noob with questions
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noob with questions
alright so ive got the book my champion on the way, ordered that yesterday.
my plan is to build a locost as cheap as possible for this is my first project car ever but i figured this the best first time.
my plan is to use a GM platform engine
2.8l 3.4l 3.8l
questions
im 6'3" and worried there may not be enough room in the driver seat for my long legs.
also i know the 2.8l does not have a lot power but is my cheapest option but does anyone know of any possible upgrades that are inexpensive.
also anything else i maybe missing
thanks guys for your help
my plan is to build a locost as cheap as possible for this is my first project car ever but i figured this the best first time.
my plan is to use a GM platform engine
2.8l 3.4l 3.8l
questions
im 6'3" and worried there may not be enough room in the driver seat for my long legs.
also i know the 2.8l does not have a lot power but is my cheapest option but does anyone know of any possible upgrades that are inexpensive.
also anything else i maybe missing
thanks guys for your help
2004 ZQ8 chevrolet colorado
1/2 lift 29"tires
coloradofans.com
1/2 lift 29"tires
coloradofans.com
Re: noob with questions
isomswim wrote:my plan is to use a GM platform engine
2.8l 3.4l 3.8l
questions
im 6'3" and worried there may not be enough room in the driver seat for my long legs.
also i know the 2.8l does not have a lot power but is my cheapest option but does anyone know of any possible upgrades that are inexpensive.
also anything else i maybe missing
thanks guys for your help
Look over my build in the builder's forum. I'm using the 2.8L and am also 6'3". Although I'm still very early in the build, it looks like I'm going to have a LOT more length for my legs than I had expected. In fact, I may bring the pedals farther towards the driver seat so I can actually reach 'em! Hopefully your feet aren't as wide as mine must be, 'cause foot room is the bigger problem. "Driving shoes" or creative placement of the engine/trans should take care of that, though.
Regarding upgrades for the 2.8L..... Good luck, there aren't a whole lot of 'em. Some people are using the 4.3L throttle body with minimal effort, but I haven't seen any other upgrades like intake & cam available (at least for my '93). Instead of beating my head against the wall too hard on upgrading the engine, I'm considering just running it stock at first to see what kind of power I get out of a car which weighs so much less than the engine was made for. If it's a little sluggish, I may just freshen it up by swapping in a new OEM cam, having it bored out a bit for OS pistons, etc. Basically, just return to the original performance of the engine. Will it be a screamer on the track? No, but the power-to-weight ratio should still make me smile!

I agree with joker, legroom isnt the problem, footroom is. One way to (partly) solve the problem is to bow the bodywork out a little, meaning that instead of it being exactly straight down from the top to bottom rails, have it curve to the bottom, this will add a little room, only an inch or 2, but it does help. Also space the pedals out as much as possible, the gas should almost be touching the trans tunnel, and the clutch should almost be touchng the exterior body panel, I always though that that was a problem with the design.
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thanks that helps
as far as possible air induction mods
auto zone carries a line of products called SPECTRE which i have used some stuff on my truck may be possible to use this line of equipment on these cars. idk possible might look into it.
as a rough estimate what is the lowest price anyone has built for other than Champion. what u use and were u pleased. thanks again
as far as possible air induction mods
auto zone carries a line of products called SPECTRE which i have used some stuff on my truck may be possible to use this line of equipment on these cars. idk possible might look into it.
as a rough estimate what is the lowest price anyone has built for other than Champion. what u use and were u pleased. thanks again
2004 ZQ8 chevrolet colorado
1/2 lift 29"tires
coloradofans.com
1/2 lift 29"tires
coloradofans.com
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Re: noob with questions
the JoKeR wrote:Regarding upgrades for the 2.8L..... Good luck, there aren't a whole lot of 'em. Some people are using the 4.3L throttle body with minimal effort, but I haven't seen any other upgrades like intake & cam available (at least for my '93). Instead of beating my head against the wall too hard on upgrading the engine, I'm considering just running it stock at first to see what kind of power I get out of a car which weighs so much less than the engine was made for. If it's a little sluggish, I may just freshen it up by swapping in a new OEM cam, having it bored out a bit for OS pistons, etc. Basically, just return to the original performance of the engine. Will it be a screamer on the track? No, but the power-to-weight ratio should still make me smile!
Jeff,
There is stuff out there if you know where to look!
I have a 3.4l V6 out of a 95 Firebird that I was building up for my Stalker V6. It is the factory's replacement for the cast iron head 2.8l V6.
High(er) compression pistons, ported heads, Cam, roller tip rockers, ARP fasteners, HV oil pump, SS Valves, HP pushrods, HD valve springs, windage tray, and more that I can't think of at the moment ...
Edelbrock still makes an aluminum intake with either a 2bbl or 4bbl top and the Holley 390cfm carb works almost right out of the box on that engine. Or you can use the stock (87-95 Camaro/Firebird) aluminum intake with the only aftermaket intake top (www.trueleo.com) for EFI (I have one of those also for sale! ;^)
Here is a posting I did on the Fiero Forum trying to sell it ...
http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum4/HTML/031181.html
Paul
If possible, I want to avoid taking the engine apart too much, so OS pistons and other internal upgrades aren't an option at this time. I'll admit that I haven't dug as much as I could, but almost every place I've looked (Eledbrock's website, etc) skips over the '93 2.8L w/TBI for the larger bolt on components, although rockers, rods, etc are easier to find. Plenty of options are shown for 4.3L and 3.8L though. I want to keep the TBI and not swap out to a carb, which also limits my choices. It doesn't have anywhere near the options as found on the 4.3L, but I can deal with that.
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joker i look at it this way if u can get the car streetable for now what keeps you from working on mods after its running. there may not be any mods for the 93 2.8 but not much changed every year from the 2.8s. plus also if u can build one car what keeps from building another bigger and faster with more mods. 

2004 ZQ8 chevrolet colorado
1/2 lift 29"tires
coloradofans.com
1/2 lift 29"tires
coloradofans.com
If I didn't already have most of the parts I need I would seriously look at a Tbird Super coupe for a donor. 4 wdb, IRS with 8.8 that can be 31 spline, t5, can be converted to 5 on 4.5, pieces could be sold to offset purchase, should fit well in a 442 though the width could probably be a bit more, I believe the front spindles could be used with slight mods.
210 hp stock specs http://www.albeedigital.com/supercoupe/spex.html
gone but an example.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Super-Co ... dZViewItem
gone but an example. More expensive but new engine & has T5 nice enough I would think a lot of unused parts could be sold.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1991-For ... dZViewItem
available
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ford-Thu ... dZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ford-Thu ... dZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ford-Thu ... dZViewItem
210 hp stock specs http://www.albeedigital.com/supercoupe/spex.html
gone but an example.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Super-Co ... dZViewItem
gone but an example. More expensive but new engine & has T5 nice enough I would think a lot of unused parts could be sold.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1991-For ... dZViewItem
available
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ford-Thu ... dZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ford-Thu ... dZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ford-Thu ... dZViewItem
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thanks for the help loco but im kinda not fond of fords even if it is going into a nonbrand car. i prefer to stay with what i know gm -chevy mainly. which is why i chose the s10 fairly decent rearend enough for as much as im goin to throw at it for now. another weird question and maybe a dumb one. any body got any vids of these things doing burnouts? or how well do they do them?
2004 ZQ8 chevrolet colorado
1/2 lift 29"tires
coloradofans.com
1/2 lift 29"tires
coloradofans.com
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isomswim wrote:thanks for the help loco but im kinda not fond of fords even if it is going into a nonbrand car. i prefer to stay with what i know gm -chevy mainly. which is why i chose the s10 fairly decent rearend enough for as much as im goin to throw at it for now. another weird question and maybe a dumb one. any body got any vids of these things doing burnouts? or how well do they do them?
It doesn't take much skill or engineering to do burnouts (based on the fact I can roast my tires off into 2nd gear on my old POS Neon) so I'm guessing a locost would be pretty impressive in that department if that's your thing.
Here's a brit flogging his:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 1279756993
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yeah i saw one of his threads and i guess it truly depends on which axel i can find because if i use the 4x4 version ill be ok. possibly even the blazer if i can fnd that. live axel is where im headed now that ive been reading up a lil more. so not to self wider tires and stay off gas lil. check 

2004 ZQ8 chevrolet colorado
1/2 lift 29"tires
coloradofans.com
1/2 lift 29"tires
coloradofans.com
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- Posts: 7043
- Joined: August 15, 2005, 10:13 pm
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isomswim wrote:yeah i saw one of his threads and i guess it truly depends on which axel i can find because if i use the 4x4 version ill be ok. possibly even the blazer if i can fnd that. live axel is where im headed now that ive been reading up a lil more. so not to self wider tires and stay off gas lil. check
Just a FYI, not ALL 4x4s have the wider axles. You need to find one that has the "wide stance package". ZR2 is the model if I'm not mistaken. Your other option is to find a F body rear axle. Those are wider.
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