Thanks Santa (the neverending trials of the 400,000klm, 400kw, RB30, manual swapped Stagea)

[beastien]

What model of odyssey battery is that Duncan?

[Duncan]

Unfortunately I can't confirm, because the damn thing died the other week. I can't prove it, but I think the carpark jump started the car backwards - it was fine when I dropped it off (but the auto lights sometimes stay on....), but when I picked it up the car and battery were totally dead

I beleive it was yellow top D51R. I was happy with it, it spent a lot of it's life flat and kept charging up OK. But of course this was a very custom application.

[Duncan]

btw, I should say...she is in for a garret core turbo atm. I killed my 4th china turbo a couple of weeks ago towing a big trailer to wakie.

I'll post up results once available

[beastien]

Looks like an Odyssey in the pic, the sideways mount looks like a good option, looking to get a forward plenum.

I was curious how a smaller battery would hold up.

The chinese just haven't got there yet with turbos hey? Be interesting to see the results.

[beastien]

Actually I thought I read Odyssey on the sticker, but I'm not so sure now lol.

[Duncan]

sorry yes, it was an odyssey, and reasonably large. The model was D51R from memory, but check first! It was a very tight fit between the fuse box and rad support, in fact the edge of the rad support had to be rolled a little. But it was very secure in place, and started every time until some groink killed it for me

The turbos were fine, I had another car I could drive if this was off the road, and they cost $300ea instead of $2000. So no regrets there. The issue for me is I would kill the china turbo without fail when I did a hard tow, and I think that is because they are only oil cooled and always on boost (small turbo, big motor, big load), they just got too hot and died. Without that I suspect none of them would have failed.

[66yostagea]

When I went front facing plenum I fitted two 12 volt Applied Power gel batteries. Dunc, I think I sent you a pic. They have been very good so far

My accountant is a mad Zed fan, holds the Oz speed record with one, 129.9 MPH on the salt flats. He put me on to Applied Power. Uses a single in the Zed, also in his 600hp F100 that he is taking this month if the salt pans are dry enough.

Edited April 30, 2012 by 66yostagea

[KiwiRS4T]

I have the battery in the boot as well as a surge tank and a metal cover which means I can no longer get 4 wheels in the back with the back seat up. Another reason to go RB26 head on the RB30 as its plenum doesn't intrude on the battery space!

[beastien]

I know what the battery is in the pic. I bought one yesterday from battery world "SSB Automotive" only $115 with 2 years warranty, will see how it goes.

[Duncan]

I finally gave in an put a garret water cooled, ball bearing highflow into the china housings after 4 of the china ones died over a couple of years.

It seems to come on boost at about the same revs, but it has less lag (ie time between mashing throttle and full boost arriving)

The guys at Unigroup did a tune for me today, here are the results:

19psi was the max the turbo was happy with, no doubt with a bigger turbo it could make more power....but that is hardly the point is it.

[Duncan]

interesting. it feels like the power comes on very early, so I overlaid my last dyno run (china turbo, same boost, same peak power) in blue, and the car when it ws stock in red.

2 points worth noting:

At the same boost, and the same sized turbo, the ball bearing one makes 80% more power at 3500rpm.

The new setup makes more power at 3000rpm than the standard one made at peak power

[PN-Mad]

This is the RB30 right?

Nice curve for towing.

Also, got one with AFRs?

[Duncan]

yep rb30/25....blue and black lines are the same setup except turbo

red was the standard, auto rb25

[wolverine]

interesting. it feels like the power comes on very early, so I overlaid my last dyno run (china turbo, same boost, same peak power) in blue, and the car when it ws stock in red.

2 points worth noting:

At the same boost, and the same sized turbo, the ball bearing one makes 80% more power at 3500rpm.

The new setup makes more power at 3000rpm than the standard one made at peak power

blah blah blah......

......does it chirp 2nd??

Fat midrange Duncan, gotta be happy.

[KiwiRS4T]

Duncan your rev limit looks pretty conservative for a forged and balanced engine - looks like it will continue to make power til say 7K?

Here is my tune from yesterday. I was very disappointed with my first tune at 10psi - less than 200awkw. Next at 15psi produced 230awkw and now at 20psi have 280kw so I am confident that I will crack 300 with my final tune at 25 or more psi and another 500 revs (currently limited to 6000) It has always had heaps of torque though just not enough power at the track. Did 1min 24 at Hampton Downs with 230kw so will see if I can do better this Sunday

[Duncan]

Hey Andrew, it doesn't chirp second, I put good tyres on it It does happily spin all four in the wet at full throttle though. Lucky I am a sensible mature gentleman in a station wagon.

Bob, you are dead right. Conservative is exactly the point of this car and setup, in fact the tuner sounded disappointed that the turbo would not take any more boost. We ran it as high as 24psi (about 280kw) but it just started to ping on repeated runs, suggesting the turbo had probably got past it's efficiency. There's no doubt it is a 350+ setup with a bigger turbo and maybe bigger injectors

You should be happy with that curve, and I'm surprised it is still making power all the way up with the crappy stagea head - or have you got something different cams wise? And it's great to see you hitting the track in it too, it must be classic watching the stagea go past everyone else.

Alex, sorry, no print out with air/fuel, it was a pretty steady 12:1

[wolverine]

How is the fuel economy with the new tune?

[Duncan]

On 20/02/2010 at 7:25 PM, Duncan said:

...this motor will not make 400kw and do great skids. I just want a great tow car and I am sure I have got it. 250awkw is absolutely heaps of power in the real world and I think this setup will be OK for it.....

well, it did take 11 years and the retirement of the stagea from towing now I've go the Titan....

I dropped the stagea off at Unigroup a while back and asked them to freshen up the engine (400,000klm+ on the original head by now) and to put a bigger turbo and stuff on it. Told them I still didn't need it to make 400kw and they obliged.

Pretty damn whooshy.

[Duncan]

So it got 400kw for it's 400,000klm birthday but its 450,000klm was less exciting. Kel brought it home from a service billowing clouds of steam (happily not on fire....).

The water line to the turbo failed by getting too hot, melting out of the fitting at the turbo end. It was 100 series hose with a fire sleeve but ran close enough the sleeving touched the zorst housing (on disassembly the water return was touching a manifold runner too).

So, I've changed the turbo water lines across to 200 series with the same fire sleeve, and also re-routed it a little further away (not much that can be done with AN fittings at the turbo core). Hope this will last better.

While I was there I decided to address the weep it has had from the zorst cam cover at the rear for years (looks like the original was reused in the rebuild). It now has all new cam cover seals, half moons and a set of those rubbers on the cam cover bolts....no signs of leaks since (other than the bloody rear main which has also leaked since the rebuild....will get to that one day when I can get on a hoist somewhere)

Old seals at top, new below, spot the difference....

Before

After. I love how the turbo beanie even has our race team's name on it, shame they spelled Raceworx wrong

[Duncan]

While everything was apart I noticed the coilpack loom was in pretty bad condition with a couple of broken connectors, so she got a new one of those as well before she lets me down one rainy night