Show me the Numbers!
Continuing the theme of late blogging here's some more '02 work done earlier this month.
Not having convenient access to a chassis dyno anymore - they all seem to go out of business - I want some hard data on tuning my car. The car has a pair of big DCOE 45 Weber carbs and running the numbers all my jets, chokes and venturis are probably in the ballpark. And the car is seemingly running well, but how do you really know without numbers or a baseline? Tuning Webers can be an art but I already have a day job and too many hobbies, I don't need an apprenticeship taking several years. I'd rather be driving, racing or drinking beer.
Being a typical American with a short attention span, I want a quicker way to motoring bliss. So I bought an AEM Air/Fuel ratio gauge to help me dial in the motor. They make a nice analog version which complements my vintage style VDO gauges so it doesn't look too out of place. With this I can fiddle with timing, jets and throttle applications and get the numbers. As while your seat of the pants will lie to you, the numbers don't.
I swapped out my existing clock and shuffled the other gauges around. When I'm driving the bimmer I don't really care what time it is. I'm keeping the Oil Pressure and Temps, and the Voltmeter.
First step is wiring it up.
And in a nice gesture to my future senility and/or the next owner, I tagged the wires with their function.
Meanwhile, I took the header to my local muffler shop - Midway Muffler in Elsmere. They work on my racecar exhaust system and are good guys. For $20 they welded a bung to the header for the O2 sensor.
Unfortunately, all the work I did earlier in the year to the header - de-rusting it, painting it with satin black high temp paint - came to naught. Every time I start the car I have to endure a couple of minutes of smoke coming from the headers as they cook off the paint. Plus they are beginning to rust again.
But as usual, I have a plan. They'll be taking a journey down to Crazy Coatings in Middletown, where they'll get bead blasted, and ceramic coated. I'm expecting it to be $250 or less. Take That Rust! Going No Mercy on your ass. Pics when done.
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| AEM A/F Ratio analog gauge powering up |
Not having convenient access to a chassis dyno anymore - they all seem to go out of business - I want some hard data on tuning my car. The car has a pair of big DCOE 45 Weber carbs and running the numbers all my jets, chokes and venturis are probably in the ballpark. And the car is seemingly running well, but how do you really know without numbers or a baseline? Tuning Webers can be an art but I already have a day job and too many hobbies, I don't need an apprenticeship taking several years. I'd rather be driving, racing or drinking beer.
Being a typical American with a short attention span, I want a quicker way to motoring bliss. So I bought an AEM Air/Fuel ratio gauge to help me dial in the motor. They make a nice analog version which complements my vintage style VDO gauges so it doesn't look too out of place. With this I can fiddle with timing, jets and throttle applications and get the numbers. As while your seat of the pants will lie to you, the numbers don't.
I swapped out my existing clock and shuffled the other gauges around. When I'm driving the bimmer I don't really care what time it is. I'm keeping the Oil Pressure and Temps, and the Voltmeter.
First step is wiring it up.
 |
| Gauges rat's nest of wiring |
And in a nice gesture to my future senility and/or the next owner, I tagged the wires with their function.
Meanwhile, I took the header to my local muffler shop - Midway Muffler in Elsmere. They work on my racecar exhaust system and are good guys. For $20 they welded a bung to the header for the O2 sensor.
Unfortunately, all the work I did earlier in the year to the header - de-rusting it, painting it with satin black high temp paint - came to naught. Every time I start the car I have to endure a couple of minutes of smoke coming from the headers as they cook off the paint. Plus they are beginning to rust again.
But as usual, I have a plan. They'll be taking a journey down to Crazy Coatings in Middletown, where they'll get bead blasted, and ceramic coated. I'm expecting it to be $250 or less. Take That Rust! Going No Mercy on your ass. Pics when done.
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