Is it possible - I know anything is possible - is worth the effort trying to make a standard/carburetor dyno run an LT1? Hooking up all the wires and computer? Anyone have any idea how much of a bi$(# it would be? Anyone know of such a set up?

 

What?

 

Are you asking if its possible to carb an LT1? If so, then yes.

 

i think he means, to have the engine dynoed, as in out of the car. maybe im wrong, if thats what your asking, i would just get it on an actual car dyno.

 

Sorry for all the confusion. It's a standard dyno at a machine shop. The guy only has it set up for carb'ed motors. For instance right now he has a 454 BBC with a 1050 Holley Dominator and MSD distributor ignition on it. He's never had any "computer controlled" type motors on it, ie LT1, LS1, anything with electronic fuel injection. I want to put my LT1 on his dyno - with the wiring harness, computer, etc. Can this be done without a lot of hassle (aka lotso' money)? Does this help at all?

 

What would be the point? Do you have a fresh motor? Are you going to be swapping out cams or playing with other ideas? Sounds like it might be a little pricey, unless he's going to give you some kind of deal.

 

New motor to break in, tune, etc. It's kind of a joint effort to bring him into the 21st century.

 

Can the dyno fuel system support the 43.5psi required for the LT1 fuel injection?

 

Uh . . . there's one problem to overcome. Setting up the ecm? Can't just plug the ecm into the harness - power for the ecm? Crap, this is going to be a PIA It would probably be easier to find a donor car.

 

It take a lot of wiring to support an EFI engine on an engine dyno. The fuel system has to supply the required 43.5psi rail pressure (note -10AN fuel line), and have a recirculated system to allow the fuel pressure regulator to control fuel pressure. This one worked because I use the same aftermarket ECU that the shop has installed in the dyno cell.

http://members.aol.com/Fredrick518/Photos/EngDyno1.jpg

 

That dyno is sweet - I'll be right over! Just kidding since I'm in Orlando, but thanks for the photo. I'm going to see what I can maybe cobble together. I thought it would be rather difficult.

 

Once you have a donor harnes it takes relatively few connections other than sensors/injecors to make a motor run.

Honestly though people put too much faith in dynos. you dyno tune it on an engine dyno and that will be nothing like what it needs on the strip. All you would get would be dyno numbers to brag about.

 

True - good point. I guess I should have included this yet another important piece of information, I want to make sure I put it together right and it runs before I put it in the car. A lot of work to save some work I guess.

 

Actually, we found the engine dyno to be quite usefull in optimizing the tune for peak NA power, and then fine tuning it for a 300-shot. We did several variations on the dry spray system to minimize cylinder-to-cylinder distribution variations. Its a lot easier to shut it down and immediately pull the plugs on an engine dyno, than with the engine in the car. Something like nitrous distribution is not going to vary simply because you take it to the track. Not to say you don't have to check it again on a chassis dyno when the engine is in the car (good way to measure drivetrain losses) and then verify and tweek the tune on the track.

 

I think you have a good plan going Maverickmk and your engine on the engine dyno will provide tons of good info and provide just what you were asking, (make sure it working well).

You can work up a wiring harness by getting a junkyard harness and PCM and then it really is only 2 power connections, (and then hooking up the injectors, ignition, O2 sensors, MAP, TPS, etc which are all on the harness). You can get Bry Herter of PCMforLESS or Ed Wright of FASTCHIP do write a dyno tune for you if you don't do it yourself.

You can work up an efi fuel system too. You might just drag in an old Camaro fuel tank and use if for your supply and fuel pump.

You can monitor the tune on a lap top with Datamaster.

I like engine dynos over chassis dynos because you can load the engine to simulate lugging and simulate actual load. You can find leaks prior to engine install too. (not that there should be leaks but I sure find em anyway and it's embarasing).

So yes, it is worth the time and effort for what you are doing.

Karl