Questions on interesting parts on my GN

[btroadman]

Guys, I'm playing with the Grand National that I bought 8 months ago, it is finally out of paint and I'm redoing some interior, while learning some of what the old owner did to it. Unfortunately I have no first hand info and am learning what I can each time I play with it. There are a couple questions I have for now. Can anyone help...

1. There is a blue hose connected to the bottom of the turbo that runs through the firewall and next to the drivers seat, on the end there is a vacuum type knob that I can open and close. On that knob there are three dashes, which looks like settings to open the knob to. I haven't played with it too much, but with it completely shut the car runs with about 12lbs of boost and no knock. With it fully open it is 25lbs with tons of knock and pre-detonation. So obviously I leave it closed.

2. There is a Caspers Chip with cable coming off of it with a clicker on the end with settings from 0-7. I found and read about this specific part which changes the timing or makes it unable to start, etc. My question is, is it really worth it to have this? I have a couple other chips that came with this GN, and a few left over from one I had in years past, Jay Carter street and strip, and some others. Any suggestions please.

I will have more questions later I'm sure, one thing at a time. Pardon my ignorance on this please.

[turbojd]

Sounds like someone installed a manual boost controller that you can adjust on the fly from the cockpit. I would not wanna see 25 lbs. boost on pump gas again, or pop may go a headgasket!! I would take that chip out and use a modern chip burned for your setup.

[The Radius Kid]

The chip sounds like a Casper's Variable Timing chip.
I can't be sure,but I seem to recall that Steve Yaklin used to do the tables for those[correct me if I'm wrong here].
As I recall they were pretty good.
Sounds like you also have a manual boost controller[bleeder valve].
Get a Scan Master for the car and watch your knock when you run the different settings on the chip to find the best setting for your car.

[blackgn1]

I had that adjustable chip. I lost a headgasket!! I can't really blame the chip but I would get a chip burned for your combo. Better have a scanmaster to watch knock and tune. I also had a manual boost controller like yourself. I learned very fast....."keep it simple stupid"

[Anthony P]

Casper's and some of the Buick vendors still sell that thumbwheel chip. I liked it because position 0 was an anti-theft mode. Nothing would happen - a little extra insurance on top of the car alarm, kill switches, and GPS systems we seem to need today to keep our cars with us.

"They" say that Eric's Turbo Tweak chips are the one's to have today. If you have a street car that you drive to the track sometimes, put in race gas, add slicks, and change engine tunes - I liked the old school thumbwheel chip. It was easier to rotate the dial setting on the thumbwheel than to open the kick panel, access the ECM, and change between the street and race chips.

I'd get rid of that manual boost controller. IMO engine tuning parameters are best done with chips, adjustable wastegates, and a MAF translator (+ or pro) when you have a street/strip car. I'd hate to see engine damage occur because that manual controller adjusted at the wrong time.

[Anthony P]

Also, since the car is new to you, make sure any of the chips you use are set with the specific stuff you car has on it now. Just as an example, go to caspers website, find the ultrachip data sheet that has to be completed before a chip is burned for your application. Obviously the choice is yours, but I would wonder if stuff like the injectors, fuel grade, turbo size, converter stall, etc. were different on the other chips you have. Might be worth the effort to verify. Then you know the program parameters are correct for the hardware on the car. just my $0.02.