When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I checked with Mike. Not sure if he can fit them or not. I didn't expect this to be such an issue. These HTC billet mains were on the last block and I was planning to reuse them on this block. I also have the factory mains that came on this new block.
I've talked to 3 places and they all said they couldn't do it. Even LME said they would have to send it out to another shop. I had a couple of leads before the hurricane, but now I can't get a call back.
One place I talked to this week said they could do it, but would have to buy new main caps because the used HTC mains would take too much work. I'm on the fence about whether aftermarket main caps are required or not this go round. I've got enough turbo to easily make 1600rw but doubt it will ever get pushed that hard.
They supplied me a new block. This was around 4 years ago.
Posting a block to get machined from UK to US then return again....is much worse than Texas to Cali lol
Just makes more sense to buy new ones !
TBH if doing it all again and starting from scratch, I'd aim for an LS9 block
I believe it already has billet/pinned mains, already uses M12 head studs vs 11mm and has oil squirters already fitted. And supposed to be a stronger alloy too ?
A lot of positives there, although I'm sure the work could be done to a lesser block for much less money too.
The likes of Texas Speed not an option ? Or where is Erik these days ? He was posting a lot of good info here recently, so presume he is at a shop of some sort now ?
Gotcha. This block has already been M.I.D. sleeved, drilled for 1/2" studs and decked. At this point it needs main caps, a final hone and then ready for assembly.
I called Texas Speed twice and they claim they are more of an assembly line operation and don't do custom one-off machining. A couple of other machine shops said no. Are you talking about Erik that used to be at HKE?
Gotcha. This block has already been M.I.D. sleeved, drilled for 1/2" studs and decked. At this point it needs main caps, a final hone and then ready for assembly.
I called Texas Speed twice and they claim they are more of an assembly line operation and don't do custom one-off machining. A couple of other machine shops said no. Are you talking about Erik that used to be at HKE?
Have you tried fitting the old billet mains in your new block yet? Are they tight where they need to be?
Yes, they are tight where they need to be and don't seem to be too far off. Of course, it's hard to differentiate by feel a few thousandths vs a 10 thousandth. If they aren't far off, it should be an easy correction.
I think you may be right but I'm not 100% sure since I don't have any common contacts with the guys at HPR. HPR is a 5 hour drive vs the 1.5hr drive to Houston so I'm trying to keep from making an even longer trip. I dropped the block off at a shop in Houston last Friday, Sept 22nd, that has ties to the machine shop I plan to use for final honing. I also ordered new Pro-Gram Engineering main caps in case the used HTC caps won't work.
Work is extremely busy right now and I'm usually spending one day per weekend helping people whose homes and churches got flooded during the hurricane. I'm still managing to make progress a little at a time.
Here's another picture of the piece that goes from the discharge of the compressor under the frame through the cradle and then stops right between the frame and the cradle.
I thought the next piece was going to be easy. I made my 1st mock-up attempt late on a Thursday night. I guess I just wasn't envisioning it once Saturday morning rolled around and it was time to cut and fab. None of the angles are an even multiple of 15 degrees and there was a rolling offset involved. It's a short distance to travel from the frame and up through the a-arm and a lot had to occur. I took a break and went for something easier.
Here is a rough positioning for the 4" charge pipe and the twin 64mm BOVs
Last edited by Turbo-Geist; 09-29-2017 at 01:31 PM.
This was the final mock-up for the short run using silicone elbows on Saturday afternoon.
There was a break for non-car related activities. Finally Saturday night the pieces were cut just right and tack welded. The long breaker bar and gravity are helping keep the gap closed up for the final tack weld. Hard to tell in the pic but its a short bead rolled straight section, a 90 cut very short and mitered, and a 45 cut and mitered.
Done. The longer piece sticking up will be shortened and a few bends will take it over the tie rod end and back to the intercooler. Hopefully this weekend.
Looks good Ben, Yeah I don't know if I would have chose that routing for the exact reasons your having a hard time routing it lol, You'll want to stay tight ,on the next section, to the Front cradle as that's the part that gets tight to the tire when turning just like the TTIX inlets as you know. just a reminder though.
They supplied me a new block. This was around 4 years ago.
Posting a block to get machined from UK to US then return again....is much worse than Texas to Cali lol
Just makes more sense to buy new ones !
TBH if doing it all again and starting from scratch, I'd aim for an LS9 block
I believe it already has billet/pinned mains, already uses M12 head studs vs 11mm and has oil squirters already fitted. And supposed to be a stronger alloy too ?
A lot of positives there, although I'm sure the work could be done to a lesser block for much less money too.
The likes of Texas Speed not an option ? Or where is Erik these days ? He was posting a lot of good info here recently, so presume he is at a shop of some sort now ?
I know little about the actual materials so can't comment on that aspect, but I did read others say it was a stronger material. The fact it has dowelled caps, oil squirters, M12 head bolt threads ( as long as studs are available of course ) are all good things too. )
The 6.2L engine block used with the LS9 is cast from 319-T7 aluminum and fitted with cast-iron cylinder liners. It has been strengthened 20 percent compared to prior generations of this engine, by optimizing the size of the bulkhead “windows” to take advantage of material thickness in the bulkhead. The enlarged bulkhead windows also improve bay-to-bay breathing by managing airflow inside the engine more efficiently, thereby decreasing pumping loss, or reducing resistance to the pistons’ downward movement.
The engine block was developed with the latest math-based tools and data acquired in GM’s racing programs, and it provides an exceptionally light, rigid foundation for an impressively smooth cam-in-block engine. Its deep-skirt design helps maximize strength and minimize vibration, and its aluminum construction reduces weight approximately 100 pounds compared to a conventional cast-iron cylinder block.
Deck Plate Honing: A precision machining process typically reserved for high-performance engines, is used on the LS9 cylinder block to maximize engine life, reduce friction between engine parts and increase horsepower. It is advantageous in applications where cylinder head pressures are greater than average – such as with a supercharged engine – to ensure cylinder sealing and prevent scuffing of the piston against the bore wall. In the LS9 engine, this means improved bore life and ring sealing. True bores and better sealing are keys to optimizing power.
Forged-Aluminum Pistons with Oil-Spray Cooling: The LS9’s pistons are premium forged aluminum components, for a high-performance combination of low mass, high strength and durability. These are considerably lighter than conventional aluminum pistons, which translates to less reciprocating mass inside the engine. The LS9 also incorporates oil-spray piston cooling. Eight oil-squirting jets in the engine block drench the underside of each piston and the surrounding cylinder wall with an extra layer of cooling, friction-reducing oil. The oil spray reduces piston temperature, promoting extreme output and long-term durability.
Not a whole lot to update. I worked the Texas Invitational Event this weekend so no work was done on the car. It was nice to check out high caliber builds and see them doing work on the runway.
I did get back to the garage for 1 hour on Wednesday night and almost finish the cold side piping for the driver side. One more 90 degree bend and it will be complete.
I also shipped the Pro-Gram Engineering main caps to the machine shop for fitment.
Last edited by Turbo-Geist; 10-09-2017 at 03:34 PM.
I finished all of the cold side piping last night so I'll be moving on to the 321SS up-pipes this weekend.
Here is a shot of the DS complete. I still need to go back and weld out all of the aluminum but it will be easy now that everything is verified to fit.
Judging by how well this big single turbo worked on the Lethal car at TI with a single 64mm Precision BOV, I'm thinking about just running a single 64mm BOV on top of the intercooler instead of the two 64mm that I originally mocked up.
Ben Actually YES I did get mine fixed LOL! Feels pretty good too! I need to retune most of the tables due to the FP dropping and I can see the map is not smooth. But I have taken it out already nothing serious but driving it is a big motivator. Ha ha ha. And to boot it only took about TEN minutes to fix! Felt pretty stupid cause we had been talking about it for months and just kept saying that can't be it etc... But it turns out it was! Broken Magna fuel external was back feeding. Seems to be broke shaft as when it runs is sounds smooth, but no flow etc...
09-19-2017, 01:38 PM
Finally Saturday night the pieces were cut just right and tack welded. The long breaker bar and gravity are helping keep the gap closed up for the final tack weld. Hard to tell in the pic but its a short bead rolled straight section, a 90 cut very short and mitered, and a 45 cut and mitered.
