NOS?

[Blevyou know]

Is nitrous such a good idea with my LT1. My friends dad had it in his 96' Impala with the LT1 and it destoryed his pistons(luckly engine was still under warranty and he got a brand new one) Does the LT1 have forged aluminum pistons, if thats the case there should be no problem with NOS. Any thoughts??

[Joe 1320]

The pistons are not forged. The problem with the pistons is that they aren't very boost frindly. Boost by either turbo, supercharger or nitrous. They tend to crush the ring lands with too much cylinder pressure. IMHO, I wouldn't go over a 125 shot on a stock motor. There are guys that do it and years ago was one of them. Now I don't. If you plan on running lots of spray, do the upgrades.

[MN6WS6]

No, the LT1 does not have forged pistons. It has hyperteuretic or however you spell it. LT1's can hold a 175 shot but not for long. Generally speaking, you stay between 125 and 150, and it has to be tuned right. Sounds like your buddy ran it lean, because nitrous, when properly tuned, DOES NOT BLOW MOTORS.

By the way, it's nitrous, not NOS. NOS is a ricer term used to describe nitrous. NOS is a company that makes nitrous systems.

I have a 125 shot on a 75,000+ mile motor with no problems.

[Blevyou know]

Thanks guys...very useful information.

[Formulaboy95]

I just got my NX kit, and the Gen-X2 kit. I can't wait to use it, but I want to get all the safety stuff I need first. I was planning on getting the MSD Window switch, and probably the tps switch. Just hit 75,000mi, so I was probably going to go with a 100 shot street, mabey 125 at the track.

I gotta say that the NX instructions are not what I expected. Looks like good quality solenoids, but I was expecting more detailed full diagrams, possibly pics of bottle with downtube, gauge, etc... already installed!

Is it okay to mount the bottle in the rear t-top storage area? (It would be facing sideways) Or would that affect performance.

MN6WS6 - Any pics?

[Injuneer]

I ran my bottle on the floor of the lower hatch well. You can put it "sideways" but you need to put it in at an angle (top to the front of the well, bottom of the bottle to the rear of the well), and you need to roll the valve so the siphon tube is at a 45deg angle to the floor of the well. That means the outlet of the valve will be facing down and backwards. Obviously, you elevate the front of the bottle with the brackets.

[N20LT4Bird]

Mine is in the bcak seat, mounted to the tranny hump. No need for a remote opener Just reach back and crack it when you need to.

[Joe 1320]

Ideally you want the bottle mounted with the valve/nozzle pointing toward the front. This way acceleration causes the liquid to be pushed toward the pickup tube inside the bottle. Mounting sideways does work, but as the bottle empties there can be sudden changes in consistancy of liquid vs gas pick up.

[Formulaboy95]

Still debating the best location for me.... but, then again, I am still debating weather to do a stealth install under the hood, Or just a clean visable install.

I guess I am going to put the nozzle into the fernco. Think it will have any problems with gas being sprayed into there?

Grrrr.... plugs again too, haha! Gonna start with plug #2 this time. What gap should I use for the NGK TR6's?

[jspeed97]

Grrrr.... plugs again too, haha! Gonna start with plug #2 this time. What gap should I use for the NGK TR6's?

Optimal gap for TR6s should be .035 to .045. Most cars I have seen with nitrous were setup at .038, it is also a good setting for Supercharged cars as well.

[MN6WS6]

Stealth mounting. Well I guess I could chime in on this one.

I have a 15# bottle in the right rear quarter, where the spare tire is supposed to be. That' pretty common to put a nitrous bottle there, however it's usually only a 10 pound. I also have a 50 disc Pioneer changer over there and a power antenna; also the t-top holders are still 100% functional, so most people assume that there's no way you could fit a 15# bottle in there with all that. That's why they say "assumption is the mother of all f%)@-ups"

I ran the lines under the car (NHRA legal) and tied them off above the heat shields for the exhaust and along the center hump of the car well away from the driveshaft. It runs with the ebrake cables, making it virtually invisible. It then runs up the frame rail and to the bottom of the radiator where I have my solenoids mounted (completely invisible from above the engine or even laying on the ground looking at the radiator). From there, I have my nitrous line (dry kit) running into the bottom of the rubber part of the intake (WS6 car, no elbow). It is loomed, so it looks like the wiring for the MAF.

My window switch is mounted underneath the MSD6AL, so you can't see it. My WOT switch is concealed by the throttle cable cover, so you can't see that. As a matter of fact, 95% of people don't even know it has nitrous on it until it is too late, or unless I tell them. I had to tell the tech guy at an IHRA track that I had nitrous on it because he couldn't find any proof of it, and that's with the hood open!

If you want to try and hide a wet kit, it will be harder. You could run the fuel line off the schrader valve and loom it up pretty good. Run it across the top of the valve covers with all the rest of that spaghetti wiring and down the front of the motor to the solenoid. The real trick would be hiding the nozzle, since you have two 4AN lines going into it. I don't know of any way you could really hide that part, unless you built something out of ABS plastic to make it look like it was something else. Maybe run a fake rubber hose that appears to attach around the PCV valve or something.

[Formulaboy95]

I like those ideas! I am probably going to run the nitrous lines inside the car, then split loom under the hood. Yeah, the hardest part is going to be concealing the nozzle though. Originally I was going to mount it in the storage area, and add the JL audio 3-10" stealthbox over it. The box is completely made in fiberglass, with a gel coat over it that can be painted to match the exterior. The best part of the box is that it uses a linear actuator to raise the box to get into the sub storage area. No one would ever be the wiser!

After going through the kit, I just noticed that there is no fuel line tap, but manual lists 2 types as part of the kit. Guess it is back to the speed shop tomorrow to get/order that, and see if my nitrous filter came in.

[MN6WS6]

Good luck finding that box. JL doesn't make it anymore, and finding somebody who is willing to get rid of it means ebay, and they go HIGH dollar. I wanted the same thing, but I got off my lazy butt and used my 15 years of car audio experience and built my own box. It's not "showy" like the JL, but it gets the job done.

I'm pretty sure that running the lines through the car is still not legal according to IHRA and NHRA rules. You might want to check on that, because that's why I ran mine under the car.

[Injuneer]

There is no NHRA prohibition regarding running lines inside the car. Good idea to route them outside, but not required. Many pro-level nitrous cars have the complete system inside the car, inclusing the bottles and lines. The shop that built my engine has a 7.0-second PRO5.0 Mustang.... the dual bottles are located where the drivers seat would be, and all the plumbing is inside the car, running forward through the firewall.

The only NHRA limitations on nitrous (NHRA 2004 Rule Book, Section 16, General Requirements, 1:9 NITROUS OXIDE) :

-Bottles must be securely mounted, stamped with minimum DOT-1800 pound rating and identified as nitrous oxide.

-Bottles located within the drivers compartment (including the hatch of an F-Body) must be equipped with a relief valve and vented outside of compartment.

-System must be commercially available, and installed per manufacturer's recommendations.

-Commercially available, thermostatically controlled blanket-type warmer accepted. Any other externall heating of bottles prohibited.

As a practical matter, locating as much of the plumbing as possible outside the passenger compartment makes a lot of sense. My main line leaves the hatch well and is routed under the car in a protected area.

When necessary to run a line or a gauge inside the car, the use of a "restriction" fitting is highly recommended. This fitting is located outside the passenger compartment, and prevents a large flow of nitrous in the line going into the passenger compartment, in the event the gauge or the line breaks. My nitrous pressure gauge is installed this way.

There is also a requirement by DOT that requires that the nitrous bottle be pressure tested by a qualified shop every 5 years, and the inspection date stamped on the bottle. Another very good idea. There was a manufacturer that had a lot of problems with aluminum bottles about 10 years ago. These bottles are also used by divers. The better nitrous shops will not fill an outdated bottle. Some tracks may catch this in tech.

And check your state laws regarding possession of nitrous oxide. In NJ, it is classified as a "controlled dangerous substance" under narcotic laws, and you can not possess it without a permit issued by the NJ Dept. of Health and Senior Services. There is a significant fine and possible jail time for "possession" without the permit. It is issued free, and "Race Vehicle" is an acceptable reason for applying for the permit. I have them. The more reputable nitrous shops will not refill without the permit, and on rare occasions I have seen a NJ State Trooper wandering the pits at the tracks, or hanging around in "tech".

Nitrous is not classified as a flammable gas. The problem with getting it inside the cair:

-if you displace enough air from the inside of the car, you pass out, then asphyxiate.

-the expanding liquid removes heat from the air inside the car, and condenses the moisture in the air, creating a dense cloud that obscures your vision.

[Formulaboy95]

MN6WS6 - I have that box. Took me about a year and a half to acquire though! Ebay Except it needs the runners and linear actuator. Some kid tried to fit bigger speakers into it and really hacked up the fiberglass bad. It is a work in progress restoring it. 15 years in Car Audio... been there too, but probably like 10. You would probably appreciate this setup. Sony CDX-C90 head unit up front, JL 6.5 subs custom fitted into the rear panels, MB Quart seperates up front, 2 Old PG Sapphire 35x2's in the back. The stuff I have out of the car to go back in - (3) 10" JL W6's, the competition stealth box, and an ancient PG amp, THE MS2250! Here is an old pic of the setup.