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First off this thread is a long story and full of pics and if Bjankuski wants me to I will respectfully remove anything that he does not want posted here. Also this has been a long journey and I might remember more later. The pics are in no particular order. Brian you are in some if you want them removed let me know. (long hours shown in some)
I am so grateful for Brian to have done this build and I am honored that he built my car. I feel like I have gained a great friend and I hope the feeling is mutual. Brian if you need anything ever just let me know anything ever at all.
The story goes...
I bought this car in '07 with plans to mod and or race hpde. I tried all kinds of intakes and played with it then lost interest and life changed. in October 2014 I had it listed for sale on CL and Bjankuski ended up replying to the ad and came to look at it. The car was not what he was looking for considering the hacking that had been done to it at this point.
By the end of the conversation we discussed him getting the car running and tuned. THEN on my end the car build took off like neither of us expected. It helped Brian decided to go radical and build his street Vette way beyond any kind of stock part capabilities.
I am very grateful for what Brain has done for me and the incredible work he has done to the car.
I knew of Brian through this forum way back when and he helped with the car on the forum and in person through out the years.
I am sure if you read the forum at all you will know of Bjankuski and his words of wisdom and willingness to share it with others.
In the case of this car not everybody can do what he did. He is a professional engineer and it shows. There were constant issues and problems and he never seemed to blink at any of them. Brian was always confident that he could "make it work" no matter the issue.
There were many things that were a headache here worth noting. The first thing was the radiator install that took all kinds of modification and he just made it work, custom cooling system. The power steering cooler he just machined and milled a bracket for it. Totally a professionally done piece. He had to make some modifications to the water pump to allow the pulley to fit. The intake took all kinds of thinking, milling and porting to make it work. Custom built hard line fuel lines. Custom built alternator bracket tensioner. The biggest issue is the ball joints that were not fitting and he had to modify things to make it work. I have a Mitch Piper 8-point roll bar that would have taken tons of work to install and Brian was also willing to do that, but I chose not to at this point.
So I want to mention some of the kinds of things Brian worked on to complete the car to not only meet more than I ever imagined it would be, but exceed. (this is not the entire build list of the car but it is what Brian has done so far)
-Dart 434 sbc forged rotating, Diamond pistons. finished assembly
-AFR 220 competition ported/ polished heads flow the same as 227 shaft heads
-Cometic head gaskets (can take boost)
-Howards racing cam 248/256 @.050 on a 110 LCA with .650 lift
-Howards racing push rods
-Howards racing 1.6 roller rockers
-Howards racing lifters /Tie bars
-Dual roller timing chain
-March under drive pulleys
-harmonic balancer
-flywheel
-standard rotation water pump
-7quart road race oil pan / removable windage tray
-custom engraved billet valve covers/ T bolts
-58mm throttle body
-TPIS headers cut air tubes/ welded/installed
-TPTS heated 02 sensor
-custom Motown single plane efi intake install
-port matched 1206 intake to heads
-procomp rev limiter
-painted intake
-battery terminal
-new battery
-distributer cap / rotor/ plugs /wires
-D44 conversion / 3.45 gears
-ZFDOC C beam plates
-Yank 2800 stall (now tci 4,000)
-built 700r4 (750hp)
-trans lines
-custom Trans cooler brackets by radiator
-custom power steering cooler bracket
-relocated power steering reservoir
-engine oil cooler with shorter oil filter to fit race oil pan
-ball joints / fabricated
-all U joints
-drive shaft u joints
-VBP springs
-VBP sway bars 32mm/26mm
-Bilstein shocks
-brake pads, rotors, braided lines
-wheel bearings
-hubs
-custom fuel lines / Fuel pressure regulator
-Vacuum canister for brakes
-Custom alt tension bracket serpentine belt
-3 core radiator custom install converted to 84-89 style to fit in the '90 no surge tank
-custom cooling system
-custom T-stat install
-custom throttle cable bracket
-hood scoop install
-custom dual exhaust
-several sets of Fuel injectors
-MAP sensor
-fixed loose wire connections
-1000hp E85 fuel pump
-12" Grant Steering wheel and quick release hub
-custom fabrication for slp tri-claw air filters
-nascar cowl induction filter
-removed oil cooler/ smog items
-computer changes and tuning
-new computer
-now converted the FI system to holley 850 hp dp, using the TPS unit on the throttle
-street and dyno tuning
-piecing together missing misc nuts and bolts, hoses etc, including what all the new pieces need.
-etc,etc I am sure I am forgetting some things...
The car is not 100% finished yet but Brian did all this work in 6 months time plus continued his busy life. This work may get done by others BUT certainly not in this time frame. This build really made me appreciate what a real true mechanical genius is capable of. Not only that but his motor building skills and tuning knowledge is just incredible. I knew he had the skills but I had no real idea just how advanced his skills and knowledge base is.
There are some initial videos below of the car just on a start up tune. I have since gotten a Gen7 computer and hope it will take care of the car and the future mods. When the car is done I will update the thread.
I also want to thank: tpi421vette Jim B for the heads and I recommend him for buying heads. C409 for the intake ideas. 383vett for info on 406+ motors, Brain for many of his parts for drive train and headers, 93vettpilot for computer, Tequillaboy tune help, and a few others I am sure I am forgetting.
Long story... for some strange reason the car would not take a tune to get the running properly. Bjankuski tried all kinds of help, advice from major tuners and he himself is a very competent tuner with no success on this with the stock computer.
I bought an Accel Gen 7, but I was tired of the efi being over my head and the systems seems great and people have great results but just did not fit m idea of what I wanted out of the car.
Bjankuski was surprised that I wanted to go carb but I was at a loss. So I ordered all the parts to go back to the simple old days.
So before I could go full carb conversion, Bjankuski had a thought , considering how much a tuner really loves the idea of using computers to control a car and see what it's doing through the technology; he was not so fast to put the old technology in. I was not really in to the computer deal and over it, BUT He was convinced that it's just better to utilize computer if you can. I was like okay try it if you want to experiment.
So... never in my mind would I think of or heard of someone making a C4 carb AND keeping the computer to run it
He is an accomplished Engineer and proven his skills and creativity again. Today in cold WI. weather we got to experience his handy work and it was a success. The car operated properly and has the simplicity of a carb for me.
So it was a long expensive road of parts to get there and lots of time Brian spent being creative how to make this work, but it was so worth it.
I'm glad I trusted him and keep confidence in him and now he has made sure the car is user friendly as possible for me considering the direction I wanted to go.
So for the first time to my knowledge here are some pics of a C4 using a Holley 850 DP and a 1,000 hp fuel pump, and all the cars computer systems to monitor the car, control TC lock up, fans, etc..
Here is the Bjankuski set up. (tbi kind of?)
-Custom hard fuel lines
-Custom brackets for fuel lines and regulators
-Hooked up throttle position sensor to the carb
-kept all the systems working through efi except the fuel
-Custom tune for the set up
-Custom throttle linkage for the carb
-Custom mounting cowl hood induction air cleaner
-IAT sensor mounting in the air cleaner
Different phone pics suck.
Last edited by pologreen1; 06-11-2017 at 11:13 AM.
Wow 434 cubes! Pretty bad azz by itself. That TPI plenum is so cool and i really wish i had one. I can stare at that plenum all day. Must be an expensive conversion though. Oh in case u do sell it send me a PM please. I read u may look for a larger plenum well most on the shelf plenums dont have the added volume behind the intake entry down turn - which actually helps air turn rather than surface viscous/friction of a radius turn. What im saying u may have to have a custom plenum to optimize the single plane intake. Hard to evaluate though. Only the dyno will show.
Wow 434 cubes! Pretty bad azz by itself. That TPI plenum is so cool and i really wish i had one. I can stare at that plenum all day. Must be an expensive conversion though. Oh in case u do sell it send me a PM please. I read u may look for a larger plenum well most on the shelf plenums dont have the added volume behind the intake entry down turn - which actually helps air turn rather than surface viscous/friction of a radius turn. What im saying u may have to have a custom plenum to optimize the single plane intake. Hard to evaluate though. Only the dyno will show.
Yes, I am thinking design is fine but the plenum is not wide enough, either way it works for now.
Wow 434 cubes! Pretty bad azz by itself. That TPI plenum is so cool and i really wish i had one. I can stare at that plenum all day. Must be an expensive conversion though. Oh in case u do sell it send me a PM please. I read u may look for a larger plenum well most on the shelf plenums dont have the added volume behind the intake entry down turn - which actually helps air turn rather than surface viscous/friction of a radius turn. What im saying u may have to have a custom plenum to optimize the single plane intake. Hard to evaluate though. Only the dyno will show.
You don't have a pm option. I am selling the intake setup. Or really the plenum with a holley 300-25 strip dominator, I also have injectors if needed. PM me. Motivated sale.
Dude that car is going to be such the sleeper, unless someone has a trained ear they will just see a C4 with a bit of cam they will miss the deep note of those cubes. Its going to be a barn burner for sure.
You don't have a pm option. I am selling the intake setup. Or really the plenum with a holley 300-25 strip dominator, I also have injectors if needed. PM me. Motivated sale.
I checked my mailbox and should have plenty of room. Dont know what u mean by dont have pm option. I recently received PM from others.
09-08-2015, 07:16 PM
Forum member built my car (Bjankuski)
, considering how much a tuner really loves the idea of using computers to control a car and see what it's doing through the technology; he was not so fast to put the old technology in. I was not really in to the computer deal and over it, BUT He was convinced that it's just better to utilize computer if you can.
I was like okay try it if you want to experiment.
