[twooldgoats]

I found a home-made (but really well done) pin-on flat hood at Pontiac Heaven last spring about three spaces down from me in the pits (what are the odds?????) and snapped it up cheap. The only problem I have is filling the gap between the back of the hood and the windshield which was originally taken up by the cowl air intake. The cowl induction hood I got from VFN for the one-piece front end extended the back of the hood to fill that gap. I haven't decided how to fix that problem yet. I have an original steel cowl piece I could cut up to use, but I'd rather have a fiberglass piece there that will keep the rain out when I'm towing on the open trailer. I may try to make a fiberglass extension, but it's a piece with compound curves so that might be a challenge. The only fiberglass work I've ever done is to extend one-piece front ends at the back side by a few inches. Extending this hood would be a lot more work. I could also cut up my current VFN cowl induction hood, but that seems like a waste.

Jim

[Elarson]

Our old fiberglass front end has a stock length hood and a separate cowl filler panel. I don't know if the guy who made it is still alive, still in business...? I'll try to track him down.

Eric

[twooldgoats]

Originally Posted by Elarson

Our old fiberglass front end has a stock length hood and a separate cowl filler panel. I don't know if the guy who made it is still alive, still in business...? I'll try to track him down.

Eric

Thanks, Eric. After I posted in this thread, I saw a thread about a group purchase at VFN elsewhere on PY, so I went up to the VFN website again and they do list a cowl piece for a '63 Tempest. I swear they didn't list one there a few months ago when I last checked. I need to call them and make sure they actually make them. If you find the guy's name or contact information, though, let me know.

Thanks.

Jim

[Hooter]

With my motor setting back the SD scoop extends back into the cowl. I grafted the glass hood and glass cowl into 1 piece and cut the hole for the scoop between then.

[twooldgoats]

Originally Posted by Hooter

With my motor setting back the SD scoop extends back into the cowl. I grafted the glass hood and glass cowl into 1 piece and cut the hole for the scoop between then.

That's what I would like to do: graft the hood to the cowl piece and then do the supercharger cut-out. With a little planning, I can use the same Dzus locations to make it simpler still.

Jim

[twooldgoats]

My research about supercharging indicated that I would almost certainly need to upgrade my ignition system so it would fire the spark under boost conditions. With the N/A alcohol injection I was running a programmable MSD digital 7+ ignition (7530T). With that ignition I had three rev limiters and provisions for retarding the spark in a bunch of different ways that I've never actually found the need for. But with supercharging, I may well have to retard the spark at launch as a way of maintaining traction. Unfortunately, when I originally built this car, I didn't anticipate ever supercharging, so I didn't get the MSD ignition with boost retard (although I'm sure it could be added).

I figured there were three ways to go on the ignition: upgrade my current set-up, go to a points-style magneto (Mallory-style) or go all the way to an MSD electronic magneto. I did a cost-benefit analysis looking at the costs of each of the three alternatives. I did searches on Yellow Bullet and other forums and talked to people to find out what would actually work. As always with race engines, there was a lot of disagreement. The Mallory magnetos are cheaper than the MSD's, but they're points-style mags and none of my current ignition electronics will work with them. For that reason, I eliminated them from further consideration. The MSD electronic magnetos are amazingly expensive and since MSD's are fair-traded and there are no good deals available on new ones, it came down to seeing if I could find a good used one and I never did. The MSD mag would also have required an offset drive and other custom parts that ran the price up.

The third alternative was to upgrade my current system by buying an MSD 8+ or MSD 10+ ignition to provide a hotter spark and piggyback it to my current ignition. After checking, it seems the MSD 10+ has the hottest spark, but they're no longer made by MSD and it may only be a matter of time before the used ones are no longer serviced by MSD. So, I settled on an MSD 8+. The disadvantage was price ($1250 new), but I was able to find a used unit on eBay for $800. There are several advantages to the MSD 8+: the spark is slightly hotter than the MSD 12 amp mag (315-345 millijoule/spark vs. 300 for the 12 amp mag), MSD calls for using an HVC II coil which I was already using with my current ignition, and the rewiring required to install it was minimal. Unfortunately, with a blower I can no longer use my front-drive distributor set-up, so I sold it and traded some other parts for a brand-new MSD pro-billet distributor to install in the traditional position behind the intake (the custom Wenzler-based intake is high enough to allow the distributor to fit in without an offset drive).

MSD helpfully provides a diagram on their website showing exactly how to wire the 8+ into the circuit with the 7530T. I will also have to program a couple of changes into the MSD Pro-Data software to make the change work. I mounted the 8+ and made the wiring changes recently in a few hours and all that's left to do is wait and see if it will will fire all the cylinders under boost. The only hard part will be finally having to learn all the capabilities of the 7530T box. In theory, I will have all the features of a programmable ignition with a box powerful enough to fire under high levels of boost.

Jim

[Elarson]

Sounds like a well-thought-out approach. We had to go the full MSD 44 on ours, because catastrophic things can happen when you don't fire a cylinder full of nitro.

We use the 7530T on the Grocery Getter and exercised most of it's tuning functions. It's pretty straightforward to program.......I doubt that you'll have trouble getting up to speed on that.

Eric

[twooldgoats]

With the blower and a Birdcatcher hat I had to come up with a new way to operate the throttle. My old throttle was a braided wire that operated the Ron's Toilet fine, except that it always wanted to fray at the pedal end. With the new hat, I found a five-foot Morse cable was the easiest way to go. As a safety measure the Morse cable allows a push-pull movement, so I can add toe clip to my accelerator pedal to pull the pedal up and the throttle to the closed position, if needed. I haven't decided whether or not to do that, but some recommend it. I guess I think reaching for the ignition switch and the fuel shut-off would be a better plan in the case of a stuck throttle, but this gives me the option of a toe-clip, if I decide to go that way. My ignition system also allows me to program in a rev limiter for the top end that will limit revs after x.xx seconds as another safety measure. I haven't started a procedures check list yet for this new set-up, so I'm not sure which way I'll end up going.

By making a new mount for the cable on the pedal end, I was able to retain my original throttle pedal. All I had to do was to adjust the pedal stop. The pedal bottoms out on an adjustable bolt head so I won't put too much pressure on the Birdcatcher linkage. I adjusted it so that the pedal bottoms out on the stop just as the Birdcatcher and barrel valve reach the full-open position. As any racer knows, it's impossible to resist pushing down on the accelerator with every bit of force you can muster, trying to go just a little faster.

I bought a mount for the hat end of the throttle cable. In order to mount it, I had to drill and tap a flat boss that was cast into the Birdcatcher on the passenger side. Then it was just a matter of playing with the mounting holes to get the correct angles on the throttle attachment to the control arm. It's best to keep the angle of the cable to the control arm fairly shallow. For one thing, it makes the throttle arm a little less responsive to the first movement of the cable and that will make the car easier to drive through the staging lanes and around the pits and on the return road.

I decided to put one return spring on the throttle side of the hat and one on the barrel valve side to reduce strain on the butterfly shaft.

Jim

[Elarson]

Count me as another vote for the toe-clip.

Eric

[marks73ta]

Jim, what boost numbers are you anticipating? MArk L

[twooldgoats]

Originally Posted by marks73ta

Jim, what boost numbers are you anticipating? MArk L

I haven't run all the numbers yet to know about boost levels. I can't imagine more than 25-30#, though. Bob Szabo's book on blown alcohol tuning will probably get me in the ball park on the tune. I won't need more than 1500 hp at the most--hopefully more like 1200-1300 (assuming 3000# race weight). I can't run faster than 7.50 with my mild steel chassis. My initial goal (besides survival) is to run a 7.99. Boost depends on so many factors. I plan to go at it from the other end, calculating HP necessary, then go backwards to air-fuel ratio, jet sizes, blower displacement and all that. I'll calculate how much air and fuel I need to flow to make the HP I need and let the boost take care of itself. When I talked to several blower guys, they told me the 10-71 high helix should be more than adequate for my needs. I'm not trying to rotate the earth with this.

Jim

[twooldgoats]

The big engine setback that has existed since I first built the car, combined with the relatively tall intake required me to take a big chunk (about 14" across) out of the lower windshield frame and the firewall. I spent a couple of days recently building the inset for the firewall using leftover pieces of metal and some light 1/2" aluminum C-channel I bought at Ace Hardware. I don't own a break, so I bent the pieces with a pair of Vice Grips duckbill pliers and a little hammer work. I had removed the dash/firewall before I set the blower in place. To get started I cut out a section from the middle of the dash, leaving enough material to bend a 1/2" lip to mount the end pieces on. I made the framework by angle cutting the ends with a hacksaw and pop riveting small pieces of steel bent at a right angle in the corners to hold it together.

Jim

[twooldgoats]

After making the frame out of the aluminum C-channel, I pop-riveted it to the leftover ends of the lower windshield frame. This frame will serve to mount the firewall pieces as well as the new Lexan windshield I'll make later. I made the patterns for the end pieces with paper, transferred that to manila folder pieces and then made the aluminum pieces from that. This whole process required very little skill, but a whole lot of patience. I must have clamped the pieces in with Clecos a couple of dozen times before I finally pop riveted it all together. After I got the side pieces in place, I made a back piece to finish it off. The back piece required some careful measuring so the accelerator cable housing would fit through the grommeted hole when it was all done. I'm no engineer so I'm always surprised at how strong the finished product is, with all the triangulation in the design. I swear I could stand on it. It should be strong enough to withstand some 180 mph winds, but I may still add a center brace once I install the windshield.

Jim

[mechanickeith]

Jim,,,Work looks real clean!! Cant remember,,you still going to run the dist. off the front or in back with an offset?? If in back, are you making this section as removable for dist. access??

[twooldgoats]

Originally Posted by mechanickeith

Jim,,,Work looks real clean!! Cant remember,,you still going to run the dist. off the front or in back with an offset?? If in back, are you making this section as removable for dist. access??

No room in the front for a dizzy so it'll go in the back in the regular location. The tall manifold provides plenty of room. I've haven't checked it for sure yet, but I believe I can even run a big cap (to prevent spark scatter). I'll be running a crank trigger pickup, so the distributor should be a set it and forget it deal. Timing changes will take place up front. Actually, I can always remove the back section of the firewall offset by drilling out the pop rivets and re-riveting if I do have to get back there for some reason. The biggest clearance issue back there may be my oil feed line from the accumulator to the block right near the distributor.

Jim

[Rusty4cyl]

Hey Jim, What is the name of that book you were talking about. Tuning Blown alcohol. Your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks Rusty

[twooldgoats]

Originally Posted by Rusty4cyl

Hey Jim, What is the name of that book you were talking about. Tuning Blown alcohol. Your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks Rusty

Rusty,

The book is by Bob Szabo and it's called "Fuel Injection Racing Secrets-second edition". He has written several books, but this one looked like the best one to me. I ordered it off his website (couldn't find it used):

http://racecarbook.com/

While doing my homework online to learn about supercharging, I came across several recommendations for this book. It's been very helpful for me, since I'm basically starting from scratch on this, though my experience with N/A alcohol injection has proven helpful. He gives sample tunes in the appendix and goes into a lot of detail on how to get started and how to avoid blowing everything up while getting the tune right. He even successfully experimented with relatively small amounts of nitromethane (though I would never do that). He emphasizes safe, conservative tune-ups that preserve parts--not trying to extract every last ounce of HP out of a combination.

Jim

Jim

[Rusty4cyl]

Thanks Jim, I will get that book too.Hope you have great success with your blower motor. Once you run it, you won't go back to N/A. Thanks again Rusty

[twooldgoats]

I just got around to removing the heads from the engine (I've been using the old engine to set up for fuel lines, linkages, etc, with the blower). When it lost compression between Cylinders 4 & 6 at a race last summer, I guessed it was a head gasket at the least. Well, the head gasket was blown through, but so was the head. Big enough to lay the tip of my little finger in. The gasket on the driver side was beginning to go, too. It's a good thing they're aluminum. I'm sure it won't be the first time these old Super Chiefs have been welded on.

Meanwhile, the race car got rolled back out into the carport so Ellen and I can finish up the '60 in the garage. I'm waiting on parts for the racecar, anyway, and I've got dimensions now so I can find someone to make a custom fuel cell for me from stainless (if it isn't too expensive).

Jim

[twooldgoats]

I've been trying to make some progress on my '60 Cat project, so I'm pretty much limited to just gathering parts for the blower conversion. I recently bought a set of valve covers made by Vince Mayeda (vin63) and they are beautiful!! I really appreciate his efforts and those of other PYer's to help fellow Pontiac guys with their projects. The valve covers are designed to allow burn down fittings to bolt on and they're really slick. The sealing surfaces are CNC-ed to allow gaskets to be glued in, making for easy between round removal. I had added 12AN lines to my old valve covers, but I decided for safety I really need the larger 1 1/4" lines. In addition to the valve covers, I bought a pair of burn down breathers from RBS Superchargers to bolt on to the valve covers. They take the breather lines that will go to the puke tank and have a quick disconnect feature to make taking off the valve covers easier.

Jim