Quote:
Originally Posted by volfenhag_alero
I was wondering if you knew of any tranny upgrades that can withstand a turbo and nitrous setup. I'm going to be running a 100-125 shot of nitrous and about 12lbs. of boost. If you could help me out, I'd really appreciate it.
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First, I apologize for getting off-topic and not answering your question in a direct manner. However, your question isn't as simple as that. if I told most people what it would take to put that much power to the ground in simple terms, they'd end up breaking so much other stuff and ask why I didn't mention that. I hate being responsible for costing someone alot of money due to unforseen breakage.
Second, this will have to go in two posts because there is a 10,000 character limit per post (sorry).
I'm always the first to stand up against anyone saying "you can't" when it comes to performance mods, but if you're going to run 12psi AND a 100-125 shot, you're going to have to do a HELL of a lot more than just tranny upgrades.
Since I'm not going to say "you can't", I'm going to tell you what you CAN do to prep for that much power. You're going to need to sink a minimum of $3,000-$5,000 into the engine alone for starters, not including the turbo and nitrous kits. Factory internals have not reacted favorably to that much power when suddenly applied.
First, you're going to need ALL forged internals (crank, rods, and pistons, and I recommend a billet cam)
Crank - about $500-$1,000 - either have your crank cryo-treated or install one from a late model 3500 engine (factory forged), the latter will require you to change out the crank position trigger and sensor, which will require some welding and machining. Cryo treating your factory cast crank will make it stronger than stock, but still not as strong as forged. Cost for cryo-treating is variable based on who you go through, and since I dont usually bother with cryo, you'll have to do the research to find out who/how much.
Rods - $300-500 per set, plus machining costs. You can get any SMALL JOURNAL 5.7 chevy small block V8 rods and the journal is the correct diameter, but you will have to have them "side-clearanced" because they are just a hair too fat. This means you can run any of the big heavy duty brand names like Crane, etc. For boosted application, I recommend the H-beam style rods.
Pistons - around $800 or more - there are no mass-manufactured forged pistons for the 3400 engine, so you will have to send in a factory piston to one of the major race parts companies to have them custom make a set for you. I sent a friend of mine to Ross Pistons, and they made a set for him for around $800, but I can't give you the specs because he had them make some other modifications for him (lower compression for boost) and only he has the numbers he used.
ARP studs/bolts/hardware - $250 just for head studs, you'll have to look up how much the rest of them are - you're going to need to replace ALL of your internal engine bolts with ARP brand hardened, or else your factory bolts will come apart because they're not strong enough to handle that much pressure. Main, connecting rod, and head studs as a minimum.
Head gaskets - $300 - Full coppers with stainless compression rings will be required here or you're just going to keep blowing them out.
Major head work - $1,500 - you're going to have to have about a "stage 3" job done, to include stainless valves (or they'll burn up under that much power), port and polish to keep up with that much flow, titanium locks/retainers, upgrade to ARP 10mm rocker studs, and dual valve springs from Crane or Comp. Cams for an LSx version chevy V8 engine so you don't get "cam float" under hard acceleration.
Main/rod/cam bearings - $unknown - You'll need to upgrade to Clevite 77 bearings all throughout to keep up with that kind of torque.
Billet flex plate - $350? - the stock one will most likely shatter under that much torque, so you need a billet/forged flex plate.
Under-drive crank pulley setup - $100-200 used. Not made any more, but if you can find a FFP (Fast-Forward Performance) model used, it will keep you from causing all your drive accessories from exploding (such as power steering pump, A/C compressor, Alternator, Water pump, etc.) This will reduce the amount of suddent torque applied to them and keep them from failing.
Ignition setup - $500+ - including coil packs, Kenne Bell Boost-a-Spark, wires and plugs. You're going to have to increase the amount of power to your spark dramatically in order to ignite under that much compression, otherwise it will just 'blow out the flame'. Don't forget to run your plugs a couple ranges colder than stock.
Fuel system - about $1,000 - You'll need a fuel pump (and booster) capable of pushing more than 255 liters per hour (such as a Walbro model 340) to keep up with the fuel demand, and that may STILL not be enough. You may have to go to a full race in-line model pump rather than the in-tank model. You'll also need to bump up to #65 injectors ($300-$400) to keep up. You'll also need a Kenne Bell Boost-a-Pump to boost the voltage to the fuel pump and regulate the juice during voltage/amperage fluctutuations.
Torque Converter - $400+ - You'll need the internals reworked to keep up with the heat and pressure, such as brazened/hardened fins in the turbine, race journals, and anti-ballooning plates just for starters.
MAF sensor - upgrade to a corvette style MAF and adjust your computer data tables to match. This is what measures the air flow coming through your intake system, and determines how much fuel it needs to provide to compensate. The factory MAF sensor will not read high enough to keep up with that much flow.
Wideband O2 sensor - about $300-$400 - necessary to get/maintain a proper tune. This will help the computer to make fueling adjustments quicker to keep up with the sudden changes in requirements. The factory O2 is a narrow band setup and does not report changes fast enough (real time) and can quite quickly cause a lean condition at a bad time.
Tuning/Computer - $400 - You'll need a "DHP PowrTuner" or an "HP Tuner" in order to make all the tuning adjustments you'll need to make, and it would be a good idea to become a tuning guru with LOTS of research on how to tune, because under that much power, one little mistake will make the whole engine go "pop" and that's not a good thing with that much invested. If you prefer, the alternative is a stand-alone EMS which will cost anywhere from $400-$1,000.
Nitrous controller - If you're going to be stuffing a 100-125 shot nitrous setup in there, I recommend you use a two-stage controller and not dump all 100hp on your system all at once. Good way to blow shit up.
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Now that we've covered what you'll need for the engine because I suspect you might not have been aware of all that, we can start in on your real question for the transmission.
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