bigpaulo

Cheers everyone for all your help and advice on this. Now that ive got some idea on what i'm doing, its time to start collecting parts. No doubt as I get further along I will have more questions...I'd rather ask and get it right the first time than have to rebuild again and again!

Hahaha cheers sly, youve put my mind at ease now. Nah there's no way id go xr6t, ive already come this far, might as well stick with it!

Sorry if these questions arent making any sense...I know what Im trying to ask, just not so good on wording it. Maybe I should draw some pictures haha

oh yeah i understand how that works. i understand how with the programmable msd you can put in a curve, so the spark timing would function similar to that of a stock dizzy with vacuum or electric advance. so obviously the msd programmable would make the car behave similar to stock timing over the whole rev range. What Im stuck on is how a fixed dizzy setup, like the streetfire system, would make the car behave over the entire rev range. It makes sense that a fixed dizzy system would run excellent at the higher rpms, but does that mean a fixed dizzy system will give you issues with idling, starting, and in the low rev range? I realise the programmable msd is the absolute ducks nuts for any kind of application, but if i can get away without using it and still maintain drivability I would be a lot happier. And a lot richer...

Haha yeah i get the picture. Im all for beginner systems! Alright, I'll give this streetfire system a go...if I completely screw it up I can always reinstall the EST I suppose!

More to save my brain from melting trying to set up a new ignition... Im still trying to wrap my head around how a fixed dizzy is a benefit over an electronically controlled dizzy like the est system. Bear with me, I'll get there eventually! Cheers to everyone for your responses, im learning a lot!

This might be a silly question...but what would happen if I ran the est dizzy and ignition on a worked motor? All this ignition stuff seems to be getting a bit out of control... I have the two most expensive hobbies, cars and music haha

holy shit slydog that sounds mean!! what a beast of a crossflow!

i dont really know what i want hahaha. just a motor that revs and starts and idles nicely!

Yeah I understand that. Makes sense if you're running the programmable MSD. But about the other ignition modules like streetfire? They dont have any programing available, yet they appear to be marketed at your street level modifier...where I would have thought adjustable timing would be a hell of a lot more useful on a daily driver...

Now ive got my head around cams, I just need someone to explain to me how these aftermarket ignition systems work... Im struggling to wrap my brain around the fact that you lock the dizzy when running a MSD. Having a locked dizzy that doesnt advance when the revs pick up or retard when starting and idling doesnt make any sense to me. Wouldnt it just make your car run like crap unless its screaming down the freeway?? Remember, explain this to me as if you were explaining it to your grandma...hahaha

Gerg that was fantastic. That was by far the best explanation of cams ive ever read!

would that cam require better compression also?

ah nice thanks sly. that 517 looks pretty good, quite comparable to the crow 14892 except with a wider rpm range...wont say no to that!

http://www.crowcams.com.au/media/catalogues/19.0%20XF_all.pdf the 14892 is the one im leaning towards... The only reason im looking at crow cams is because they have this chart thats simple enough for me to sort of understand!

Explain away Gerg! This is the kind of stuff they SHOULD teach in schools. Also im quite happy to modify the valve train as required to suit the cam.

Years ago I changed my carby from the weber to a holley. There was a hose that ran from the weber to the charcoal canister. Since I changed this hose has just been hanging loose, as there was nowhere to attach it to the holley. Should I connect this hose to anything, say, T it into an existing vac line? The other two lines off the canister are all still connected, one coming from the fuel tank, the other going towards the pcv valve. Cheers

a few questions for you slydog: lift and duration, is that how far the valve opens and how long it stays open? also you mentioned more lift adds torque, what does more duration do?

All information is good information! The more detail the better! Id be interested to hear what type of cams you guys are running in your modified motors, and where in the rev range the cam really shunes. Also what your idle is like. I think the cam I choose is going to be the major factor in this build, as thats what will truly change the performance of my engine beyond the bolt ons, ie caby, manifold, extractors. And yes my current set up is a 350 holley into a redline manifold and extractors. So ive gone as far as I can without opening the engine up. But I will change the manifold to an aussiespeed, as they seem to have the best flow design.

Thats a fantastic response thanks slydog! The head ive got is a C2. The gearbox is a T5. Diff gears are standard, factory LSD. I basically want to build an engine with more power, especially a little earlier in the rev range. So maybe im looking for torque? I currently am running a 350 holley on a redline manifold, and i noticed that it picks up nicely as the revs get higher, but not so much boogie in the lower end of the rev range. This is especially noticeable going up hills. Im looking for more throttle response, so that the power is at my foot when i want it, not having to wait until the revs climb before i get any benefit. That being said, i dont really want to change the diff gears too much as highway driving is quite pleasant at the moment! The only reason i chose Crow cam is because their website showed a rev range at which the cam operates in. the 14892 cam operates between 1800 and 4800, i figured this would be the best for my situation as i never really rev over 5000 anyway. If theres a better cam company to with im all ears, however i dont understand all the lobe lift and degrees jargon... I also dont want a too lumpy cam. A bit of lope in the idle i would be happy with, but i dont want to sit at the lights while my car shakes itself to pieces... I highly doubt ill ever use the car for track. Maybe one day at a strip just to see what time I get, but not in competition. I would still like to drive it on the street on a regular basis. That being said, I still want a car that will hold its own against other modified street cars. (cough holdens cough) The reason i listed a holley 465 is because of its smaller size and the fact it has vacuum secondaries. That way while im putting around the streets it will run econimcally on 2 barrels, but when i stick the boot into it all 4 will open up. But i really have no idea what size carby will suit this engine combo, that was just a guess. As much as id love to tackle the build myself, i dont have the tools, the space or the know how. And i figured if an engine builder does it and something goes wrong, ill have some sort of guarantee on the build... I also know nothing about head work ie machining, polishing etc. and wouldnt dare tackle that myself.

you sir, are living life on the edge!

I will no doubt have many more questions to ask, please be patient while im learning!

^ Thats hardcore man..

Ah right cheers gerg. I actually did tee it just to see what would happen, this would explain why my heater controls arent working... I used to have it blocked off and hidden, but I thought that perhaps that was the cause of pressure build up in my fuel tank.

No ones ever put a holley on and had a spare hose floating around???