Mail
Shifted Rear
Hey Guys,
I love your magazine. I have a 1995 Chevrolet Caprice and currently have a set of BMR extended upper and lower control arms installed. The problem is that the entire rearend has shifted about 1/2-inch towards the passenger side, I just replaced the rearend with an 8.5-inch unit from a police car since it's overall shorter. I was kind of trying for the "two birds, one stone" deal since I thought it was shifted due to the bushings, but I installed the new rear and the same problem exists. Any ideas?
-Rick
Magnolia, TX
It sounds like either the control arms are off, or you have a bent mounting point or frame. Try a stock set of control arms and see if the rear is still misaligned. If so, consult a good body shop with a frame bender.
Workaholics ... Guilty As Charged
As I was reading past-Editor Rick Jensen's piece in his new employer's magazine this month, he spoke about suddenly having free time to relax. Implicit in his statement is a fact I've never appreciated in the 6+ years I've subscribed to GMHTP ... you guys work your asses off. The technical depth and accuracy of your articles, as well as the great photo composition dating back to Johnny Hunkins' tenure, is what keeps me re-subscribing. Thanks guys and keep it up!
-Kevin Crain
Randolph, NJ
Thanks, Kevin! Sounds like we deserve a raise ... ahem.
Unfiltered
Hi,
I have a question about your Pontiac G8 supercharged project concerning the air filter size. The K&N cone filter shown under the hood looks fairly small, like [the one] I have on my turbo LS6 (550-whp) car. Doing K&N's flow calculations, my filter flows under 500 cfm filter area, and they recommend a 5.7L turning 6,000 rpm with 9 psi of boost should have at least 1,050 cfm of filter area. My question is: have you ever done a dyno test where you have too small of a filter then move up to the recommended size to see if there is any real power gain? My car is very limited on air filter space, so I do not want to have to use a larger filter unless I am leaving some power on the table. Also in the underhood picture in the latest issue, it almost looks like the filter is starting to crush? Thanks for any help.
-Ryan Gardner
Springfield, MO
I can't recall ever doing a dyno test like this, but it is something we would like to look into. Turbo Buick guys have been experimenting with this for a long time.
More Trucks & Budgets
I'm in the Army and deployed in Iraq right now, and I just wanted to let you guys know that your magazine is great and I love a lot of the tech material. However, I have an '01 Sierra 2500HD with the 6.0L and nobody puts out any articles on these trucks because they're an 8-lug gas truck. I would like to read about what some guys are doing to these trucks. Could you guys also show more builds on a budget? I got a wife, two kids and another one on the way and I can't afford a lot of the stuff you guys print. I just read "Homebuilt Hot Rod" (in the May '10 issue), and I want to do that with my truck. So more budget builds would be nice. Thanks again, and you guys stay cool.
-Nickomas Williams
Ft. Riley, KS
Muchos gracias! We should have more tech on trucks in the near future, and we have a budget LT1 project almost ready to kick off. If anybody has any budget builds coming together that they think would make a great story, please let us know.
Mail
Please send all letters to: scott.parker@soRC.com, or mail to: GM High-Tech Performance, 9036 Brittany Way, Tampa, FL 33619. All letters are presumed for publication and GMHTP reserves the right to edit all letters.