random ?'s - installing supercharger

[rentedmule]

So the rebuild is finally done on my powerdyne headunit - apparently one of the bearings just fell apart when they took the impeller out, i'm glad i didn't take the seller's word that it didn't need a rebuild!

anyway, i've got a bunch of small questions before i get it installed.

what's the best kind of coupler to use for the charge piping? The kit came with thick blue couplers that look like reinforced hose of some kind. Since replacing them would be relatively cheap I want to make sure I have something that's going to seal well.

I also picked a boost guage and ordered a pillar pod. The pod is black and my interior is "pewter" - will it look like ass if I leave it black or should i try a plastic dye/paint to match them? Alternatively I could pick up a set of charcoal pillar pieces from the wrecker?

I was thinking that when I get the tune done I'd have them ditch the torque management on the tranny - is this a bad idea for a daily driver (i'll be driving in snow ~4 months of the year)?

that's it for now! sorry for the long post, I was bored and needed to waste some time while I was waiting for the shop to schedule the install/tune!

[Mikz86TA]

If youre talking about the flex sections when you say couplers, those are usually silicone elbows/couplers with reinforcement. Those are the best to use. Turbonetics makes an array of replacement ones of diff lengths,size and bends. The worm clamps are OK but tend to strip if overtigntening. They do make some nice clamps that have a solid band and a nut/threaded screw to tighten. Is the pod the whole a-pillar or just the add-on to your existing one part? You can use surface prep for plastic, an adhesion promoter then the correct color vinil paint/dye. If the pillar is black, you might want to do a light cote of gray primer in between the adhesion promoter and color/dye. The black under the pewter might make it look a shade darker when dry. Dont know much about the TQ management....but youll need a tuner program to eliviate it from what I hear. Im sure youre anxious to get it going. Keep us in the loop on it bud =)

[Mikz86TA]

T-bolt clamps as DOJ said...thats what I was thinking of. =)

[rentedmule]

thanks guys. I've already tried to track down the t-bolt clamps locally without luck but the shop may actually have some since they deal with huge boost levels. any suggestions on how much I should turn down the torque management? I guess it'll be personal preference eh? as for the pillar pod it was cheap so I figure I'd give it a shot and if i didn't like it I'd mount it somewhere else. that steering column mount looks pretty cool!

[04silveradomykk]

any suggestions on how much I should turn down the torque management?

I'd suggest 100% TM removal... your 4l60E is the same one they put in the fullsized with the 6.0L @345 hp
380 tq. Hopefully your planning on beefing up that trans too, vette servo and other mods?

[firefighter]

Start saving for a rear you got a G80 in a 7 5/8..... Good for the blowing up.

[rentedmule]

transgo shift kit and vette servos are 1st on the list after the blower goes in but i'm not sure if i'll get that done this summer at the rate things are going. Maybe I'll talk to the guy tuning the truck and see what he thinks about the torque management - if it's easy for them to adjust I can try eliminating it totally and if it pisses me off I can put some back in.

The G80 is supposed to be ok for ~300rwhp isn't it? ditching the torque management won't help that though... It's not ideal but I drive pretty easy most of the time so I'm hoping it'll last for a while. I have put alot of thought into the whole setup and if it does go I'll address it then.

[firefighter]

Not sure about a number but the G80 was the kiss of death for my '91 when it blew up there were pieces the size of my fist that came out that how I got the Blazer X.

[Mikz86TA]

Could it be GM beefed up the G80 since '91? Also, not sure about mules...but i have the 8.5" diff and G80 which is a stronger diff than the 7.5/7.625 diff. So the G80 has a larger housing in the 8.5 which could also make it beefier. Anyway..I wouldnt sweat it too much. A decent NOS or used Torsen is widely availible from F-Bodies and have seen way more punishment from slicks and strips as well as plenty more HP and TQ than a 4.3 is capable of giving. They are an easy find and swap. You could do a different gear at the same time if wanted at that time.

[rentedmule]

Yeah, the torsen seems to be a pretty popular upgrade from what i've read on the forums. it'd be a good excuse to swap to a disc brake rear end too but i'll cross that bridge when i get to it!

[Mikz86TA]

I Agree! Get as much torture time out of the diff as possible. Ive been running the TAs 7.625 on seemingly borrowed time for a few years now.

[rentedmule]

Good luck with the fit of the pillar pod. Especially if it's the Autometer one. It doesn't fit the '03's very well. But the one they make for Silverado's steering column works pretty well. Found here at Summit (http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=ATM%2D15007&N=700+400442+4294822088+4294908216+115&autoview=sku)

wow Dogsofjune, you weren't kidding about the pillar pod not fitting the '03 very well! I got it last week and it's really not even close. do you have the steering column one in the link above on your truck? If it fits well i'll order that one, my steering column is black so it should look okay. I also though about getting a universal mount and putting it down on the dash by my right knee - seems like it'd be pretty visable through the wheel there but it may look kind of hack

[Jongo88]

You can find the t-bolt clamps at any good marine shop.

[Mikz86TA]

Mule.....can you do any foberglass fabing? I had an idea for a custom 2 1/16 gague mount if you dont use your ash tray. I needed a 3rd gague on my TA and only had a 2 gague a-pillar pod. So after I put in the 2002 4th gen console swap, I made a custom fiberglass pod for a 2 1/16 gague in front of the shifter where the cubby and cig lighter used to be.

[rentedmule]

i just came back from the shop and they actually had the steering column mount for the silverado in stock. I test-fitted it and it looks like i'll just need to trim a 1/2" or so off the back of it and it'll fit perfectly. I did think about trying to glass something up using part of the pillar pod as a mold but I think I'll be happy with this. it was dirt cheap so if i don't like it's no big loss.

Jongo - i found the t-bolt clamps a while ago so i'm good to go.

it should be about 3 weeks until it's in and tuned. the sy/ty nationals are in town this fall so maybe i'll take my measly 9psi out to the strip and get destroyed by some 30psi turbo 4.3's :D

[Mikz86TA]

I was looking at mine, and my only concern on the Silvy one is Tilt-Steering. Really squeezes down the area in full upright position......who drives it up there anyway. hehehe http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t43/Mikz86TA/Car/TA-ConsolePod3.jpg http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t43/Mikz86TA/Car/TA-ConsolePod2.jpg A couple pics of mine.....Some ABS plastic, mounting studs and nuts, plastic epoxy, PVC tube end, Evercoat KittyHair, and inginity mixed with time and boredom. Hehehe

[rentedmule]

that looks great, nice job! I may pick up some trim parts from a scrap yard and try some glassing - when done well it looks OEM. i tried tilting the column when i tested it and it looked like it would work okay with some trimming.

[Mikz86TA]

One idea that popped into my mind when you said you were going to put it down low.......I saw a 'base' S10 in the junkyard one day and noticed it had the ash tray delete. The little flip open door under the AC controls. In that space was a blank curved dash panel....barely noticed it not being a door. I thought of doing similar to the way I did the TAs pod. Its a hard angle to work with though. I have a spare 2 1/16 gague and Ill look into it more for sh*ts-n-giggles. But the blank panel might be able to be used as a base for it. Its not hard to do loke the one on my TA. Its kinda like making a tweeter angle pod. Glass or KittyHair would work. Just need to check out the angle. Picture any work you do on the column...it sparks my interest =)

[rentedmule]

thanks for the info Dogs. i'm going to mount mine this weekend, i'll post up some pics when i have it on

[rentedmule]

here are the pics of the mock-up - its an autometer GMC silverado column mount for a boost gauge (autometer phantom) in case you don't want to go back and read all the previous crap.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j108/rentedmule/drivesideg.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j108/rentedmule/passsideg2.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j108/rentedmule/frontg3.jpg

(damn my mats look dirty in that pic, it's just harsh lighting not dirt!).

The mount is just sitting there now and the gauge is just jammed in, I'll straighten it up and attach it when the time comes. I had to trim about 1-1.5" off of the part towards the front of the truck to get it to fit in there. the color looks weird in the flash (as does my steering wheel) but sitting inside the truck it looks much better. I can still see the speedometer too - at least the important parts over to the right-hand side :D. tilt-steering still works fine, no rubbing at all.

[Hammer Head]

That's pretty neat that a silverado column colver fits that well.

[Mikz86TA]

Fits great! I see the plastic is slightly a different color. Can fix that or say f**k it. Does the gague get in the way of the speedo from the drivers point? I ride with my wheel all the way down. It gives me a reason to et a gague! hehehe

[rentedmule]

the color really doesn't look that different in normal lighting but the texture is definately off a bit - i'll probably just run it as-is for now and see if it bugs me over time! no problem seeing the speedo for me. I run the tilt one click from the bottom and can still see everything but the odometer.

[Mikz86TA]

I like it!!

[rentedmule]

I have another random question - spark plugs this time! After searching through threads and at parts stores in town I decided on AC Delco R42LTS plugs - sparky recommended them several times in older threads on this topic and they were cheaper and easier to find then the NGK TR6ix's some people run.

Can I run these plugs on the truck before I get the S/C put on or if they'll cause problems? From my limited understanding of heat ranges running too "cold" of a plug will cause build up/fouling of the plug and less spark energy - is that right? Is this an immediate problem or will i be fine for a few days/weeks (I changed the cap/rotor last night and have MSD wires to go with the plugs). sorry for all the rookie questions - i did order corky bell's supercharging book but haven't gotten it yet!

[Mikz86TA]

Youre right. But a colder plug only 1 heat range down will not cause that much of an issue unless you have short trips and its cold temps. In the summer I wouldnt worry too much. If its 2 or more heat ranges down, I would wait to change them

[rentedmule]

thanks for the info guys!

[rentedmule]

D-Day is here :D . I just dropped the truck off at the dyno shop for the install and tune. I did an oil change, new ignition parts, and colder plugs yesterday so hopefully it goes smoothly.

I should have pics and dyno #'s in a few days if all goes well! just in case anyone was curious (I was) my complete powerdyne kit wieghed in at around 42-43 lbs according to my analytical-grade bathroom scale.

there was actually another indigo blue extended cab dime in the shop that was having a powerdyne s/c'd 4.3 ripped out and a turbocharged 6.0L put in - sick! maybe when he gets tired of his turbo'd 6.0 I can have it...
:3gears:

[Mikz86TA]

How much for his SC?? Cant wait to see the results =)

[D-Caf]

Cool, be sure to post the numbers when you get the final results. I need to my headers installed and get back to the dyno. I still don't know what mine puts out after I got the engine tune fixed.

[rentedmule]

I'll try to find out if he's selling the supercharger. I didn't get a chance to talk much with the shop owner about the other truck but he did say that they got 220 rwhp out of it with a 7 psi pulley and no FMU. He didn't say the final # with the FMU.

[Mikz86TA]

220 at the wheels with just 7lbs is a decent number. The FMU probably isnt as important as a custom tuned PCM at that range. I do have an inquiry....since the given setup of the stock injection system and lack of adjustment/regulator....If you were to boost 15lbs on an otherwise stockish motor, how would you get extra needed fuel in it? Could you add a injector and adjust the PCM??

[rentedmule]

I got the feeling from the tuner that they got alot more out of that other truck but he was in a rush and I wanted to talk about my tune with him so I didn't get the details. considering most lightly modded 4.3's put down about 150-155 rwhp, 220 at 7psi without good fuelling seems ok to me. 65-75 hp is the gain advertised by most of the manufacturers.

i think alot of guys use meth injection or extra injectors and an external injector controller at higher boost. I remember reading something about controlling the injector with the PCM but don't know any of the details. up to a point you can also use a combo of an FMU, big fuel pump, meth injection and a tune but from what I've heard that'll kill the crappy injectors we have pretty quickly. with that said some guys have made serious #'s (at least in my rookie opinion) with just an adjustable FMU and tuning.

obviously the converted 2114 manifold or the setup firefighter is working on is the "right" way to go.

[Slaymanic]

220 at the wheels with just 7lbs is a decent number. The FMU probably isnt as important as a custom tuned PCM at that range. I do have an inquiry....since the given setup of the stock injection system and lack of adjustment/regulator....If you were to boost 15lbs on an otherwise stockish motor, how would you get extra needed fuel in it? Could you add a injector and adjust the PCM??

15lbs on a stockish motor would be rough on it to say the least...lets say you just lowered the compression some to I donno 9.0:1 with a new head gasket you would lean out pretty quick in the higher RPMs if you have poppets most def so you would have to upgrade to full injectors. Now 15lbs in a 4.3 is a lot of boost for our engines (at least personally I feel that way) you could just upgrade to fuel injectors say like 450's with a good running engine and possibly upgrading your intake manifold you MAY be alright but I don't know if the stock heads will be able to hold that much boost.

The meth thing is for added HP that sprays into the intake at a certain rpm kinda like how VTEC kicks in at a higher rpm then stops or how some people spray nitris. That can give you that added kick but its costly. Plus I've only seen it on Turbo setups so I don't know how you would run it with a S/C. Adding an injector? for meth yah to your intake but other than that I've never seen it done or heard about it either.

[rentedmule]

the 50/50 meth/water injection is to cool the intake air via evaporation - same as water injection alone. the meth increases the effective octane rating of the fuel being burned and adds HP by allowing you to run more timing without detonation. there are quite a few guys with set ups similar to mine running meth injection and it works well.

there's probably 2-3 guys on the other forums right now running ~15 psi reliably but i'm not positive on their set ups. most have some sort of real fuelling.