[Chris 2018 ZL1 A10]

Fellas,

Today, at the crack of dawn, I left Orlando and drove over 100 miles to an off-the-beaten-path, unmarked and unceremonious automotive speed shop north of the Manatee river, nestled inconspicuously in an industrial park located in a little town called Palmetto.

After checking in with Karen, the nice lady who REALLY runs that shop with consummate efficiency, I was warmly greeted by Jason the owner who having more than four decades of experience, would actually do the install. Another fella, Mike, would act as cameraman insuring that my car (Scarlett) would have her 15 minutes of fame.

The first order of business was to bring my car inside, shut-down the engine and raise the hood for awhile to allow for some cooling-off. Next, Jason offered a shop tour that included examination/discussions of MANY V6 and V8 engines at various stages of being disassembled and upgraded. While our discussions were initially centered on CC effectiveness, we spoke of many other auto-related subjects.
After less than 5 minutes, it became very obvious that what Jason has forgotten about metallurgy, automotive history, auto-mechanics and mechanical engineering, is MORE than I’ll ever know.

Some of the projects currently under build-up there:
A Camaro 6G twin-turbo V6 at over 700hp. Another Camaro SS that was having its transmission and rear-end upgraded to ZL1 spec.
“What’s under the cover?” I asked. Lifting the cover revealed an immaculately restored ‘57 Bel Air, encouraging me to speak in hushed tones of reverence.

My install:

1. Lid removal: Puddles of oil observed on SC and a film of oil on the underside of the lid which Jason cleaned off with a shop rag. Jason said, “Looks pretty much like all the others we’ve done”. (My car has 4500 miles). Also, rotors have black finish which Jason said is for corrosion resistance. Do NOT spray brake cleaner in attempt to clean as it may remove the finish. (Just like v8 said)

2. SC lifted approximately 3”, OEM PCV valve removed, Elite PCV installed.
While the Elite PCV valve has been bored out deeper to accommodate the brass nipple better, it was still necessary to grind the end of the nipple to enable it to fit albeit much less than what I had already seen posted here.

3. CC location: Jason thought it best to mount the CC in back of the radiator using a different bracket (Which he had there) that attaches to the coolant hose bracket. His preference was to avoid the exhaust manifold heat saying that while the CC does work in that location, he felt it would work better in front. My take-away: The additional heat in the shock tower location may nullify some of the internal processes going on inside the CC.

4. Bore Scope: Jason had another tech bring a bore scope over to try and take a look inside my engine. The front right cylinder intake valve has some coking on it. I SAW THIS WITH MY OWN EYES. At some future date I intend to return to have the “Walnut treatment”, at that time Jason wants to do a before-and-after Dyno pull suggesting I’ll probably see a 20-30 hp gain as a result of the cleaning. Other valve cleaning techniques were discussed but Jason was adamant that the walnut process was the best.

5. Reassembled: All lid and SC bolts were reused as is standard procedure for this shop. We spoke of SS bolts in aluminum heads. Jason remarked that SS being much harder than aluminum could result in the threaded holes being stripped if over-tightened. I’m unable to remember what he said about the use of dissimilar metals.

6. Start-up: With engine running, opened CC drain valve and put finger over drain hole, wow, that’s a LOT of suction. Btw, manifold is considered the primary vacuum source, intake is secondary. Check valves prevent back-pressure while enabling constant vacuum from one source or the other depending on engine rpm.

7. The Elite CC is “Emissions Approved” in almost EVERY state, a claim no other CC manufacturer can make. This recognition should go a long way towards eliminating an engine warranty issue with GM.

Conclusion: At times, trying to absorb everything Jason was telling me was analogous to taking a drink from a fire hose. A month ago I was a CC skeptic. Thanks to the thoughtful responses to my questions on this forum, I became a believer. After what I saw today, I’m TWICE as convinced. Also, I believe the Elite E2-X to be the absolute best product on the market for the LT4 engine. After the 100+ mile drive home, seems like there was less than the usual amount of black soot on my tailpipes.

The story wouldn’t be complete if I neglected to tell you about “Scrappy”, the adorable black/white Chihuahua shop dog who was quite enthusiastic about sharing pieces of sausage off my pizza during lunch.


Chris

[FalconerOneSeven]

Cool story! thanks for sharing. CC is the first thing I am planing on doing.

[radz28]

Cool story. Very interesting. Thank you for sharing.

[ICTsccaCamaro]

I have been wanting to buy one also, looking at the website there are a few options. Do I need single or dual port for a otherwise stock LT4? Also is the added "check valve" needed?

[Firecaptain]

When can we expect the video / pics of the install?
Thanks

[Juiced1]

These things really work guys. On engines making over 700rwhp we've seen them blow oil right out of the front seal because of excess crank case pressure. A properly ran catch can will reduce crank case pressure and keep all the oil out the intake and combustion process. Oil vapors and acids will reduce your octane ratings which I shouldn't need to explain.

[Elite Engineering]

For the Gen 6, the dual valve is the system you will want. Should come with everything needed and the ZL1 modified "L" bracket for front mount can be specified.


Thanks for the kind words Chris. There is a good deal of science that this all involves and is far to often it is over simplified. This system retains a closed emission compliant system (We have started the CARB cert process for CA!!) that provides full time evacuation suction on the crankcase so pressure can never build in the first place. And in doing so, flushes and removes much of the wear and damage causing contaminants before they can mix with the engine oil.


Chris, did your fuel economy change on the trip home?


Thanks,


Jason
Elite Engineering USA
Engineering and Technical Support

[Chris 2018 ZL1 A10]

Originally Posted by ICTsccaCamaro

I have been wanting to buy one also, looking at the website there are a few options. Do I need single or dual port for a otherwise stock LT4? Also is the added "check valve" needed?

Originally Posted by Firecaptain

When can we expect the video / pics of the install?
Thanks

ICT,

I believe a single port will work on an LT4 but the dual port is much better. Why?, Because if the manifold is the only source of vacuum in a FI engine, then when manifold pressure exceeds ambient pressure due to the increased output of the SC or turbo, there is then no more vacuum and the removal of the dirty air stops until rpm is reduced creating vacuum once again. If you have a dual port system, the intake becomes the secondary source of vacuum during higher rpm ops. A dual port system ensures sufficient vacuum to the CC from idle to redline and everything in between. In a normally aspirated engine, vacuum is available all the from idle to WOT though at ever decreasing inches of Hg. Also, the check valves prevent back-pressure and are a very necessary component in a FI engine. I’m not sure if one is used in a single port system though it couldn’t hurt especially if there’s any back-firing happening.

Firecaptain,

I don’t know when the video will be available, if I hear anything, I’ll let everyone know.

[Chris 2018 ZL1 A10]

Originally Posted by Elite Engineering

For the Gen 6, the dual valve is the system you will want. Should come with everything needed and the ZL1 modified "L" bracket for front mount can be specified.


Thanks for the kind words Chris. There is a good deal of science that this all involves and is far to often it is over simplified. This system retains a closed emission compliant system (We have started the CARB cert process for CA!!) that provides full time evacuation suction on the crankcase so pressure can never build in the first place. And in doing so, flushes and removes much of the wear and damage causing contaminants before they can mix with the engine oil.


Chris, did your fuel economy change on the trip home?


Thanks,


Jason
Elite Engineering USA
Engineering and Technical Support

Hi Jason, or more accurately, Dr. Jason.

Yes, I believe it increased by approximately .5 mpg. I drove at similar speeds both ways and had the a/c off though the outside air temp had risen approximately 20°F by mid-afternoon when I left your shop so I’m not really sure how accurate my assessment would be. I did notice that my tail pipes seem to be staying cleaner. I’m guessing that my usual old-lady driving style enables oil to build up faster, then when I occasionally put my foot into it the residual oil inside the SC goes through the engine with the tell-tale sign of black soot on my tail pipes. Looking forward to getting the walnut cleaning treatment done, the engine will be like new again.

I learned so much from my visit with you,
Thank you again,
Chris

[v8]

Very nice write up!!!!! I enjoyed reading

[ZX-10R]

Nice write up Chris. Question for Elite - are you selling the radiator mount bracket? Part number?

[Elite Engineering]

Here are a few pictures. We should have the video up in the next few days. Picture of completed install and the new bracket to mount up front. That leaves room for a auxiliary coolant tank on driverside if desired.


https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...MG_2028_1_.JPG
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...MG_2029_1_.JPG


Cheers!

[ZX-10R]

Originally Posted by Chris 2018 ZL1 A10

I believe the Elite E2-X to be the absolute best product on the market for the LT4 engine. After the 100+ mile drive home, seems like there was less than the usual amount of black soot on my tailpipes.

You probably drove the car easy though.

I think the black soot on the tailpipes is unavoidable, all these motors (especially boosted) run pig rich at wide open throttle to keep combustion chamber temps in check, which is the primary culprit - my SS did it too - and my FD RX-7, well, let's not go there haha

[kwav8r]

Think the corrosion he was referring to is galvanic (or bimetallic) corrosion. While it should not be a major concern putting stainless bolts in aluminum block, you should use Tef-Gel. It will stop those two metals from corroding together.