In a message dated 3/13/2001 11:43:47 PM Central Standard Time,
jetcity@swbell.net writes:
<< You get to have all the fun.
I can see why you'd be nervous about the intercooler. Maybe you guys could
fab up a skidplate-ish thing out of aluminum perf to keep the worst of the
road nasties off, while still letting airflow through.
- Alex
>>
I know I should have done this earlier, but I've been
quite busy as of late.....
I've had my ATI SC installed for over 25,000 miles now.
The intercooler sits about 5 inches off the ground (from the bottom of the
intercooler to the road). The front of the truck is lowered 2 inches, the
rear 3 inches. No clearance problems yet. Intercooler still looks great.....
Now, once you get rid of that belt slippage (it's not
noisy at all either so you may not even hear it) and get it up to around 7-8
psi it should run great. My belt didn't start slipping until I put around
3,000-4,000 miles on the ODO. Once it starts slipping, you'd swear it is
something wrong with another aspect of the kit because you can't hear any
slippage. Mine stopped making 7 psi shortly after the install and I couldn't
figure it out. Then I moved my dummy pulley on the SC bracket upward and
changed around my OEM idler pulley to get it tighter which did the trick. But
once you get rid of the slippage and get a tighter wrap around the SC pulley,
you have to wonder how long it will stay in place. I've chewed up about 6
belts since I've owned the ATI. You will want to pay CLOSE attention to the
dummy pulley on the SC bracket. The wear was really bad on the pulley. Bad
enough to wear 2mm deep and as wide as the belt! I replaced mine last month.
Even though there is a nylock nut on the end of the bolt that holds the dummy
pulley to the SC bracket, once you get the belt really tight, it likes to get
loose, bend (the bolt) and throw the belt off. I had to use TWO thick washers
to push the dummy pulley further out in case the belt decides to move (this
keeps it from getting chewed up by the edge of the pulley). I HAVE to tighten
this pulley once a week (chalk that up to extra maintenance). The vibration
of the motor and the design of the spazer (where the bolt runs through) makes
it a weak link. With a TIGHT belt trying to pull the pulley down it has a
tendency to give just enough to chunk the belt....
I would highly suggest changing the head gaskets ASAP if
you plan on running 7psi or more. It's not a matter of will they or wont they
blow, it's more like when will they? I use Mopar 12:1 gaskets and have had no
problems running 10 psi with a good A/F mixture and a little additional
timing via a Mopar CPU. I would definitely use an MSD 6AL with retard if you
decide to use the PCM. Make sure to run a 160 thermostat and Autolite 3923s
as well if you use the Mopar computer. I've changed back to the stock PCM a
couple of times and there is no comparison when used with the ATI SC. The
Mopar PCM works REALLY well.
A couple of "small" items that made a huge difference
was the addition of a smaller diameter pulley, coupled with an external
wastegate. I run a 12# pulley and use the wastegate to control boost levels.
If the P600B you have has the new 4.10 ratio you should see an immediate 5-6
psi as soon as you mash the throttle. If not, I'd suggest getting the
wastegate and smaller pulley. This really makes a huge difference. On the
highway at 70 mph, if I floor the accel. pedal I immediately see 7psi of
boost....
Be sure there is ample room between the Mopar headers (or
whatever brand you choose to use) and the SC oil feeder line. After 18,000
miles, the heat from the headers ate a hole through my line and I had to
replace the whole thing. I would use metal tubing in place of the rubber one
GWP supplies. No oil to the SC is not a good situation :)
Same goes for the by-pass valve tubing. Mine was routed
close to the intercooler via an 8" metal tubing. It came up through the
fenderwell right next to the header. I kept burning it up so I just gave up
on it and removed it. I could probably wrap it in some kind of wrap where it
gets close to the header, but I've replaced the by-pass three times due to
*other* problems (not associated with heat).
Hope this helps you avoid any of the potential problems I had with my ATI
kit. I'm very happy with mine now. Making 425hp & 510 pft (est. flywheel),
this truck has no problems with LS1s (even a few heavily modified ones),
LT1s, Mustangs and anything else that is somewhat fast from the factory.
James
'99 Flame Red RC Dakota R/T (ATI Procharged)
'01 Black 4.7L RC Dakota Sport (5-speed & 3.92 gear)
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