't work. Broken brake line. Even with 20+ year old front brakes, it stops fine. The benefits of not weighing anything I guess.
I have a leak at the drain fitting in the pan on the driver's side. I welded the aluminum from the inside but apparently there is a small hole. Would probably take a week to lose a quart. I don't want to remove the pan, and I don't want to risk fire by draining the pan and hitting it with a weld on the outside, so I will likely JB weld the fitting on the outside.
Using a manual boost controller for the TH400 seems to be working OK, but I haven't made much boost yet because it just does donuts when I tap the throttle.
06-02-2017, 10:28 AM
#58
Sweet, best of luck with it. Get some tires on that sucker!
If you drain the oil and spray some brake clean around the leak with a shop vac on the fill tube it cleans up in the crack/hole really well. I think that “RIGHT STUFF” gasket maker stuff works even better than JB weld in that application. But I’ve used JB weld without issue too. The vac sucks it up into the crack somewhat and works really well.
U might have even been the one to tell me to do this long ago... i'm getting old, I don't remember.
If you drain the oil and spray some brake clean around the leak with a shop vac on the fill tube it cleans up in the crack/hole really well. I think that “RIGHT STUFF” gasket maker stuff works even better than JB weld in that application. But I’ve used JB weld without issue too. The vac sucks it up into the crack somewhat and works really well.
U might have even been the one to tell me to do this long ago... i'm getting old, I don't remember.
06-02-2017, 10:35 AM
#59
TECH Regular
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 433
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'll bet, just getting to drive it was a good feeling. Congrats.
I forget how the rear suspension is set up on those. What's the spring situation back there? Got any thoughts on softening it up a bit?
I forget how the rear suspension is set up on those. What's the spring situation back there? Got any thoughts on softening it up a bit?
06-02-2017, 10:41 AM
#60
Restricted User
Thread Starter
Transverse leafs for springs in front and back. Bilstein shocks on all 4 corners.
Unfortunately most of the aftermarket springs are actually more stiff, not softer.
Coilover conversion is a possibility, but I've been tinkering with the idea of throwing a complete Gen 5 Camaro IRS rear back there and don't want to start spending money just yet.
Unfortunately most of the aftermarket springs are actually more stiff, not softer.
Coilover conversion is a possibility, but I've been tinkering with the idea of throwing a complete Gen 5 Camaro IRS rear back there and don't want to start spending money just yet.
