Okay folks,

I'm beginning to feel like a highschool kid on prom night, full of anticipation and worry but incredibly EXCITED all at once!!! :thumbs:

Placed my order today with Andy @ A&A for his ATI setup, here are the particulars:

D1-SC with 6 rib pulley setup
single intercooler
Vortech Bov
Racetronix Fuel system
4-1/2" pulley (try to keep the boost motor friendly for now)

Whew! I'm a little nervous just typing this out!!! I've got some 48#'s coming from a fellow Forum member (thank you) and I'll be ordering boost & fuel pressure gauges in a couple of weeks.

My game plan is "simple" ;) Going to take the Vette over a welder and get the radiator laid down (Andy, if you're reading this please be sure to send along the hoses & clamps? to do this) and then perfrom the install at home.

I have the directions in hand, and many forum members have performed this install themselves, so there's plenty of knowledge out there for me to tap into as needed. DON'T FAIL ME NOW GUYS!!! :grouphug:

From what it looks like, the crank pinning will be a biotch and from there should go okay. I'll leave the factory injectors in place until I take the car to someone for dyno tuning. Try to keep it out of boost until she's tuned :rofl:

Here's a few questions for you all:

1. Can I install the Racetronix fuel system before tuning?
2. What's it take to replace the fuel injectors? Anyone have some directions?
3. Can you recommend a shop to do the dyno tuning in the greater CT. area?
4. Have I missed - ANYTHING????

That's about it! I'm feeling pretty confident going into this, but will not hesitate for a single moment to ask some questions. Let the :party: begin.

:seeya

 

Gee, 20+ views, no comments or additional info? :sad:

 

Pinning the crank will be a pita. At only 6psi why not skip that step and come back to it when you raise the boost?

 

I thought about that, but Andy's "loaning" me the crank pinning fixture and to be truthful we really don't know how much boost this thing is going to make. Some guys make 6 with a big pulley and yet others have hit 10!! I'd rather pin it and get it over with, I doubt I'll be under the front carriage of the car again anytime soon.

Thanks for the advice! :cheers:

 

Sure, it will not impact tuning at all. Most people don't understand how the intank pumps work. Here is a quick lesson. The pump runs all the time and flows at it's maximum capacity. The regulator is what controls fuel pressure while the pump always flows at max capacity. As pressure exceeds the regulators preset value, it opens up more and allows more fuel back into the tank. So a bigger more capable fuel pump will have very little impact on your normal fuel pressure. It will only have significant impact on fuel pressure at very high demand rates where the regulator is almost fully closed. The 97-98 cars have the regulator on the fuel rail and it works great. The 99- early 03s have it back at the fuel filter and it does not work very well at all, but you can get by with it as longer as the pump is oversized. The late 03s and up have it inside the fuel tank integrated into the sender and it is basically worthless and must be replaced on an FI car.

It is a very simple procedure. Get a shop manual and it will tell you exactly how to do it. You basically just take off the fuel rail and then replace the injectors with the fuel rail off the car. You will need a simple little quick disconnect fuel line removal tool (I think it is the 3/8" size). There are little sliding retainers that hold the injectors in place on the fuel rail.

Your going to love the blower once you get it all installed and dialed in. Just be prepared for some bumps along the way. Take your time and be patient. It's all very very easy, it just does not always seem that way when you are doing it for the first time.

 

There is nothing to pinning the crank...but I will have to ask why you don't get the 8 rib now and save yourself some money.

 

:withstupid: I would think if you're going with the D1 blower it would be because you plan to crank up the boost eventually. Might as well get a belt that will handle the future load as well.

Good luck on the install. Hope everything goes well. :cheers:

 

Thanks for the lesson concerning fuel pumps!! Glad I don't have anything to worry about. I'll try to get a manual for the fuel injector swap, it's a shame noone has written in a tech tip for this. :(

As for the 6 vs. 8 rib..... Well, I must be honest, this setup is right about at the max for my budget. I've seen many guys with the D1 running 6 rib and they're cranking out some terrific numbers. I figured it would be better to have the motor survive for a year or 2 and then ultimately build the mill of my dreams. :thumbs: BTW, anyone know what dyno tuning whould run me cost wise??

At that future time, I'll step up to the 8 rib (or whatever is then the best) and build a forged stroker motor. SSSSShhhh, just don't tell the wife my future plans! She'd have me sell this car so fast my head would spin. :crazy:

Any other comments/suggestions? Must say, I've never heard anyone say there's nothing to pinning the crank - Sure hope you're right.

 

Well, I can understand the money pinch (my girl has taken away any money for mods until after Christmas) so I won't blame you for the six rib. At 6 psi it shouldn't be an issue anyway.

Usually runs around $500, from what I've seen in my research.

I didn't install mine myself...didn't really have the time or patience (mainly patience ;) ). However my installer did tell me that pinning the crank wasn't necessarily hard, just time consuming. Of course, he'd done quite a few. :cheers:

 

Thanks for the reply! Yeah, patience isn't really one of my strong suits either.... But, pinching pennies for more HORSEPOWER sure is!! :lolg: My father-in-law and another forum member have offered to come by and share my fears during the install - I'm sure I'll be a good boy in front of the in-law.

:chill:

 

Dude Andy's 8 rib single intercooler cost as much as a D1 kit from most places...do some research you will see the benefit.

 

I hear ya.... I know in the future I'm going to feel like a one-legged man in a butt kicking contest :lolg: but unfortunately, to get the 8 rib I would be adding like $1,100.00 to my purchase price and I just can't swing that now.

Besides, having an A4 with 2.73 gas sipper gearing means I'm going to need every extra $$$ to purchase a set of 3.42's and a nice t/c possibly next year.

I appreciate what you're sayin', but I got's to keep the MRS. happy too. :rolleyes:

 

Injectors are a piece of cake. Just replaced mine today in about fifteen minutes.

What you want to do, is the following:
1. Pull the fuel pump fuse, in box next to battery... think its "f/pmp"
2. Crank the car over twice, five or six seconds each time to relieve the pressure
3. Disconnect the neg. battery cable
4. Remove the eight plugs from the injectors... just push in on the metal wire in the middle and pull up.
5. Using a fuel line disconnect tool(dont remember size), disconnect the fuel line from the rail. Put a shop rag under the rail at the connection. After its removed, just rotate the braided wire up, to keep fuel from leaking out. At this point, I also put a rubber cap on the fuel rail where the fuel line hooks up to, also to keep fuel from leaking out.
6. Remove the 4 10mm bolts from the intake manifold, holding the rails in place.
7. Pull up on each side of the rail... the injectors and rail will come up as one piece.
8. Turn the rail upside down and remove the eight clips holding the injectors in place. You could also drain the fuel from the rail at this point by removing the cap and letting gravity do its work if you capped it.
9. Pull/Twist the injectors, removing each one from the rail.
10. Then just install the new injectors and assemble in reverse. Just make sure when you put the clips back on, the clips slide in to the two thin cuts on each side of the injector, and that the lip of the injector socket slides in to the cuts in the sides of the clip.... you'll know what I mean when you look at it. Also, I take some oil and coat the o-ring of the injectors before you insert them into the socket.

11. After its all back together, reconnect the neg battery cable, replace the fuse, and prime the fuel before you start it. Just turn the ignition to the on position twice... on/off on/off, then check for leaks. You'll hear the pump when you turn it to the on position, without starting. If all looks good, then fire it up.

Later,

Mike


[Modified by Mike00FRC, 9:58 PM 11/18/2003]

 

excellent choice for a SC system. ATI is the way to go. keep us posted on the progress, and take pics during the install. :)

btw, i won't bother answering your questions because they have already been answered correctly. :)

 

You can get Dyno tuning at (alphbetically) CarteK, East Coast Supercharging, or The Vette Doctors. All are just a few hours from Ct. Good luck on it!

 

:cheers: to everyone for their input on this thread!!! I really appreciate all the direction and advice you guys have offered. I will make every effort to take some pix along the way and I'll be sure to do a little writeup about the install & tuning process once completed.

But know this...... I'LL BE BACK, with even more questions as things start to come up. I sure hope it's a cake-walk, but I've been messing around with cars for too long to believe that. :crazy:

 

It's not the amount of boost that dictates whether the crank needs pinning, it's the added drag from the supercharger, from the factory the damper is slip fit over the crankshaft snout and there is no keyway like all of the other cranks you may have seen in the past, so the slightest added drag will cause the damper to spin on the crankshaft.
Pinning the crank is not a difficult task, it's just time consuming to get the rack and pinion out of the way, but once the steering compoents are out of the way the actuall pinning process should take you no more than 20 or 30 minutes. :cheers:

 

Thanks runamuk for correcting me. :thumbs: I knew it was the drag imposed by the blower, but clearly I didn't state it properly. I will definitely be pinning the crank, glad to hear from some folks it's not too big a deal.

:cheers:

 

Congrats on getting the new S/C... once it is installed and tuned correctly... there is nothing else like it!! :yesnod:

VR :cheers: