Afternoon trips to Mexico for test & tune are da best!!!!
The H'ell Camino
- Thread starter Greg
- Start date
Afternoon trips to Mexico for test & tune are da best!!!!
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
Talked to a different local shop about turning the car, they are the same shop that went thru the cylinder heads and said it would take 4-5 days, but it took 4-5 weeks. They will do a dyno tune, run the car hard and get the absolute most out of the tune & engine... the cost is $500. The thing is, I'm not sure I trust them. They're predominantly a Subaru shop, the owner looks like a slob and comes across as pretty cocky. The dyno tune would be nice, but I'm sure I'll be disappointed with the actual HP #'s. I have some time to think about it, but might go ahead and do it. They really want around 2000 miles on the engine at least, since it's a brand new build... but I don't like driving it with just the base tune. Kind of a Catch 22. Anyway, I've been putting more miles on it, to continue breaking it in.
I did make a small upgrade that added a massive increase in performance. I replaced the tiny, factory anti-sway bar (3/4" thick) in the front and upgraded to a massive, solid 1 5/16ths anti-sway bar with poly bushings all the way around. The install took all of 30 min, but the change is huge. Now with the heavier-rate lowering springs, the Bilstein shocks, quick-ratio steering box and the huge anti-sway bar, the car is actually sporty. No more wallowing, boat-feeling ride!
I took the car out this morning and pushed it at speed around some corners and it's a totally different feeling. The suspension still works great and the car rides well, it's not super-stiff, but there is hardly any body roll. It's much more confident pushing it around quick corners. It's funny to push the car hard around a corner, while sitting on a bench seat...
I'm still thinking about adding a rear anti-sway bar, but I don't know how bad it's needed. Perhaps I can fit a small, stock bar off a newer Camaro? Add a little more roll resistance without going too far and negatively effecting the ride?
I did make a small upgrade that added a massive increase in performance. I replaced the tiny, factory anti-sway bar (3/4" thick) in the front and upgraded to a massive, solid 1 5/16ths anti-sway bar with poly bushings all the way around. The install took all of 30 min, but the change is huge. Now with the heavier-rate lowering springs, the Bilstein shocks, quick-ratio steering box and the huge anti-sway bar, the car is actually sporty. No more wallowing, boat-feeling ride!
I took the car out this morning and pushed it at speed around some corners and it's a totally different feeling. The suspension still works great and the car rides well, it's not super-stiff, but there is hardly any body roll. It's much more confident pushing it around quick corners. It's funny to push the car hard around a corner, while sitting on a bench seat...
I'm still thinking about adding a rear anti-sway bar, but I don't know how bad it's needed. Perhaps I can fit a small, stock bar off a newer Camaro? Add a little more roll resistance without going too far and negatively effecting the ride?
- Location
- Grantsville, Utah
Put the old front bar on the rear.
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
I think they have a totally different bend, not sure it would work.
- Location
- West Haven, UT
Recommend you don't go with a shop you trust 100%. There are too many questionable shops these days. If you have some sort of thoughts that you don't like them, stay away. Your time, money and a really nice car deserve better. I recommend searching more for someone you can trust.
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
Yep, my gut is saying the same thing. But that means I have to haul the car somewhere a few hours away (Denver or SLC) and find a different shop, that I know nothing about.
At this point, I'm thinking about buying HPTuners myself and jumping into the engine turning world head first. My engine isn't anything crazy, it just needs to be tuned for the cam really. I think that if I do some data logging and get a good picture of what's going on, the HPTuners forum members could point me in the right direction.
- Location
- West Haven, UT
I'm sure after the learning curve, the HP tuner route will give you the best performance and overall satisfaction
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
Totally agree, and I can check things as time goes on, make changes as needed, data log whenever I want, etc. I think it's what I'll do. Plus, it opens me up to tuning other projects.
- Location
- The Land Northward (Bountiful), Utah
I'd be leary of anyone saying they need 2k miles on a motor before Dyno. That's literally what Dyno operations are for: new motor builds. It sounds like he wants deniability if he blows your motor.
I'm no expert on El Caminos... but no rear sway bar and a big aftermarket front sounds like a combo for less suspension balance than stock and no rear.
I'm no expert on El Caminos... but no rear sway bar and a big aftermarket front sounds like a combo for less suspension balance than stock and no rear.
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
Possibly, on the dyno tune. My hesitation comes from more than a few things, but when I started talking to him about the tune before I even fired the engine, he was super flaky to deal with. He was going to look into some things & get back to me, but never did. That, plus the massive delay with the heads, etc. I just don't feel good about working with him.
The car is WAY better than stock with the big bar, not unbalanced at all. I've pushed it decently hard thru a turn and it's fine, very well planted. It's not like we're talking a 4x4 with a lift here, this is a lowered car sitting close to the ground on 17" wheels and tires with 45 aspect ratio. There isn't a lot of weight up high that it needs to control.
For a RWD car, more roll control up front doesn't effect the cars ability to keep the tires planted and putting power to the ground, out back. One of the big changes I made to this car early on was the front springs. Factory front springs have a 250# spring rate, but the car tends to 'tuck' the front tire when pushed hard in a turn, resulting in understeer. After doing some reading on GM A-Bodies and making them handle better at autocross, a recommended change was to upgrade to 500# springs up front. That change doesn't really effect the way the car rides in normal conditions, but when you push it, the spring no longer gives as much. Now that spring upgrade combined with the bigger anti-sway bar are working together.
I'd love to get out on a track and push the car hard and see how it currently works.... weather I have oversteer or understeer with the current suspension setup. That would really determine if I need a rear bar. But, I'd really like to have disc brakes all the way around first for safety sake. And better tires.
- Location
- The Land Northward (Bountiful), Utah
Agreed. Rear discs (along with brake bias tuning) is a better investment.
Have you got a limited slip in the rear?
I just rebuilt the Eaton one in my Prerunner with some heavy springs and carbon fiber clutches and it'll lock up pretty decent.
Have you got a limited slip in the rear?
I just rebuilt the Eaton one in my Prerunner with some heavy springs and carbon fiber clutches and it'll lock up pretty decent.
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
It's drum brakes all the way around, so I'll upgrade to discs F & R. The drums are working about as good as you can expect, but obviously they could be better.
It's open in the rear, currently. I do plan to add a LS and regear at some point in the future. Was going to run with 3.73's, but debating if that's going to be too deep... and 3.55's don't seem like enough of a change from 3.08's.
Wait, didn't you get a disc conversion? Keeping the car? Tune it yourself.
We put 3.50 gears in mine with a Eaton True Trac, obviously I can't comment yet on that set up, being a 3 speed I am sure I will run out of gears but still be able to go freeway speeds.
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
I have parts for the rear discs, still need to buy the parts to convert the front and change out the master to a disc/disc setup. Planning to do that this Winter.
I think I will tune it myself, seems to be the best option. And if I blow it up, I can only blame myself!
I have 3.08's now and its a bit doggy... but first gear is steep and the OD ratio is huge (.70 in a 4L60E). It runs 80 mph very comfortably.
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
glockman
I hate Jeep trucks
- Location
- Pleasant Grove
I'm seriously considering buying HP Tuners. You get enough credits to tune 2 vins for about that it cost to have anyone else do a mild tune. There is tons of support for LS tuning and a bonus for me is they support Ford 6.0 Powerstrokes now. So I can play with that.
How you gonna blow it up? You planning on racing it? BTW drags are in Junction tomorrow
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
By getting the tune so far out of whack, it burns it up.... eg; too lean, etc. Just trying to be funny about the situation.
I won't be running this thing at the drags any time soon, it's more pro-touring and less pro-street. I've spent more than enough time at the track over the years, not too into it these days.
just make sure you get it on video then with that confidence.
Time at the track doing what? obviously not racing a camino. I'm not talking about Junction Colorado.
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
just make sure you get it on video then with that confidence.
Time at the track doing what? obviously not racing a camino. I'm not talking about Junction Colorado.
I spent my lots of time after HS at RMR and the 1/4 mile track, ran my '71 SS Camaro down it for a 13.2 at 110. Not super fast, but for a kid just out of HS making $5.25/hr, it was respectable. Helped a lot of customers and friends in the pits. A few years later I spent some time in Indiana and watched plenty of circle track racing, loved watching the road racing at the Lucas Oil Raceway in Brownsburg and watched cars qualifying for the Indy 500... 240 MPH!
Which Junction you talking about?