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Old 03-19-2003, 08:57 AM   #21
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John,

Nice picture, beautiful engine.

I like the valve covers too is it really rated at 355HP or was that just the cool 454 sticker floating around?

I notice that engine compartment is different than any other 454 home base I have ever seen. In the Suburban there was plenty of room to roam. That engine bay looks extremely tight. Also, I noticed it has an electrical cooling fan. Did it ever have a mechanical primary? Space looks tight, but I didn't think in the early 70's they had electrical cooling fans. How in the heck do you get to your spark plugs?

I was under the impression that the mechanicals were the best when it came to moving heavy loads. What temp do you have it set to activate?

Eric
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Old 03-19-2003, 09:40 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally posted by Silvertwinkie
Not to sound ignorant here, but doesn't lowering the compression ratio take a bit of work? I was under the impression that you'd need to change the pistons, the heads or both.

Seems like an awful lot to consider.

Eric
Yep number of ways' to do it. If you only need to lower it a little then you can use a thick metal head gasket. Then you get into head work or dished pistons.
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Old 03-19-2003, 10:14 AM   #23
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Based on that, I would find it hard to do that first before doing some of the bang for the buck bolt ons that are out there mentioned above.

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Old 03-19-2003, 10:18 AM   #24
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Eric

This is different than my SOB mh also. That one the floor is higher and the engine is basically under it. That makes for a lot more room for service.
The hp is pretty close (got to keep the competition guessing), but this was really built for torque. It has 2 electric fans, the top one comes on at 180, the bottom 202 or when the AC is used. The clutch fan is long gone, they always were too failure prone for me . Spark plugs aren't as bad as they look, just wait until everything is very cool and use a swivel socket.

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Old 03-25-2003, 12:29 PM   #25
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OKAY! First trip results with the Banks System installed....but first, here's a photo of the rig:



Now:

I first took a short 400 mile trip without MG on trailer on interstates & 2-lane highways as a benchmark....cruise control on & 70mph in 'OD'...thing flew...engine barely working....10mpg

Then, drove down to Gulf Shores from Huntsville pulling MG on the trailer...425 miles....cruise control on & 70mph in 'D' .....lots of torque, no problem with that speed or even going faster, hills didn't bother it at all (in fact, cruise control held 70mph going up hills).....8mpg (but, we stopped along road for an hour or so & ran generator for AC)

Finally, coming home from Gulf Shores pulling MG but tried something different.....cruise control on but 60mph in 'OD'....occassionally had to pull it down to 'D' for steeper hills...but when in 'OD' at 60mph, engine seemed almost at idle....used 11 fewer gallons of gas & increased to a little over 9mpg

......oh, filled up when I left Huntsville, again when I left Gulf Shores for return trip & then when I got home

So, I dunno....over my long trip to Alaska this summer I should be able to save a few gallons by dropping interstate speed to 60 &, of course, in Canada & Alaska I'll be doing less....&, the torque will definitely help out on the mountains in Canada & Alaska
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Old 03-25-2003, 01:52 PM   #26
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Autoist,

Great info. Thanks. Not to take this the wrong way, but didn't the banks system cost a bundle? If so, you would really need to take a number of trips to realize the savings. I am I wrong? I'm just trying to understand, not poke holes at your successes.

Thanks,

Eric
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Old 03-25-2003, 03:46 PM   #27
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Cost

Sure, my Banks system cost a bundle and I'll probably never make it up in gas mileage. OTOH, in my case, it was either more power or trade off a nearly new LT truck that didn't quite have the power I desired. The Banks was a lot cheaper than trading. I'm very content with the truck now.
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Old 03-25-2003, 08:35 PM   #28
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Silvertwinkie....No harm done....Out the door, kit, installation, tax & everything it was $3000 & change...work done by Madison RV in Huntsville, AL....will I recoup it? who knows? however, I'm planning a long (as in 12,000 mile) trip all over NW US, West Canada, & Alaska...if I can get 9 to 10 miles towing my MG on my trailer & not have any torque problems in the mountains, I'm happy!

Plus, I got lots of admiring looks & questions in the RV Park at Gulf Shores and whenever I stopped around other RV's.....everybody sees that neat "Banks Power" emblem neatly displayed on each side of the rig & on the rear! Good way to make lots of new friends with it!
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Old 03-25-2003, 10:24 PM   #29
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A.,

Well, I am glad that you are happy, but a custom exhaust job with a good set of headers would have done either the same or better.

I don't have a bunch of shop time with RV motors, but motors are motors no matter what.

I am sure Banks makes a great product, but for the cost, in my exp with engines $3k and change, hell, I would have built you a silver plated exhaust that would have matched Banks HP for HP beyond a doubt.

I practice what I preach. For my LT1, I can get a dual exhaust system for $800 and kick butt headers for $1290 including high flow converters. That will increase my HP by about 30hp. Fuel economy might also increase and I spent $1k less. For $200 more, I would custom make you a sticker that said my custom cost less and does the same and you'd still have saved $800.00.

Just a thought.

Eric
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Old 03-26-2003, 08:34 AM   #30
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You will have to admit there is something to be said fo a "turn key" set up that has a terrific warranty and factory reputation. Its like piecing together an ignition system for the 454 or buying a Jacobs electronics set up. You can dig thru the JEGS catalogue and find all kinds of stuff, or buy th ready to go Jacobs.

As for me I am envious of the Banks but no way can I do that for mine....3000 buys a lot of kids clothes and shoes!!...I get 9 mpg most of the time with the manifold set up and two side pipes with tubular mufflers.
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Old 03-26-2003, 09:20 AM   #31
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Jeez, Eric...no reason to get pissy! I also can do a lot with an engine as demonstrated by my 300hp V8 MGB!

However, my torque & horsepower ratings went up quite a bit more than what you outlined...in the neighborhood of 97lb-ft & 79hp....

....you asked about my experience, I was nice enough to share...whether its what you're looking for or not is for you to decide.....but, in my mind, here's the difference in your cobbled up job & my Banks rammed air intake & exhaust system: lifetime waranty! repair anywhere I happen to be & replacement free if anything ever goes wrong!

....&, I'm towing a full car hauler with a sportscar behind me ALLl the time....to include a planned 12,000 mile trip this summer & fall...

....good luck with your search for more power & better fuel consumption....me? $3000 was worth the peace of mind that I don't have to crawl up under my rig on the side of the road in the Rocky Mountains to correct something that was homemade to fit!
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Old 03-26-2003, 08:41 PM   #32
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Hold on a minute Haus (autoist). I didn't mean to sound pissy at all and as a matter of fact, I wasn't trying to be. One of the perils of a non personal communication method. I'm a real big car nut. Have been for over 10 years now. I've been there and done that many, many times.

autoist, you feel good about spending $3k for 79hp, great, it's your call and your money, but you cannot and should not knock a custom install that could yield a bit less for significantly less money and if you went to a quality shop, you would have no worries anywhere. Who said anything about homemade anyway? I'm talking mandel bent **custom** exhaust made of stainless from a rep place. You think I got a mig welder out in my garage? I'm good, but not that good. The only reason I was talking about going custom was because it's a bit different for a motorhome compared to a production car like mine.

BTW, I was being very conservative in my estimates. I never quote high numbers or believe the printed hype. More times than not, the hype does not match the promise. In reality there have been people that have verified dynometer results of headers from Tri-y headers and just about any free flowing dual exhaust system that have about 45+hp. They have then gone and upgraded the cam for less than the $3k you mention. Have you had your rig on a dyno to get verifible results for the 79hp? Is it 79RWHP of 79hp off the flywheel? When I do a mod, I go off to they dyno to see if it was a worthwhile mod. For $3k, I'd have left the install place and gone right to the dyno to get real world RWHP numbers. If you did, I would really like to see how that system stacks up across the RPM ranges.

Sorry to have pissed you off, that wasn't what I was trying to do at all. I was merely talking garage shop talk. I thought we were just having a healthy car nut discussion. I can see now that I may have taken that fact for granted and for that I apologize.



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Old 03-27-2003, 08:05 AM   #33
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Eric...not a prob, bud...maybe I was just a bit thin skinned....in the MG world, there's always somebody around to tell you how they "could've doen it better & cheaper if you'd just let me know before you did it"...you know how that goes.....no, I've not dyno'ed the rig (the 300hp on my V8 MG is dyno-ed at the aluminum billet flywheel though)...I'm certain there are other ways to achieve the same resulys - or better....I just chose to go the easy route....I came across a stock windfall so the $3000 didn't bite too badly....would I do it again? Yep! I'm not much into tackling vehicles I'm not real familiar with (now, an MG - I'll tackle anything on it)...
...let's keep the discussion going..I'm all for learning about new things (&, I've been thinking about playing with the distributor/ignition to se what I can do!)
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Old 03-27-2003, 09:12 AM   #34
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Cool, no harm, no foul. I can go a bit overboard sometimes......

Not sure on the MG front how those boys behave, but we beer swilling Chevy folk, tend to talk crap, argue a bit, swill another beer and then find anything that can increase HP and torque!

On your engine I am not sure what can be done specifcally with the distrib or ignition, I know that several in the LT1 forum do different things, then again, we have the optispark distributor (PITA). I know that some get higher energy coils and go with the higher temp, higher current, lower OHM wiresets. The thing to watch out for is headers with the wrong wires. Many a Chevy fan has roasted wires from either the wrong wire or having it too close to the heat source. The current arguement over plugs may never be resolved. Some like aftermarket (like me- Bosch) and others still stay OEM (GM).

In my '80 Olds, ages ago, (I had the mechanical type distributor) I placed in a High Voltage coil, I think it was from Crane. Not sure since I have not worked on the car in about 3+ years since I shipped it off to retirement up north as my "camp car." I added some slight upgraded wires and noticed some seat of pants differences, but not much beyond that that I could say increased performance. Gas mileage was the same.

Sometimes though the seat of pants are all that matter!

Eric
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Old 03-27-2003, 10:54 AM   #35
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what about rerplacing the HEI internal coil with something outside...I have seen the MSD remote coils, and wondered if they are worth a look.

JEGS has a kit for HEI with the high output module, the coil, the cap and all that. 454's sure have a lot of options when it comes to performance.
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Old 03-27-2003, 03:29 PM   #36
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That's it! That's what I put in. It was the coil that sat atop the distributor cap. The more things change (1980), the more they stay the same (2003).

The MPG and HP may not be noticable, but I did have a SOP (seat of pant) feel as slight as it was. A cheap solid upgrade!

Gotta go, ..... .... ...... (edited by the "post police"

Eric
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Old 03-28-2003, 08:16 PM   #37
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Power, Power, Power

Maintenance Progresses!!

I'll be into the engine compartment soon on the primary seek and repair inspection of my "new" '87 345.

At this point, I don't really want to modify or replace any systems, but I suspect that it will be time for new plugs and plug wires. Do any of you power mongers have a recommendation as to a good match for plugs/wires? I have had great success in natural gas and air cooled engines with multi fire platinums, but some other sites have pooh-poohed these plugs as ineffective and having no performance benefits in automobile engines.

Electronic interference will have to be kept to a minimum, so I'm pretty well married to resistor wires, unless you gurus know of a good low ohm wire that would not throw an rf spark (integrated capacitor wires?).
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Old 03-28-2003, 08:59 PM   #38
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In my wanderings here and elsewhere I have heard one mantra regarding Sparkplug wires. Gotta be able to stand the heat.

I have Accel aftermarket wires on mine and then even one of them got burned on a header. I also have the fibergalss boots slid over the wires to protect the ends at the plug end. They seem to work great and I have not had any real trouble. Looking at them last week i Think I may change them out due to age and the fact 1 of them is not really an accel wire (the burnt one was replaced by a standard wire from the old set).

I know that PeterH has the Jacobs ignition (and maybe wires?)and said it made a diffrence in his performance, but I do not know if there was any improvement in mileage.

One of the spares I still need to get is a new distributor module, the black thing that goes in the distributor itself. These are considered a high failure part and for less than 10 bucks it is worth it to have a spare. I speak from experience............ Spares are worth the money unless you have a toad to go and get them when you break down.
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Old 03-28-2003, 09:58 PM   #39
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Jacobs RV Power pak

We have discussed the Jacobs system before, but since this is a good thread about power upgrades, a refresh could be of value for some.
The jacobs system includes an external coil, an electronic control module, an uphill module and life-time plug wires. I also opted for the ceramic boots, due to a persistent burn problem on one of the boots.
Jacobs recommends stock plugs, gapped ~.015 over specs.
I don't think the multi fire platinums would work, since they are pregapped?
Installation is fairly simple (2 hours) with finding a good place for the external coil being the only small challenge.
The original ignition module stays inside the distributor, the internal coil is removed and replaced by a supplied shaft.
I carry the old coil, switchover to the old system would only take a few minutes if the jacobs should fail.
It's been so long that I hardly remember the old slug, but I mostly remember increased power, very smooth running and much better hill climbing.
IMHO, the best performance improvements for those dinosaur carbureted engines is airfow in/out and electronic controlled ignition.
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Old 03-29-2003, 06:22 AM   #40
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Peter,

The Bosch Plat +4s that I use came pre-gapped.

I have no complaints with them. I will say that there are people in both camps that either like the OEM from GM or like the Bosch. You can tell which camp I'm in. I noticed a slight increase in throttle response by installing these over the standard OEMs. There have been no measureable HP/torque gains and fuel econ has remained unchanged.

I have a Chevy smallblock (350LT1) where I have them installed.

I like the Accel wires and doing the boots is a very good idea since the heat in the area is very severe. I will say that the wires on the LT1 are good, but almost any major brand of wire sets that offer low resistance and higher volts would be an upgrade from the OEM. IMHO.

Regards,

Eric
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