New here and I have a lot of questions :o

3959 Views 22 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Wingnut, Nov 24, 2012

Zcypot

Discussion Starter · Oct 19, 2012

Hello everyone,

So I am new here and the reason I am here is because of my Vette!

To start off my corvette is a 1984 Corvette with pretty much everything stock with exception of the exhaust system. My knowledge of cars is fairly limited, unlike my knowledge of computers. So one day I decided to finally start working on the vette and figure it would be pretty much the same way when I started building my own computer rigs and overclocking them.

What is really overwhelming right now is the engine on this car. I am reading a lot of threads and it seems a lot of people do conversions. My friend once told me fixing up a car is like playing with an expensive lego set... well Seems that way, but I have no idea where to start.

Is the Crossfire engine worth upgrading, converting, or swaping out? I really love this car and would love to put some serious work into it over time.

Anything links, guides, or suggestions on where to start with my car would be greatly appreciated!

TL;DR

Where do I start upgrading my car?

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1 - 20 of 23 Posts

[email protected]

· #2 · Oct 19, 2012

welcome to SV... what exactly is your goal with the car? you want a stock daily driver or are you looking for more performance? the Crossfire is a very reliable system but not a lot of power.. the Crossfire itself is the reason..it was never designed for big power, and is just too restrictive..but, there are options..and how big is your budget? if you stay with the CF, we have members that know the Crossfire well, and can give you advice to improve it.

Zcypot

Discussion Starter · #3 · Oct 20, 2012

[email protected] said:
welcome to SV... what exactly is your goal with the car? you want a stock daily driver or are you looking for more performance? the Crossfire is a very reliable system but not a lot of power.. the Crossfire itself is the reason..it was never designed for big power, and is just too restrictive..but, there are options..and how big is your budget? if you stay with the CF, we have members that know the Crossfire well, and can give you advice to improve it.

Hello there,

Well I WANT to take CF off. My goal is to slowly get it into a good respectible muscle car hp range. The thing is I want a car I can learn to tune on. CF scares me though lol..

[email protected]

· #4 · Oct 20, 2012

are you planning to go with a newer fuel injection system or to a carb/manifold set-up?..that would be the time to throw in a better cam too, while its apart ..

crossflag

· #5 · Oct 20, 2012

HERE WE GO AGAIN...LOL:479:
you need to get the renagade :vomitbuddy:

[email protected]

· #6 · Oct 20, 2012

crossflag said:
HERE WE GO AGAIN...LOL:479:
you need to get the renagade :vomitbuddy:

SSSHHHHH! no one has mentioned thr "R" word yet...LOL!

slrvette

· #7 · Oct 21, 2012

God...not the R word!...
List your goals

Zcypot

Discussion Starter · #8 · Oct 22, 2012

Sorry for taking so long to reply, busy weekend.

My goals with this car is to first getting it running good. What I mean by that buy and install what ever I need to get it in a stable area. I dont want this car to suddenly start overheating or not turn on one day or anything like that.

Afterwards I want to slowly start putting in small parts into the car. Some here and there. My end goal is to eventually convert the engine out of CF(once I learn more about it) or swap it out.

I want this car to perform how it currently sounds at the moment...like grumbling beast. I am not expect exaggerated HP figures, just somewhere around 300-400whp end goal. Something close to modern standards.

Any guides on where I can learn more about my Corvette and or where to start focusing on would be greatly appreciated. I love this car a lot and I just want to start working on it without ******* it up.

slrvette

· #9 · Oct 23, 2012

Here's my CFI to HSR conversion. Converting to a multiport system doesn't have to be difficult at all. couple of ways it can be done without having to change the main wiring harness.

http://www.smokinvette.com/corvetteforum/showthread.php?t=30862

Zcypot

Discussion Starter · #10 · Oct 24, 2012

Thanks I will take a look at this. Seems like a good first step. Are there any gains from the conversion?

toobroketoretire

· #11 · Oct 24, 2012

Zcypot said:
Hello there,

Well I WANT to take CF off. My goal is to slowly get it into a good respectible muscle car hp range. The thing is I want a car I can learn to tune on. CF scares me though lol..

You can get a substantial power increase by using a 1985 fuel pump and stretching your pressure regulator spring 3/4" to get 14 psi fuel pressure. Those two modifications alone will give you a hefty power increase all the way up to 4000 rpm. For even more power across the board install a Renegade intake manifold (about $460) from DCS in Arizona.

The stock '82 thru '84 fuel pumps were only capable of supplying enough fuel for a 350" engine up to 3000 rpm as anything above that the fuel pressure would drop off rapidly. But with the increased volume from an '85 fuel pump and stretched spring it'll adequately fuel the engine all the way up to 5500 rpm.

Zcypot

Discussion Starter · #12 · Oct 24, 2012

hmm interesting info thanks, but what is really concerning me right now is the ECU. Is that really a bother or can I ignore it for the most part?

crossflag

· #13 · Oct 24, 2012

:QUOTE=toobroketoretire; For even more power across the board install a Renegade intake manifold (about $460) from DCS in Arizona.

:2ni19wj:[

slrvette

· #14 · Oct 25, 2012

Zcypot said:
hmm interesting info thanks, but what is really concerning me right now is the ECU. Is that really a bother or can I ignore it for the most part?

Depends on what your doing? So far you haven't been very specific with your mods. Once you give us some specifics as to what your doing we can give you a more accurate answer.

slrvette

· #15 · Oct 25, 2012

toobroketoretire said:
You can get a substantial power increase by using a 1985 fuel pump and stretching your pressure regulator spring 3/4" to get 14 psi fuel pressure. Those two modifications alone will give you a hefty power increase all the way up to 4000 rpm..

Hefty?.. don't think so

toobroketoretire said:
For even more power across the board install a Renegade intake manifold (about $460) from DCS in Arizona..

IMO I would waste my time with this intake. Although its a good intake. Some guys have waiting over a year for it only to finally get so fed up they asked for there money back.

toobroketoretire said:
The stock '82 thru '84 fuel pumps were only capable of supplying enough fuel for a 350" engine up to 3000 rpm as anything above that the fuel pressure would drop off rapidly. But with the increased volume from an '85 fuel pump and stretched spring it'll adequately fuel the engine all the way up to 5500 rpm.

Funny how my stock 84 pump pulled a lot of fuel up to 5100 per my dyno.

Just a FYI, I'm not getting into a Renegade vs ported discussion. Plenty of previous thread the OP can search and read. I've stated my opinion about it many times and theres no need to repeat myself.:thumbsup3:

Zcypot

Discussion Starter · #16 · Oct 25, 2012

slrvette said:
Depends on what your doing? So far you haven't been very specific with your mods. Once you give us some specifics as to what your doing we can give you a more accurate answer.

I am not very sure on specifics just yet, but main goal is:

Remove CF FOR SURE

If possible without too much difficulties get manual transmission

After that well I dont have much gearhead knowledge other than try to increase engine power as much as possible without adding forced induction.

I read your thread Slrvette of removing the CF, seems something me and my dad are capable of doing. My dad knows about engines and can fix them, but he rather stick to body work. I think that thread will supply plenty of information needed.

toobroketoretire

· #17 · Oct 28, 2012 (Edited)

Zcypot said:
I am not very sure on specifics just yet, but main goal is:

Remove CF FOR SURE

If possible without too much difficulties get manual transmission

After that well I dont have much gearhead knowledge other than try to increase engine power as much as possible without adding forced induction.

I read your thread Slrvette of removing the CF, seems something me and my dad are capable of doing. My dad knows about engines and can fix them, but he rather stick to body work. I think that thread will supply plenty of information needed.

As you are a California resident and your '84 is still subject to smog inspections your choices are very limited. With the modifications I'm suggesting you can gain a substantial increase in power and still remain smog legal.

After I bought my CrossFire Injected '82 I always felt it lacked power above 3000 rpm so I did some extensive testing to find out why. The '82 thru '84 fuel pumps won't produce enough volume or pressure. At wide open throttle the pressure will drop to 9 psi by 2500 rpm and only 7 psi at 3000 rpm so the engine gets starved. The '85 pump will solve that problem as it'll provide enough volume and pressure for engine speeds up to 5500 rpm. And then during my testing I found the CrossFire Injection does it's very best at 14 psi. By merely stretching the pressure regulator spring an additional 3/4" you can make the desired 14 psi. The stock 1-13/16" throttle bodies will flow 567 cfm so they're big enough for revs up to 5500 rpm but the CrossFire intake will only flow 425 cfm and is the reason why a CrossFire quits making power above 4000 rpm. The CrossFire's runners can be "ported" but only on the top and sides and only with the use of very expensive 8" long cutters and a LOT of time but in the end you'll only see about a 10% increase in flow because the runner walls are so thin. The Renegade has large 1-1/2" X 2-1/4" runner inlets that taper down to a full-size 1-1/4" X 2" where they meet the cylinder head and will flow about 800 cfm right out of the box. With the additional volume and pressure from the fuel pump and the additional breathing from a Renegade a CrossFire will easily outrun any early Tuned Port..................

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toobroketoretire

· #18 · Oct 28, 2012

slrvette said:
Just a FYI, I'm not getting into a Renegade vs ported discussion.

As you have never ported anything in your whole life I doubt you have any first-hand knowledge on the subject. When it comes to "porting" a CrossFire the first major obstacle you run into is it's very tiny 1-3/8" X 1-5/8" runner cross sections that are straight from their beginnings to their ends. As there is a water jacket under them they can only be opened up on their tops and sides and then only a little bit because the wall thicknesses are so thin. And as the runners are 7" long you would need very expensive carbide cutters to reach far enough inside to open them up their entire length. In the end you might make a 10% gain in flow which would certainly help but a Renegade is a much better option as it'll flow 800 cfm right out of the box and has correctly designed tapered runners that end up full gasket size at their discharge ends. To find out what the estimated shipping time is contact DCS in Arizona.

slrvette

· #19 · Oct 28, 2012

toobroketoretire said:
As you have never ported anything in your whole life I doubt you have any first-hand knowledge on the subject.

WRONG!... I've ported 2 for friends.:coffeetime:

DIGGER44

· #20 · Oct 28, 2012

Zcypot said:
Hello everyone,

So I am new here and the reason I am here is because of my Vette!

To start off my corvette is a 1984 Corvette with pretty much everything stock with exception of the exhaust system. My knowledge of cars is fairly limited, unlike my knowledge of computers. So one day I decided to finally start working on the vette and figure it would be pretty much the same way when I started building my own computer rigs and overclocking them.

What is really overwhelming right now is the engine on this car. I am reading a lot of threads and it seems a lot of people do conversions. My friend once told me fixing up a car is like playing with an expensive lego set... well Seems that way, but I have no idea where to start.

Is the Crossfire engine worth upgrading, converting, or swaping out? I really love this car and would love to put some serious work into it over time.

Anything links, guides, or suggestions on where to start with my car would be greatly appreciated!

TL;DR

Where do I start upgrading my car?

First off I love the color of your 84. Is the hood functional for air flow to the crossfire or just for looks? That is a nice looking hood I want one. I would stick with the crossfire. It is now a classic. You have many options you could port it marginal gain. You could get an x-ram but your low end torque will suffer if you don't get lower rear gears. Could order a renegade but be prepared to wait 10 months to a year. The renegade will give you a boost in performance in the entire power band.

Again the color and hood looks awesome.

1 - 20 of 23 Posts

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