76
Mild Modifications / Re: The Hugger goes ZL-1....
« on: January 22, 2018, 09:24:47 PM »Almost looks too good to drive.Thanks Kelly, you're to kind!
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77
Mild Modifications / Re: The Hugger goes ZL-1....
« on: January 22, 2018, 03:36:56 PM »
I just have to update while you guys donīt want to stop nagging me..... 
Weīve now reached the critical moment in this project when the engine is going back into the Hugger. The car isn't aware of whats going to happen with it in this very moment:
With the engine still mounted on the frame from the dyno itīs easy to lift it with help from two Camaro-friends and a reliable engine crane:
We moved the Hugger sideways in ny garage for easier access to the engine bay during the surgery...anf of course we used sterile clothing.
Oh my....
We were two guys watching the engine bay and another running the crane
Tada, the ZL-1 really fitted but its a tight fit!
After we mounted the TH350 and engine together we pushed the car back to its parking place for further and smaller surgery!
Here are the temperature-controlled clutch, which was standard on 427 COPO, and the for 1969 original seven-blade fan mounted:
I couldnīt hold myself so I just had to test mount the carb and cowl air filter...it feels so unreal but even though so right!
A bunch of things still remains do to, but every smal step is a step towards getting the Hugger on its wheels this summer!
Weīve now reached the critical moment in this project when the engine is going back into the Hugger. The car isn't aware of whats going to happen with it in this very moment:
With the engine still mounted on the frame from the dyno itīs easy to lift it with help from two Camaro-friends and a reliable engine crane:
We moved the Hugger sideways in ny garage for easier access to the engine bay during the surgery...anf of course we used sterile clothing.
Oh my....
We were two guys watching the engine bay and another running the crane
Tada, the ZL-1 really fitted but its a tight fit!
After we mounted the TH350 and engine together we pushed the car back to its parking place for further and smaller surgery!
Here are the temperature-controlled clutch, which was standard on 427 COPO, and the for 1969 original seven-blade fan mounted:
I couldnīt hold myself so I just had to test mount the carb and cowl air filter...it feels so unreal but even though so right!
A bunch of things still remains do to, but every smal step is a step towards getting the Hugger on its wheels this summer!
78
Mild Modifications / Re: The Hugger goes ZL-1....
« on: January 18, 2018, 08:20:43 PM »
Itīs not just a simpel engine swap when you go from a small to a big block...nope, why go esy when you can go hard?
One of these other things is to also swap the heater core. As you all know the SB has its water out- and inlets closer to the center but thats no good when the big block and valve covers are in the way of the hoses.
When we was fortunate to win ROTM here last year I ordered a BB heater core from NPD for the price money.
Do you think it fitted?.. You can see the new core to theft and my old SB core to the right.
I had to let our local radiator-shop make a new one and the only thing we kept was the pipings. It turned out very well i think ut the price money is long gone...
I was happy to one last time crawl under the dash and install the new heater core...
Hmm, doesnīt the pipes seem to be a bit too short?
Yuup. they are! Back to the radiator-shop for a quick do-right-do-again..here is how it turned out:
Much better!
Besides the heater core Iīve also mounted the correct cable for the starter:
Now I also now the correct place for the minus-cable on a BB:
I also wanted to have both a oil pressure gauge AND the original oil pressure indicator in the dash wired so I have to use this solution:
One of these other things is to also swap the heater core. As you all know the SB has its water out- and inlets closer to the center but thats no good when the big block and valve covers are in the way of the hoses.
When we was fortunate to win ROTM here last year I ordered a BB heater core from NPD for the price money.
Do you think it fitted?..
You can see the new core to theft and my old SB core to the right. I had to let our local radiator-shop make a new one and the only thing we kept was the pipings. It turned out very well i think ut the price money is long gone...
I was happy to one last time crawl under the dash and install the new heater core...
Hmm, doesnīt the pipes seem to be a bit too short?
Yuup. they are! Back to the radiator-shop for a quick do-right-do-again..here is how it turned out:
Much better!
Besides the heater core Iīve also mounted the correct cable for the starter:
Now I also now the correct place for the minus-cable on a BB:
I also wanted to have both a oil pressure gauge AND the original oil pressure indicator in the dash wired so I have to use this solution:
79
Mild Modifications / Re: The Hugger goes ZL-1....
« on: January 14, 2018, 06:50:18 PM »
Despite all the hassels we had and while the engine was in the dyno stand we decided to do some runs to se what we could get out of this first engine build of mine!
For you guys that that have been demanding a video, I have to disappoint you, sorry!
We were too busy to check on the engine and dyne during this test runs so i just have these two short vids on it. Taken with my iPhone 7.
First one from brakin the cam in. The smoke is from the WD-40 I used for protecting the manifolds from being rusty during storage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCTeNUntxtg
Second one is from the gauges of the dyno control panel. Our ZL-1 sounds eager and the throttle respond is ok despite the saggy ignition system!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ycc9ReWjmpQ
The original ZL-1 from Chevrolet made around 376 hp at 6750 rpm, dyno tested by Bill Porterfield, with a similar setup as ours with manifolds, original air filter and alternator mounted. Our goal with this build was to get as close as Chevrolets original ZL-1 as possible but within our conservative budget. Therefore we had a sligthly lower compression ratio, a used Holley 750 carb and, as we discovered during the cam break-in process, a not-so-good ingition system! We do have a more race influenced intake but that aren't always the best way to go..
We put a safety stop at 5700 rpm and we then reached around 420 hp, with the curve still rising....we achieved the goal with a margin!
The torque landed one 544 Nm (401 ft.lb.) at 4100 rpm.
We are very satisfied with the dyna results and with a new ignition system, bigger carb, headers and taking the rpm ut to 7000 weīre convinced that our version of the ZL-1 easily could reach 500 hp!
But the goal was NOT to get as much as possible out of it, it was go get a rather street friendly engine and when I really like manifolds on a ZL-1 Iīll keep it like this... for a while at least!
The engine is now at home waiting to get back in the Hugger again!
For you guys that that have been demanding a video, I have to disappoint you, sorry!
We were too busy to check on the engine and dyne during this test runs so i just have these two short vids on it. Taken with my iPhone 7.
First one from brakin the cam in. The smoke is from the WD-40 I used for protecting the manifolds from being rusty during storage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCTeNUntxtg
Second one is from the gauges of the dyno control panel. Our ZL-1 sounds eager and the throttle respond is ok despite the saggy ignition system!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ycc9ReWjmpQ
The original ZL-1 from Chevrolet made around 376 hp at 6750 rpm, dyno tested by Bill Porterfield, with a similar setup as ours with manifolds, original air filter and alternator mounted. Our goal with this build was to get as close as Chevrolets original ZL-1 as possible but within our conservative budget. Therefore we had a sligthly lower compression ratio, a used Holley 750 carb and, as we discovered during the cam break-in process, a not-so-good ingition system! We do have a more race influenced intake but that aren't always the best way to go..
We put a safety stop at 5700 rpm and we then reached around 420 hp, with the curve still rising....we achieved the goal with a margin!
The torque landed one 544 Nm (401 ft.lb.) at 4100 rpm.
We are very satisfied with the dyna results and with a new ignition system, bigger carb, headers and taking the rpm ut to 7000 weīre convinced that our version of the ZL-1 easily could reach 500 hp!
But the goal was NOT to get as much as possible out of it, it was go get a rather street friendly engine and when I really like manifolds on a ZL-1 Iīll keep it like this... for a while at least!
The engine is now at home waiting to get back in the Hugger again!
80
General Discussion / Re: Pair of ZL1 COPO's... at Auction.. :)
« on: January 05, 2018, 09:19:09 PM »
Read of them before, isn't Gas Monkey and RR the sellers?
81
Mild Modifications / Re: The Hugger goes ZL-1....
« on: January 03, 2018, 09:02:46 AM »
Finally the cam from Crane has been broken in...but it didn't happen without any problems! 
The starter was the first thing that dint work as is should...one thing that happened was that someone, wasn't me though, mounted the flex plate the wrong way! Then we had to shim the starter a lot of times before we could use it with satisfaction...
The next thing that we discovered was the internal electrical system on this home made dyno wasn't build for these type of BB Chevy engines so we almost blew it trying to start the mighty ZL-1!
The owner made a quick fix and then it was almost ok...
This dyno has been adapted for smaller Volvo and Beemer engines with turbos and other cheating parts!
When we finally got the ZL-1 to run it was just to find out that it didn't run on all eight so we just hit the emergency button! Responsible for this debacle was yours truly, who really is a newbie in engine building and therefore hadnīt adjusted the hydraulic lifters correctly and that caused the engine to NOT run on all cylinders! Do again, do right!
We then had difficulties with getting the timing correct, the strobe lamp wasn't working as it should. We tested another lamp but with same result so the next thing to look at was the cables and ignition coil. After a couple of starting attempts we realized that that the reused ACCEL coil from the old 355 finally gave up!
This ACCEL coil had been working great on my 355 so I thought it was ok to reuse it on the ZL-1 in an attempt to cut the budget but that backfired! We also discovered some bad cables and the only good thing about this is that these kind of problems are nice to discover now while the engine is sitting in a bench instead of being mounted in the car! :roll:
The owner of the dyno had an old HEI-distributor on a shelf in deep storage so we borrowed that for further testing on the dyno and it worked ok. :|
When we finally got the engine running on all cylinders it ran very nice and smooth on idle ...you actually could do the comparison with the famous RR-engine where you could put a standing coin on top of the engine and it would not fall! Many thanks to my engine shop that did the internal balancing!
After a successful break-in of the cam we took the oil pan down for inspection of oil and particles.... nothing suspicious was found and that felt nice as well. I really appreciate the one-piece seal during this inspection!
While the cam was broken in with just the outer springs mounted, the complete set of springs now had to be in place. To get the tight spring rates and height we realized we had to order new retainers from USA and of course that delayed the whole process again..
When this parts had arrived and mounted together with all the springs we had to adjust the hydraulic lifters once more..piuuh, its a lot of unexpected things to consider when building an engine!
I borrowed a very nice tool for mounting springs though, very handy!
An old and very used HEI-distributor, not mounted in pictures above, together with almost home made ignition cables and a carb from the CSB 355 that's not optimal for the ZL-1 are not the best conditions for getting a real deal dyno test of a ZL-1 but we will try to get back here with one when the engine still is on the dyno... the hours in the bench are running away as well!
The starter was the first thing that dint work as is should...one thing that happened was that someone, wasn't me though, mounted the flex plate the wrong way! Then we had to shim the starter a lot of times before we could use it with satisfaction...
The next thing that we discovered was the internal electrical system on this home made dyno wasn't build for these type of BB Chevy engines so we almost blew it trying to start the mighty ZL-1!
The owner made a quick fix and then it was almost ok...This dyno has been adapted for smaller Volvo and Beemer engines with turbos and other cheating parts!
When we finally got the ZL-1 to run it was just to find out that it didn't run on all eight so we just hit the emergency button! Responsible for this debacle was yours truly, who really is a newbie in engine building and therefore hadnīt adjusted the hydraulic lifters correctly and that caused the engine to NOT run on all cylinders! Do again, do right!
We then had difficulties with getting the timing correct, the strobe lamp wasn't working as it should. We tested another lamp but with same result so the next thing to look at was the cables and ignition coil. After a couple of starting attempts we realized that that the reused ACCEL coil from the old 355 finally gave up!
This ACCEL coil had been working great on my 355 so I thought it was ok to reuse it on the ZL-1 in an attempt to cut the budget but that backfired!
We also discovered some bad cables and the only good thing about this is that these kind of problems are nice to discover now while the engine is sitting in a bench instead of being mounted in the car! :roll: The owner of the dyno had an old HEI-distributor on a shelf in deep storage so we borrowed that for further testing on the dyno and it worked ok. :|
When we finally got the engine running on all cylinders it ran very nice and smooth on idle ...you actually could do the comparison with the famous RR-engine where you could put a standing coin on top of the engine and it would not fall! Many thanks to my engine shop that did the internal balancing!
After a successful break-in of the cam we took the oil pan down for inspection of oil and particles.... nothing suspicious was found and that felt nice as well. I really appreciate the one-piece seal during this inspection!
While the cam was broken in with just the outer springs mounted, the complete set of springs now had to be in place. To get the tight spring rates and height we realized we had to order new retainers from USA and of course that delayed the whole process again..
When this parts had arrived and mounted together with all the springs we had to adjust the hydraulic lifters once more..piuuh, its a lot of unexpected things to consider when building an engine!
I borrowed a very nice tool for mounting springs though, very handy!
An old and very used HEI-distributor, not mounted in pictures above, together with almost home made ignition cables and a carb from the CSB 355 that's not optimal for the ZL-1 are not the best conditions for getting a real deal dyno test of a ZL-1 but we will try to get back here with one when the engine still is on the dyno...
the hours in the bench are running away as well!
82
General Discussion / Re: 1969 mach1 riverside pace car Indian fire red
« on: December 31, 2017, 09:00:49 AM »
Dude, you're on the wrong side of the road!
83
Mild Modifications / Re: The Hugger goes ZL-1....
« on: December 23, 2017, 10:45:19 AM »That looks amazing on the dyno. Video please!!!!!!!Thanks Scott, Iīll try!
Scott
84
Mild Modifications / Re: The Hugger goes ZL-1....
« on: December 22, 2017, 07:55:10 AM »I wouldn't mind seeing a video of that.Me neither..!
85
Mild Modifications / Re: The Hugger goes ZL-1....
« on: December 18, 2017, 01:34:03 PM »
Well, the engine is mounted on engine dynamometer...first time for me in this kind of situation, exciting!
It sure looks good on pic, huh?
The most important thing why I put the engine on a dyno is to brake the cam in. We just have the outer springs mounted during this process. There are a bunch of piezoelectric sensors mounted on the engine for early detection if something is going in the wrong direction, so to speak....lets hope everything works all right! :rolleyes:
First we boosted the oil with a portable screwdriver and we got good pressure very quick...something I've done right at least!
Next step on the list is to brake the cam in......
It sure looks good on pic, huh?
The most important thing why I put the engine on a dyno is to brake the cam in. We just have the outer springs mounted during this process. There are a bunch of piezoelectric sensors mounted on the engine for early detection if something is going in the wrong direction, so to speak....lets hope everything works all right! :rolleyes:
First we boosted the oil with a portable screwdriver and we got good pressure very quick...something I've done right at least!
Next step on the list is to brake the cam in......
86
General Discussion / Re: Photo recovery if you use Photobucket and Google chrome.
« on: December 06, 2017, 10:25:28 AM »That will probably help a lot fo guys. I know Hakken from Sweden was pretty bummed all his pics from his thread had disappeared. Maybe he can recover them now.You're spot on there!
I guess there is no fix for Safari?
This ransom situation cannot continue unless photobucket change their policies! It will be there death on the web...!
I, and thousands of other users, get an email each and every day for chipping in that high some of $400/year to acces of the third party pics, its crazy!
I now use fotki.com instead and so far I'm very happy with their service for like 5 % of the cost of PB!
87
Mild Modifications / Re: The Hugger goes ZL-1....
« on: November 28, 2017, 01:05:29 PM »
Destination reached! I think the ZL-1 is starting to purr just being in this situation....!
..and yes, itīs a famous Vega built in US long time ago but thatīs a completely different story!
..and yes, itīs a famous Vega built in US long time ago but thatīs a completely different story!
88
Mild Modifications / Re: The Hugger goes ZL-1....
« on: November 17, 2017, 07:58:32 AM »I would recommend saving the turbo 350 and your old motor for another vehicle.Old motor long gone...itīs in a 68 RS now!
To bad you aren't closer I have a 454 and turbo 400 that got built with a street/strip idea, (10 seconds in the 1/4 on all motor) and then never got installed. I am trying to find a buyer for both...and the search continues....
Iīll try the TH350 first and then wait īn see...
89
Mild Modifications / Re: The Hugger goes ZL-1....
« on: November 16, 2017, 09:38:37 PM »Without big tires I think the 350 will do OK. Might want to think about that low rpm converter unless your motor likes to idle at 6 or 700 rpm.I think you're spot on there, Kelley!
There are a lot of things that we probably have to deal when it comes to getin the ZL-1 back in the car again...
90
Mild Modifications / Re: The Hugger goes ZL-1....
« on: November 16, 2017, 07:20:34 PM »Hakan,Thanks, Steve, appreciate it!
One good looking ZL-1 for sure. Out of curiousity, why the TH350 instead of a TH400 ? I have a bad mental picture of twisted output shafts and exploding internals after that kind of power metering through it. True, a 350 will hold up to mannerful driving, but wasn't really intended for this kind of duty. Just asking -
Regards,
Steve
I want to keep the TH350 thats already in the car for several reasons...!
One is money, cause building a ZL-1 isn't cheap anywhere...second I'm not gonna race this car and use sticky rubber so hopefully the 350 should manage with me driving it?!
But you have a point and we have thought about it but for now this is how gonna start!