BTW Fred. I have three 95 Opti's here and they all have failed Ball bearings in them. The biggest problem seems to be they are not lubricated other then the Life time lube they recive at the factory and the life time lube does not last a life time

This appeared to be the reason all three died on the three cars they came off.

just thought I would add some info for you

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Ellis
Project "Dementia" now under way!

 

Am i missing something here?

Why do you all want an alternative? It seems to me like the $400 + whatever the coils cost is a lot when i have the stock opti on my 97' and if it does go a new one is only like $180 from Dal or Cromer...

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Ken Mook
97' SS #2544

• Soon to be breathing: ?rwhp & ?rwtq Naturally Asperated on the Stock Bottom End.
• Stage 3 Pro Performance Heads, Solid Roller 242/248 Cam, Jesel Shaft Mount Rockers,
• Jet Hot Hooker LTs, True Dual 3" Exhaust with x-pipe, and the list goes on and on...

 

I don't know about everyone else, but here is why I am doing it:

-More reliable.
-Better performance through hotter spark. (at least at high rpms)
-Easier to change my plug wires
-Don't have to worry about my cap and rotor getting wet in the rain and making my car run like crap.

I am sure there are many more reasons, but there are a few. Sure, it's more expensive than just ONE opti spark. How about 5 years from now?? That could be up to 5 opti sparks. At 175 each, that is $875!! I know that is an extreme number of failed optis but if you figure someone driving a lot of rain, it is VERY feasible.

 

I'm interested. I only have 34k miles on my 95 Z28 and I'm still on my first optispark. I have a used spare opti with less than 1k miles and am interested none-the-less in this conversion. Does anyone know the cost of the LS1 coil packs? Does anyone have the part numbers? I'd like to check with Jason Cromer on the price. What is the exact application of the coil packs?

Thanks,
Mike

 

180 plus labor. It is the frequency of outage that is the problem. Have you ever priced the cost of an Opti and install at most dealerships?

Of course I won't let the dealer touch my setup since they would find a way to screw up my blower. I assume the solution is meant for everyone, not just use.

-CAL

 

'98-'02 vette/camaro LS1 coil #12558948 @29.86 from gmpartsdirect. with shpg./hdlg. came to about $287. I also used the '99-'00 coil brkt. #12562864 with minor bending in 1 area to mount on valve covers.

Edit/add: Some prefer to mount coils on a generic flat plate.


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I'll be back

[This message has been edited by arnie (edited June 11, 2002).]

[This message has been edited by arnie (edited June 11, 2002).]

 

I know someone else said they're looking into getting an aluminum cover made to replace the cap on the Opti, but I'm working with someone right now on a solution. I know one thing for sure, it's going to be badass, and it's going to be more than just a "cap". I will post pictures of it when it's done.

I'm curious how many others would be interested in one of these.

 

I may be interested in maybe trying this out, I'm getting ready to do two opti's here in the next couple of weeks so lets see what you've got.
Arnie, also interested in the details of your setup, you have mail.

 

Curt:

How much will this be??

 

Actually, since it seems there are some other people in this post that act like they are way farther than me, I will gracefully bow out and let them take over this post.

I am not in this to compete with people as to who gets it made first. I was asking for knowledge in this post; not others saying "yeah, we are thinking of doing that too." If I wanted those responses, I would have posted this in the Lounge.

Anyway, Curt seems to really want to help out so lets see what he has. What kind of progress have you made on this housing you speak of? When will it be available? Arnie's person already has the other part built so I would say to have a truly bulletproof system, we are only waiting on Curt. I have talked with Arnie's guy and I am going to buy a few of these systems myself. If they are what I was looking at having built (I am sure they are) I will no longer pursue this as it has already been done. However, Curt: Please give us an ETA on when you will be done with these housings and give us an estimate on what they will cost. I am sure many people want to know.

Ryan

 

I recieved a status e-mail tonight -- preliminary drawings are done, and should be machined within the next week or two. The guy who's doing it is a really busy and with the exceptional work he does, I'm not going to be the one to push him to get it done faster

He's also looking at pressing the shaft out of the housing, hopefully without destroying it, in the hopes that the base housing can be improved upon, or at least verified to the build quality.

No idea on what the final cost will be yet -- it will depend on the materials involved, time to machine and time to assemble. The target is to keep it under $100.

 

Cool, Curt. Keep us posted on the progress of this. If your guy gets this done, the other part is done. That would mean a pretty sweet ignition system.

I am going to wait it out as I don't want to be doing something that is already done or near completion.

Thanks for the update.

 

Wow, glad to see a replacement for the Opti finally coming about.

Great work guys

 

Another update:
Opti has been completely taken apart. The shaft is hardened, and rides on a single Japanese made sealed bearing. There is a concern about the quality of the bearing and is being investigated. If the bearing isn't up to par, then a suitable replacment will have to be found.

The drawings have been finalized, and will be machined soon. The cover will replace the standard cap, and a support ring will replace the rotor. On the inside of the cover will be an additional bearing so the shaft will be supported on both ends.

So far the biggest problem is the cost of the materials to make it. Once one has been made, we should be able to get a final cost.

 

Curt I don't see how this is going to work. I've never seen a metal distributor cap, have you? How will you control spark to each terminal? If the cap is made out of metal won't it just spark inside like crazy? Maybe I'm not getting something, but your plan does sound interesting.