Thanks, there aren't actually that many threads of the conversion process, so I thought it would be good to lay out some of the actual steps and processes involved.

Plus, I'm just a self learned, backyard mechanic, with a carport, some basic tools, and a desire. While I have collected some new toys along the way, and I got lucky with some of the more difficult items (exhaust manifold in particular) all of this stuff was either built buy people in the know, (who can be hired by anyone) or done with simple tools. All I had in the beginning besides basic hand tools, was a drill press, angle grinder, vice and bottom of the line Harbor Freight 110v wire feed welder. I don't have a full shop, expensive equipment, a lift, or even a garage at this time.

Which is one of the big points of this thread, with some research, patience, and a decent basic mechanical knowledge, anyone can pull together the right vendors and help that you need, to do much of this work themselves.
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Weather should break here in a couple of weeks, so it will be time to wrap up the unfinished work, W/M Tune, shifter, BBK and just a few things I want to tidy up, to get ready for MOTD.

 

 

Personally, it's worth the time and trip, simply for the roads and the people.
My first time was completely by myself and not only was it like I was just hanging with old friends then, but many of them are now actually old friends, even the ones I only see once a year at the event.
Most of us say it's like we were just all together a few weekends ago, not a whole year later.
This will be year 13 for me, and truly one of the best annual group gatherings I've ever been a part of.
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Hi,

I have to say I'm really impressed by the patience and motivation you had to do all these modifications by yourself!

I'm about to install a 4-2-1 exhaust manifold and I would like to put an EGT probe on it. Do you have any advice on the right location to put it? And which sensor/gauge to buy?

Thanks a lot

 

There are a few out there, AEM and Innovate are probably the best known and discussed.
I chose the innovate because it matched up with my wideband AFR gauge and logging software. They also have their own logging software available, which is a benefit for tuning.

As for mounting, best advise is to follow the mfg's directions, for example, Innovate has a specific distance from the exhaust port that the recommend for best result, which kept me from doing sensors for each individual cylinder.

 

Thanks,

Actually I was thinking about a cheaper solution, buying an thermocouple along with a basic electronic board to read the temp. That's why I was asking where to put the sensor
Honestly AEM and Innovate selling K-type thermocouples for 130$ (without the gauge) is a rip-off. Such sensors are sold less than 20$ in electronic shops.

What do you mean by mfg's directions? (sorry my english is not so good)

 

If you're gong to do thermo-couplers it won't really matter that much since they are mounted outside and not in the exhaust flow.

No problem, "mfg" (abbreviation for manufacturer)
When it comes to "in" the exhaust stream, each manufactures sensor or probe will be designed with different sensitivities to heat and flow, which will change depending on how close you are to the exhaust port or combustion chamber.

Hope I didn't make it worse... Lol

 

Hmmm, something is going on with the pics,I can't see them, but I guess you guys can since they are visible in the quote below.


It's been a while since an update and now that MOTD is over I've finally got some time.
I wasn't able to get everything done that I wanted for MOTD.

Had a set back over the winter and didn't get the car back together until March.
A few weeks after the Dyno session I developed a coolant leak, ends up that my radiator cap went bad, but not in the good...not holding pressure...way, but in the bad...won't release pressure way, and it built up so much pressure that it blew out the bottom of the radiator core. (One bad thing about aluminum reservoirs, they don't crack first) So I had to have a new radiator made. Luckily there was someone fairly local that builds custom radiators, but he's retired and would only do it in his spare time, so it between the weather and his schedule, it took 4 months to get done.
It's actually a beautiful piece and except for the cost, it's actually better than the earlier one. Plus with this failure, I know without a doubt the rest of the system is completely leak proof, lol.


The MOTD trip itself was great, absolutely no issues or drama at all, simply get in the car and drive.
The only issue I had was once there, I wasn't able to give as many rides as I would have liked to, one of the things I couldn't finish before the trip was the BBK, and after a couple of hard pulls up and down the hill by the resort, the current brakes were just glazed over and I had to let them sit a good long time before any more hard driving, which really limited me to offering rides.

I was however able to get a few, nonessential items finally taken care of though.
First was the PCV and addition of a Catch Can. While our engines don't "need" a vacuum source for PCV, and you can simply vent to atmosphere, having it can only be a plus.
The reason I didn't add it right away was that every time I tapped into my vacuum manifold for it, the vacuum would drop so much that it would effect my brake booster and I'd lose power assist, no matter what size line or where I connected. The solution was to add individual ports directly from the intake manifold itself. So, since I need to remove the manifold to ensure no metal into the system I figured I'd clean and dress it up a little too.

The before:


During:


After:


Also added a cover for the injectors to keep rain that comes through the scoop from directly wetting the connections:


New Catch Can Bracket fabbed up and mounted:


Installed and everything put back together:


I also finally got around to building the brackets for my Fire Extinguishers:




They follow along with the seats so no issue with them being in the way.

Lastly I found this decal in the bins at Chad's tent, couldn't help but put it on the car....Lol

 

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Awesome. You inspire me to push mine for more. Unfortunately I’m not mechanically gifted so I’d do more bad than good. Did you ever get the CAE shifter?

 

I have the GP Garage version, which is basically a CoolerWorx.

That was another thing I wanted to get done before MOTD, but didn't.
I would have been doing both the last couple of days before I left, and just couldn't chance running into a problem or parts issue that could have killed the whole trip.

 

Yep! Looks 100% KoolerWorx with K instead of C. Obviously it is CoolerWorx that knows better that German wannabe K instead C for snobbish marketing appeal. For me, anyone that offer the lowest price of equivalent goods would win notwithstanding first intellectual invention considered (and fu&* the US patent office for the clerks that know jack sh1+ about original inventions since Albert left (oh, that was in Europa so never mind) . CAE and Koolerworx, or Coolerworx, or GP Garage are all all very good. You would want the most traction a **** provides because of the increased shift efforts.

 

Do you have pics of your exhaust manifold? I have been looking at nortechs sidewinder

 

These are all I have:

 

Did you ever have issues with using the wet shot before the intercooler when this was supercharged? I'm thinking of moving my wet nozzle to pre-intercooler to minimize roasting the map sensor.

 

I unfortunately never got to spray it before the head issues and subsequent rebuild.

But, I did a lot of research before choosing that location, biggest issue was possible puddle-ing in the I/C, but from everything else I read, this was only a real issue on drag cars that would shut down immediately after the hit and larger shots.
The puddle-ing issue really shouldn't be a concern with a street car, esp with a 50-100 shot, and the I/C should actually help to atomize everything better prior to hitting the chambers.
At least that's what my research was showing me.