You’ve build the engine block from the ground up. You bored it, honed it and polished and ported it. The goal – MORE POWER!!! But you are going to defeat the purpose of all that work and $$$$ buy tossing the wrong size carb with the wrong size fuel line.
So I ran across the this chart that can help.
If the CID is Carb Size Fuel Line diameter
250 – 300 480-600 cfm 5/16 ”
300 – 350 600-350 cfm 5/16″ or 3/8 ”
350 – 400 650-750 cfm 3/8″
400 – 500 750-950 cfm 3/8″ or 1/2″
There is one other consideration and that is the capacity of the fuel pump, however that can be compensated for by using a fuel pressure regulator.
I wanted to share something I did related to piston speeds. As you know Formula 1 is near the pinnacle of technology in engine development. Back in 2003, I read an article about how the BMW Racing team developed their engine. The article stated they were very proud that for the 2003 season, their engine was a 3 liter V10 design which had a maximum racing RPM of 19200 and the piston sustained a maximum piston speed of 40 meters per second (which equals 7872 feet per minute maximum). The article further stated their piston sustained a maximum acceleration of 10,000 times the force of gravity at maximum revolutions per minute.
I was always curious about the bore vs stroke for such a small displacement, high revving engine, but they always kept that secret. I grabbed my old Dynamics book and realized I could solve for bore and stroke by two methods, using angular velocity and again by piston acceleration.
Please note, I found a typo on Page 1. It says VA and VB are parallel, when clearly it should be written VB and VC are parallel.
Enjoy and discuss!
From Ted Yoder on ACE http://www.arizonacorvetteenthusiasts.net/arizonavette/forums/index.php?showtopic=21192
OK, if there has one thing that being a forum surfer has taught me over my brief tenure of being such, is there are a lot of things that affect, generate, hinder and enhance engine performance that are not understood or simply just ignored.
Most of this stuff is simply just not shared, be it that they are considered speed secrets or the lay person simply does not understand it, whatever.
I wanted to start a thread to discuss some factors that affect engine performance and the parameters that performance engines live within. Read, argue, whine or cry, this is the truth. And as Jack Nicholson said in "A Few Good Men"- "you can't handle the truth". Well, maybe you can, let's find out.
Get your calculators ready, over the next few weeks, you will need them.
Now, with all of that out of the way, let's start by nailing down the first thing we need to consider when wanting to build a new engine and get the maximum performance out of it. Knowing what we want to use it for will deliver the best possible results. Building a high strung engine to take the family to picnics on Sundays will probably not deliver the experience you are after. Well, maybe the experience you are after, but probably not everyone else in the car.
The best place to build a starting point is to determine intended purpose of our engine and then correlate this to a range of piston speeds.
Piston speed will have a crazy-huge effect on how the engine performs.
I am going to break this down into different categories. For those of you playing along at home, I will give you several examples to experiment with, I am not going to lead you down a primrose path to a result that I have predetermined. Your rules, build what you want without spending a dime.
OK, the categories are:
Street engines (stock)
Mild performance or street/strip
Endurance/NASCAR/Road Race
Maximum effort (Mileage limited/drag race)
AYFKM effort (Component failure limited)
Now, the classification for each of these categories are split by how fast we fling the piston. But first, I guess we need to know how to determine piston speed so we can then determine which category we belong in, or vice versa.
The formula for Mean Piston Speed (MPS) is MPS in ft per minute=(inches of crankshaft stroke x (engine RPM/6))
Depending on the stroke of the crankshaft, and the RPM you expect to see, we can categorize our engine. This will affect our pocketbook, because it will directly affect the type and quality of parts we need to buy to support our performance objectives.
Now let's put these categories in a manner where piston speed can help us determine what we are building. Or, what we need to build to fit into a certain performance category.
Street engines (stock) 2000 to 3000 ft/min
Mild performance or street/strip 3000 to 4000 ft/min
Endurance/NASCAR/Road Race 4000 to 5000 ft/min
Maximum effort (Mileage limited/pro class drag race) 5000 to 6000 ft/min
AYFKM effort (Component failure limited) 6000 to 7500+ ft/min
OK, so if you tried a few different combinations, you probably realize we can change the category by solely changing the stroke, changing our RPM, or both. So great, wow, what a speed secret. Thanks a whole pantload Parker, I read through all of this for that? You're an asshole. Yeah, I know I am, thanks. But the thing that we need to understand about the formula is you need to understand engine speed (RPM) is power. Let's take a look at two theoretical engines and another formula, this one you have probably seen.
Horsepower = (Torque x RPM)/5252
By solely changing RPM, I can make one of these engines a grocery getter and the other, an F1 contender.
Two little six cylinders; both make an eyeball popping 246 pound feet of torque :lol
In the first one, my maximum usable RPM is 4500, and when plugged into the above formula (go ahead and do it, doofus), we see the engine is capable of making about 210 horsepower. :facepalm:
Now we will leave everything the same as far as torque, but let's give the engine an F1 race car caliber RPM of 19,250. After you do the math (I don't have to call you doofus this time, do I?) we see that though my torque stayed 246 lb/ft, my horsepower climbed to a panty-dropping 910! :willy
RPM is power folks, RPM is the shit. RPM can also stand for "Ruins People's Motors" if you don't know how to handle your newfound knowledge.
Piston action has a dramatic effect in the way air and fuel enter, and exhaust leaves the engine. Going back to our categories, we are going to relate the effectiveness of this piston action with our engine and piston speed categories. We do this using something called Volumetric Efficiency, or VE. VE simply put is; if I have a 100 cubic inch engine, and that engine can breathe in and expel 100 cubic inches of air for every camshaft (two crankshaft) revolution(s), it is 100 percent volumetric efficient. If the design of the heads, intake and exhaust only allow 85 cubic inches of airflow through the engine, it is 85% volumetric efficient. If it can move 110 cubic inches of air flow, then it is 110% volumetric efficient. Are engines over 100% VE possible? Why yes, yes they are, and I am going to show you how to build one. Wow, a 350 cubic inch engine that can move 385 cubic inches worth of airflow? Oh yes, yes indeed.
But that will wait until the next installment, for now, let this digest.
Street engines (stock) 2000 to 3000 ft/min 80-90% VE
Mild performance or street/strip 3000 to 4000 ft/min 90-110% VE
Endurance/NASCAR/Road Race 4000 to 5000 ft/min 110-120% VE
Maximum effort (Mileage limited/pro class drag race) 5000 to 6000 ft/min 120 to 127% VE
AYFKM effort (Component failure limited) 6000 to 7500+ ft/min 125 to 128% VE
So we have learned that how fast the piston moves has a great affect on the performance I can expect. And we also learned that piston speed is primarily controlled by the stroke of the crankshaft and the RPM of the engine. We also see how changing piston speed makes my engine fall into different performance categories.
Next time I will give you some real world examples I have tuned on the engine dyno and tested on the drag strip, as well as begin to talk about hw we get the air into the engine to take advantage of all of this piston speed we just talked about.
Cheers, Parker
Often over looked is the first year AMC products. AMC invested approximately 300 million dollars in advanced engine designs, bodies and plant facilities as it prepared for the move from Nash Rambler hold over to AMC proper.
Of course the company was formed from Nash Rambler (AMC Rambler) in 1958 and eventually just American Motors Corp. So 1966 found a fair amount of “redesign” going on. The available models for that year were:
Rambler American Rouge Series 01 (4dr w/V8)
Rambler Classic 770 Series 10 (2dr conv w/V8) (4dr station wagon w/6cyl)
Rambler Rebel Series (2dr w/V8)
Marlin Series 50 (2dr w/6 or V8) (My favorite besides the Javelin)
I love these cars. The two-tone paint is great. I love the yellow and black, blue and black and the silver and black combo.
Ambassador 990 Series 80 (4dr w/V8)
Rambler Ambassador 990 Series 80 (2d conv w/V8)
1966 Rambler Ambassador 990 Convertible
Rambler Ambassador DPL Series 80 (2dr w/V8)
Gone from the engine line up is the 196.5 6 cylinder overhead valve engine. It was replaced with the 198.8 In Line Six. It was a cast iron block with overhead valves and a bore and stroke of 3.57 x 4.00 inches. It displaced 198.8 cubic inches with a compression ratio of 85:1 and mustered up 128 hp. It was topped with a 1bbl Holley carb. This was the base engine and all of the models could have been optioned with it. But that wasn’t the only 6 banger the American 232 cid with produced 155 hp which sported a 2bbl Holley carb.
On the V8 side of things there was the 287 cid. It was a cast iron block with overhead valves with a bore and stroke of 3.75 x 3.25 which produced a compression ratio of 8.7:1. Topped with a 2bbl Holley (model 2209-2699) it made 198 hp. The other option was the 327 cid that put out 270 hp and carried a 4bbl Holley on top.
New for that year was the 290 V8 (4.8L) it had a bore and stroke of 3.75 x 3.28 and with an iron block and overhead valves which produced 200 hp with a 2bbl plopped on top for 225 with a 4bbl carb. Snap up the car with an original 290, only 623 of these engine were place in the 1966 models (all may the “American” models vs the “Classic” (those should have 287 instead).
The 290 used sparingly in the 1966 models.
The 327 was available in 1966. It was 5.4 liters with cast iron block. The bore was increased over the 287 (they were similar set up) and it had hydraulic lifters.
The AMC 327 was similar to the 287, but displaced 327 cu in (5.4 L) due to the bore increase to 4.0 inches (102 mm). Unlike the 250, the 327 was available with hydraulic valve lifters. The bore and stroke was 4.0 x 3.25 and topped with 2bbl carb it produced 250 hp. Put the 4bbl option and you push it up to 270 hp.
Tucked away in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago is the quaint town of Barrington and every summer Thursday night, the classic cars come rolling in for the village’s weekly cruise. With its tranquil, tree-lined setting, easily accessible boutique shops and casual dining, this event is one draws automotive enthusiasts from all over.
Anne Garrett
Anne Garrett serves as the Manager for Special Events and Marketing for the Village of Barrington and described to us how the cruise came to be.
“This year is our 9th year for the cruise, which got started in 2003. At the time, the village had been looking for ways to draw traffic and attention to the downtown area and knew a classic car cruise would be just perfect. Other neighboring suburbs had something similar so we did some research and determined we had what it would take to run a successful event. We settled on the South Cook street area and in all the years its been running, haven’t changed a thing.”
Anne informed us two village staff members and several members of the public works, as well as local law enforcement, are required to run the event.
“The Barrington Police will attend but it’s more of a public safety presence and a chance to interact with the local community.”
In addition, they also typically bring out vehicles from their fleet and allow spectators to get up close and personal with their high-tech cruisers. Volunteers from the Barrington Lions Club also help with the event.
“Four years ago we were approached by the group who offered their assistance. Every year since we’ve had 4 or 5 faithful volunteers help man the barricades and allow the cars to come in and out.”
Judging by the jammed lots, full of classic and custom cars, and the multitudes of owners and spectators milling about, it’s safe to assume the cruise has been a huge hit with the community.
“So far, the response has been tremendous. It seems every week people genuinely look forward to the event. They’re able to come early and go to the Farmer’s Market and then wander around the lots, checking out the cool classic cars. We rotate the onsite food venders and always have different entertainment so no two weeks are exactly the same.”
Expect the lot to be filled during the warm, cruising months.
The local businesses have taken notice of the increased foot traffic.
“We’re having more and more of our downtown merchants stay open late, which gives spectators many options for additional shopping and dining activities when they’re done seeing the cars. It really adds to the overall community feeling of the event and makes it a wonderful place to spend the evening.”
If you plan on attending the Barrington cruise and want to bring a four-wheeled relic, you’d better get there early.
“Our official start time is 6:30pm but the car owners will arrive and start cuing up around 4:30pm. Many of them want to make sure they get their ‘special spot’. Generally our end time is right at dusk, as the car owners don’t like driving home in the dark with their headlights on. We’ve been told they don’t like to run the risk of attracting bugs and having to put in the extra time cleaning them off.”
Each night throughout the summer has a theme, highlighting a certain brand, style or type of classic machine. While all are welcome, the themed vehicles are given special attention. Here is the schedule for the rest of the season:
July 19: 70’s Night July 26: “Orphan” Cars August 2: Mopar August 9: Convertible August 16: Sports & British Cars August 23: Corvette August 30: Trucks/ 4×4
** Want to know what events are taking place near you? Check out our Cruise Calender**
Apple’s Siri voice recognition technology will probably appear in your next vehicle. Consumers are demanding to be connected 24/7. Siri may be the answer. The new Siri feature is called Eyes Free. The feature will be available this fall. It will allow drivers to change iPhone settings while the screen is off.
The latest automakers to adopt Siri are Honda and General Motors. Toyota and Audi are also in line for the technology. Mercedes, Chrysler, BMW, Jaguar, and Land Rover have said they will be using Siri in their entertainment systems.
General Motors was one of the first to see the advantages offered by the Apple system. Siri will be offered in the Chevrolet Spark and Chevrolet Sonic in the 2013 model year
I've been fiddling a bit with the Vette. I have a few projects to do now that I've become a lot more familiar with the car in the last two and a half months.
Although the car sounds cool, the cheap aftermarket mufflers are completely rusted inside. The baffles are all loose with lots of holes. On the outside they look new. They are the source of most of the rattles.
The lumbar supports on the sport seats don't work. I can't hear the pumps run so inspecting electrics first on those.
Rear speaker amps are toast. Expensive so it's not high on the list.
Steve’s 1990 C4
Tranny service due. No biggie and not expensive.
PRNDL lights are out. Not bad considering it's 22 years old and all other lights work. I was amazed at the sheer number of lights inside. Courtesy lights and mood lighting. The interior alone must have 15 individual lights.
Drivers side headlight motor needs to be repaired. It works most of the time. LOL.
It's a pretty short list considering the age.
It pretty much sits in the garage. We are in the 100's (110 today) this week so it's morning and evening use. The ac does not work but it still has the factory seals on the service ports so I'm hoping for good news there. We do have R12 available here. I unbolted the roof when I got it and it hasn't been back on since. I always wanted a convertible and the coupe is a good compromise.
The most annoying thing about the car is the static electricity. It doesn't shock me or anything but dust sticks to it like glue and the California duster only moves it from place to place. I never thought about a "plastic" body in that way. The duster works just fine on my steel cars.
