theres a chance in the near future that i may trade my IROC in my sig. for a 79 Z28,w/ a 355 w/ 12.5:1 comp. that runs on alcohol. what would i need to change to swap it over to gas? i know it wont run on pump gas,CAM 2 only. besides the carb,im unsure of what i would need to change for it to work.

the car does have an electric fuel pump also.

this is the first time ive posted a thread in the advanced tech board,but im not a noob around here...but i just dont wander in here alot.

thanks for any help

 

If it's strip only, keep it on alcohol.

Since it's carburated, there's not much to switching it back to gas. The entire fuel system can stay like it is but you need to change or modify the carb to use gas again.

The carb will be designed to flow huge amounts of fuel because alcohol needs more than gas. The jets and passages in the metering block will be huge for gasoline. The other changes such as larger needle and seat etc in the float bowl will still work for gasoline. The squirters will need to be changed down to smaller sizes.

Mainly to use an alcohol carb on gasoline, you'll need to replace the metering blocks since you can't convert them back to use gas.

It would be better to just sell the alcohol carb and buy a gas one but like I first said. Keep it on alcohol. If you're going to need to buy race gas, you'll find alcohol a lot cheaper in the long run.

What size rad is in the car? An alcohol engine doesn't produce a lot of heat so if the rad's been replaced for something a lot smaller, you'll need to install a larger rad.

 

I agree with the previous post. Why not just run alcohol if it's a track car? But if you want to run gas, just get a new carb. Ditto the comments re: cooling system.

Rich

 

yes,the car has been a track car for the passed 10 years,but is still "street legal"...meaning the lights and such work.

i thought about keeping it on alcohol and i know its cheaper,but im not even sure where to get it around here.

i plan to drive the car on the street every now and then,but w/ 12.5:1,a turbo 350,and 4.56's will keep it to a minimum.

as far as cooling,it has an electric drive water pump (not really street friendly) but im not sure what kind of radiator is in it.

do u of anywhere that i could get alcohol around the Fredericksburg Virginia area?

thanks for the responses guys

 

I get mine from a local industrial supplier by 45 gallon drums. I go through 1-2 barrels per race season. If you want to pay more, you can buy it at any local hardware shop in smaller amounts. You're going to burn about twice as much alcohol as gasoline but it's about 4 times less than buying racing gas.

All racing alcohol is is wood alcohol, methyle hydrate, methanol. It's available everywhere but buying it in large quantities will save you more money. You'll need to put some top lube into the alcohol. All speed shops should carry the lube additive. Although they come in different fragrances, I have yet to smell the cherry scent I use. The formaldahyde fumes coming out the exhaust burn the eyes before I smell anything.

Everytime I see a jug of methyle hydrate at work used to thaw out frozen air lines, all I think of is "hey this is my race fuel"