For those of you out there that want to go with a twin turbo system, look no farther than Ken Duttweiler. The Ventura County turbo king is in the new May 2002 issue of Car Craft. On page 68, it shows his 287 ci small block chevy that runs high 6's at 205 mph in a 2380 lb Cutlass. The page shows a bitchin photo of how a twin turbo system should look; headers,intake, throttle-body and all the other external goodies.

 

That's a nice motor, no doubt about it, but it's a race engine, not a street engine. There's no need to run a full dry sump, the risks outweigh the benefits if you drive it mostly on the street. Nice headers too, although that layout wouldn't fit in a full chassis setup, and that Hogan's manifold is too tall to fit under a stock hood. When I had my Hogan's made, I specified what the maximum height could be because I wanted the 'sleeper look' and there's only about 10" - that's with the hood chamber removed for extra clearance.

The caption says it's running MSD's coil-on-plug ignition. He must have a pre-release version of it, becuase I was told by MSD the CPC system wouldn't be out until this summer. I pays to be a heavy hitter like Duttweiler I guess.

 

Monty, you definitely are right about Ken's car being a strip piece only but think about the power he could make with a big inch small block or a mountain motor big block with lower compression and lower boost. My cousin, who knows Kenny pretty well told me recently that he's working on a 4 cylinder turbo project that will shock the world with how much horsepower it will make. Anyways Monty, that's a pretty nice system you've got going but how the hell do you plan on getting that power planted to the ground. It seems like you're going to have the same problems that Merlin522 will have. It does no good to have a wild motor if you can't harness the power. Backhalved chassis, race four link. big tires, full foll cage, prepped trans, strong driveshaft and several other things. From my drag racing knowledge, a 500 horsepower car that is set up right will beat a 1000 horsepower car that is not set up every time at the strip.

 

There's no doubt Duttweiler is 'the man', he's got the benefit of having built hundreds of custom turbo setups. There's alot to be said for 'real-world' experience, in addition to all the mathematical formula's. You can calculate the efficiency of an intercooler, but you won't know what it really is without comparing the pre and post intercooler temperatures. He's seen hundreds of actual in-car setup's and know's what really works. I'm going to invest in a data acquistion setup like the Qwikdata system. With the data garner, you can identify area for improvement.

My car's a work in progress and it's not intended to be the "king of the local strip". The rear diff is the next thing that I'll focus on when the motor's done. I'm determined to keep the IRS because I like to get a little 'spirited' around the corners every once in awhile.

Everybody know's what Tom's offers, but I don't think he has anything that could reliably handle 800+hp day after day, especially if you actually hook. Right now, I'm intentionally running 'traction impared' until I decide what to do with the rear end. I'm thinking of something custom based off of a 9" or Dana 60. Basically a super narrowed 9" or 60 housing, with stub strange axles, custom halfshafts and flanges, and custom halfshafts with 1350 ujoints. You could make the diff carrier from TIG welded aluminum or moly tubing. It wouldn't be as strong as a 4-link or ladder bar, but it would retain the IRS and handling, while still being strong.

 

Monty: I live down the street from Tom's shop. He has stuff that will handle 800 HP all day long, 1300? I do not know how familiar you are with his stuff but he has many guys drag racing (wheels up) on nine second and faster IRS rears. He is a pain to deal with, but has strong IRS parts. Have you seen his kit based on 12 bolt guts and the huge half shafts etc, that come with it. I know you are very knowledable and do your home work, just trying to help. :chevy

 

69, do you know anyone running Tom's 1480 axles? I'd love to see a picture of them installed and hear about the installation. They look massive!

 

The problem is that I have an 80-82, and the upgraded parts for that differential are limited. It is my understanding that the 12 bolt stuff does not work with my diff carrier. I could be wrong though, but that was my interpretation from reading his catalog. If you know different, let me know. I already have his forged yokes and spindles, it's the diff internals that are the limiting factor.