Daily car build
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Feb 2019
Posts: 157
Likes: 1
Daily car build Hey all
Sold my last turbo car and the time has come to build something else again.(last car was 3400lbs @ 550rwhp)
cant decide whether to build an older lighter car specifically for street/race
or just do up my weekend car that also is used for some family driving etc.
The weekend car is an Australian VE commmodore has an l76 which we just freshed up and put in a cam 228/236 approx
6l80 trans, and stock diff 2.92.
car weighs 4500lbs and has dynod at 360rwhp as of now .(SLOW AS ****)
first thing is this car just too heavy to make quick ? obviously can be done ,, but lot harder on drivetrain parts etc.
and i would ideally like to keep revs somewhat decent at 60mph , obv hard with a th400 if i used that
but i was thinking something along the lines of
th400
3.23 rear gear
single turbo s475
on pump fuel should get 550rwhp
i know a lot of you guys have turbo pickups (which im assuming weigh a bit and was looking for some input)
Sold my last turbo car and the time has come to build something else again.(last car was 3400lbs @ 550rwhp)
cant decide whether to build an older lighter car specifically for street/race
or just do up my weekend car that also is used for some family driving etc.
The weekend car is an Australian VE commmodore has an l76 which we just freshed up and put in a cam 228/236 approx
6l80 trans, and stock diff 2.92.
car weighs 4500lbs and has dynod at 360rwhp as of now .(SLOW AS ****)
first thing is this car just too heavy to make quick ? obviously can be done ,, but lot harder on drivetrain parts etc.
and i would ideally like to keep revs somewhat decent at 60mph , obv hard with a th400 if i used that
but i was thinking something along the lines of
th400
3.23 rear gear
single turbo s475
on pump fuel should get 550rwhp
i know a lot of you guys have turbo pickups (which im assuming weigh a bit and was looking for some input)
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 734
Likes: 209
Here's what I've got , 68 gmc 1/2 ton 4385 lbs at the track another 100 lbs on street - spare tire , tools etc..
04 gen 3 lq4 cam / springs only cam motion 214/214 113+3 .570 / .550 IIRC
VSR cast gen1 7875 , 44mm gate , 3" intercooler and piping
Home made 2 1/2" hot side ( it's what I had and before I read about using smaller) forward & down.
Decapped and flow matched truck injectors and truck manifold
p59 ecu / hp tuners
basic w/m kit 10 gpm 50/50 mix
4l80e with hd2 kit & ptc 258mm converter
3.73s w/ 30" tires street & track
Best so far is 11.07 @122.××
Using the wallace racing calcs for 1/8 mile ( I think the trucks terrible aerodynamics hurt the trap mph quite a bit and the calculations are lower using 1/4 mile stats ) that's around 600whp
Idles ~ 16.5 in/hg vac in gear @700 rpm and can cruise up a hill @1500 locked up in od
pump 91 , you could cruise around all day and wouldn't know it wasn't stock if stayed below 50% throttle - except for better response & firmer shifts
Over 15,000 miles , still carefully playing with the tune . I'm sure there's a 10 in it on a perfect run .
this was a low budget and entry level build IMO and still puts a grin on my face Hope this helps
04 gen 3 lq4 cam / springs only cam motion 214/214 113+3 .570 / .550 IIRC
VSR cast gen1 7875 , 44mm gate , 3" intercooler and piping
Home made 2 1/2" hot side ( it's what I had and before I read about using smaller) forward & down.
Decapped and flow matched truck injectors and truck manifold
p59 ecu / hp tuners
basic w/m kit 10 gpm 50/50 mix
4l80e with hd2 kit & ptc 258mm converter
3.73s w/ 30" tires street & track
Best so far is 11.07 @122.××
Using the wallace racing calcs for 1/8 mile ( I think the trucks terrible aerodynamics hurt the trap mph quite a bit and the calculations are lower using 1/4 mile stats ) that's around 600whp
Idles ~ 16.5 in/hg vac in gear @700 rpm and can cruise up a hill @1500 locked up in od
pump 91 , you could cruise around all day and wouldn't know it wasn't stock if stayed below 50% throttle - except for better response & firmer shifts
Over 15,000 miles , still carefully playing with the tune . I'm sure there's a 10 in it on a perfect run .
this was a low budget and entry level build IMO and still puts a grin on my face Hope this helps
Older RX-7 2800lbs with a basic heads/cam/headers LS1/2/3 will make 420-500rwhp.... handles like a maniac and still run high 10's with a manual transmission. You need to decide family cruiser.... or something VERY light that really gets your heart pumping.
Put this into an RX-7 and it would run 8's. th400, 3.23 rear gear, single turbo s475
Put this into an RX-7 and it would run 8's. th400, 3.23 rear gear, single turbo s475
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Feb 2019
Posts: 157
Likes: 1
Problem is I don't know how far I'll go with the build, money being the problem lol. So I was thinking to do in stages.
Was going to add a truetrac with 4.1 rear which will definitely help for now and be tolerable with the 2 over drives.
And then add a 4l80e built for power later on, which still has the 0.75 overdrive which is still fine for me.
Only thing is the 4.1 will probably be too much with boost???? Although the car is heavy so maybe not
Was going to add a truetrac with 4.1 rear which will definitely help for now and be tolerable with the 2 over drives.
And then add a 4l80e built for power later on, which still has the 0.75 overdrive which is still fine for me.
Only thing is the 4.1 will probably be too much with boost???? Although the car is heavy so maybe not
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 734
Likes: 209
Not sure how big of a tire you're running but if you only want to switch gears once something closer to the 3.5 range would be better IMO. That's roughly a 20% gain in RW torque- should be a noticeable increase for the current combo and would be better for turbo later. I'm guessing you are limited to a tire about 26-28" . Also not sure what that rear diff /axles are capable of, more gear = more torque through the axles and hubs of course street tire will be a relief valve
