Rebuild of 215i plus Harrop supercharger

[Epic_Holden]

Hey there. Recently brought an VS auto 215i senator. Done 300kms, with not many in the last 5 years. Oil is clean enough and goes well enough for what it is.

Wanting do a freshen and add a non intercooled harrop supercharger ( don’t want to modify bonnet )

Probably go 30 over new pistons and rings ( same crank and rods if not showing obvious reason why I can’t ) , lower the compression abit maybe unsure if worth if I’m not going to intercool it, back yard gasket matching in the heads and and a cam. Haltech ecu etc etc

Trans wise, thought of a 4l65e as they seem to be a better gearbox ( don’t want manual but still want an overdrive ) stall to match

Anyone done anything similar? Intrested in any hp numbers, am I wasting my time, something to do differently? I’m not chasing numbers in particular just ticking a few boxes. Aggressive idle, supercharger wine, stock look.

Cheers

 

[Deuce]

Hey there. Recently brought an VS auto 215i senator. Done 300kms, with not many in the last 5 years. Oil is clean enough and goes well enough for what it is.

Wanting do a freshen and add a non intercooled harrop supercharger ( don’t want to modify bonnet )

Probably go 30 over new pistons and rings ( same crank and rods if not showing obvious reason why I can’t ) , lower the compression abit maybe unsure if worth if I’m not going to intercool it, back yard gasket matching in the heads and and a cam. Haltech ecu etc etc

Trans wise, thought of a 4l65e as they seem to be a better gearbox ( don’t want manual but still want an overdrive ) stall to match

Anyone done anything similar? Intrested in any hp numbers, am I wasting my time, something to do differently? I’m not chasing numbers in particular just ticking a few boxes. Aggressive idle, supercharger wine, stock look.

Cheers

Compression is low enough in standard form, don't drop it further.
4l60e can take some of the good bits from 65e etc. Just build your 4l well and it will do the job (get a stall to suit also).
Haltech is fine. NVRAM the stock ECU is another option.

 

[Ginger Beer]

IAT without an intercooler will be bad, my IAT with an intercool was 50°c just cruising around, and at 80°c after a long pull, during which the ECU pulled timing to keep it safe, which killed power, alot.

So bad I fitted a interchiller, now my IAT sits at 25°c cruising, and around 35°c after a big pull, so far it hasn't got over 45°c doing back to back runs.

My recommendation is WTA intercool at the minimum, and an interchiller if possible.

If you cannot fit an intercooler I would look at a different form of boost, or just a cranky NA build.

 

[Forcedvp]

Save your money and stick with the Delco ECU and get a 2/3 bar map sensor and tune to suit.

 

[Immortality]

I'd go the smallest overbore possible, the later 304 blocks aren't known for the best castings

 

[Epic_Holden]

IAT without an intercooler will be bad, my IAT with an intercool was 50°c just cruising around, and at 80°c after a long pull, during which the ECU pulled timing to keep it safe, which killed power, alot.

So bad I fitted a interchiller, now my IAT sits at 25°c cruising, and around 35°c after a big pull, so far it hasn't got over 45°c doing back to back runs.

My recommendation is WTA intercool at the minimum, and an interchiller if possible.

If you cannot fit an intercooler I would look at a different form of boost, or just a cranky NA build.

Good to know. Yea I did think of just a staunch NA. But I don’t like the look of bananas and other aftermarket stuff looks to aftermarket if that makes sense. Harrop was two birds with 1 stone. Supercharger and different look ha ha. Shame the heat kills it so much. Might look at some bonnet scopes. Just a shame as I’m not a big fan of them. Don’t like the sound of the centrifugal type superchargers and not really a tubro person

That skid factory video is good.

 

[Epic_Holden]

I'd go the smallest overbore possible, the later 304 blocks aren't known for the best castings

I see, fair point. I thought the later weee the better for the factory stroker clearancing. Good to know thanks

 

[Epic_Holden]

Save your money and stick with the Delco ECU and get a 2/3 bar map sensor and tune to suit.

Trouble in nz is no one deals with stock ecus. Assuming the Delco is the factory one?

 

[Forcedvp]

I see, fair point. I thought the later weee the better for the factory stroker clearancing. Good to know thanks

I thought it was the other way around. The later blocks were way better than earlier. No issues with doing crank clearance to suit a 355 crank.

I have a non intercooled whipple charger on my 304 with 10psi boost
While intercooling is the best option(particularly if boosting over 10psi) it is not critical so long as you have a good cold air intake. I made a custom air box enclosure for pod filter setup. It's insulated on the inside and I have also insulated the ducting. IAT's are whatever the ambient air temps are and not affected by engine bay temps. That said, I wouldn't be stomping on the fast pedal on a 40deg+ day as Manifold Air Temps will be well over 50+deg's.

Yeah. I'm talking about keeping your original Delco Ecu as its more than capable for what your doing. I know there's some talented delco tuners over in NZ. Jump on pcmhacking website and ask there.

 

[Immortality]

Delcowizzid is the best guy to hit up but he's gone silent of recent.

The later blocks are factory stroker clearanced but seem to have thinner bore walls/core shift. The engine builder who did a fair bit of the NZV8 category engines recommended VL 304 or VN for best cylinder wall thickness. Clearancing for a stroker is the easy part really.