Tag Archives: bowtie6

Fuel Regulator Fittings

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The Ecotec engine uses a similar fuel delivery system as fitted in the LSx engines in that the fuel rail is “returnless”.  This means there is only one line feeding the fuel rail on the engine.  In order to make this work, a special fuel regulator with built in filter has to be plumbed not far from the fuel pump.  There are several fuel regulator fittings available and in today’s installment I’ll document my experiences.

In an earlier post, I wrote about bowtie6‘s Ecotec fuel system (click here) where I described the separate staging tank holding the fuel pump.  About two weeks ago, I noticed the insulation post around the fuel pump’s B+ terminal my cousin Jim had fabricated had deteriorated due to coming in contact with fuel from the tank.  In order to solve this problem, I had to take the small tank out which required disconnecting the fuel regulator fittings.  After putting all the bits back together I found the fuel regulator fittings were not exactly “clicking” correctly.  They held in place but I was not pleased with the fitment so I safety wired them in place as shown in the following picture:

We can all agree this is not exactly the most elegant way to do things.  So why the safety wire?  Well, turns out on the little plastic tabs that “click” the blue fitting in place are not exactly the best design in the world.  Sure, car manufacturers use them all the time and they work flawlessly.  However these are aftermarket units made by Russell (a division of Edelbrock) and they are not exactly OEM quality.  I found out this by experience and by reading the latest issue of Car & Craft’s engine swaps magazine.  So where is the problem?

The following photo shows one of the two pump-side lines going into the regulator.  I’ve removed the fitting so you can see the small ring around the metal tube (more on that later)…

The next photo shows the fitting and the small plastic clip that holds all this together:

The small white plastic clip is very cleverly made.  There are two sets of barbs on it.  The inner pair locks in place around the ring on the metal tube from the picture above this one.  That keeps the plastic piece from sliding out.  Then the barbs also lock in place on a shoulder inside the fitting.  However in order to make this work, the plastic spring loaded affair must be crisp and not in the least deformed.  Taking this apart deforms the plastic clip and this prevents a positive lock.

The last two pictures show the white plastic affair locked in place.  As mentioned previously, this assembly is then pushed on the tube in the regulator and if all goes well the two barbs on the plastic clip snap on the ring molded on the tube.  All this looks good on paper, but I noticed the plastic “clip” had lost some of its “spring” and this all did not really lock in place so well.  The kicker is that these fuel lines are holding 50+ psi pump pressure and if they decide to part ways, well… you end up having a real bad day.

Remember that magazine I mentioned above?  There was a very good article in that issue about fuel systems and they cautioned on using these fittings.  And, they also suggested an alternative.  Unfortunately, the alternative is also made by Russell.

I did call the Russell tech line and talked to a rather abrasive dude on the phone about my experiences.  Right of the bat, he was not very interested in my findings nor on making things right.  Basically he told me to buy the new fittings and took no ownership to the fact this was a bit on the “unsafe” side.  I even told him about the article in the magazine, but he dismissed that too.  At any rate why argue with someone unwilling to stand by their product so I ordered new fittings.  While not exactly “cheap” (they are about $16 each) quite frankly I rather spend the money and have the peace of mind this is not going to come apart and sling fuel all over the place.

The solution is to use these fittings:

These fittings have a much safer design.  Instead of the spring-loaded plastic affair, they have a threaded cap that holds the fitting in place.  The threaded cap has a “U” shape that slides over the tube on the regulator and when tightened grips the ring (look at the very first picture on this post) keeping everything securely in place.  With this together, there is no slippage and no danger of this ever coming apart.

This is what it looks like all completed:

As you can see, these fuel regulator fittings are much nicer and better designed.  If you are considering this for an engine swap, don’t waste your money on the fittings with the plastic spring-loaded clip.  Get the ones with the threaded cap.  You will be much happier and most important of all, safer.

 

How Much Does a TR6 Weigh?

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I’ll ask again, how much does a TR6 weigh?

This has been a question in my mind ever since we fitted the new frame and engine to bowtie6.  Well today I finally was able to find out.  The result was a great surprise.

Along with a full tank of fuel and the hard top in place we took our first set of numbers.  The following pictures show front and rear total weights.

Here is the total:

Not too bad – 2,222 lbs and a 48.2% front / 51.7% rear bias.

We were curious about the weight of the factory hard top.  Well I can conclusively state the Triumph factory hard top weighs in at about 65 lbs.  Granted mine has had a few changes done.  I have added a layer of Dynamat Extreme inside however, I removed all the chrome trim.  So at the end of the day, I guess this would be about equal.

Here is the total without the hard top in place:

With the hard top removed, total weight is 2,158 lbs and a 49.3% front / 50.6% rear.

Next thing I need to do is put bowtie6 on a dyno and measure just how much horsepower we are putting down on the pavement.  In stock form, the 2.4 Ecotec in a Solstice/Sky produces 177 hp.  That is using the restrictive factory exhaust and the factory tune which is optimized for economy.  In bowtie6‘s case, we have tuned the PCM to produce power at the expense of economy (duh!), so we are far above from the stock value.  How much?  That we need to find out.

Regardless, this is all quite impressive.  It would have been nice to be closer to 2000lbs but  2,158 is not shabby at all.  I guess I should not have used all that Dynamat!  🙂

Oh and I found a prior post I had made regarding how much my cousin Jim’s TR4 weighs – to read that post CLICK HERE.

TR6 Trunk Liner Kit

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The “original” TR6 trunk liner calls for this ugly cardboard material used to dress up the sides of the trunk.  There is also a piece that hides the tank.  In my case I wanted to try something a little different.  Something more modern and durable.

There is a local automotive interior supply warehouse close to where I live.  This is where I bought the sound deadening carpet backing material, the carpet and the black plastic material I used for the trunk liner.  This material is easily cut with scissors, although I used a shear (normally used to cut sheets of metal) to get crisper edges.  In order to form this material one can use a break and this plastic has enough “give” to make some very sharp edges.  The result looks very neat and is a zip to make.  Take a look at the driver’s side trunk panel:

I made the edges just a tad longer and this fits quite tight.  On the top side (near the trunk gasket) it fits quite tight and once you lower the gasket over the edge it actually helps support the plastic liner in place.  The greatest advantage is that on the back of the trunk it helps hide all the wires going to the tail lights.  You can see that more so in the next picture:

The pièce de résistance in the cargo net.  I know, not “original” but it is not only very attractive but also extremely useful.  Since I don’t have to carry a spare TR6 worth of parts and a full compliment of wrenches, I have a bit more room than the average British car owner ever dreams of having.  For example, when I make a quick run down to the grocery store I can put bags in there and the contents won’t go all over the place.  Similarly when going to a car show, I’ll put odds and ends in there.  A quick search on eBay will yield you a plethora of suitable options; that is where I found this one.  There is an elastic strand at the very top that holds the thing in place and on either side are two special hooks that catch the ends.  You can see that in the first picture above.

Here is the battery box.  This is all aluminium and there is a Red Top Optima dry cell battery inside.  These batteries are not cheap, but offer many advantages over all the others.  I’ve had this one for several years now and it is as strong as the day I bough it.  You can see in the background the same plastic material I used for the rest of the liner.

On closer inspection you can see two more details…

  1. To the right of the box is a thick cable.  This is the same kind of cable used for leads on a Miller TIG welding machine.  In this case, this is the heavy ground cable clamped to the negative side of the battery.  This cable goes through a rubber insulated opening in the floor of the trunk and the end is securely bolted to the frame.  This gives the body a hard ground.  Up front, in the engine compartment there are two more similar cables.  One is tied directly to the engine (grounding the Ecotec) and the other is tied directly to the body (making the body ground too).  Without solid grounds your electrical system will fail.
  2. On the left of the box you can see a silver plate.  Bolted to it are two circuit breakers an three relays.  The circuit breakers feed the relays which in turn supply the a) fuel pump, b) stop lamps and c) reverse lights with power.  I’ll have more about bowtie6‘s electrical system in a later issue.

And there you have it.  One thing about doing work like this is to think outside the box.  With so many modern materials available it is a shame not to use them.

bowtie6 and ECOTEC vs 3.4L V6

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I put some 15,000 trouble free miles on bowtie6 powered by the V6 conversion we did several years ago.  The car performed flawlessly, surpassed my expectations and not once was it ever a disappointment.  Not even from the start, on the contrary:  from day-one I have been very proud of my car.

Not wanting to keep the engine ‘stock’, I started doing some research into performance improvements.  Don’t take me wrong, the engine had plenty of power and torque but I just wondered “what if?”  After all, what fun is there in leaving things alone?

This is no “mid-life” attempt to produce a firebreathing monster – if that were my wish then I would be building something else altogether.  I have the ability and resources to do it, but I decided to take a well preserved TR6 and improve it.  It has been a very fun project that I plan to continue to work on and improve.

bowtie6‘s 3.4 V6 came from a ’95 Camaro so out of the box it is a few years old.  I had it dynoe’d the first time and it produced 150hp at the rear wheels.  Not bad for a ‘stock’ V6 with fifty-some thousand miles on it.  I could have left it there and just driven the thing forever putzing around town like an old fart, but that would be no fun at all.  I had proven the concept was sound:  I had an extremely reliable TR6 that did not leak, had no “issue” to speak of and in which I could drive anywhere, anytime with no second thoughts and no assortment of spare parts in the trunk.

Modifications started with a hot cam and roller rockers.  I already had headers so we modified the intake in order to let the engine breathe as well as it let exhaust gases exit.  The car went to the dyno again, this time producing roughly 170hp at the rear wheels.  Then, we found a brand new set of heads which I had ported, polished and flowed.  I also ported the upper intake manifold and bolted an LT1 throttle body.  It was expensive but I wanted to break the 200hp mark.  Along with the ported heads came an adjustable fuel pressure regulator that helped fine tune the already larger injectors.

Third time to the dyno:  this time we produced slightly above the 200hp at the wheels mark.  I had achieved what I set my goals for.  The difference was indeed palpable and made for an even more fun TR6.  However, this proved to be too much for the tired factory Triumph frame made of 10 gauge materials.  This resulted in a frame failure (which I have discussed previously) and forced a review of the foundation beneath bowtie6.

I did not want to ditch the car because I have quite an investment in it.  The frame was un-repairable so we made the decision to make a new frame.  My cousin Jim’s TR4 was nearing completion with a similar frame.  Soon after I had a chance to drive it and see what a new frame and ECOTEC power would be like we had more data to allow a good decision to be made.

So what was it like?  No, it did not “blow the doors off” my V6 powered TR6.  Jim’s TR4 is lighter than my TR6 giving it an edge.  The ECOTEC is a fantastic engine and has way too many advantages over the V6, even with all the improvements we made.  For starters the ECOTEC is lighter and incorporates much more modern features.  The engine has a huge rev range and offers fully tunable ECM vs the opposite for the V6.  Power wise my fully tweaked V6 is matched by the stock 2.4 ECOTEC.

Back to the frame.  Again.  At first, I had a notion to use the V6 in the new frame.  Add that to a solid rear axle with positraction and a robust frame and I would have been in business back on the road.  But no.  The V6 had reached the end of what I could do with it.  Furthermore, I found an ECOTEC with only 4 miles on it (I’ve written about this here before) so using that over the V6 was a mute point.  There is no compelling reason to go with the V6.  Also, supply of V6’s in junkyards getting smaller yet I am told new crate V6’s can be had for $1980 delivered to my house.  Point taken.  Then again, I have $2000 in a 4 mile 2.4 ECOTEC and that includes a 4 mile AISIN five speed gearbox (last time I checked, crate engines don’t come with gearboxes).  I also own a 2.2 ECOTEC that I paid $500 for and will be in my next project.  Truth be known, Jim’s car was initially powered by  a 2.2 ECOTEC but we realized the 2.4 would be a better choice.  So no matter how you slice it, the ECOTEC proved to be my best choice.

Very soon I’ll have bowtie6 back on the road.  It has evolved through the years.  It has been featured in magazines, won awards and I have received a huge amount of compliments which I am very grateful for and I graciously accept.  bowtie6.com has been hit from every state of the Union as well as from many countries around the world which shows me there are some folks that find this collection of words somewhat entertaining.  Along with the good, I have also had many negative comments ranging from “why did you do it?”, “it is ugly”, “it is not original”, to “your car is a complete abomination”.  I am very grateful for those too.  I fully accept this is not everyone’s cup of tea (that seems to come up a lot too, I guess it is a polite way to say “I really don’t like it”) and that is all good.  Bottom line, latter comments are the ones that make me grin and reinforce the fact that I did the right thing!!!

It is funny though, that I have taken my TR6 to non-LBC events (read street rod events) and not once has it ever been looked down upon.  Matter of fact, folks not only know what they are looking at but also compliment our efforts.  The LBC folks though are something else:  many turn their noses up and walk away, others shrug their shoulders and walk away and others give me strange looks and walk away.  But, in fairness there are some that do appreciate the work, don’t walk away and ask questions.  I’ve met many folks that way that have been very gracious.  The ones that are not gracious, well…  They are fun to meet too.

The truth is in the pudding.  My friend Mike likes to restore TR’s back to stock form.  We have a nice “agreement to disagree” thing going on, but it is all in good fun.  I’ve driven his stock TR’s and see why folks would want to keep them that way.  But then, when I get behind the wheel of one of ours…

…and suddenly I get a big grin on my face and know this is the only way to go.  If only folks could ride in our cars before they make “remarks”, they would see why we like them so much.

For what I have in bowtie6 in time, resources and effort probably I could have a newer car (I’ve been told that too, “why didn’t you just go buy an brand-x or brand-y car?”) but that would not have given me the chance to experience all that I have written about bowtie6.  I know the answer is a bit of a cliché:  it is priceless!

bowtie6 Back Together

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Labour day has come and gone.  bowtie6 is back together.  Yeah!

We spent pretty much all day yesterday fitting body panels.  This is a challenge.  TR6’s don’t quite “fit” very well even with a perfectly plumb frame.  So we had to do quite a bit of fitment, shims and spacers to make things line up.  Suffice to say, after a long day yesterday all fenders are finally bolted on, the bonnet lined up quite well and the boot lid is in place.  Quite a day.

Sorry, no pictures but I promise a full set the next time I get to work on bowtie6.

On a side note, today’s post marks a bit of a milestone:  this is the 50th post since I started this blog.  I’ve been able to track hits via Google Analytics and so far, I have a pretty much global audience.

Just for the hell of it, if you happen to be reading this post – please, make a quick entry and just say where you are reading my blog from.  Just curious…

Pictures will be posted soon…