It's time to visit the oracle that is the 7M-GTE forum here at SM for some thoughts from the village elders (not necessarily referring to age but experience).
I am in the final planning and assembly of the engine for our Lemons car. Two things are paramount:
1) Longevity
2) Budget
Both of these take precedence over horsepower, so keep that in mind as you make your comments if you could, please.
The plan I have now is the following build. Basically, a stock bottom end but freshened uup with Clevite bearings. The crank is pristine and I'll probably polish it, but other than that a thorough cleaning is it. The rods will get ARP rod bolts. I found a set of cheap ARP main studs as well as a set of ARP head studs.
The block is at the machine shop now getting decked (the engine had a BHG) with the front cover in place. The head will also get decked and checked for cracks. I'll grind the valves myself as I have the tools for it and the work I do on the car doesn't count against the cost. I have the helicoils for the exhaust studs so they're going in right away. I have 3 spare heads so there is no shortage of shims to properly set the valve clearance. Head gasket will be a MLS, again for cost reasons.
I've read the debate here and on other forums about the value or lack thereof to use the NA Intake cam. Everything I've read runs from the range of 1) it does little to no good to 2) it can give about a 10 hp pickup. Nowhere did I read that it hurt power although it may soften up the bottom end a tad. That's not really a concern since the Lemon's races are always rolling starts and once on track the engine will probably not say anything under 3,000 rpm. With that in mind (and because I have 3 extra NA intake cams) I'm going to use one.
I have a Lexus AFM with the Supra electronics so I plan to use that to avoid fuel cut for as long as possible. I also have a 3" downpipe that came with some other parts I bought. Although I'd like to use 550cc injectors the budget rules that out. It does not rule out the use of an adjustable FPR, though, or a manual boost controller.
Again, for the sake of longevity, I want to limit the boost from stock levels to a maximum of 12 psi. The EGR will be gone and I do plan to add a sandwich block on the oil filter to run an aftermarket oil cooler since I found one for about $50. Not as good as a full re-route, I know, but better than stock.
The ignition will be stock with the ground mod done. The injectors will be checked (by me, I have a test rig) for balance and a good spray and that's about all that can be done with them.
OK friends, what am I forgetting? I can check and degree the cams in and have an idea to adjust the timing in a limited fashion to get it dialed in. So what else can I do to get this ready given what I've already told everyone?
Thanks in advance for the input.
John Stricker
Russell, KS
Edited to add:
I'd be interested in hearing what the CRANK HP estimates of this might be. I would think in the area of 260-275 which is at least 50-60 over the NA 7M's we've been campaigning. Other opinions??
I am in the final planning and assembly of the engine for our Lemons car. Two things are paramount:
1) Longevity
2) Budget
Both of these take precedence over horsepower, so keep that in mind as you make your comments if you could, please.
The plan I have now is the following build. Basically, a stock bottom end but freshened uup with Clevite bearings. The crank is pristine and I'll probably polish it, but other than that a thorough cleaning is it. The rods will get ARP rod bolts. I found a set of cheap ARP main studs as well as a set of ARP head studs.
The block is at the machine shop now getting decked (the engine had a BHG) with the front cover in place. The head will also get decked and checked for cracks. I'll grind the valves myself as I have the tools for it and the work I do on the car doesn't count against the cost. I have the helicoils for the exhaust studs so they're going in right away. I have 3 spare heads so there is no shortage of shims to properly set the valve clearance. Head gasket will be a MLS, again for cost reasons.
I've read the debate here and on other forums about the value or lack thereof to use the NA Intake cam. Everything I've read runs from the range of 1) it does little to no good to 2) it can give about a 10 hp pickup. Nowhere did I read that it hurt power although it may soften up the bottom end a tad. That's not really a concern since the Lemon's races are always rolling starts and once on track the engine will probably not say anything under 3,000 rpm. With that in mind (and because I have 3 extra NA intake cams) I'm going to use one.
I have a Lexus AFM with the Supra electronics so I plan to use that to avoid fuel cut for as long as possible. I also have a 3" downpipe that came with some other parts I bought. Although I'd like to use 550cc injectors the budget rules that out. It does not rule out the use of an adjustable FPR, though, or a manual boost controller.
Again, for the sake of longevity, I want to limit the boost from stock levels to a maximum of 12 psi. The EGR will be gone and I do plan to add a sandwich block on the oil filter to run an aftermarket oil cooler since I found one for about $50. Not as good as a full re-route, I know, but better than stock.
The ignition will be stock with the ground mod done. The injectors will be checked (by me, I have a test rig) for balance and a good spray and that's about all that can be done with them.
OK friends, what am I forgetting? I can check and degree the cams in and have an idea to adjust the timing in a limited fashion to get it dialed in. So what else can I do to get this ready given what I've already told everyone?
Thanks in advance for the input.
John Stricker
Russell, KS
Edited to add:
I'd be interested in hearing what the CRANK HP estimates of this might be. I would think in the area of 260-275 which is at least 50-60 over the NA 7M's we've been campaigning. Other opinions??