John Bzdel's

1988 Monte Carlo SS

LS1/T56 Change-over page

April 2002 Project Updates

Fuel system upgrade
I used a fuel pressure gauge connected to the fuel rail and observed the readings at idle and while revving the motor.  Fuel pressure was 56PSI at idle and it dropped several pounds while revving the motor.  GM specifies 58PSI under all operating conditions for the LS1.  I had a hose extension made for my fuel pressure gage so that I could mount the gage on the windshield using duct tape thus enabling me to read the fuel pressure while making several WOT passes on the freeway.  The fuel pressure would very slowly drop from 56PSI to ~53PSI by 6500RPM at the shift points.  I verified voltage at the fuel pump by connecting a digital ohm meter and noticed that the voltage would drop to as low as ~11 volts as the motor was revved in neutral.

• Hot wire relay for fuel pump.  
  • I installed a heavy 10 gauge wire directly from the alternator to the rear of the car routing it through the drivers side passenger compartment along the route of the OEM wiring to the rear of the car.  
  • I installed a 30 AMP in-line fuse on the driver's side inner fender as a safety precaution.  
  • Next to the fuel tank filler neck I installed a heavy duty relay where this new 10 gauge wire terminated.  I used the existing fuel pump relay lead wire that went to the in-tank fuel pump and now used this to activate the new relay.
• 30# SVO fuel injectors  
  • I bought and installed new fuel injectors in preparation for the upgraded exhaust and ported heads.
  • I recalibrated my fuel injector flow in the PCM using LS1_Edit to accommodate the larger sized injectors.  I knew this software would come in handy!
• Adjustable Fuel Pressure Regulator (AFPR)  
  • I bought and installed a new AFPR from Breathless Performance (item 100-207) which is specifically designed to work with the '97-'98 C5 LS1 fuel rail.  I was now able to adjust the fuel pressure from 56PSI to 58PSI per GM's specifications.

First trip to the drag strip this season
I took the car out using my daily driver street tires to Pacific Raceways (formerly know as Seattle International Raceway [S.I.R.]).  Traction was mixed but truly outstanding on this pass as you can see by the 60' time:      

This represents a drop of almost 0.70 seconds in ET and a gain of 6+ MPH from last seasons best performance :>)  I have almost accomplished this project's objective of a 12 second street machine with stock exhaust and no cylinder head work!

Next month
I have received all of my exhaust components now so the month of May will be dedicated to building the new custom exhaust system!

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© 2002 by John Bzdel