4/15/01  I have been heavy into family stuff as of late, but have been edging closer to "ignition #2", or the "second coming" of TurboStude.  I've mounted the regulator in such a way that it and the gas line are accessable and reasonably distant from heat.  I have plumbed the air intake thru an air cleaner from a 53' Champion coupe, now with two filter elements.  Had to fabricate a special bracket to hold the works in place at just the right angle to clear the hood (should I ever put it on) and separate it from hot air around the turbo.   The generator is now 12volts and the ignition system is functional (later I add a transistor to carry  the current normally run thru the points).  Will hold off on completing installation of controls for the water/ETOH injector, air injector and 2nd fuel pump until after I test the car without them.  Have someone to make me an adapter to bolt a GM turbo 350 auto transmission to the engine block in case I have drive-train melt down when the whole thing comes together....

4/30/01   Well,

    TurboStude is back in one piece, and this weekend I finally had the opportunity to try starting it (you might say "fire it up"....).  After cranking it over for a bit to get the turbo oil pressure up, I added spark and it started, spraying gas out from between the carb and manifold.  O.K., I have some boost pretty quick.  The rpm was ramping up.  It was pretty obvious that I had air/vacuum leaks.  Tightened down the carb again.  This time, gas sprayed out a little hole in the bowl cover of the AFB which I hadn't noticed before.  Epoxied that shut overnight.  Decided to try 
tuning  next day without carb hat on.  It didn't search now, and idle settled down.  O.K. , carb hat on.  Backfire blows   carb hat off.
Must redesign carb hat which can withstand direct nuclear assault..... Probably use motorcycle headlight shell.  O.K. again, see if car will move under own power......  Not much power I think, probably timing way off given all the monkey business 
with the distributor mods to make it boost retard.  About this time in my 
thoughts, 200 feet from the fire extinguisher, it coughs back, and the carb 
fire starts.....  Neighbor runs out with fire extinguisher (my mexican 
blankets will never be the same, though I found that they do burn rather 
slowly...).  Yellow powder all over, but aside from my pride, no major 
damage done.  Moral?  Go TODAY and get a fire extinguisher to put in each 
vehicle, especially ones which are in the process of being developed.  You 
just don't know.  I should have known better, but assumed I'd be close to 
my garage.  Guess I'm the boost retarded one......

5/15/01  Have been cleaning up after the little mishap.....  This took patience, and fortitude, since it set me back a bit from my goal.  I'm mounting the regulator away from the carb, and heat, up in the air stream near the air cleaner.  This took a bit of figuring, but I've got it now.  I also have moved the boost control into the interior of the car, so that it can be adjusted on the fly.  Made a little mounting bracket to hold it somewhere near the dash. Reconnect some tubing and advance the timing and......

Home                                    Next page