Project 500 E-85 Flex Fuel E.F.I. Mega Squirt • 4 • The Dodge Challenger Message Board

by **dave-r** » 12 Mar 2008 20:45

Has it worked out OK in the end mate?

by **Eddie** » 12 Mar 2008 20:54

Yes, Thanks Dave. Glad I listened to your valuable advice! :thumbsup:

by **Eddie** » 15 Mar 2008 13:03

The wife went and traded her Jeep which had a 3.7 6 cyl and recieved 17 MPG@close to 4.00/gallon. This 08 Caliber gets almost 30 MPG with it's 4 cyl 2.2 DOHC and CVT transmission,(Daimler) and Delphi,(G.M. PCM)!! :mrgreen:

I on the other hand dont give a damn about the rising cost of fuel which is still less than HALF of what you poor guys have to pay. Is it true gas is 10.00 dollars per gallon,(equivalent U.S.), in England/Ireland?

by **Jimiboy** » 15 Mar 2008 13:49

We pay about 7,44$/ gallon in Sweden for 95octane

But a hobbie is a hobbie... :s003:

by **dave-r** » 15 Mar 2008 17:21

airfuelEddie wrote:This 08 Caliber gets almost 30 MPG with it's 4 cyl 2.2 DOHC

That would be considered a thirsty car in the UK. My 2.0 Neon gets more than that! About 40 if I am carefull. But the UK Gallon is about 1.2 US Gallons so that helps.

Most people in the UK would expect a new car in the 1.3L to 2.0L range to get 35 - 55 miles per UK Gallon I would think? Our lightweight 1.3 van at work gets about 60mpg on a run.

Is it true gas is 10.00 dollars per gallon,(equivalent U.S.), in England/Ireland?

That is about right. You need a bank loan to fill her up. :lol:

by **Eddie** » 15 Mar 2008 18:38

Wow, tough times eh Dave. Yeah I thought that the 'almost 30 mpg' wouldnt cut it as a true econonmy car, I tried to talk her into a diesel powered VW, but she thinks diesel is 'stinky' :lol:

Heck Dave, my Cummins diesel 6 -speed 4x4 Dodge gets 23!

by **Eddie** » 15 Mar 2008 18:44

Jimiboy wrote:We pay about 7,44$/ gallon in Sweden for 95octane

But a hobbie is a hobbie...

I have been reading a lot about the Swedish use of E-85. I take it that the Swedish Govt. has made ethanol based bio fuel a 50% acceptance rate in Sweden? Is this true Jimi? You know that you could run E-85 in your car with just a carb/injector change and some new stainless/composite fuel line! How much is E-85 in Sweden? Wal-Mart is currently deciding to use E-85 in addition to gasoline at all their retail SuperCenters. This would help the fueling infrastructure here in the states where we currently have 'only' 1500 different ethanol /bio/fuel based outlets, my city has 6 different stations that carry it@2.60 gallon with 105 Octane,(Of course I live in the Corn Belt). Canada only has 1 or 2 places in the whole country that carries it!

by **Jimiboy** » 16 Mar 2008 9:53

That sounds like weird- it must be very confusing to fill the car up if you drive on ethanol... :s006:

I must have calculated wrong...(!)
why can't you guys talk in litres? :wink:

We pay about 19,76$/ u.s gallon here in Sweden for 95 octane! (75 $/Litre) And the E85 goes about 14$/ u.s gallon, so it is quite crazy over here! :rage:

I have heard something about that. But is it true the consumption will raise with E-85?

(Man! I dig your truck Ed! It ROCKS!)

by **Eddie** » 16 Mar 2008 13:19

Jimiboy wrote:That sounds like weird- it must be very confusing to fill the car up if you drive on ethanol...

I must have calculated wrong...(!)
why can't you guys talk in litres? We pay about 19,76$/ u.s gallon here in Sweden for 95 octane! (75 $/Litre) And the E85 goes about 14$/ u.s gallon, so it is quite crazy over here!

I have heard something about that. But is it true the consumption will raise with E-85?

(Man! I dig your truck Ed! It ROCKS!)

Pretty high prices over there my friend! Makes my respect for you hardcore "MoPar Heads" even higher. :thumbsup:

Yes, fuel consumption will be HIGHER than gasoline due to the BTU,(British Thermal Units), of both fuels. Gas is 27% higher BTU's than Ethanol, so with E-85 it would probably equate to a approx 20% increase in fuel consumption over gas.(Remember E-85 is approx. 15% unleaded gasoline). Thanks for the kind words about that Diesel Dodge. It's the most rugged, dependable, vehicle I have ever driven in. It's got all the comfort like heated Leather interior,(I covered it all in Wet Okole seat covers in Neoprene custom made with the Ram's Head and colour matched in silver/blue on each seat), gets great fuel economy for a 7000 Lb. vehicle has 4-wheel disc brakes, a manual tranny that can take 1000 ft. lbs. sustained, Dana 80 Rear/60 front, will pull anything!!! :thumbsup:

Wish they made a little 2 cyl/turbo diesel that got 60 mpg and 90 mph top speed. :biggrin:

by **Eddie** » 19 Mar 2008 19:41

Here are some pics of our shop at school. 8 bays currently soon to move to a new state of the art 24 bay facility in 3 months. If I could figure a way to get that superflow home! :s009:

by **Eddie** » 19 Mar 2008 19:45

by **Eddie** » 19 Mar 2008 19:47

Serdi/Goodson cylinder head center. :thumbsup:

by **Eddie** » 19 Mar 2008 19:50

In front of my home. We have had 3" of rain in 48 hrs. I leave in 16 hours to Hughes Engines which is also swamped with rain/mud, now you guys know why I have so many 4x4's :lol:

That State Trooper in the Silver Chevy let me pass but closed the road shortly thereafter.

by **Eddie** » 19 Mar 2008 19:55

Last pic of 'my' shop at school :lol:

by **Jimiboy** » 19 Mar 2008 20:36

Sure looks like you can take some benefits out of that school shop. Can you do your stroker at school...?

(I wish we had classes with shops like that over here) :s003:

When can we see some up to date pics on the project Ed?

By the way, there seems to bee no winter & snow no more at your place, are you planning your first run with the Chally for the season soon?

by **Jimiboy** » 19 Mar 2008 20:40

airfuelEddie wrote:In front of my home. We have had 3" of rain in 48 hrs. I leave in 16 hours to Hughes Engines which is also swamped with rain/mud, now you guys know why I have so many 4x4's That State Trooper in the Silver Chevy let me pass but closed the road shortly thereafter.

What kind of Chevy does the police drive on that pic?

by **Eddie** » 19 Mar 2008 22:34

Thanks for the reply Jimi. Yeah I'm gonna have some more pics of the engine block and crank, rods, pistons, chamfered bearings tomm. after I get back from Peoria, Illinois. The school has an increse of over 100% attendance due to the climate change in U.S. Jobs. We need more skilled Auto technicians, specialised machinists, robotics, digi electronic applications for Industry and Medical techs. This school has all that. This summer I want to take a TIG,(Square wave), welding class for alloys. My classes are free for me so I'm gonna take advantage of it,(veterans benefits). My first cruise is gonna be when this water dries up. I have already started the Challenger last week and it fired right up. I ran it twice for 5-8 minutes each time to get the water out of the exhaust. It sounded sweet! The Trooper 's drive Chevy Impala's and Crown Victoria Fords but they need pavement, I dont!! :wink2:

Of course I cant outrun a radio either. Just ask Kowalski! :mrgreen:

by **Eddie** » 19 Mar 2008 22:39

Forgot to say the stroker will be built here in my shop as well as final tuned at school on their pro-engine stand that has all the guages and electronics plus battery and fuel cell for the blended alcohol. But most importantly it has a lab scope for waveform study of the sensors that operate via digital signal or analog waveform with a CanBus connector/Laptop that I will need for the Mega-Squirt.

by **fal308** » 20 Mar 2008 12:40

I'd just like to have the building! I could fill that space with my projects alone. Add in mine and my father-in-laws tools and there wouldn't be room for his wood shop :s012:

by **Eddie** » 20 Mar 2008 12:58

We are moving to an even bigger bldg. with 24 bays! And more equipment. :thumbsup:

Leaving for Hughes. back with pics in a 'few'!! :lol:

by **Jimiboy** » 20 Mar 2008 19:54

I did'nt see that was a impala, looked more like a volkswagen :lol:

The -91 to -96 Impalas where looking good... But no more... Yack! :s007:

by **Eddie** » 21 Mar 2008 13:12

Got back. Recieved all my parts except for the piston rings which they promised to send me. I told them of the coupon for 50.00 off in the latest issue of MoPar Action magazine,(50.00 off any stroker kit), Dave said it only covered mail order stuff even though the ad didnt state that. Dave wasnt there yesterday but Kevin&Tim took very good care of me and the parts look terrific and the block is spotless and fully machined, Tim placed a 50.00 bill in my hand I thanked him,(It will pay for a few gallons of fuel) :lol:

. I'll be very busy for the next few weeks as my 'workload' on 'regular' vehicles has increased and I'm still working at the restaurant and delivering food to customers, whew, I wasnt this busy at the prison! Here are some pics of the parts, the engine block is still in the back of my Diesel truck. I averaged 23 MPG there and back@4.15 gallon. Not bad! :thumbsup:

by **Eddie** » 21 Mar 2008 13:14

2 Note the chamfered and radiused oil feed holes on that conrod journal. Sweet! Carillo!! :thumbsup:

by **Eddie** » 21 Mar 2008 13:18

I am gonna send the bearings off to Calico so they can be polymer coated. The skirts on the pistons and the valve faces are gonna get it too but I'm gonna do that myself with Tech-Line coatings form PowerHouse.

by **Jimiboy** » 21 Mar 2008 23:53

Sweeeeeeeet Ed!

What brand are you going with on the crank and rods..?

by **Jimiboy** » 21 Mar 2008 23:55

Sweeeeeeeet Ed!

What brand are you going with on the crank and rods..?

by **Jimiboy** » 21 Mar 2008 23:58

You know that you could run E-85 in your car with just a carb/injector change and some new stainless/composite fuel line!

Exactly how must i change the carb and how will the E85 affect the engine compared to Regular fuel? :s022:

Is it something to be afraid of or does it worse the engine in some other way?

by **Eddie** » 22 Mar 2008 2:05

Jimi, thanks, the Crankshaft is a Performance Engine Products,(PEP), brand 4340 Forged Steel, Non-Twist, Nitrite Hardened, full radius on all journals, chamfered oil feed holes, 6-bolt rear flange, machined for pilot bearing, full race balance. The rods are made by Carrilo which are 4340 steel, bronze bushed for floating pins, double ribbed at the big end for increased strength, H-Beam design, ARP 2000 fasteners. The Pistons are made by Keith Black and are billet 2618 alloy, 1/16 comp rings and 3/16 oil ring, forced pin oilers, ribbed and accumulator grroved to prevent ring flutter at higher rpm's, alloyed with a proprietary alloy that allows a tighter piston to cylinder wall clearnace. The piston pins are chrome-moly steel included with the pistons. The rings will be Childs & Ackerly ductile iron/plasma moly file fit, thats what the finish is for anyway and the pistons have already been fitted to the cylinder bores and numbered. Here are somemore pics. To answer your 2nd question here is some intersting info on E-85 and the pros and cons of utilizing it as a fuel in your engine. The carb will need a alcohol resistant float and gaskets, the plugs may need to change to a colder range, the fuel sock in the gastank pickup may have to be changed maybe not. It depends on what it's constructed of. Rubber hose may have to be changed to a alcohol fuel type. Not difficult, but you will consume more E-85 to gasoline because it's not as thermally efficient. But it has a much higher Octane than our unleaded premium E-85=105 UP=91-94 so you can run a much higher ratio, as high as 12:1 or maybe higher depending on the cylinder head design, open chambered older heads may not use as high as a modern small chambered closed design with lots of swirl and turbulence designed in to them. http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/e85toolkit/

by **Eddie** » 22 Mar 2008 2:08

The rockers and stud kit.

by **Eddie** » 22 Mar 2008 2:15

The block, :mrgreen:

please observe the oil pickup boss. It has been enlarged to 1/2 I.D.,(Inside diameter). This is so I can use a "Hemi" pickup. Dave also blueprinted the oiling circuit to ensure full supply at higher RPM's by enlarging some feed holes to a one size bigger feed. Nice work!