SLOW SEDAN

iTrader: (13)

You just said not expensive and $54 a foot in the same sentence Ticon does make nice stuff, but they want more for a pair of mufflers than a billet turbo costs.

I've seen aluminum downpipes eventually sag when used directly off a turbo, but they didn't crack. If someone has cracking issues that far back in the exhaust they screwed it up pretty bad.

Ls1Rx-7

iTrader: (4)

Lol if aluminum works so well why did Vibrant discontinue their aluminum muffler series? They crack and cant handle the heat so it wasnt profitable with all the warranty claims and eventual lawsuits.

Cheap is all relative, quality 304 stainless is $35/ft which isnt that far off the price of titanium. We arent building old caddys that are 16ft long either so im gonna spend 3-400 more for titanium. If 3-400 is too expensive then your in the wrong hobby.

jayyyw

I already have half the titanium I need to do the exhaust how I want it. I need a few bends, another straight section, and mufflers.

SLOW SEDAN

iTrader: (13)

Wouldn't be the first or last time Vibrant screwed something up, using thin gauge aluminum they sell is your first mistake. Plenty of motorcycles, imports, race cars, etc have been using aluminum exhaust for decades, 11 gauge is what you should be using closest to the heat source then you can taper to 14 gauge the further you go downstream.

You are getting raped on the 304 prices! 304 is considered budget stainless no matter how much you spend on it, for that money you can easily get 321 stainless.


Nice, well there ya go!

MuhThugga

$3-400 additional for the materials, plus whatever the labor is to weld it all together if you don't have the ability to do so. But sure, if $3-400 is too much for someone to spend on upgrading to titanium, then it doesn't mean they are in the wrong hobby; it means they simply make do with a regular ol' exhaust. There comes a point of diminishing returns in this hobby where the dollars spent no longer justify the gains made. For many people, a titanium exhaust is on the wrong side of that bell curve.

SLOW SEDAN

iTrader: (13)

Absolutely! This hobby has nothing to do with price, I've seen guys spend $5k and $40K for the same power. Mods are a personal decision, its up to each person whether or not they justify your individual bang for buck, or for others bling for buck calculation.

jayyyw

No doubt you don't have to spend a ton of money on parts to hit most goals. I like to because I sell parts when I want to change things up and I get more money back from quality parts than I would with budget parts. It helps in the long run. I paid for my turbo setup by selling off all my old parts on the last car. Selling the parts off this car paid for 3/4 of this build. Selling a few more parts to pay for a good chunk of this next stage. Etc.. Etc... All depends on your end goal and budget.

And yes... turbo > *
I'll never turbo another corvette. I'll get something else for that eventually.

Double06

iTrader: (1)

If you want to lose some weight you could also try a lithium ion battery. You want one with some staying power so the Antigravity 40ah one is like 15 pounds our stock Z06 battery is 32 pounds so 17 pounds there. I do not know much about the lithium battery maybe somebody here has and they are too difficult to work with (I know they are expensive this one is $800) etc.

grubinski

How come nobody ever suggests cutting back on the beer?

G Atsma

^^^^ THIS! ^^^ Monetary savings would build another engine!

spanks13

iTrader: (5)

Shorai lithium is my pick for $275 in my shitbox.

I cut calories by taking shots vs beers.

jayyyw

I have a 5lb anti gravity battery. the HD 900cca one. I'm thinking of mounting it up front on the frame rail to shorten the length of battery cable and also save some weight there. Z06s have the batteries mounted in the rear.

jayyyw

What a boring life, cutting back on food/drinks. Although, I rarely drink but I love food.

jayyyw

I used to run this one. A friend of mine had one and it popped on him. Saw another 2-3 people that happened to, so I decided to stay away from it. The anti gravity I got was only $100 more.

jayyyw

Bought some Diamond pistons. Lighter and will net a slightly lower compression than the Wisecos I have. Going to sell the Wiseco pistons. Compression should now be 13.9 with a .051" gasket or 14.3 with a .041" gasket. Should also be easier/cheaper to balance the whole assembly.

Other than that. No big updates.

jayyyw

Shortblock has been torn down. Crank is getting balanced. Diamond pistons averaged 50-60grams lighter than the Wisecos. Rods are in great shape. A lot of the bearings had some extreme wear. Bunch of particles in the bottom of the pan. Most likely pretty lucky that the piston broke or I'd have a huge mess to clean up when the bearings, eventually, took a dump. Block should be getting honed this week. Hopefully done next week or the following. Still waiting on my heads.

Taking this time to do some weight reduction and clean up the engine bay. Relocated the fuse box inside the car. Excited to have it back up and running.

spanks13

iTrader: (5)

Think it could’ve been detonating and that’s why it wiped out the bearings and ring land?

Is there evidence of the main caps walking?

You may want to do a main cap girdle they’re not too much money and it adds a lot of rigidity to the bottom end.

jayyyw

Most likely. The previous tune was pretty bad as well. I ran a log before I tore it down and was getting an insane amount of knock. It was commanding like 40 degrees at over 60% throttle. I'm sure that didn't help.

SLOW SEDAN

iTrader: (13)

40!! Most LS7 stuff wants half that, who did that tune?

spanks13

iTrader: (5)

Not to mention 60% throttle with a big throttle body was 90%+ airflow for my 402 lol. Big yikes.