1992 Corvette C4... help needed

[GT40_GearHead]

i just found this thing a few days ago...:bunny:
and i want to buy it
all i know so far (from the VIN)is that its an:
1992 corvette c4
LT1 5.7 litre engine
and that it has an automatic gearbox :(

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g209/GT40_GearHead/100_3600.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g209/GT40_GearHead/100_3597.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g209/GT40_GearHead/100_3595.jpg


I apreciate any coments or ideas
like what should i look for
or what are the problem areas

cheers

[Bucko]

Flat tyres can be a problem I believe.

On a serious note, I wonder if those headlight motors are having issues and if it's expensive to fix?

How much are they asking?

[GT40_GearHead]

the tires huh, i thought that wasn't normal, hm... lol


How much are they asking?
now comes the funny part... they don't, I am, right now i am looking for the owner, yet to find him
but i see that a good condition manual 6 speed 1994 goes for 8000 euro

so he should let it cheap

[Bucko]

So you don't really know if it runs or not?

I'm surprised it's been left to deteriorate in the street though. Looking at the other cars around, it certainly stands out!

[Ironcat]

Looking at the other cars around and the fact that it's parked sideways makes me wonder if the tires weren't flattened on purpose to prevent theft.

[AJ@PR]

I don't want to be the "asshole" of a thread, but be realistic.

From the pictures, I found my self dreaming of the car... so yeah, it kicks ass...

But... are you able to bring it up to condition?
I'm not sure of your situation... but do you make enough $?
Will this be your primary car?

I suggest you make it your project car.
And, it's a Corvette.
A new suspension piece is not going to cost $15 in PepBoys.
Have you checked the cost of tires for that car?
I'm pretty sure they carry a kinda hefty pricetag.
And it'd be a dumb idea to put $60 rubbers on that thing (plus, asking for trouble).
(( btw, definitely change the tires... I once started running a RX7 with previously flat tires (like yours)... only to have one semi-desintegrate at about 50... then go on and screw the hell out of the front passenger side of the car as it flapped and hit and spin and broke --- moral:: get new tires. Safety 1st. ))

Basically, that applies to everything of the car.
Once you go over "there", you better pony-up the prices for quality parts/service. (( you don't want a U-joint snapping at 120 or 140 ))

Do you have the car's history?
I can tell you right now, from the pictures you posted, that that Vette has been in a front end collision.
Do you see the bumper-to-hood clearance?
The passenger's side "gap" is tighter than the driver's side.
Bingo. Crash.

Sorry to come out with "crappy" comments... but, man it'd suck if you get stuck with a car you can't enjoy.
Can't beat the "coolness" factor though. :)

[GT40_GearHead]

The person to ask here, is Mitternaucht
Typical signs of ANY vehicle: Smells, leaks, hoses, belts, and sounds. If it sounds good, (no grinding, no wheezing, no struggling), has little to no leaking (look for how big oil spots are, and compare them to how long it's been in that one spot), smells good (not a strong smell of antifreeze, gasloline, or exhaust fumes - this would mean either radiator, fuel pump, or exhaust manifold leakage or any part in between there), grinding - make sure it shifts ok, even if it IS an auto., ask when belts were last replaced (serpentine, timing, etc), check them for yourself, make sure none of them are frayed at all, or coming apart.

etc
etc
etc..


I'm sure mitter could elaborate a lot better on it. :)

-Jeremy

you do have a good point, talking about belts, after all those years, not shure if they didn't fall of till now

and yeah, i hope , Mitternacht sees this, I'm sure he would have something to add


So you don't really know if it runs or not?

I'm surprised it's been left to deteriorate in the street though. Looking at the other cars around, it certainly stands out!

yes I don't know if it runs, preaty sure it doesn't, its been there for at least 6 years


Looking at the other cars around and the fact that it's parked sideways makes me wonder if the tires weren't flattened on purpose to prevent theft.

never thought of it that way, but you are right it makes sance


I don't want to be the "asshole" of a thread, but be realistic.

From the pictures, I found my self dreaming of the car... so yeah, it kicks ass...

But... are you able to bring it up to condition?
I'm not sure of your situation... but do you make enough $?
Will this be your primary car?

I suggest you make it your project car.
And, it's a Corvette.
A new suspension piece is not going to cost $15 in PepBoys.
Have you checked the cost of tires for that car?
I'm pretty sure they carry a kinda hefty pricetag.
And it'd be a dumb idea to put $60 rubbers on that thing (plus, asking for trouble).
(( btw, definitely change the tires... I once started running a RX7 with previously flat tires (like yours)... only to have one semi-desintegrate at about 50... then go on and screw the hell out of the front passenger side of the car as it flapped and hit and spin and broke --- moral:: get new tires. Safety 1st. ))

Basically, that applies to everything of the car.
Once you go over "there", you better pony-up the prices for quality parts/service. (( you don't want a U-joint snapping at 120 or 140 ))

Do you have the car's history?
I can tell you right now, from the pictures you posted, that that Vette has been in a front end collision.
Do you see the bumper-to-hood clearance?
The passenger's side "gap" is tighter than the driver's side.
Bingo. Crash.

Sorry to come out with "crappy" comments... but, man it'd suck if you get stuck with a car you can't enjoy.
Can't beat the "coolness" factor though. :)


First of, you are no asshole, this is what i need, a reality check!

if i do manage to buy it, it would absolutely be a project car, and no i dont want it to be period correct....

-out with the air conditioning
-out with leather seats
-in with the sparco light weight ones :D
and so on

i want my dream car, and the car i dream about, does not have air-con and leather interior, the car i dream about should be fast, crap my pants fast, the leather don't make it faster

tires... hell yeas, new ones, are you joking, i dont want to be next Hammond

and the hood, i was afraid of that, it did look a bit bad to me to but i just couldn't admit it to myself

damn it i'm turning into a heretic, me wanting a vette shiish lol :D

[Mitternacht]

I thought you were a Ford guy. ;)

I'll give you your response after work. Boss is around.

[Slug Toy]

well on a positive note i have two ideas for the car if you buy it.

1) you could take out those headlights and make some custom ones that look like the new corvettes (2005 and later). that would solve the issue of moving parts, and it just might look cool too. definitely more aerodynamic.

2) fiddle with the fuel injection after the restoration is done. you just need a laptop, or you can ask an expert to do it for you. i cant remember who it is... but i saw a show where a guy with an 80's corvette ended up with over 1000 horsepower because of modifications and some tinkering with the fuel injection. it adds a surprising amount of power.

[GT40_GearHead]

I thought you were a Ford guy. ;)

I'll give you your response after work. Boss is around.

well not actually a Ford guy....:think: more of a GT40 guy:up: its something unFord about that car...:D


well on a positive note i have two ideas for the car if you buy it.

1) you could take out those headlights and make some custom ones that look like the new corvettes (2005 and later). that would solve the issue of moving parts, and it just might look cool too. definitely more aerodynamic.

2) fiddle with the fuel injection after the restoration is done. you just need a laptop, or you can ask an expert to do it for you. i cant remember who it is... but i saw a show where a guy with an 80's corvette ended up with over 1000 horsepower because of modifications and some tinkering with the fuel injection. it adds a surprising amount of power.


2 good ideas slug,

is something great about fuel injection, but the truth is 300hp is a lot

but 1000hp, that is a bit strange, he must have done something to it, at least bigger injectors and better flowing intake manifold

[Airbozo]

...
...the leather don't make it faster
...

...and the leather actually keeps you from going fast since speed + leather + corners = you sitting in the passenger seat.

The main thing I _hate_ about my mustang is the fancy leather seats. Cloth ones would be better, but I am not keeping it long so am not going to swap them out.

Front end damage _may_ not be that bad if it is only cosmetic. So long as the frame is not bent, you can make everything fit.

[AJ@PR]

If it's a project car... and it isn't your primary one... GO FOR IT!!!!

It seems odd that you Ford, GT-40 love are going after a Vetter... but... what the hell... the only good thing a Ford's engine block can be used for is as a boat anchor... under the sea. (( Flamewars in... 3... 2... 1... ))

Although dabling with EFI's maps can "un-cork" considerable amounts of power... I think that a stock engine would be very hardpressed to make 1g in power.

Maybe the car had a crate big block... nitrous?
Cams... heads... porting...
It's just that... 1,000 takes some interesting and detailed planning.
1,000 aspirated is... amazing.

As to "300 being enough"... I'll quote you on that one... and wait for your change of heart in about... erm... 1.5years.

Trust me dude, the more you have, the more you want.

That LT1 is a nice engine... reverse cooling... aluminum heads... hotter cam...
Darn GT-40.... I've got a Tremec T56 tranny in my home... but it's for my project Volvo ('80... 2 door... '96 modded LT1)...

Something wierd happened in the world, at some point... and now it's hard to get those manual trannys. I found mine @ eBay for... around $1200 - 1300. Plus shipping to this small island (FedEx guys weren't smiling).

Hey, as Airbozo said... as long as the frame/important parts are not bent by the crash... it's no biggie.

In any event, keep us updated!!! :)

[GT40_GearHead]

yeah 1000hp aspirated is like Satan screaming at you trough the throttle body

hoooold on a minute, dont you think i'm the XXXXhp is enough guy, but this would be my first car, i will prob also buy one of the car looking things you see around it for daily use, this vette would be in the workshop for at least 1 or 2 years, so i'll need a daily driver

as a side note, if it has any compute problems, i think it might work with a carb, just have to find a manifold, of course this would be temp, util the EFI gets sorted

funny thing, today i presented it to my girlfriend... and she was: damn this is nice.... she wants it to
it must be a sign from the gods !

edit: is that the viper Tremec T56 :|

[Mitternacht]

I wouldn't think about a big block. It takes a lot of work; moving the motor mounts back 1 1/4", and down a 1/2". Then you need a new transmission mount. Moving the trans back will make the driveshaft safety bar underneath useless, no longer linking the Dana 36 rear end to the transmission.

Transmission:
A manual trans swap is a big call. Also, manual C4 Corvettes are hard to drive. You'll accidentally hit the brake as you're trying to put the clutch in to get to your next gear. The footwell is very narrow, and it's not that comfortable if stick shift; I'd stay with automatic in the C4 Corvette. Also, the 6-speed, should not be confused with a T-56; it's a ZF-6transmission. The gearing in the ZF-6 can put any performance Corvette up near a top speed of 220 MPH, if the car is built right.

Engine:
On the matter of Fuel Injection: If you show me a stock engine pushing 1000+ with just an ECU tune, I'll call you God. Yes it's possible to get 1000 horsepower. It involves a bigger displacement. You can remove the LT-1 with a 400 chevy longblock, and bore/stroke it to 427 cubic inches. Try to do that with the LT-1 and the closest you'll get is 422. Now, 427, high-compression dome pistons if NOS'd, or low compressions for power-adders like Superchargers and turbochargers. You want a lower compression, so you can get more volume of air and fuel into the pistons. A typical pressure before ignition is around 160 PSI. With a low 8:1 compression, and say, 12 lbs. of boost, the cylinder pressure may be anywhere from 600-1500 PSI. I DO NOT recommend aluminum blocks, as the side of the block could be blown apart from the pressure. Add nitrous, and the pressure only goes up even more.

Suspension:
This Corvette, is it a Z-51 car? Z-51 is the better suspension with tunable shocks. Street, Touring and Performance settings would be on the center console. The suspension setup stock is excellent enough to not worry about for a while, as it'll definitely pull around .90 G's easy in the corners. My car did .92 G's in an Autocross event.

Wheels and Tires:
I use the OEM ZR-1 wheels with Kumho Ecsta Supra 712's size 275-40ZR17. (17*9.5) Kumho, Nitto and BFG are popular Corvette tires, and the ZR-1 wheels are the most-preferred Corvette wheels on the market. My guess, around my area, 70% of the C4 Corvettes have the ZR-1 wheels.

Performance Modifications:
-Cut air lid

The front air lid has louvers in it, that guard debris from the filter. But further testing by gearheads alike find that the front louvers are not needed. The best thing to do is to take some tin-snips or a graphite cutting wheel and cut out a big rectangle in the center, leaving the very outside of the lid in-tact. This outside part keeps the filter sealed to the box.

-K&N
Just buy one; trust me.

-Stripping the MAFS
MAFS (Mass Air Flow Sensor) precisely mixes the fuel and air by tracking how many CFM's (cubic Feet /Minute) of air are going in, and it mixes the air and fuel off of this measurement. As a safeguard for the motor, there are 2 mesh screens inside. This keeps debris from going into the motor. But when you already have an air filter, what's there to worry about? Rip 'em outta there!

-Accel Ignition
A typical distributor, points-based, can put out about 50,000 volts; my coil and cap makes over 100k. Your distributor setup now is called Optispark. Your distributor is on the front of the motor, versus it being on the back of the engine in between the firewall and intake manifold. Upgrade it, really.

-Frisbee Delete
This "frisbee" is on the front of the Water Pump pulley. It's claimed to hold the accessory belt on better by GM, but it weighs 10 lbs. Removing it can give you 4-5 RWHP (Rear-Wheel HorsePower)

-Long-Tube Headers
I use Hedman LT Headers. Long-tube keeps the exhaust seperate until it gets under the car, and then joins it at a 4-to-1 collector, usually 2 1/2"-3". The best manifolds money can buy. 10 RWTQ (RW Torque) guaranteed.

-Emissions Delete
There's a smog pump near the Alternator. They have a delete braket that gets rid of the pump, and puts a pulley in place. Then the bracket holds the alternator in the stock location. The catalytic Converter and Resonators can be removed by completely building an exhaust system from the headers back.

-Mufflers
I use Dynomax superTurbo mufflers; they flow better than Flowmaster and Magnaflow. And they are loud as hell; my neighbors have to deal with it! :twisted:

[Slug Toy]

Although dabling with EFI's maps can "un-cork" considerable amounts of power... I think that a stock engine would be very hardpressed to make 1g in power.

Maybe the car had a crate big block... nitrous?
Cams... heads... porting...
It's just that... 1,000 takes some interesting and detailed planning.
1,000 aspirated is... amazing.

oh ya, this wasnt stock at all. it was a similar engine to what came in the original car, but it seems to me there were twin turbos, bored and ported, you name it... but the fuel injection modification took it from 800 to over 1000 horsepower apparently. its interesting to note that it was an automatic transmission too. i dont know what kind... but im not lying.


funny thing, today i presented it to my girlfriend... and she was: damn this is nice.... she wants it to
it must be a sign from the gods !

haha, it probably is. well with any luck you'll soon be joining me and many others in the corvette family. wouldnt that be nice...

[Mitternacht]

i just found this thing a few days ago...:bunny:
and i want to buy it
all i know so far (from the VIN)is that its an:
1992 corvette c4
LT1 5.7 litre engine
and that it has an automatic gearbox :(

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g209/GT40_GearHead/100_3600.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g209/GT40_GearHead/100_3597.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g209/GT40_GearHead/100_3595.jpg


I apreciate any coments or ideas
like what should i look for
or what are the problem areas

cheers

Also, any other pics? This car might be a 10-footer, looks good from 10 feet away and farther. Considering the location of the pics, it probably is a 10-footer car. Also that car has been repainted; no one would go through the trouble of masking off and painting stock black door handles to red.

I'm surprised that it's not right-hand drive. It has the turn signals substituted for brake lights.

Edit: haha, who left me the rep titled Godly?

[GT40_GearHead]

ouu yeah slug you ow me some pictures :-W remember !! :D

more pics ... just a sec

[Mitternacht]

Here's some inspiration... (http://videos.streetfire.net/video/5893f8c9-123b-4cd4-ab8a-984e0005cc20.htm)
Gets on its wheelie bar 4 times going down the track.

[GT40_GearHead]

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g209/GT40_GearHead/100_3606-1.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g209/GT40_GearHead/100_3612.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g209/GT40_GearHead/100_3611.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g209/GT40_GearHead/100_3610.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g209/GT40_GearHead/100_3609.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g209/GT40_GearHead/100_3607.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g209/GT40_GearHead/100_3606.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g209/GT40_GearHead/100_3605.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g209/GT40_GearHead/100_3604.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g209/GT40_GearHead/100_3602.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g209/GT40_GearHead/100_3601.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g209/GT40_GearHead/100_3599.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g209/GT40_GearHead/100_3598.jpg

[Slug Toy]

man, looks like someone's had a lot of fun in that car, or stole it and left it. who knows.... what you should do is leave a note on the car just in case the owner shows up.

ya i guess i do owe you some pictures. we put the car away before i was able to find a camera to take any. i think i know where it is... everyone is out, ill see if i can get the cover off and take some now. how does that sound?

[GT40_GearHead]

yes yes yes go for it :D:D:D

[Slug Toy]

i swear to god... if i ever figure out where my dad puts the cameras i can die happy. i knew where they were yesterday, and now they've been stashed somewhere. this may take a bit...

<EDIT> ok it gets better yet. i found a camera... batteries are DEAD! no pictures yet until i can get a hold of some more batteries.

[GT40_GearHead]

wheeaaaa the gods are not on my side today :( lol

i did somo more digging and i managed to come up with a price: between 500 and 1000 euro's, nothing more, i found out i can get a great looking one for 10 to 15000 from Italy or Germany

ps: what the hell should i write on the note i have no idea

i had similar idea to the one you had, i was thinking of printing some pics of the car and write under teh picture something like "my name is gt40 my phone nomber is ####### if this is your car could you pleas give a call"


maybe i could do both

[Slug Toy]

i would leave a note saying "are you planning on selling this car? if so, my name is bla and my number is blabla. its my dream car!"

[AJ@PR]

i would leave a note saying "are you planning on selling this car? if so, my name is bla and my number is blabla. its my dream car!"
HMmmmmmmm...
Interesting point...

GT,
Does the car have present, valid inspection/stickers?
Darn it... I can't come up with the english word for it.
The little sticker you get after you pass inspections and pay up...

Does the car have that one updated?
If it doesn't, and it's in a public road... I think that you might get away with... erm... getting it away.

Please triple-check everything... wouldn't want you to piss off a Vette owner. :)

[GT40_GearHead]

not sure if i fully understand what you are saying

lets see:

inspection stickers....i think i know what you mean but not sure where could they be, the windshield maybe??

now i get confused
If it doesn't, and it's in a public road... I think that you might get away with... erm... getting it
away.

Please triple-check everything... wouldn't want you to piss off a Vette owner.

please elaborate... damn this language barrier, my english is also not the most proper one :(

[DaveW]

Don't sound overly eager to buy the car. Oh, and you left the license in one of those pics. ;)

-Dave

[GT40_GearHead]

Don't sound overly eager to buy the car. Oh, and you left the license in one of those pics. ;)

-Dave

lol, yeah i know, i wanted to cover all of them but got bored


and you are right never sound eager to buy something, if so he can squize you for money

ou thanks for the idea slug i think i will post a note tomorw

[GT40_GearHead]

whaaahoooo


we have some progress people !!!!

i found out he wants like 6000$ on it

[Slug Toy]

did the guy say if it runs or what sort of issues it has? it DOES look a bit beat up... and that would be some useful info.

[GT40_GearHead]

i'm still looking for the owner, the price info i got from a pseudo friend, he did say he will give me the owners name, he just has to remember it (stupid idiot) cant wait

again, i'm almost sure that it does not run, my biggest wary is the belt, that thing should be stiff as a dead dog

[OvRiDe]

i my biggest wary is the belt, that thing should be stiff as a dead dog

I wouldn't sweat the belt too much, it may be a pain to switch out, but with some patience and a manual, you could do it yourself. Unfortunately there are a bunch of things that you probably won't be able to do. So just make sure you think it through, check it out thoroughly, and do your research!! You'll do just fine. One thing I ALWAYS keep in the back of my head is "If its too good to be true, then it probably isn't true."


but i saw a show where a guy with an 80's corvette ended up with over 1000 horsepower because of modifications and some tinkering with the fuel injection. it adds a surprising amount of power.

I saw that show too! I believe it was Rides on Discovery. It was about Joe Rogan's (http://www.joerogan.net/) Cuda (http://www.radrides.com/gallery/cuda/10.jpg), that Troy Trepanier (http://www.radrides.com/home.php) built for him. They called this guy in to tune the injection system. Apparently that guy writes fuel injection code from scratch, and of course one of the foremost experts in fuel injection systems. They really didn't say what else was done to his Vette, named "The Time Machine" but, IIRC it was around 1200 HP. AND I think they said it naturally asperated, but I can't find any articles on the web to verify it. The biggest thing I remember was watching Joe Rogan rolling out of the passenger side of the vette, barely able to stand, repeating "That man is crazy!!"

[GT40_GearHead]

I wouldn't sweat the belt too much, it may be a pain to switch out, but with some patience and a manual, you could do it yourself. Unfortunately there are a bunch of things that you probably won't be able to do. So just make sure you think it through, check it out thoroughly, and do your research!! You'll do just fine. One thing I ALWAYS keep in the back of my head is "If its too good to be true, then it probably isn't true."




totally agree with you, its not a very difficult task, what i was saying is that, i think i would not be able to start it the would be out of shape, if the belt is usable, no problem, if not, well... then it gets funny lol

i'll push the damn thing !

[Slug Toy]

I saw that show too! I believe it was Rides on Discovery. It was about Joe Rogan's Cuda, that Troy Trepanier built for him. They called this guy in to tune the injection system. Apparently that guy writes fuel injection code from scratch, and of course one of the foremost experts in fuel injection systems. They really didn't say what else was done to his Vette, named "The Time Machine" but, IIRC it was around 1200 HP. AND I think they said it naturally asperated, but I can't find any articles on the web to verify it. The biggest thing I remember was watching Joe Rogan rolling out of the passenger side of the vette, barely able to stand, repeating "That man is crazy!!"

ya that was the one. yep that troy comes up with some crazy stuff. the fast forward fastback mustang, joe rogan's sick fish cuda, chicane, the time machine, and that 4WD '32 roadster with 600 horsepower.

[GT40_GearHead]

i must say i'm a bit sorry they didn't sayid to much about the "time machine" it's probable a C4 ZR1 corvette with the DOHC 5,7 litre, just a hunch ...

that show is the best !!! compared with.... dono american hot rod... (LAME), i mean he actually creates soemthing not just grab a catalogue and pick some parts

[AJ@PR]

i must say i'm a bit sorry they didn't sayid to much about the "time machine" it's probable a C4 ZR1 corvette with the DOHC 5,7 litre, just a hunch ...

that show is the best !!! compared with.... dono american hot rod... (LAME), i mean he actually creates soemthing not just grab a catalogue and pick some parts

Interesting side-bit:::
That beautiful (esthetic and engineering-wise) engine, the ZR-1's, was designed by Lotus engineering.

Another interesting side-bit:::
Lotus' biggest profits stem not from their automobile sales (Exige and variants), but from their "engineering services".

Yet another:::
Lotus has been comissioned by various companies to design their air bag systems... amongst them, the EB110-era Bugatti.

Last one:::
Another "engineering services" company is Porsche.
They helped design the engine of the Harley Davidson vRod.

Ahhh man... that DOHC 5.7L engine is a real beauty!

As to the "American Hot Rod"... I'm with you.
I mean, cool cars and everything... but... well...
I see them more as a business than as a "passionate shop".

:santa: <-- I never get tired of this guy.

EDIT::: The "Time Machine" car you guys are talking about (never heard of it)... is it 4WD? And is it a C4/ZR1?
So, let me get this straight::: they made a C4/ZR-1 a four wheel drive vehicle?
Wow. I really want to see pictures of the front suspension of that vehicle.
If this is the case, I have no idea how the hell they did it.
They can't transverse the engine block with the drive-shafts... and where the hell did they put the differential? And the transfer case? And the front spindles? I'd guess they'd be from a Torino...
ok enough

[Mitternacht]

The 32 Ford is AWD, not the ZR-1. I've seen that episode of Rides; the Corvette's blue.

[GT40_GearHead]

as mitter said the 32 is 4wd not the ZR1

but if we are on the subject of drive train, could the two of you, tell me what suspension does the c4 corvette use, i cant find any damn pictures, from what i understood it does not have coil over shock suspension, bue a transverse lief spring, am i right ???

please enlighten(?) me

[Mitternacht]

The C4 Corvette's suspension uses equal-length control arms, Bilstein shocks and transversely mounted fiberglass springs. The rear suspension uses an IRS (Independent Rear Suspension) 5-link Dana 36, or 44.
http://www.mcsmk8.com/cars/images/Mvc-009f.jpg
http://www.mcsmk8.com/cars/images/Mvc-005f.jpg

[GT40_GearHead]

now it makes more sense !

a nother question

Q#1 this care has an auto box, what can you tell me about it ??? again lots of infe on the zf 6 speed none on the auto :(

Q#2 could it be posible to put in a manual 6 speed zf ??? replacing the old auto ??

[AJ@PR]

Q#2 could it be posible to put in a manual 6 speed zf ??? replacing the old auto ??

Anything is possible.

Mitternacht will definitely add the correct information here... but... thoughts on the subject...:::

Need:
Transmission
Flywheel
Clutch (disc, pressure plate, etc)
Bellhousing (and the clutch fork... or is it a hydraulic piston?)
shift lever
maybe modify mounting "perch"
maybe modify/new correct driveshaft (dunno)


Mitternacht... nice pics!

[GT40_GearHead]

Mitternacht... nice pics!


yeah mitternacht, is that your ride ??? :D

cause i see that callaway logo there.....:twisted:

[Mitternacht]

naa, I wish I owned a callaway, especially the Aerobody.
http://www.corvettemike.com/admin/showroom/images/22_02.jpg

There's nothing special about the auto trans; it's a 700R4, the Corvette 700R4 is 5/8" shorter than the standard 700R4 from GM.

Manual Trans swap:

brake and clutch pedals
clutch assembly
throw-out bearing and arm
bell housing
clutch alignment tool for clutch install
clutch lines, cable and fluid
hydraulic clutch reservoir
shifter
center console
manual computer, in place of automatic computer
lockout solenoid, EPA ****ty device. Forces a 1-3 shift for fuel economy. Can be deleted.

Gears:
Auto: 3.07:1
Manual: 2.59:1

BTW, the 6-speed, you hit your top speed in 5th. 6th is just a highway gear, and will not go faster than 5th; ratio in 5th is .86:1, 6th is .5:1. Too flat to accelerate in.

[GT40_GearHead]

well then, i can live with a automatic, it looks like it would need a lot of parts to do the swap

am right or automatics are better for the drag strip ?? (amator of course)

[Mitternacht]

Automatics are the best transmissions for drag racing. Manuals are best for AutoX and road courses.

Drag strip, you want the best launch, and flawless shifts that won't cost you precious hundredths of seconds. Automatics have no stall period between shifts. In a manual transmission, you have to slip the clutch just enough on the line so that the tires do not break loose; this takes a lot of practice and a couple of clutches, which aren't easy to swap out. And between shifts in a manual, you have to press the clutch in, get the next gear (2 => 3 shift is tricky, sometimes mistakenly passed up accidentally for a 2 => 5 shift.) and let the clutch back out and floor it. Difference between an auto and manual with a novice drag racer could be a second apart. Experienced drag racers will be .25 seconds quicker in a similar car that's auto.

A tip for the 2 => 3 shift:

Going from 1 => 2 is easy; it's straight down, most commonly. Unless your driving a DeTomaso Pantera. Anywho, 1 => 2 is straight down. Now for the 2 => 3.

1. Get to a couple 100 RPM's below redline.
2. Clutch in and bump the shifter to neutral.
3. Now the cool part, shifters automatically self-center, so all you have to do is push the shifter forward, and you just did a 2 => 3 shift. Practice doing this move, and your 2 => 3 shift will be just as fast as a 1 => 2 shift.
4. Clutch out and go!

[GT40_GearHead]

man this will kill my friends, they all have front drive 1.5-2 litre cars lol

more questions!

can i remove the air con from the car
can remove all the audio
what else can i remove to make it more KISS ???, but still have it running ??

[Mitternacht]

1. Yes.
2. Yes.
3. Remove and replace with lighter stuff. Swapping the headlights for stationary ones, gets rid of the motors for the lights; saves 40 lbs.

Lexan window; 30
Spare tire, jack and assembly; 60 lbs
AC; 20-30lbs, not sure.

and much more!

[GT40_GearHead]

that is great news, because it means less things to repair ! :D
AND a lighter car

is it me or is it turning into a ratvette ?

what other thing can be kicked out of the engine bay ?

[GT40_GearHead]

is there any way to control teh automatic ?? make like a sequential box?

mitter, hope your there!


ps: + rep for everyone who posted, and helped me with this thing

[Mitternacht]

If you mean electronically, like Tiptronic Transmissions, no. And buying one is expensive.

[GT40_GearHead]

so you are telling me there is no way to everride the automatic actions.... to bad...:(

[Mitternacht]

I'm sure they make a kit, but having the transmission that already does that, like the autos in the C6, is better than making one tiptronic. That way, it's built exactly the way it's meant to be used.

[Slug Toy]

i think there are ways to electronically change the transmission. its kind of similar to how you can fiddle with the fuel injection. you can probably change the rpm at which a shift happens... but beyond that im not sure.

what you should do too, is change the timings so you can shoot fire out the exhaust.

[Mitternacht]

i think there are ways to electronically change the transmission. its kind of similar to how you can fiddle with the fuel injection. you can probably change the rpm at which a shift happens... but beyond that im not sure.

what you should do too, is change the timings so you can shoot fire out the exhaust.

=\

...timing controls when the cylinder fires, and it has nothing to do with flamethrower exhaust. That involves adding a spark plug before your exhaust tips, and revving the engine, letting fuel go through not fully burned.

[Slug Toy]

could have sworn that changing the timing "properly" would cause some flames. maybe im thinking of adding propane to the exhaust...

[GT40_GearHead]

well if you would to retard the sparks long enough, it would prob live a lot of unburned fuel, but you would make a very weak engine..... or it wouldn't start at all


what i know for sure, is that, when taking your foot of the gas, if the engine was in high rev, it would dump unburned fuel in the exhaust, and if the pipes where to be hot enough, it would detonate, but you would need something close to open exhoust, otherwise the mufflers would spoil your show

[Bucko]

There are flame thrower kits available which consist of a fuel injector and a spark plug, which you mount at the end of your exhaust near the tail pipe.
Rev engine, hit button on dash and you have flames!

[GT40_GearHead]

I've seen a lot of people with thorn exhausts from those things lol, the muffler looked like a flower

[Slug Toy]

i guess that makes sense... now that i think of it. thats why race cars always blow some flames out when they slow down for a corner.

[GT40_GearHead]

as we are on the subject of cars, how is your project ?

[Drew]

Corvette?

Gimme a Cossie powered Mk2 Escort with forest arches anyday...

[GT40_GearHead]

so i see your with Ford ?... :D

[Drew]

Yup, it's the only way.

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/drew555/Ford_Escort_Mk1_Race_Car.jpg

mmmmmmm.....sexy.......

[GT40_GearHead]

i think i have some "vintage" pictures of this car in rallys !

i'll post them when i come back from my woman

[Drew]

i'll post them when i come back from my woman

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/drew555/bb.jpg http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/drew555/bbbb.jpg http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/drew555/bbb.jpg

I, like, totally can't believe you just said that!




Maybe I'm just a sicko....


:edit: back on topic.....dont worry 'bout the tyres...they're only flat at the bottom...roll it forward a foot so the flat bit's at the top and they'll be fine...

[Mitternacht]

:edit: back on topic.....dont worry 'bout the tyres...they're only flat at the bottom...roll it forward a foot so the flat bit's at the top and they'll be fine...

:? ...are you kidding me?

[Slug Toy]

as we are on the subject of cars, how is your project ?

my electric thing? well ive gone through a cycle of disinterest, and im back at the drawing board again. ive been trying to get a hold of a 3D modelling program better than sketchup... something like CAD, but its hard to find. ive also been looking into design techniques for carbon fibre.

overall... im getting closer and closer every time i come back to it. good news is that im taking the summer off school, and "looking" for a geology job. i put quotes around looking because most companies are looking for people with more experience in the field than i have. odds are that i wont get a job this summer because im just an odd man out in the industry right now. that means ill probably get in with my friend's dad's BPL company instead... meaning more time at home hopefully, meaning more time to tinker with ideas. i might actually start some fabrication this summer.

right now i just really want to find a better program than sketchup... the chassis design didnt go too well with that program. its just not flexible enough for what i want. actually if anyone has any knowledge of a good automotive design program let me know... because my searches have gotten me nowhere, and i cant really afford an expensive CAD cd.

anyways, back to your corvette. i had an idea. if you can afford to do it, slap a big blower on that thing. blowers on corvettes look pretty cool. my dad's friend had a sting ray back in the 70's with a big blower on it. cherry red, chromed up, and there were red led's in the blower and under the car. they called it the mind blower. apparently they used to tow their cobra power boat with it... and do burn outs. that would have been a sight... a souped up sting ray towing a boat and burning out.

[GT40_GearHead]

:edit: back on topic.....dont worry 'bout the tyres...they're only flat at the bottom...roll it forward a foot so the flat bit's at the top and they'll be fine...


:? ...are you kidding me?

well, `i don't think i am that brave, to use those, if one of them tires has a defect, you may not see me for a long time...
So new tires all the way around


my electric thing? well ive gone through a cycle of disinterest, and im back at the drawing board again. ive been trying to get a hold of a 3D modelling program better than sketchup... something like CAD, but its hard to find. ive also been looking into design techniques for carbon fibre.

overall... im getting closer and closer every time i come back to it. good news is that im taking the summer off school, and "looking" for a geology job. i put quotes around looking because most companies are looking for people with more experience in the field than i have. odds are that i wont get a job this summer because im just an odd man out in the industry right now. that means ill probably get in with my friend's dad's BPL company instead... meaning more time at home hopefully, meaning more time to tinker with ideas. i might actually start some fabrication this summer.

right now i just really want to find a better program than sketchup... the chassis design didnt go too well with that program. its just not flexible enough for what i want. actually if anyone has any knowledge of a good automotive design program let me know... because my searches have gotten me nowhere, and i cant really afford an expensive CAD cd.

anyways, back to your corvette. i had an idea. if you can afford to do it, slap a big blower on that thing. blowers on corvettes look pretty cool. my dad's friend had a sting ray back in the 70's with a big blower on it. cherry red, chromed up, and there were red led's in the blower and under the car. they called it the mind blower. apparently they used to tow their cobra power boat with it... and do burn outs. that would have been a sight... a souped up sting ray towing a boat and burning out.

software sucks man, its to damn expensive, cant live with it, cant live without it :dead:
a while ago you sent me a scketch of the outer design, are going with the same general idea?

aaaaaaaaaa the blower! i must admit a blower looks good on any V8, hell if it don't fit put trough the hod!

but yeah a gave it some thought, the problem is, gas price :dead: , in here the gas costs something around 1.7$/L not gallon but liter, its bloody expensive,so a blower or turbo may not be the best way to go....

the next idea i had was alcohol, but i don't know much about it, i know some cars use it, funny cars, and some drag cars
after alcohol came nitro methan again not to much info on it
and the last was methanol, same story, don't know much about it

[Slug Toy]

we'll see about the body design. like i said... im always changing things up, and i havent created anything that im really happy with. eventually ill stumble on a shape that just looks awesome, but its looks like it going to take a while.

as for ethanol and methanol, those are fairly good fuels. they already put ethanol additives in gas, and cars still run fine on it. going with 100% ethanol... im not sure. lets have a look at a couple equations for a second.

combustion of ethanol:

CH3CH2OH + 3O2 = 3H2O + 2CO2 heat of combustion = -1406.8kJ/mol = -24.12kJ/mL

combustion of octane:

2CH3CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH3 + 25O2 = 18H2O = 16CO2 heat of combustion = -5508.9kJ/mol = -33.76kJ/mL

so looking at that information, you may not know what im talking about. basically, ethanol uses less oxygen to burn than octane does for obvious reasons. ethanol has fewer carbons and can actually supply a tiny bit of its own oxygen for combustion.

not only that, but the heats of combustion are interesting. at the molar scale, ethanol gives off quite a bit less energy than octane. when you change that to volume though, a certain amount of ethanol will produce 2/3 the energy that the same amount of octane will. keep in mind octane is higher power stuff than most of what you find in gas too.

what does this all mean? ethanol may not be quite as powerful as gas, but its really close. its worth looking at. on top of that... id hazard a guess that it would work in a regular gas engine. you may just have to tweak the fuel-air mixtures to make up for the fact that ethanol doesnt need as much.

[Drew]

:? ...are you kidding me?


Yeah, I am...

Tyre fitter for years...

For clarification - They will NOT be ok if you roll the car forwards...the flat bit will move around... :rolleyes:

[GT40_GearHead]

i wonder if i could sell the old ones...... neaaah i would prob kill some one

[Drew]

Errrr...

Likely...

[AJ@PR]

what does this all mean? ethanol may not be quite as powerful as gas, but its really close. its worth looking at. on top of that... id hazard a guess that it would work in a regular gas engine. you may just have to tweak the fuel-air mixtures to make up for the fact that ethanol doesnt need as much.

w00t w00t!!!
Chemistry! w00t!

Ethanol...
A dear subject of mine... :)

Presently, the industry mixes EtOH (ethanol) into regular fuel... keeping the blend under 10%.
Now, the promising fuel, E85, is 85% EtOH and the remainder is gasoline.

Engines can run E85 without modifications... but they're definitely worth doing.
As SlugToy said, some tweaking of the air/fuel tables to make it "just right".

Other than that, the fuel system needs to be "special". Gas tank. Fuel pump. Fuel lines. Filter(s). Fuel injectors. All fuel gaskets.
Usually, these parts are upgraded to be coated with Teflon... reason being that E85 is more corrosive than gasoline.

Other than that... E85 looks good.
Energy balance isn't that impressive, but... less pollution. :)

[GT40_GearHead]

thanks for the info slug !

as you said its close, very close, the only thing is that you have to make the EFI understand what is happening


Engines can run E85 without modifications

hmm, i'm not sure about that, the vette guys say that its a no go in a c4


Energy balance isn't that impressive, but... less pollution.

well i dont know about pollution but if its cheap i like it :D

[Mitternacht]

Yeah, I am...

Tyre fitter for years...

For clarification - They will NOT be ok if you roll the car forwards...the flat bit will move around... :rolleyes:

It sounded like you said that those tires wuld be ok; that's what I thought.

[Drew]

I did say that, I was being sarcastic.

My bad.

[Slug Toy]

Other than that, the fuel system needs to be "special". Gas tank. Fuel pump. Fuel lines. Filter(s). Fuel injectors. All fuel gaskets.
Usually, these parts are upgraded to be coated with Teflon... reason being that E85 is more corrosive than gasoline.


thats interesting... alcohol being corrosive. ive never heard that one before. alcohols are generally prone to being a base from what i know unless you modify them with a halogen.

ethanol itself has a pKa of 16. to put this into perspective, vinegar (very very similar structure to ethanol because you can make it from ethanol) has a pKa of 4.76. the smaller the number, the stronger the acid. vinegar is a weak acid, and seeming as pKa is a logarithmic scale, that means that ethanol is 10^11.24 times weaker than vinegar.

personally, i wouldnt worry about acidity. id be more concerned with adhesive forces due to the fact that ethanol can hydrogen bond. it may change the behavior of the fuel pump and injectors in a non-desired way, but i dont know for sure. the problem may also arise from the fact that ethanol is a smaller molecule than most found in gas. it may get through cracks easier, so better seals may be needed.

anyways... im not a fuel guy.. thats why im doing my electric thing. but the chemistry is telling me that acidity isnt a reason for modification to run on ethanol. beyond that... id need to do some research.

[GT40_GearHead]

slug you bring the science in this thing ! thanks man

the only thing that i hav thought of before asking you guys was, that ethanol has a different denisity thatm gas, so you need special injectors, and different mixture balance because it would need a different air mixture

but this is interesting

now for a nother question!
this ethanol is all nice and juicy, BUT there is a problem, i don't see it around here, so the question is: can i make it, like when you distil stuff to make drinks???

[Slug Toy]

thats a big yes. you can make it no problem. theres two cheap things you can do.

1) use grapes or another type of fruit. this is what you use to make wines. its gives you about 12-13% alcohol when its done. yeast cant survive in anything higher than 12-13%.

2) use corn to make it. this is what they use to make whisky and scotch and a few other hard liquors. it gives you about the same amount of alcohol because it uses yeast too.

the biggest factor is whether corn is cheaper than fruit. go with the cheapest, because quality isnt an issue... quantity is.

theres another trick to make grand marnier that i know. you take a jar and put about an inch of brown sugar in the bottom. then you suspend an orange from the lid so that it wont touch the brown sugar. then put the lid on, and make sure the jar is nice and sealed. let it sit for quite a while. eventually the orange will shrivel up, and the brown sugar will liquefy into crude grand marnier. i dont know what alcohol percentage you get out of this one. its tricky too because the orange has a tendency to go rotten at the wrong time.

after you make your booze, you have to distill it. you'll need to make a fractional distillation setup. ill try and find a schematic... i have one around here in my lab book.

one thing to keep in mind is the sheer quantity of stuff you have to be making. i dont know what size gas tank the '92 corvette has, but lets just say 60 liters for now. since any fermentation give you 12-13% alcohol, lets go half way and say 12.5%. to get 60 liters of alcohol, that means you need to make 480 liters of booze. thats just for one fill up too. how often would you be filling up? for a regular commuter car with a 60 liter tank... id say twice a week. that means you need to produce 960 liters a week! if the corvette is just a good-weather cruising car, its a little better because you might only take it out for a few hours every couple of weeks, so you dont need to produce as much.

if you want to be making your own ethanol fuel, you pretty much need a large scale brewery. its legal as far as i know providing you dont start selling to people. the big question is do you have the space for it? do you have the time to spare? you need like... 4 bathtubs brewing all the time, and a pretty big distillation setup to handle the volume. not only that... but i think it takes at least two weeks for fermentation to complete. you'd probably want to stagger the tubs half a week at a time so you always have something finishing up. it gets complicated pretty quick, and possibly time consuming unless you have the means to get some sophisticated automation happening. maybe thats where a computer program and some ideas for a machine from tybrenis may come in handy.

anyways... its a lot to think about. im not going to say any more about it unless you're willing to devote your basement, and at least every saturday to distilling and brewing.

[GT40_GearHead]

this is great news!

my dad makes wine every year, but only a few liters lol, and a nother thing similar to vodka

it would be great to be ablo to do this, but its HUGE, after i get the car, i must see if the car will like it :D, drunken vette lol
the only problem i see is that this would be a "funny" car, you know.... burn outs, drags, scaring the **** out of friends, that kind of car
so the consumption may be on the large side !

now for a stupid question, is this ethanol the stuff that is used in hospitals?

[Slug Toy]

maybe. i cant tell you for sure. a lot of different alcohols can be used to dissinfect. you can use methanol, ethanol, propanol, isopropanol... probably even more too, but to list them all would take forever.

the trick here is that different alcohols have different properties. methanol is more unstable than ethanol, but doesnt give off as much energy. propanol is more STABLE than ethanol, but gives off more energy.

realistically, you probably cant do much better than ethanol for the money and trouble involved. you could get some higher power stuff... but you may need a chemist license or you may have to make it yourself with some very complex reflux stuff.

so when you say large consumption... how large are we talking? do you plan on driving it daily? maybe once or twice a week? in the summer? this would affect you if you make your own fuel. if you dont drive it in the winter... you have plenty of time to stock up on ethanol. same goes if you only drive it on weekends too. chances are that will take the fuel consumption down quite a bit.

i forgot what i was talking about now... any more questions?

<EDIT> just for the heck of it, i found an interesting fact. the alcohol pentanol is used as an artificial flavouring. that may mean it is reasonably easy to get a hold of and cheap. i dont know for sure.

[GT40_GearHead]

i was asking you the hospital thing, because i was thinking if i could buy...

so lets say i stock up on it in the winter, and build a decent amount of fuel, but what if i use it up to quick, could i buy it from somewhere, like a drugstore.... lol

- hello
- hello..
- how can i help you sir ?
- hmm well yeah... i would like 200L of ethanol please
- O.o

[AJ@PR]

Hey SlugToy,

Nice chemistry and math :)
EtOH... plus water is the problem.

Is the use of ethanol as an alternative fuel a corrosive pipe dream? It could be thanks to ethanol's widely unknown dirty little secret. The infrastructure for transporting oil or fuel is through the use of metal pipelines, tanker truck or railway tanker. But there's just one slight problem. High concentrations of ethanol are corrosive to the metal pipelines. When you stop to think about it, that's actually a major problem.

A smooth transition to ethanol seems highly unlikely since ethanol has a water affinity problem. That is, it absorbs water. Ethanol corrosion in metal pipes can lead to internal stress cracking and can accelerate damage to weld joints. The damage can be extremely difficult to detect and very costly to repair. Due to ethanol's corrosive characteristics, production may not be able to meet ethanol demand soon enough.
this from http://www.netscape.com/viewstory/2006/07/07/ethanols-corrosive-little-secret/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ethanol-news.com%2Farchives%2Fethanol_secret.htm&frame=true

I'd reckon they'd have the same problems inside a car's fuel system.

[Slug Toy]

i was asking you the hospital thing, because i was thinking if i could buy...

you know... ive never seen pure ethanol for sale before. you HAVE to be able to get it somewhere since its already used as fuel. i just dont know where to get it. i cant even guess what sort of price you would have to pay either. ill look into that.

while im thinking about it, ask your dad about fusel alcohol AKA fusel oil. any brewer should know what it is. it could be quite a useful fact of fermentation conditions.


Nice chemistry and math
EtOH... plus water is the problem.
Quote:
Is the use of ethanol as an alternative fuel a corrosive pipe dream? It could be thanks to ethanol's widely unknown dirty little secret. The infrastructure for transporting oil or fuel is through the use of metal pipelines, tanker truck or railway tanker. But there's just one slight problem. High concentrations of ethanol are corrosive to the metal pipelines. When you stop to think about it, that's actually a major problem.

A smooth transition to ethanol seems highly unlikely since ethanol has a water affinity problem. That is, it absorbs water. Ethanol corrosion in metal pipes can lead to internal stress cracking and can accelerate damage to weld joints. The damage can be extremely difficult to detect and very costly to repair. Due to ethanol's corrosive characteristics, production may not be able to meet ethanol demand soon enough.
this from http://www.netscape.com/viewstory/20...m&frame=tru e

I'd reckon they'd have the same problems inside a car's fuel system.

heres the problem with that. the water is whats doing the damage. ethanol has nothing to do with it except the fact that it can hydrogen bond with water. theres nothing corrosive about it at all. basically, the issue is rust. now that i think of it... that may be why gaskets, injectors, and pumps have to be modified... teflon would definitely stop the rusting, and its a low friction surface, which doesnt hurt.

ill dig up my fractional distillation stuff tomorrow, and either paraphrase it or scan it in. im going to bed now though. if im lucky i get 4 hours of sleep before a long day at school.

[GT40_GearHead]

man get some sleep! we will talk about it tomorrow

[GT40_GearHead]

you guys are not going to belive this but.... i think i also need to buy a truck :D

i'll go find a good pic :D:D:D

here she is lol

http://www.roman.ro/images/istoric/1959-1961.jpg

ouu and it may be a V8 version :D great for moving the vette dont you think :D

[GT40_GearHead]

You could always throw some of that money from your money tree my way, and I could invest it in my daughters college fund for you if you like.


lol.... big lol !

man i wish i would have a money tree :d... but i dont....:((
plus the truck is like 150 200$ i'm not sure if you could do something with that

[Slug Toy]

dude, you're going to have a fleet of vehicles pretty soon. you might as well get into racing. use the truck to tow the cars around the country/continent. and all ethanol powered...

did you ask your dad about fusel oil yet? i know you'd be interested to learn about it since it has to do with creating higher powered alcohols. im just not going to tell you myself... im feeling sly right now.

i found some fractional distillation stuff for you. im going to dinner and the gym first, then ill get that info to you in about 4 or 5 hours.

[GT40_GearHead]

5 ours is great ! i'll be able to come back from school
ass for the fusel oil i'm having a hard time translating, but i'll get it

[Slug Toy]

ok i dont have access to a scanner, so i found some sites with fractional distillation information. not surprisingly, wikipedia has plenty of information, and a diagram of an apparatus.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractional_distillation

have a read through that stuff, and look at the pictures. its actually not all that hard to understand. fractional distillation is essentially the type of distillation you would think about every day.

one thing to note though is the part about azeotropes. it actually uses ethanol and water as an example. basically, it says that you cant get 100% pure ethanol through distillation. thats a slightly harder concept to explain, but all you need to know is that you cant get 100% purity. right now im looking into other methods to get rid of that last bit of water that would be left.

if you havent gotten the fusel oil thing yet, here you go. i wont let you squirm any longer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusel_oil

once you read up on that, you'll see why i figure your dad should know some stuff about it since he makes wine.

speaking of fusel oils, this page looks interesting. its a list of yeasts and their attributes.

http://www.whitelabs.com/beer/craft_strains_ales.html

take note of the yeast at the bottom of the page. its WLP099 Super High Gravity Ale Yeast. it can produce up to 25% alcohol... very good. another thing to note is its optimum activity temperature... 65-69 degrees farenheit. this yeast will give you a lot of ethanol, but also if you want to try and get lots of fusel oil, i would expect that you just need to go between 75-80 degrees farenheit and lower the pH a bit, and you should get plenty of that too. it would probably take some experimentation to get perfected.

anyways, i think thats plenty to think about for now. ill let you soak that in while i eventually go to bed and school again.

[GT40_GearHead]

thank you so much :D

you just gave me and my dad a lot of homework :D

[Slug Toy]

i had another thought that i just have to get down before i fall asleep. if you decide to try and make your own fuel, might i suggest investing in some good glass equipment, and a nice big hotplate. i know that a lot of brewers use stainless steel, but glass can be cleaner if you take good care of it. thats why chemistry labs use glass. not to mention that proper glassware is very smooth, practically eliminating the possibility of premature crystallization or formation around an imperfection. stainless steel will always have tiny tiny scratches here and there just because its a metal.

granted... its not like you NEED nice clean stuff to work with. this is an "industrial" purpose, not something you plan on drinking... unless you're desperate. besides, with glass you can see whats happening, and thats always cool.

[GT40_GearHead]

i just came across some great news!
PURE BIO CONCEPT DOUBLES THE GRUNT (http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=15882)

[AJ@PR]

i just came across some great news!
PURE BIO CONCEPT DOUBLES THE GRUNT (http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=15882)

I wish I could smack some journalists through my computer monitor...

It's innovative and everything, but... doubles the grunt?
OBVIOUSLY it double the grunt, cause they freaking changed the compression ratio, hotter cams (I'm sure), high turbo pressure, revised fuel/spark maps, etc.
Well DUH it doubles it...

...........

Anyways, nice find GT40... fun facts are always useful ! :) :)
Bunny! :bunny:
Bunnies! :bunny: :bunny: :bunny:

[Slug Toy]

i thought this thread was going to die. glad to see it back alive... maybe it'll get my mind of being sick right now... i passed out trying to get up for school this morning at 6 and didnt come to until about 2 in the afternoon. talk about severe head rush.

that article brings up an interesting issue for me. higher compression, higher boost... i wonder if alcohols can withstand higher pressures and more extreme conditions than regular old hydrocarbons. based off pure gut instinct... i would guess that they WOULD be more stable, and therefore better at higher pressures and temperatures. i cant say for sure though. i need to do some research.

while i do that... hows the home brewing idea coming along?

[GT40_GearHead]

god damn, you where out for 8 hours, that ain't good, what did you get? influenza ?

higher compression and higher boost is the way to go, but you have to put in a bloody well designed intercooler or chargecooler to keep it from knocking!
but if turbocharging is the only whay to get power out if this fuel, i'm not a happy camper :(, i like it simple, charging is not simple :D will sleep on it....:D


brewing is moving along, i asked dad if he can get me a fractional distillation column from work, he is a chemist engineer, so he might find something at work, a nice clean glass one :D

[GT40_GearHead]

http://www.supercars.net/carpics/3756/2007_Koenigsegg_CCXR1.jpg


<March 2nd, 2007 - When thinking about supercars, one of the last things that spring to mind are their environmental friendliness.

Even though the very low and exclusive production volume of Koenigsegg can hardly be considered to have a measurable impact on the Co2 problem that global society is facing, it is an impressive statement that even a small and extreme company like Koenigsegg can afford to develop environmentally focussed solutions.

By following conscientious and forward thinking strategies, Koenigsegg has managed to create the Bio Fuel Powered CCXR - environmentally friendly 1200 with even more spectacular performance than the standard CCX.

These two almost confl icting results are made possible due to the simple fact that the ethanol in biofuel has the positive side effect of cooling the combustion chambers, as well as a higher octane value, well over 100 RON, which gives the high power. Due to the fact that the biofuel has higher octane and cooling characteristics, the power has gone up to 1018 hp at 7200 rpm and the torque to 1060 nm at 6100 rpm.

It is natural to expect a substantial gain in power when optimizing the engine for E85(biofuel) instead of Petrol. Still the actual gain obtained even surprised the enthusiastic engineers at Koenigsegg.

Following the long term strategy of Koenigsegg, all previous CCXs will have the possibility to be converted by the factory to accept the biofuel option and reap the performance and environmental benefi ts of this wonderful and eco friendly fuel.

The CCXR Biofuel upgrade has been developed in-house on the factory's engine dyno by the skilled technicians at Koenigsegg, led by Christian Koenigsegg, Marco Garver and Anders Hoglund from the Koenigsegg partner company Cargine Engineering.

Curiously enough the CCXR is the first homologated car currently in production to reach over 1000 BHP. >

[AJ@PR]

^^^^ Nice.

[Slug Toy]

put me down for a matching pair.

[AJ@PR]

put me down for a matching pair.

Oh Slug!
You're so cool!

Always thinking of your friends.

Thanks man... I really appreciate it.

Can you order mine with blacked-out wheels and trim?

:p :p

[GT40_GearHead]

o bit of topic but hell, you can miss this!
http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/data/500/Clearwheels2_Small_.JPG

[AJ@PR]

o bit of topic but hell, you can miss this!
http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/data/500/Clearwheels2_Small_.JPG

I wonder what the hell it's made of.

Acryclic?
Super-plastic?

I bet I can destroy it within 0.5miles. :D

[GT40_GearHead]

They are called Radurra wheels -

Radurra is Italian for Clear
The creator and patent holder of “the clear wheel” Doug McGoon and Forgiato have combined to turn this idea into a real drivable wheel.

In 2006 we proudly produced and introduced “The Clear Wheel” called Radurra for cars and motorcycles.

Again we return to our roots of jewelry manufacturing. A technique known as bezel setting which only master diamond setters can know, is where the diamonds are just slightly larger than the bezel they are set into, and held in place by pressure. Understanding this, we put the same care and consideration towards the Radurra as we would towards a fine watch. By eliminating the alloy center of a three piece forged wheel and setting into its place a hard coated polycarbonate center with a glass-like finish we achieve an amazing and stunning look, with a finished product that looks too good to be a wheel. Much the same way the diamond is set into a bezel setting, the polycarbonate center is set into the forged aluminum hoops with precision machining and a jeweler’s touch… the end result is a wheel that is strong, safe and beautiful. Now show off your high performance brakes and suspension on your high-end car or motorcycle. The same way you would add diamonds to your platinum watch, add the Radurra to your “platinum” car or custom chopper. With a vast range of color and finish options, your Radurra is sure to be as individual as yourself or your clientele.

The Radurra is currently available in twenty and twenty-two inch, and are custom built on order for your car or motorcycle.


The same way all Forgiato Wheels are custom built by master craftsmen.
(More sizes available soon)

Technical Data
The center is 1.5 or 2” polycarbonate, chemical hard coated both sides.

Weight 20” - 27 lbs, and 22” - 38 lbs (complete wheel weight)

All other parts of the wheel are forged 6061t aluminum
(Inner and outer hoops and Hub center)

SAE tested, certified and passed Impact, cornering and radial tests.

Now in production, average delivery time is 6-8 weeks.

Suggested retail is $5000.00 per wheel

[AJ@PR]

^^^ Interesting info... :)

[Mitternacht]

I saw those clear wheels featured on a Lexus at some car show, I think it was at thee CarQuest World of Wheels.

[GT40_GearHead]

here comes another.... different concept !!!







































































http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g209/GT40_GearHead/TheTumblerBatmanBegins.jpg