The Institute of Automotive Performance had its first student go through an advacned course on AEM tuning.  This first course was presented as a one-on-one session over the weekend and Monday.  The course was taught by John Reed, one of the founders of IAP. 

The course covered both a lecture and hands-on training.  The student tuned a naturally aspirated Dodge Viper and a single turbo Toyota Supra.  The student created a base map for both vehicles and began a little performance tuning. 

Hands-on training in a Supra on the dyno.

John Reed and Jason Oefelein, the founders of IAP, with their first student.

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We are fortunate to have a 1965 Bondurant Superformance Cobra in our showroom.  This Cobra takes the place of the ‘32 Ford Roadster that had a brief stay in our showroom. 

This particular Cobra has a 460 under the hood.  We currently don’t have performance numbers for this cobra because it spends its time on our showroom floor.  We hope to have it on the dyno soon. 

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A new vehicle has broken the highest horsepower record for naturally aspirated engines.  The V8 in this truck puts out over 700whp. 

The truck is a Pro Stock 1956 Chevy Truck. 

With a parachute and wheelie bars, this is a very fast ‘56 Chevy.  The owner/driver hopes to break into the 8s with this setup. 

Under the hood is a fully built 565 cid Chevy V8. 

This engine is running at 14.7 to 1 compression.  The list of parts is extensive and from the best component manufacturers.  Power is transferred to the ground through a Turbo 400 with 4:10 gears.

Here is the video.

Pro Stock ‘56 Chevy Truck from Portland Speed Industries on Vimeo.

Here is a specs list:

565 ci Dart block – tall deck

Pro 1 Dart Heads

14.7 to 1 compression

Ross pistons – gas ported

Oliver Billet Rods

Callies crank – magnum

Comp Cams shaft rockers

Vickey Titanium valves

Comp cams belt drive

Sig Erson cam

Isky Red Zone lifters

Dart Tunnel Ram

2 – 1050 Jet Dominators

MSD Crank Trigger

Turbo 400 with 4:10 gears

Trans Specialties springless conversion

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Today, September 3, 2010, Radium Engineering brought down their turbo Lotus Elise to Portland International Raceway, PIR.  They were attending a Lotus Track Day.  Their Elise had their stage 2 turbo kit installed.  This was their first track time with this kit on the car.  Their kit is in the testing stages and will be available soon.  Check out their website at RadiumAuto.com or check back here for some updates. 

The night before, they were using our dyno to do some tuning before the race.   

Getting the car ready to race.

Jason Oefelein helping out in the pits.

Lined up and ready to go.

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The 1967 Chevelle left on a truck to the east coast today. 

After two and half years working on this complete frame off restoration and modification, it is a sad and happy moment seeing it leave.  It is sad seeing a car leave that you have spent many hours working on over the past few years.  But also a happy moment, since the project is finally done and the client can enjoy the car you work so hard on. 

Also leaving on the same truck is a Toyota Supra.  This Supra is also heading to a client on the east coast. 

The Supra received an AEM EMS and a tune before heading to its owner. 

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One of our clients who recently moved back to Cali, was featured on HellaFlush/Fatlace’s website. 

Here is a link to the feature, http://fatlace.com/hellaflush/hellaflush-invades-the-paddock/

His car is the third car, the silver S2000. 

Here is a link to a write-up about Eric’s S2000 on our blog, http://blog.tunedbypsi.com/turbo-s2000-pt5857/.

It also includes a video of his car on the dyno. 

Eric’s car is a good example of the kind of car we like, it has clean look with power to match.  The subtle exterior and interior modfications compliment the S2000 lines.  With the PT5857 turbo, Eric’s car put down a respectable 387 whp and 264 ft-lbs of torque on our dyno. 

Eric also took his S2000 the HellaFlush 6 BBQ at Coyote Point.  He also made it onto their write-up of the event, http://fatlace.com/hellaflush/hellaflush-6-bbq-snaps-p1/.

Here is a photo taken from that write-up,

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A 1955 Chevy Bel Air is a beautiful car from the 50s.  The unique lines and curves set this car apart. 

The owner of this Bel Air has been restoring it and modifying it.  He is making this Bel Air into a hot rod.  The original V8 was replaced with a 502 big block V8.  The carb was also replaced with a fuel injection system by ASM.

The reason the owner brought the Bel Air to us was because it was in need of a tune.  When it first arrived, the car had a rough idle and was just not running right.

Jason Oefelein began the tune by creating a base map.  Tuning continued on the dyno. 

Here is a video of it on the dyno.

1955 Chevy Bel Air with 502 from Portland Speed Industries on Vimeo.

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Portland Speed Industries and John Reed Racing are coming together to bring the automotive performance community something special.  They haven’t been collaborating on a new twin-turbo system or crazy engine swap, but a way to share knowledge.  PSI and JRR want to offer a resource that can benefit the industry as a whole.

The result of their collaboration is the formation of the Institute of Automotive Performance, or IAP.  IAP was founded to share the knowledge and experience necessary to thrive in this industry. 

The two main founders, John Reed and Jason Oefelein, have been in the automotive performance industry for a combined total of over 25 years.  They will be working with many other top names in the industry to provide the best learning experience for students of IAP.  Both John and Jason turned their passion for cars into careers, which eventually lead them to establishing their own successful performance and tuning businesses. They were then ready to share their many years of knowledge and experience with individuals eager to learn.

As we our working on the IAP website, check back here for more information.  Introduction to tuning courses will be starting in September, so call PSI for more information.  We hope to have course information and more details up soon.  Advanced tuning courses should begin later this year, followed by fabrication, design, and business courses later next year.  IAP is poised to be the place to recieve knowledge and experience to further your career.

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For some, a 3.5L V6 is just not enough.  A client of ours wanted more horsepower and torque without relying on forced induction.  This client has a slightly built LS1 to drop into the now vacant engine bay.

Empty 350Z engine bay

This V8 produces more horsepower and torque than the smaller V6.  The deep rumble of the V8 is an improvement.  People will not be expecting a V8 exhaust tone from a Nissan 350Z. 

The LS1 fits in nicely in the 350Z engine bay.  Alex needed to fabricate a custom intake for this setup.  The space constraints made this difficult. 

We used Sikky Manufacturing’s LS1 350Z mount kit in this project.  Sikky headers were also used. 

Alex needed to modify the exhaust to work with this new setup. 

A Monster Clutch was also installed with the LS.  Monster Clutches are high performance alternatives to the OEM clutch.

And now for the dyno video.

LS1 powered 350Z on dyno at PSI from Portland Speed Industries on Vimeo.

With the LS1, this 350Z put down 445 whp and 426 ft-lbs of torque.

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Two clients brought down their 1970 AMC AMX’s.  Upon first glance, these two cars look almost identical.  They are both a deep green color with 390 cid V8’s.

It is rare to see an AMC AMX and even rarer to see two of them.  These two fine examples are owned by two brothers who share a passion for cars.  Although the outward appearance of the two cars are similar, each one has small touches that set them apart.

We had both of these AMX’s on the dyno. This first one has a stock head and moderate cam. Power is put to the ground through an automatic.

1970 AMC AMX on the dyno at PSI from Portland Speed Industries on Vimeo.

The second AMX had some head work and an aggressive cam.  The 390 is mated to a manual transmission.

1970 AMC AMX on dyno at PSI (manual) from Portland Speed Industries on Vimeo.

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Yesterday, we had a client bring in his 2009 Porsche GT2.  This was no ordinary GT2 but had Evolution MotorSports’ EVT640 kit on it.

Of course we strapped it to our dyno to see the power it puts down.  A stock GT2 is rated at 523 hp and 500 ft-lbs of torque at the crank.

And here is the video:

2009 Porsche 997 GT2 on dyno at PSI from Portland Speed Industries on Vimeo.

The car put down 596 whp and 669 ft-lbs of torque.

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A client came to us with his 2008 Infiniti G37S.  He talked with Jason Oefelein to see the direction he wanted to go with his car.  The client wanted to have an increase in power, while maintaining the reliability.  A Stillen supercharger was chosen for this project, along with Stillen headers and an HKS exhaust.  The car also recieved some Tein performance springs to replace the stock ones. 

We dynoed the car in its stock form and it put down 287 whp and 242 ft-lbs of torque. 

A Stillen supercharger kit, Stillen headers, HKS Exhaust, and Zeitronix wideband monitor were installed. 

The HKS Dual exhaust looks good. 

The Stillen supercharger fits in nicely. 

The Zeitronix monitor was stealthily installed where the ash tray and cigarette lighter once were.  The Zeitronix monitors the air/fuel ratio, EGT and air intake temp. 

And of course, we put the car on the dyno to see the improvements. 

2008 Supercharged Infiniti G37S from Portland Speed Industries on Vimeo.

Here is a before and after comparison. 

The horsepower went up by over 120 and the torque increased by 70 ft-lbs.  Not bad gains from with this new setup.

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Today we had a stock Ford GT on the dyno just to see what kind of power it puts down from the factory.

Here is the video:

Ford GT on dyno at PSI from Portland Speed Industries on Vimeo.

The stock Ford GT put down 538 whp and 494 ft-lbs of torque.

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A client recently installed a Precision 5857 turbo with a PFab equal length kit into his 2001 Honda S2000.  He then trailered the car to us to have Jason Oefelein tune it on AEM. 

Here is the video after the tune.

2001 Turbo Honda S2000 (PT5857) from Portland Speed Industries on Vimeo.

This S2000 put down 428 whp and 254 ft-lbs of torque.

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This past weekend at our Summer Cruise-In, a vehicle broke the current high horsepower run on our dyno.  The twin-turbo Dodge Viper SRT-10 that held the record was running on pump gas with water/meth injection, the new record holder was on race gas.

The Viper was beaten by another vehicle powered by a Viper V10.  This 2005 twin-turbo Dodge Ram SRT-10 put down 1260 whp and 1192 ft-lbs of torque.  With a race gas map, the truck was able to make this much power from the V10 with the help of two GT42 turbos.

Twin-Turbo Dodge Ram SRT-10 on dyno at PSI from Portland Speed Industries on Vimeo.

We will just have to wait and see how long this Twin-Turbo Ram SRT-10 stays at the top.

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There was a good turn out for our first annual Summer Cruise-In.  People cruised in and out throughout the day giving us a wide variety of cars. 

1956 Chevy Bel Air, Chevelle, and a 1955 Bel Air

Unimog

Turbo Civic, Evo VIII, STi, RX8

Mustang Cobra, Corvette

Lamborghini Gallardo

Porsche 911 GT3, Hachi, Turbo Civic

NOS showed up too.

Andrew Coomes’ LS powered Rocket Bunny S13 drift car.

There are more photos available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/kyletomita/sets/72157624464638145/with/4831865361/

This twin-turbo Viper Truck put down the most power at this event. It put down 1260 whp and 1192 ft-lbs of torque. A few of the cars that we had planned to dyno for this event were unable to show up. Fortunately, there were a lot of cool cars at this event and many owners willing to let us dyno their cars.
Check back for some videos and dyno charts.

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The Acura NSX is a great car.  It is often referred to as a supercar.  A client of ours acquired one earlier this year.  It is a black 2004 NSX. 

Our client did not care for the appearance of the stock air box so he told us to fix it.  We removed the air box and replaced it with a K&N cone filter.  Having the filter hanging off a aluminum tube cause issues with movement.  The air filter would hanging at the end and hit other nearby components. 

To solve this issue, Alex Laventure, our in-house fabricator, began working on an intake mount.  He took some measurements and began fabricating. 

Here is the intake being fabricated.

Alex is welding the pieces together.  He still needs to grind the welds down, smooth it out, and then polish it. 

Here is the intake mount. 

The bottom of the mount was painted black.

The mount installed in the NSX.

With the K & N filter installed.

The install looks clean and is functional.  These are some of the small finishing touches we apply to cars to give them a clean, unique look.

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This is another reminder about our Summer Cruise-In and Dyno Exhibition this coming Saturday.  We will be having a few powerful cars on the dyno throughout the day. 

Here is the flyer with more info:

If you happened to attend Beaches at PIR this past Wednesday, you might have seen one of these flyers in your car.  Jason Oefelein, Alex Laventure, and John Reed were down there putting flyers in some of the cars. 

A flyer in a Corvette

Here are some more photos from Beaches.

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Jason Oefelein recently went to Hagg Lake to tune a 23 foot boat.  This boat had a throttle body injection 460 cid V8.  The engine was initially carbureted but was changed to TBI because of the lack of consistence with elevation changes.  Jason used a Holley Commander 950 and a custom air/fuel monitoring system to tune this boat.

After a little tuning on the lake, the boat is ready for fishing.

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This is another reminder that the First Annual Summer Cruise-In and Dyno Exhibition is coming up.  The event will be held on Saturday, July 24, 2010, at Portland Speed Industries.  Our address is 6103 NW Casper Pl, Hillsboro, OR 97124.

Hope this good weather we are having keeps up.

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This sunny, summer weather entices fast cars and motorcycles to come out from winter storage. 

We have several of these types of vehicles available for purchase.

2008 Ducati 1098 – asking $12,500

approximately 5K miles, many carbon fiber parts.

Ford GT – asking $175,000

approximately 3500 miles

Toyota Supra – asking $32,000

many upgrades

Heavily modified Turbo Scion TC – asking $25,000

Mini Cooper – asking $22,000

many upgrades

To view any of these vehicles, come down to Portland Speed Industries.

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The Toyota Supra that we fabricated a turbo “kit” for is finally completed and on the dyno.  The setup includes a 2JZ with a Garrett GTX4294R.  This 71mm turbo needed to be located below a TRD strut tower bar so a custom turbo manifold was fabricated. 

Now that fabrication is completed, it is time to test it out.  We strapped the Supra to our dyno for some tuning and to see the power it puts down.

The “kit” we fabricated and installed.

The car produces 612 whp and 428 ft-lbs of torque at 31 psi through an automatic transmission.

1994 Toyota Supra (GTX4294R turbo) from Portland Speed Industries on Vimeo.

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We finally have been having nice sunny weather.  Since it is halfway through July, it is about time.  I hope this weather continues until September or at least for the next two weeks. 

Because, on the July 24th, we will be having our first annual Summer Cruise-In and dyno exhibition.

I hope you can join us.

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The owner of this 1964 Corvette brought it down to PSI because it had drivability issues.  It has a carburated 383 stroker under the hood. 

The Corvette came in with an Edlebrock carb, which was giving us problems.  We switched it out for a Holley 670 cfm Street Avenger carb. 

Russ working on the Corvette.

After some tuning of the carb on the dyno, we got this Corvette to run smoother. 

Here is a video of the Corvette on the dyno:

1964 Corvette on dyno at PSI from Portland Speed Industries on Vimeo.

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The 71mm turbo “kit” project we undertook is finally nearing completion.  The build process has been documented on our blog and on the Supra forums by the owner of the car.   Here is the “kit”

I have kit in quotes because this is no kit.  It has been been created custom for our client.  This “kit” was custom fabricated in house by Alex Laventure.  He has spent over 70 hours creating this turbo setup for the client.  This setup was created to allow the continued usage of a TRD strut tower bar.  To accomplish this, the turbo was positioned lower in the engine bay.  To accomodate this positioning, a custom turbo manifold needed to be fabricated because one was not available.  The downpipe is 4 inches and currently has a reducer to fit with the current 3 inch exhaust.  The reducer will be removed at a later time once a 4 inch exhaust is fabricated. 

The car is now being reassembled and will be ready to tune by the end of the weekend.  Check back on Monday and enjoy your weekend.

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Jason Oefelein and Gary Rayevich made the long drive to Evergreen Speedway to provide some track side support for Andrew Coomes and his LS powered S13.

Jason Oefelein tuned Andrew’s car in the pits to make sure he is ready to race this weekend.  This will be Andrew’s first competition in his LS powered S13 so the practice session was used as a test and tune session also.

Jason Oefelein tuning in the pits.

After Jason tweaked the tune on the S13, Andrew was ready to drive.

Andrew leaves the pits to get some track practice.  He is starting out by taking it easy but as he gets more comfortable with the car, he pushes it harder.

With the practice session over, Andrew is ready for the competition.

In his down time, Jason Oefelein caught up with his friend Justin Pawlak.

Here are a few photos of the other drifters practicing.

Qualifying is on Friday, July 9th, and the main competition is on Saturday, July 10th.  If you have the chance, head to Evergreen Speedway for this event.   It will be a good one.  For more information, go to http://www.formulad.com

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Andrew Coomes and his drift car, “White Apocalypse” are heading up to Evergreen Speedway for the Evergreen Drift Pro-Am Championship.  The car was finished up last night at around 11pm.

Here are some quick shots of his car from last night.

Good luck to Andrew and the rest of the Pro-Am and Formula D drifters.

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With the turbo manifold complete, fabrication continues on the rest of the setup.  Alex fabricated the down pipe.

The down pipe was fabricated from 4″ tubing.

Fitting this large diameter down pipe in the cramped Supra engine bay was a challenge.  Alex managed to fit the down pipe in around the turbo manifold and Tial wastegate.

The cold side of the turbo also came back from being chromed.

Alex can now begin work on the intercooler piping and intake.

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A client of ours has an S2000 that we installed a GReddy turbo kit and tuned it on AEM.  This setup produced 333whp after tuning by Jason Oefelein. 

However, this much power was just not enough for our client.  He did some research and decided on a Mase Engineering turbo kit based on a Precision 5857 turbo.

The Precision Turbo 5857 turbo

Mark Panic installing the turbo kit.

Once the turbo kit was installed, it was time to tune it. 

It was strapdown and ready to tune.

The owner recently picked up new CCW wheels.  11.5″ wide in the rear and 10″ wide in the front. 

Jason Oefelein tuning the S2000 with AEM.

Here is a video of the dyno run.

Turbo Honda S2000 (PT 5857) on dyno at PSI from Portland Speed Industries on Vimeo.

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The car is a Toyota Supra and the turbo setup includes a 71mm turbo.  This has been an on-going project for us.  The client came in with the goal of replacing his smaller turbo with a 71mm GTXR turbo and keeping this turbo below his strut tower bar.  This request required a custom turbo manifold.  The build process for this manifold has been a lot of long hours and waiting for parts.  Other factors that affected the turbo manifold was the use of a quick spool valve and a Tial wastegate.  The position of these also had to be taken into consideration.  Here is the end result.

Alex Laventure did a great job fabricating this turbo manifold to fit within the restrictions of the clients request.  This was a long process that has been documented throughout our blog.  The last parts that were finished up were the wastegate.  This large Tial wastegate needed to be positioned in a way to not interfere with anything else and still be able to dump into the exhaust. 

Turbo manifold completed and in the car

Turbo manifold completed in car

From those two previous photos, you can see the path that the wastegate tubing travels.  The tube is routed between the 3 sets of cylinders.  The vband for the wastegate goes around the rear 3 exhaust tubes and ends below the turbo manifold. 

Completed turbo manifold in car with wastegate attached

Here are some detailed shots of the welds for the wastegate vband.

Continue you checking back for updates on this build.  Alex will continue this project by fabricating a down pipe and the intake piping.  We hope to have this car started and tuned with the next week or two.

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Today, Jason Oefelein and Gary Rayevich accompanied Andrew Coomes and his team to South Sound Raceway to have a test and tune session with “White Apocalypse”.  “White Apocalypse” is Coomes’ LS2 powered S13 with the Rocket Bunny body kit.  This beast puts down 452whp and 413 ft-lbs of torque. 

"White Apocalypse" in front of the PSI trailer at South Sound Speedway

After driving up early this morning, Andrew was ready to begin drifting.  The 3 hour drive only built up Andrew’s excitement even further.  We worked until midnight last night to fine tune the car for today’s test and tune session.  The front end was modified to incorporate a bar around the lower part of the radiator.  This support will strengthen the front end and protect the raditator.  This support was also designed with points to jack the car up, thus making working on it easier. 

"White Apocalypse" is ready

After a final inspection, it was finally time to test “White Apocalypse” on the track.  Andrew was definitely up to the challenge.

Andrew began with donuts

To get a feel for the car, Andrew began the day by doing donuts.  The LS2 definitely has enough power to burn up the tires.  He was going around the cone and leaving white smoke behind him.  At times, “White Apocalypse” disappeared in the smoke, but the V8 was clearly audible. 

The aftermath of donuts

Once the smoke cleared, the power and control are evident from the donuts left on the track.  Andrew was able to easily keep the car moving around in closely concentric circles. 

After doing donuts for awhile, the real shakedown began. 

"White Apocalypse" drifting

"White Apocalypse" drifting

"White Apocalypse" drifting

The result of a day of drifting

After a long day of drifting, many of Andrew’s tires looked like the one above.  “White Apocalypse” easily ate through many sets of tires.

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Jason tuning "White Apocalypse"

Andrew Coomes’ LS2 powered S13, dubbed “White Apocalypse”, finished up dyno tuning today.  Andrew will have 452 whp and 413 ft-lbs of torque to work with on the track. 

This LS2 setup produces more power than his previous turbo SR20 setup.  Not only is there a substantial increase in power and torque, but the reliability will also be there.  Being naturally aspirated, the turbo is taken out of the equation.  The torque curve with this V8 is perfect for drifting.  It produces torque at low rpms because it does not rely on a turbo spooling up first.  Andrew will have more than enough power to get his car going sideways.  Look for him at Evergreen Speedway as he competes in the Evergreen Drift ProAm Championship this year.  The next event will be July 9th and 10th.

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After the strong push to finish Andrew Coomes’ drift car last week, we continue to working a different projects.  One of which also includes an LS engine.  

Snapshot of the shop

The cars are in various stages of work.  Some cars are getting parts installed, while others have having things fixed.  Some are here for service and tuning, while others are having engine swaps.  We are currently working on imports and domestics, along with a car that is both. 

Nissan 350Z engine bay with an LS1

The Nissan 350Z that is sitting on the rack is having a LS1 installed.  This Chevy small block is replacing the VQ35, a 3.5L V6 from Nissan.  This swap will increase horsepower and torque, and will also give this import the sound of a muscle car. 

Engine bay of an S2000

In the bay next to this LS1 powered 350Z , sits a turbo S2000 that is having a larger turbo system installed.  The smaller GReddy turbo kit is being replaced by a larger Mase Engineering turbo kit based around a Precision 5857 turbo. 

You can also see two Corvettes being worked on.  The red one is a C2 Corvette.  We are currently working on the carb setup and will soon be tuning it on the dyno.  We will be sure to post up a video of this Corvette when it makes it onto our dyno.  Like the C2, the C6 Corvette in the background will also be tuned.  It currently has a ProCharger installed.  Before we begin tuning it, we will be doing a full service and installing a heads up display. 

Not pictured in the first photo is what is going on in the fab shop and the dyno room.  Currently in the fab shop is another Toyota Supra.  This one is having a custom turbo manifold fabricated to accommodate the lower positioning of the turbo below the strut tower bar. 

In the dyno room, sits “White Apocalypse”, Andrew Coomes’ LS2 powered S13.  This car is an unbelievable car.  We are currently tuning it and will be uploading a video of it soon. 

Here is the video from its first test session

AJC Drift LS2 S13 Test Session on dyno at PSI from Portland Speed Industries on Vimeo.

Check back here for updates on all these projects and many more.

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As promised, here is a video of a run on our dyno during its first test session.

AJC Drift LS2 S13 Test Session on dyno at PSI from Portland Speed Industries on Vimeo.

The sound from this video just does not do this car justice.  To get the full experience, you need to see and hear this car in person. 

Dyno numbers to be released once our test and tune session is completed later this week.

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Like most parts on a car, a clutch wears out over time and needs to be replaced.  Our client’s clutch needed to be replaced in his Pontiac GTO.  So for a replacement, we got him a Monster Clutches Level 1 performance clutch kit.

We also opted for the 28 lbs billet flywheel.

Clutch installed

While installing the new clutch, we also installed a short shifter. 

Short throw shifter

Installing a new performance clutch can give you the feel and performance you want.

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This past Friday, June 25, was the Evergreen Drift Pro-Am Competition.

Andrew Coomes debuted his LS2 powered Rocket Bunny S13.  To get his car ready, we put in over 250 man-hours in the past 3 days.   Andrew and his crew helped out whenever possible.

Jason tuning Andrew Coomes' LS2 powered S13 on MoTeC

Andrew Coomes practicing at Evergreen Speedway

Andrew had little time to practice in his new setup and did not compete in round 2.  We hope to see him at round 3.

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Alex welding the front supports.

Alex welding the front supports

Putting in over 15 hour work days for the past 3 days, we are excited to have Andrew’s drift car ready to test and compete.  Andrew and his crew, accompanied by Jason Oefelein and Gary Rayevich, left for Monroe, WA.  They are heading to Evergreen Speedway for a day of testing and tuning.  This is Andrew’s first time driving his LS2 powered S13.  In previous competitions, Andrew was driving a SR powered S13.  The new LS2 setup has many improvements over the old setup.

Work on the front end continued with the addition of supports for the front fenders, bumper, and headlights.

Front supports

Headlight

A custom battery tray was fabricated and installed.

Welding the battery tray.Battery trayBattery in battery tray

The oil lines were run and a Moroso oil accumulator was installed.  The accumulator helps maintain oil pressure.

Moroso accumulator

Behind the radiator sits a power steering fluid cooler.

Power steering fluid cooler

The issue of the shifter position has been solved.  The issue was that the TKO transmission does not match up exactly to the 240 shifter hole.  To solve this issue, a Hurst shifter was modified to allow the shifter to come up through the original shifter boot.  The shifter position was moved back about 6 inches.  Along with the shifter, the hydro e-brake was also installed.

Shifter and E-brake

The AiM Sports MXL Strada dash was transferred over from the old car.  This digital dash display will give Andrew all the important information he needs while drifting.

AiM Sports MXL Strada dash

Very early Thursday morning, the engine was started for the first time.

Jason creating the base map.

The engine was idled at 2500 rpm for 20 minutes to allow the cams to break-in.  After the 20 minutes, the oem valve springs were replaced with Comp Cam’s dual springs.  At this time, new Comp Cam valve stem seals were installed as well.

Original valve springs

Comp cam dual valve springs in the front.

After the valve springs were replaced with Comp Cam dual valve springs, the car was put on the dyno.  Jason is tuning this LS2 with a MoTec EMS.

LS2 in the engine bay

Jason Oefelein tuning on the dyno.

After recieving a tune, the car was put on the alignment rack for some suspension tuning.  Once the suspension was setup for drifting, the oil was changed and the car was loaded onto the trailer.  Andrew and his crew are on there way to Monroe, WA.  Good luck Andrew.

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After a long day and night of work, Andrew Coomes’ drift car is coming along.  We will push even harder to get the car ready for the track today.  Our deadline is to have it ready to go by tonight because tomorrow will be a test and tune day, and a day to let Andrew practice with his new LS2 powered S13. 

The front end needed to be fabricated because the original one was not up to our standards.  We needed one that would be able to support the new radiator.  The front end also needed to be changed because a large radiator would be replacing the radiator and intercooler combination used with the turbo SR setup. 

Welding the front supports

Hammering the supports into shape.

Fabricated front support.

Welding on radiator mounts.

Custom radiator mount.

 While fabrication on the front end was taking place, others began working on the rear fenders.  The fenders needed to be cut for the proper fitment of the wheels.  Wide body fender flares will give the car the aggressive look it deserves. 

Cutting the rear fender.

Grinding the rear fender.

Bending up the edges of the fender.

Riveting the fender flares.

 The rear suspension was another area that recieved attention yesterday.  The rubber bushings were replaced with aluminum ones.  The coilovers were transferred over from Andrew Coomes old race car.  New SPL suspension components were installed. 

Rear subgrame with aluminum bushings.

SPL suspension components

Rear suspension with SPL components

 The fuel system was installed in preparation for getting this engine started for the first time.  The fuel pressure regulator was mounted and the fuel lines were run.  The fuel lines were run close to the bottom of the car to keep them as safe as possible.  Billet fuel rails from FAST were also installed. 

Fuel pressure regulator.

Fuel lines and fuel filter.

 A custom throttle cable mount needed to be fabricated. 

Throtte cable mount.

We hope to be finished soon, so Andrew can tear up the track this Friday at the Evergreen Drift Pro-Am competition.  Check back for an update later today.

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We are pushing hard to finish AJC’s new drift car for the upcoming Evergreen Drift Pro-Am event on June 25th.  Our goal is to have the car running by the end of today. 

As of  this past weekend, there was a lot of work to do.  The LS2 currently sits in the engine bay, but has yet to be wired since some front end fabrication is currently taking place. 

LS2 sits on Sikky engine mounts.

While Gary and Alex work on the front end, Mark is working on the wiring and dash. 

Mark wiring up the harness for MoTeC

The gas tank has been put in and the hatch was installed. 

Installing the hatch.

Fabrication on the radiator and fan supports are continuing. 

We also are currently working on a transmission and shifter solution.  We have a TKO transmission hooked up to the LS2 however the shifter location does not match the 240’s stock location.  The new driveline we recieved will also have to be modified to make it work.  We are using a 5-speed transmission as opposed to the 6-speed transmission that is normally mated to the LS2. 

Check back later today to see the progress of Andrew Coomes’ LS2 powered 240 drift car.

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A client came into to PSI to have his 2008 Corvette Z06 modified into a high horsepower street car.  He did not want to go the on the path of forced induction.  He requested that we produce more power, while keeping the engine naturally aspirated. 

A stock Z06’s LS7 is rated for 505 hp at the crank.  This particular Z06 had American Racing headers and a Billy Boat exhaust, which helped it put down 469 whp and 446 ft-lbs of torque. 

These are both very respectable numbers for an naturally aspirated engine.  However, the owner wanted more power.  We started by having the heads CNC ported and milled. 

CNC ported and milled head.

We also chose to upgrade the cam to an aggressive one. 

Upgraded very aggressive cam.

Upgrading to this cam required many supporting parts.  Most of the valvetrain needed to be upgraded to match this aggressive cam.  The lifters, push rods, and exhaust valves were also upgraded.  The stock push rods were upgraded to ones made by Manley, while the exhaust valves were upgraded to Ferrea ones.  The rocker ratio needed to be changed to accomodate the new cam.  This adjustment was achieved with a Comp Cam trunion upgrade kit.  ARP head studs were also used during reassembly.

The fuel system was also upgraded to match the more aggressive cam.  A FAST billet fuel rail was used to deliver more fuel to the ID 700cc injectors.  These upgrades allow more fuel to reach the combustion chamber.  Along with the FAST fuel rail, a FAST LSXR intake manifold was also added.  The intake manifold was designed to allow air to flow more efficiently.

With all these performance upgrades, we also upgraded the clutch to match. We installed a Monster Clutches Level 3 kit with a billet lightweight flywheel. The lightweight flywheel weighs in at only 18 lbs. This upgraded clutch will be able to easily hold the power put out by this LS7. 

Without a proper tune, we would not get the full potential out of these upgrades.  EFI Live was used to retune this Z06 to not only ensure the engine is safe, but to get all the power out of this new setup. 

It is now time to see how this Z06 performs with these performance upgrades. Following is a video clip of this Z06 on our dyno.

591 whp Naturally Aspirated Corvette Z06 on the dyno at PSI from Portland Speed Industries on Vimeo.

It put down 591 whp and 523 ft-lbs of torque. 

Not only did all these performance upgrades give this Corvette Z06 a lot more power but the sound it makes is amazing.

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After working on a custom exhaust for a K20 powered EG hatch, fabrication continues on the large single turbo Supra project.  This project required a lot of custom fabrication work to meet the needs of the owner.

The Supra project required a custom turbo manifold because of not only the large size of the turbo, but because of the location.  The owner requested that the turbo be positioned lower to accomodate the TRD strut tower bar he currently utilizes. 

Test fitting the turbo. Look how low it sits.

The lack of available turbo manifolds for mounting this size turbo in this location required a custom manifold to be fabricated.

Turbo with quick spool valve and majority of the turbo manifold.

Turbo manifold fabrication.

Close up of turbo manifold.

Work on the turbo manifold continues and will soon be completed, but this project is not over yet.  Fabrication on the cold side and intercooler piping will soon begin.  Check back for more updates on this custom 71mm turbo setup.

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Whiplash is a 1932 Ford 3-window show car that has won many shows on the west coast and is a Portland Roadster Show Hall of Fame inductee.  We were fortunate to has the car at a private event this past summer.  The attention to detail is second to none.  The flames and blend are beautiful. 

Whiplash at PSI last summer. 

This beautiful show car was recently at PSI to improve idle and drivability.  The owner wanted Jason Oefelein to tune the car to help it run better. 

Jason Oefelein tuning Whiplash. 

This car was recently in our booth at the All Ford Show and Swap Meet. 

Whiplash is for sale to the right buyer.  Contact us for more information.

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Following the 1929 Ford, we had a 1955 Chevy Pick-up on our dyno.  This Chevy was powered by a Chevy small-block V8. 

1955 Chevy Pickup on dyno at PSI from Portland Speed Industries on Vimeo.

This 55 Chevy Pick-up put down 280 whp and 275 ft-lbs of torque.

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We were fortunate to have a  nice example of a rare 1929 Ford Coupe on our dyno.

1929 Ford Coupe on dyno at PSI from Portland Speed Industries on Vimeo.

This 29 Ford put down 213 whp and 242 ft-lbs of torque.

Also check out, http://dyno.tunedbypsi.com for more of the vehicles that have been on our dyno.  Check back often as we are always adding new videos.

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This past weekend was the annual Rose Cup Races at Portland International Raceway.

Jason Oefelein took the Skyline down to the Rose Cup Races.  While down there, he talked to a some people that were interested in the Skyline. 

The purpose of going down to PIR was to enjoy the races.  We also wanted to go support the car that had previously been on our dyno and was tuned by John Reed.

Here is the car on the track.  It has a V8 from a Baja truck with a body of a 2010 Ford Mustang.  This car was one of the fastest and qualified second.

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Most of the turbo manifold is complete.  The piping needs to be matched up to the piping that extends from the head.  For the proper fitment, the turbo, manifold, and wastegate have to be positioned in the car.  This is the tricky part because of the close confines of the engine bay. 

This photo shows how low the turbo will be sitting.  This lower position, below the strut tower bar, limits the space for the turbo manifold and wastegate. 

The Tial wastegate used for this new setup is substantially larger. 

Check back for more on this turbo setup and installation.  Custom fabrication takes time, but in the end, the wait will be worth it.

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A client brought in his 1957 Chevy Belair SS.  This Belair underwent restoration and modification. The original engine is replaced by a LS V8 with the addition of a supercharger.

57 Chevy Bel Air SS on the dyno at PSI from Portland Speed Industries on Vimeo.

This is definitely no ordinary 57 Bel Air, but a powerful show car.

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A race car powered by Roush Yates motor was on our dyno. 

Tuned by John Reed.

Roush Yates Powered Race Car on dyno at PSI from Portland Speed Industries on Vimeo.

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Adding a 71mm turbo to a 2JZ, requires some custom fabrication.  Currently, we are designing and fabricating in-house a turbo manifold to mount a Garrett GTX4294R turbo with a SP quick spool valve. 

This large turbo is taking the place of a smaller 67mm turbo, which is a common size upgrade for MK IV Supras. 

The larger turbo will also have to be position in a way that allows the use of a TRD strut tower bar. 

This is the space available for the 71mm turbo, quick spool valve, and turbo manifold. 

This turbo will have a tight fit in the engine bay of this MK IV Supra. 

To begin the process of fabricating a turbo manifold, plastic pieces were used to mockup the bends and curves of the piping. 

This is what the turbo manifold will look like.  Alex Laventure will soon begin fabricated it out of metal.  Check back soon for updates.

*Update June 7, 2010*

Alex has begun fabrication.  Here is a photo of the turbo manifold, part of it made in metal with the other part still mocked up with plastic.

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On June 5, 2010, the Hillsboro Fairgrounds was packed with not only Ford enthusiasts but car enthusiasts in general.  There were many vendors and car owners showing and selling what they got.  We had a booth at the show next to Highline Customs.  We brought down Erick Sackhoff’s 64 Lincoln Continental, which is a work in progress, and a 2005 Ford GT.  Joining us in our booth was Whiplash, a Ford Hot Rod.

Sackhoff’s 64 Continental project includes putting a 4.6L Ford V8 from an 03 Ford Mustang Cobra and adding a Kenne Bell Supercharger.

There was a lot of people in attendance.

We talked to a lot of people and had a good time.

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