Big Power Zs

[LGAFF]

After talking to a few people there were several tuners building engines on behalf of GM...many were sworn to silence on what they did...some are talking about writing a book. Heart of the Beast barely scratched the surface of what they were messing around with...pretty cool stuff...been talking to guys lately that I used to read about in magazines. Some I had no clue even worked on the LT-5 project.

There are some race cams/parts out there somewhere too.....I bet they are sitting at a shop waiting for someone to call and bring up the "old days"

You look through these mags and wonder who has some of these cars now...wonder how many of us have the tuned cars and don't even know it.

[XfireZ51]

Originally Posted by Kevin

for lotus take a look at the jeal/lpe cars

With all due respect to those great innovators, I think what's being done today surpasses even that.

[tomtom72]

Originally Posted by XfireZ51

With all due respect to those great innovators, I think what's being done today surpasses even that.

I'm not trying to argue Dom, but places Like LPE & Callaway have to meet EPA standards so that could put a damper on how far they want to go with a road legal package.

I tend to think that if the Lotus engineers were given free hand and if David Mac was not pushed out the door because he made some people look lazy, we would see just what a pushrod free motor could be doing by now.

JMHO, but after listening to just two Gatherings worth of discussions lead by Dave, Ingles, Marc, Cory, and speaking with JVD to make it street legal takes huge resources.
Peace!

Tom

Just a thought. If you followed F1 in the 60's & 70's you know what the Lotus & Cosworth guys are capable of doing with a 4V/DOHC design! I'd settle for just that kind of power for the street!

[FU]

Originally Posted by Kevin

for lotus take a look at the jeal/lpe cars

Comparing or even saying Jeal and LPE in the same sentence is wrong. LPE WAS the master and if he was still with us today we would advance much further faster.

Originally Posted by XfireZ51

With all due respect to those great innovators, I think what's being done today surpasses even that.

Well said. What is being done today surpasses the great one's by strides.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by FU2

Comparing or even saying Jeal and LPE in the same sentence is wrong. LPE WAS the master and if he was still with us today we would advance much further faster.

I was only referring to those who had lotus people associated with the lt5 on staff

[XfireZ51]

Tom,

I'm not looking to diminish the efforts of those pioneers. Whatever is being done today had a the platform that those people built. And it is true that GM needs to address conflicting objectives like mileage and emissions while producing ample power. My point is that based on the results we have seen more recently from the likes of Pete, Marc, Corey et al, its pretty clear that the LT-5 has much more potential than what was evident when
LPE, DRM, and others were focusing on the motor. I mean the closed deck big cube motors are something else that set the table for reliable forced induction as an example. Its taken us 20 years to get here with the advancement of technology, but there's a strong case to be made that the LT-5 has taken to this advancement like a duck to water. I just think that's part of th brilliance behind the engine design.

[tomtom72]

Dominic, I think we're saying the same thing, only from a different perspective.

I was taking the corporate view in that it costs an OEM way more cash due to regulations to do what guys like Pete, Marc, and Cory, et al do with our motors. That all those guys have pushed the envelope that far is a better testament to the basic design of our motors than almost the 24 hr record run. Okay, maybe that's a bit much! But not a whole lot over the top.

I will offer this up as a big negative with our motors. I can't figure out how they could be made cheaply enough to fit some corporate balance sheet. That is a real issue. If Dave is at our Gathering this year I think I shall ask if he has an opinion on that question.

IDK, but I think it's all good as long as you have no push rods!


Tom

[Chris_32212]

Been a month or more since I read the article in the link but its about the Gen III LT-5 that never came to be. The original LT5 program director from Lotus gets the go ahead to recreate it and the results are pretty awesome HP wise. Give this is a read. This was done in May of 2015 or so.

http://www.enginelabs.com/engine-tec...s-alive-again/

[Paul Workman]

Originally Posted by Chris_32212

Been a month or more since I read the article in the link but its about the Gen III LT-5 that never came to be. The original LT5 program director from Lotus gets the go ahead to recreate it and the results are pretty awesome HP wise. Give this is a read. This was done in May of 2015 or so.

http://www.enginelabs.com/engine-tec...s-alive-again/

If you're referring to Graham Behan (SP?), That motor was discussed at the BG gathering in May. IIRC, it had made around 550 chp on the dyno. Cripes!! Once again it gives me the "WOULDA-COULDA-SHOULDA" pains to think what it could have been, had GM stayed the course! Want more? What would it have done as a closed-deck FI 6.2L? [sigh].

[grahambehan]

FI 368 CID made 850 at the tires through a 4L80.

Graham