Yet Another Resto-Turbo Build

AngryEyes

Active member
Hey guys, about a month ago I bought a 4-door 1971 Comet with the 250 mated to a c4 and running back to 3.00:1 gears. It was in really rough shape, and still is to be honest, but that's another thing.

My original plan was to cam, port, HEI ignition, 3.55's and call it a day. But then I saw a 10 second boosted 300.... then I found Kellys car. The same day that I saw her car and their setup I purchased a turbocharger. The next day the head was removed.

As it stands I think I have it all figured out, but I'm hoping you guys can shed some light on things I may be missing.



Fuel: 5 Gallon cell mounted in the engine bay, running to a 255 lph Walboro and being regulated by a mallory 4309 regulator. From here it flows to two different places, one is a line from the reg to the carb, the other line is a direct line from the pump to an injector I have mounted on my carb hat. "Just in case"

Air: Turbo, Intercooler, wastegate set at 10 psi with a boost controller for the track, blow off valve. Need I say more? This has to be the easiest engine ever to plumb the turbo into.

Ignition: Duraspark dizzy with a high output coil and a gm 5-pin HEI module since it lets me pull 5 degrees of timing just by grounding a pin. Some nice beefy plug wires, and stock copper plugs w/ a slightly larger gap.

Head mods: direct mount holley 2 bbl setup, new valve springs, new valve stem seals since they were all broken when i got it. Little bit of porting, soaked all the valves in diesel and removed 90% of the carbon, doing the same to the heads right now.

Other odds and ends: AEM afr wideband gauge, boost gauge, a set of two switches on my dash, one that retards timing and one that fires the auxilary injector. Boost check valve for the vaccuum advance and the transmission modulator...

My goal is to be able to safely run 10 psi on the street, and to run higher on the track. Its also got a lot of weight reduction going on... and some paint etc...

Am I missing anything glaringly obvious? I know I may break some parts but thy'll get replaced as it happens (forged pistons when I blow some up, eventually an aluminum head). For what its worth I'm a student, so funds are tight, but I'm trying to everything as "right" as I can, but an MSD box for timing is out of the question, and Forged pistons are on the summer "while you're making 30$ an hour" to buy list.

Some ask why build a fast 6 cylinder 4 door. I say because I already have a fast no-door and a fast v8 :)
 
Maybe consider mounting the fuel cell in the trunk along with the battery, bonus is you are pulling weight off the noise of the car for better acceleration. Besides that the closer you can get it to a 50 / 50 weight balance front to rear the better handling will be. Good luck :nod:
 
I've considered that, id do it in a heartbeat if I could find a place inmy city who could sell me lines and wires that werent astronomically priced. I know you have to pay to play but damn. The one guy wanted 15$ a pop for AN fittings... and i forget the lines price but too much.
 
AngryEyes":19nx4jf2 said:
Fuel: 5 Gallon cell mounted in the engine bay, running to a 255 lph Walboro and being regulated by a mallory 4309 regulator. From here it flows to two different places, one is a line from the reg to the carb, the other line is a direct line from the pump to an injector I have mounted on my carb hat. "Just in case"

why do you want to put a five gallon fuel cell in your engine compartment?
 
BEcause the stock tank is filled with rust/clogged fuel filters in no time flat. and I had the fuel cell laying around. Pl;us im not gonna run it with more than 5 at a time anyway, if youd seen the price of good gasoline here youd understand haha

Also this moderator approval is annoying...
 
AngryEyes":7l116poi said:
BEcause the stock tank is filled with rust/clogged fuel filters in no time flat. and I had the fuel cell laying around. Pl;us im not gonna run it with more than 5 at a time anyway, if youd seen the price of good gasoline here youd understand haha

Also this moderator approval is annoying...

my advice is to not cheap out on the fuel system. get yourself a new replacement fuel tank, i suggest the 1970 tank for maximum capacity at 22 gallons. and then set the fuel cell above the factory tank in the trunk so you can run two different grades of fuel and keep large quantities of fuel out of the engine compartment. you dont really need a large quantity of a flammable liquid right next to an ignition source.

as for the post approval, its only ofr the first 5 posts, so hang in there.
 
Ill keep an eye out for a new tank, but as for the cell, you guys made me wonder so I asked my SAE Formula Racing team where I could get line cheap and they said they'd get it for me :) So the tank and battery will now be rear mount. Which works fine for me since I'll need traction.
 
cool project! I love the idea of a 4 door turbo six. the 2 doors look like they should be fast, so if they aren't its lame, the 4 doors look slow so they are extra cool when they are fast. plus the dork factor of the 6 cylinder.


get some pics up somewhere asap! the people demand it!


you can try a parker or aeroquip hydraulics distributor in your area. They will also have the JIC fittings in brass which may be cheaper than anodized aluminum.
 
255 lph Walboro and being regulated by a mallory 4309 regulator. From here it flows to two different places, one is a line from the reg to the carb, the other line is a direct line from the pump to an injector I have mounted on my carb hat.

I think you are going to have problems with this arrangement. If you are going to T into the high pressure line from the pump to the injector, the 4309 reg will reduce the line pressure to the same as your carb pressure and the injector won't flow its rated value. If you run the injector unregulated it will dead head the pump which will give you 140+ psi (and 20 amp draw) - and an unhappy injector! I suggest that you buy a 4305M reg to drive the injector(s) and a separate pump for the carb.

I agree with the fuel tank opinions, fuel storage in the engine bay is a recipe for a barbecue. On my EFI swap MGB, I have two fuel pumps, low pressure pump feeds a swirl pot which returns to the main tank. A high pressure pump pulls from the swirl pot to feed the injection system. That stuff is all mounted at the back of the car.

The F150 outran the stock pump, but the replacement is keeping up while using the stock lines.

For -AN fittings, check Summit Racing. I have had some luck buying braided -AN from eBay, but thats one of those caveat emptor situations.
 
AngryEyes":l45ebba4 said:
SAE Formula Racing team
University of Regina?

I only found you guys' Baja page, do you have both Formula and Baja?
If you have a Formula team, look out for the bearded guy from University of South Florida at competition this year, I'll buy you a beer.
 
Asa":2siy57bu said:
AngryEyes":2siy57bu said:
SAE Formula Racing team
University of Regina?

I only found you guys' Baja page, do you have both Formula and Baja?
If you have a Formula team, look out for the bearded guy from University of South Florida at competition this year, I'll buy you a beer.

Im not sure if our car will be ready for comps this year, smaller uni budgets and all, but we do have a car nad plans to compete again!

As for Turbo_B's point. The injector is entirely, 100%, hopefully, NEVER gonna fire. Its purpose IS to add a bunch of fuel. The fuel lines go like this:

___injector
Tank - Pump - <___ reg _______ carb
| |
-------------------------

Its more a little testing thing I have going on.

And sure I'll add up some photos later on, Im thinking tonight Ill finish the log manifold modifications. Maybe get half the valves back in even.
 
Just an update, I didnt get much done on the actual car, but I secured a source for 100 octane AvGas :) Ill be buying 20 gallons at a time, Since I work at a bar I snagged a keg for 10$ slipped to the right guy, ripped the spear out, and now have a TOUGH 15 gallons jug to store the excess in.

Since AvGas is supposed to almost NEVER detonate (just imagine detonation on takeoff facing some trees or something) I figure I should be able to mix it with the quesionable quality 93 octane we have here and have a -decent- gas to run, or run it 100% Av, haven't decided yet, it's about 30 cents more per liter.
 
AngryEyes":1ihumhp8 said:
Just an update, I didnt get much done on the actual car, but I secured a source for 100 octane AvGas :) Ill be buying 20 gallons at a time, Since I work at a bar I snagged a keg for 10$ slipped to the right guy, ripped the spear out, and now have a TOUGH 15 gallons jug to store the excess in.

Since AvGas is supposed to almost NEVER detonate (just imagine detonation on takeoff facing some trees or something) I figure I should be able to mix it with the quesionable quality 93 octane we have here and have a -decent- gas to run, or run it 100% Av, haven't decided yet, it's about 30 cents more per liter.

one bit of advice, make sure you pay any road taxes due on the av gas you use on the highways. otherwise you could have the local constabulary knocking on your door looking for said taxes.
 
AngryEyes":37214l45 said:
Any Idea how one would do that? In Canada?

I don't wanna get pegged for that

talk to your local government infirmation office, hey should be able to point you n the right direction
 
Well, thought I'd update you all! The car is coming along nicely. It will have disc brakes and a posi rear end by the time summer hits. Plus the body is getting closer to being able to be painted. BUt thats a distant future lol, On the bright side, I'm at the point that Ill be able to bolt up everything, give it a tune, and goooo! I modded my distributor today. Ill be able to look in my initial at about 12 to start, with centrifugal limited to 16. Plus vaccuum advance but thats a whole nother ball game. My centrifugal advance will be all in by about 2400 RPM, which is good, since i will be starting to make boost right around there I believe :D The car is currently so light I can lift up the rear end by hand, or at least support it as I found out the other day when a jackstand failed :shock:

Being a firm believer in doing everything right the first time, I got a modernized fuse box, and have been keeping myself busy redoing the electrical. and the OHSHIT system. Which fires an auxillary injector directly into the carb hat, and retards timing by 5 degrees automagically. I also got my holley 2 bbl the other day... 70 Main jets and a 2.5 inch power valve seems like a safe place to start my tuning! Plus a lokar kickdown cable will make installation a breeze :D

Im starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, even though I have front buckets, brakes all around, and another 300$ of rockatuo parts to buy. I chose my paint too, some PPG stuff I saw on a friends facebook.

I figure with an intercooler, 95+ octane gas, and a 2 bbl.... I might be seeing some fast times + surprising some people.

I also got a decent deal on some Sparco harnesses that need to be rewebbed for track use but are fine for street. Passenger gets a 4 point, driver, a 6. Called the cop shop and spoe to some people. When I told them what was up they asked for pictures etc, told me Ill be fine legally as long as they meet some specifications. One of whcih requires me to build/buy a harness bar.

This is what happens when you give an engineer an old car with something to prove.
 
Currently, for the sake of simplicity while tuning it is just a switch that simultaneously grounds the retard pin on my ignition module, and opens the solenoid. It's a cold start injector so it doesnt require any fancy pulses, 12v on, 12v off :D

It looks like this:

Fuel:
pump --- T ---- reg --- gauge --- carb
injector

Electrical is simple:
module --------- relay coil ------ ground
12v ---------relay hot ------ injector ---- ground

Keep in mind this is meant as a "oh fuck shits going downhill" system and will eventually be set at 2 psi~ above what Ive tuned for, in case of boost spike, etc. So yes it will dead head the pump, but not for long :D

This summers goal is to be able to match my 300 in the quarter. Or preferably my crotch rocket :p
 
Just another little update. Carb mods are done. Base line tune is some 80 main jets with the PVCR jets about as big as would be required for a 500 HP car, obviously I intend to lean that out. Fuel lines are done, and vacuum lines are. Only need two LONG lines to go back and forth to the trunk. Oil pan is out oil feed and return are done, and cylinder head mods are done. I have ARP head studs on order, and Im really trying to decide if I want to remove the pistons now and go forged... or see how far I can push the cast ones... I wrapped the engine in preparation for painting. Ill be painting the trunk and engine bay first. As theyre just getting flat black. Itll also allow me to put the running stuff backtogether while I wait for funds to paint the car.

tl;dr. Car's performance mods are basically done, waiting for nice weather to paint. Should I get forged pistons?
 
Back
Top