Z-man

Hi Peter -

I was just over in Switzerland last summer. It was very nice but I think there are not enough Corvettes there! We need to help you get on the road. I am adding a Whipple supercharger to my Vette engine, but I have somewhat of a different setup. I'm installing the SC on a small block and also have looked at the hood problem. Here are some of my thoughts:

- The Whipple type superchargers don't require any frame cutouts since the harmonic balancer is replaced by a balancer that is also a drive pulley for a serpentine belt.
- The Whipples are also much more efficient so intercoolers do not add much power.
- I don't know if you already have the L88 hood, but I'm looking at some cowl hoods that are a bit taller. I don't have specific references but there are several options. Here is one link as a sample:
http://www.uscountytrader.com/Classi...?record=107386
I know they would be hard to get in Europe.

-If you don't have air conditioning (you don't need it in Switzerland, do you?) I would think that a Vortech S/C would fit where the A/C pump used to fit. Then you could pipe the pressurized mixture into a Holley type fuel-injection manifold. This link shows a Holley BB manifold setup for FI:
http://www.holley.com/HiOctn/ProdLin.../9901-209.html
They have pretty good dimensions on their site.
You might be able to put this throttle body on their manifold with an adapter plate of some sort, or maybe it would bolt right on.
http://www.holley.com/HiOctn/ProdLin...I/112-538.html

Anyway, good luck!!

peterbx1

Hi folks,


thank you very much again for your help. I have called Vortech, Procharger and Whipple, of course. They all say: it won't fit. Not in a C3, maybe in a C2, but not in a C3 with a big block. Hm, so it will not fit, they say.

All right, then I'll make it fit. I will go for the Procharger D-1SC. Since the first day I started this project many people told me what would not work, would just not be possible or simply sick.

Well, everybody is free to have his very own opinion. And while some folks are having their opinions I am gonna have my go. And: Isn't impossible called just what nobody else before succeeded with, maybe just because no one ever tried? With that kind of thinking mankind probably never would have made it out of the stoneage.

The corvette community is full of people looking for their very own way of motoring, willing to take a lot for what they feel is right for themand that's what counts .

When I call my performance part vendors and they ask me what my ride is and they find out it's a Corvette, I feel they make a step backwards. Corvette, uhh, different folks, somewhat strange, they say.

You know what? I fully agree with them and I can't say I feel uncomfortable with that. I just wanna say thank you for this bit of freedom in a world where more and more restrictions for virtually everything are going to dominate the major part of our lifespan.

Boy, too much red wine this night, I better go before I get emotional and please forgive my odd american english, as you might have noticed, it's not my native language, as much as I would like it to be.


Cheers


Peter

ZD75blue

Theres only one solution...

Get a Visa... Ship a your car over, apply for citizenship! Just think about all the money you'll save for mods!

I've thought about doing Side drafts on a short blower, I think the only way to do it easily is to add "humps" to the hood. Clearance it an inch or so around off to the sides of the blower. Greenwood did a couple of 80's vettes like that.

peterbx1

Hi,


hey, things can be so easy, hehe :-)

Well, I will fly to Orlando in January and see what cool stuff you've got over there what will put you into jail if you put in on the road in Europe, hehe.

I have ordered the the Procharger one minute ago, so let's see how we will manage...

Thanks again for all the hints!



Cheers


Peter

1Bad69

Peter....please keep us informed how it all goes...i am very interested to see how you make it fit...

Simmo

ME TOO

Im keen on getting a Procharger in to 70 BBC and have asked this question before. Here is a previous thread and there have been more.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...1&page=1&pp=20

micks69

50,000 miles per year in Switzerland? Every year?

I think I would buy a dailey driver and forget about converting it LPG.

peterbx1

Hi folks,


thank you very much for your interest in my project and standing my bad american english


Well, my job requires to meet customers in a radius of about 600 miles. I could fly, go by train, but actually I prefer going by car. The german autobahn is a nice thing: NO SPEED LIMIT!!! 200 mph, feel free if you want to. Perfect for organ donors of any kind... .

Well, 50.000 miles and daily drivers. I am not rich, although I am working like an idiot. I spend most of my cash either for Tom Waits concerts or cars. I tell you I got a car which has won more design prices (Maserati 3200 GT), these boomerang taillites are just awesome. I got a car which is surely better engineered than the C3 (Porsche 928 S4), I got a fat Chrysler limousine, which is much more comfortable. I got an off road vehicle which is so much better off road, surprise surprise... . I got a Fiat Minivan, which is just so usefull. I got a load of cars which are so much 'better' than my C3.

I got daily drivers, more than I can ride. But me idiot sqeezes behind the steering wheel of a 35 year old car. When I open the garage door I smell gasoline, oil, rubber. Adrenaline starts pumpin'. I got the ignition key in my hand which is the key to pleasure since 35 years now. The time machine starts spinning. I open the driver's door, slip into the driver's seat. It's not spacious in here, but it fits like a tailor's suit. I turn the key and I FEEL that I have awakened something under this hood which can me by friend or my end, depeding if I treat it right. 454 cui, supercharged in two months, start to sing their song. The highway to ultimate pleasure or a shortcut to hell, both available by the push of a pedal, where can you get this?

Well, the guy who owns this corvette workshop has a fully number matching C2. He keeps it in his garage (fully air conditoned, humidity controlled, the car in one of these plastic bubbles covering the whole car) almost all the time. When the weather is really fine and the time is right, he get's into his car and is having a ride. This happens about three times a year, if he is lucky. There is more fuel evaporating through the vents than beeing consumed by the engine. This reminds me of a bird in golden cage, somehow.

Well, I use my Corvette. As often as I can. It was made for the road and this is where I am takin' it to. Everyday. I admitt: I ride it 50.000 miles a year for business reasons, but this is just an excuse. . I would also do without ANY reason, sure would: 'cause it, he or she belongs to the road. So do I.


Cheers


Peter

peterbx1

So, finally I have made a decision:


I will go for the procharger D-1SC without intercooler, I will use water injection instead. I will have to modify the hood slightly where the superchargers sits. March will make the custom pulley required for this application, the crossmember is in the way.

Thanks to Terry from Herbertperformance everything seems to work out fine now. The supercharger will pump Air/LPG mix when running on LPG and just air when running on gasoline. Pressure release valves will release the pressure in case of backfire into the atmosphere without blowing the whole intake system into pieces, I hope... .

I'll keep my fingers crossed



Cheers


Peter

White 68

Buy an after market L88 hood and cut the scoop area and raise it the amount of space needed to fit ..? or is the Whipple too long at the front ?

79VetteMike

Something I've considered is mounting the Supercharger on the opposite side of the motor-on the other side of the belts. You'd have to be pretty crafty at building a bracket to hold it AND you would have to find out if they make a kit that will allow you to turn the impeller around on the inside of the unit so that it isn't sucking air from the carb, instead of pushing it into the carb. Does this make sense to anyone??

peterbx1

Hi white 68,


well, the guy at Whipple told me 'that there would be no way to fit this under an L-88 hood'. His ride would be a C3, too, and he would have tried really hard to get it installed and failed. He says there would be various clearance problems, not only with the hood, but also with the throttle body on the rear and also the crank pulley for driving it on the front.

Well, maybe I gave up too early on this, but since this guy (forgot his name) works there, rides a C3 and says it would be almost impossible, I took the easier route with the centrifugal blower.

And there is another point I could believe might be an issue. The good thing of a whipple blower is almost full pressure from low revs on, right?

On the other hand, detonation on supercharged engines seem to be an even bigger problem at lower revs. The disadvantage of a centrifugal blower to need some revs to develop full pressure seems to help this issue. Just a guess...

Cheers


Peter

Z-man

The disadvantage of a Whipple on a big block is probably the long drive snout required to hold the pulley. Have you seen Merlin's?? His has two Whipples on a big block.



I'm planning on using this type of cowl hood instead of the L-88 if I need the clearance.



I think you can easily control detonation by adjustment of the timing. You will more than make up for it through increased power.

peterbx1

Boy,

that looks SHARP! Well done!

Of course, it's comletely illegal over here, arghh. This surely gives more fun than a man should be allowed to have :-)

I think I need a green card....

Cheers

Peter

CGGorman

Peter, you have my admiration.

I only wish I could help. Alas, I cannot. I wish you luck.