Another Sniper build tread

Somewhere I read that they like to use the open spacer.

 

Yes.
Seems like open spacer OR airgap really helps on dual plane manifolds.
But you also have the:
Annoying whistling at low RPM that several have complained over
(On the Holley forums)
That they solve with a 4-hole spacer, and some are even stacking spacers.
4-hole on top to remove whistling, and open on the bottom.

Here I can make both by milling from the bottom side.
Did consider doing so before testing but would be interesting to see if I have any issues first...

 

Too bad they don't do that terminator_x with transmission control in 4500, be nice to control big power with overdrive 4l80e

 

It's cool I have the term. X LS swap stuff incl. Trans control in my 72. 6.0 Lq9/4l80 combo

 

I can't believe that terminator x ecu that they use on the 4150 is any real different than 4500, so if that is the csse the terminator x max ecu used on the 4150 should work on the 4500.

We were planning on doing an edelbrock mpfi system on this 555 we are doing....he was going to do th400 and gear vendors......but if we could do a 4l80e, that might change things......im pretty sure though the 4150 won't ve enough to feed a 555.......its not a race motor, but will punch 650-700 hp

 

Its Alive !

Well that was easy...

Started with welding in a O2 bung, the sniper comes with the clamp on bracket but I went for welding since I needed to remove the pipe to get the O2 mounted in the angle I wanted


Quite satisfied with how it tucks between the chassis and the transmission, plenty of clearance to both and very easy cable routing to the top of the engine.


Wired the entire sniper properly, with good routing of the cables.
And of course I removed all wire that I will not use (AC wires might go back in later)
Really think Holley should have moved the timing control wire from the 10-pin connector to the main connector...


As mentioned in an earlier post I used the anti-idle wire to trigger a relay for the switched ignition wire for both the Sniper and (the future) HyperSpark



Looks nice and discrete, the only visible part it the fuel line and the pressure gauge.

(yellow wire is for Coil negative and will be removed next week when the HyperSpark goes in)

Initial startup was a bit of a let-down.
It barely fired up after a very long crank.
Some fiddling with the config and by increasing the "fuel prime percent" from 150% to 400% (!!) and it fires up on less than a rotation.
(Fuel prime percent is used to "wet" the manifold before start and not used during crank or initial start)
This is definitively something I need to look at since everything I can find indicates that it is way to much.
(and yes, I have checked for vacuum leaks...)

Quick video of startup without the air cleaner (38 seconds)

And a startup video with the air cleaner mounted:


The air cleaner really reduce the noise from the injectors, they are barely noticeable with it on.
(somehow they are more pronounced in the video than in real life...)

But since it is running nice now I'll move to the HyperSpark and do a proper tuning when everything is up running.

As always more pictures can be found here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/LiwrPhMUuLAoVRjaA

 

Good write up. thanks for posting all your info.


I think it will if you use a 09 or earlier trans.

(Terminator X Max Stealth 4150 kits provide transmission control for Pre-2009 GM 4L60E/4L80E Transmissions)

 

Well that is not encouraging.

I was thinking about the 400% fuel prime and the fact that the system started up really lean and added a lot of fuel in the learning table.

Went back to the car, fired it up and looked down the bores...

Yupp, figures, rear right bore is bone dry.
I have one injector that is not firing...

Pulled the side cover and the injector.
It measures ~14 Ohm and ticks when I put power to it.
Swapped places with the front injector and assembled.
And what do you know:


All functioning now.
Ran the wizard again and now it fires right up with default fuel prime and is pulling a bit of fuel away from the fresh config as I would expect.

The connector felt a bit loose so I guess it was not fully seated, but that do make me doubt the quality of this unit...

I see on the nett that this is a quite common error, and some are fixing the connectors to the injectors with small zip ties...

Guess I will pull both sides off the Sniper and add zip ties next weekend...

 

Nice fix

 

Good work and nice write up! If you ever tear into it again I would swap to a TA intake

 

I did consider changing the intake as well,
But it the back of my head I have a small plan about getting a 455...
So I would rather spend the money on that instead of putting to much into the smogger small block...

( On this build the only thing that would not be reused on a big block is the distributor...)

Since I prefer to build as much as I can myself the main issue for that is availability of 455 cores here in NWY...

 

Did you cut your air cleaner housing to remove the notches toward the front for the stock Q-Jet?

 

Yes,

I filed them down.
Took me about 2 minutes...

 

Sparky, sparky....

Since the engine is running nicely it is time to add timing control.

And right away I find another indication that Holley's quality control might need some attention...

The distributor did not spin freely, and looking at the timing plate we see that one slot is touching the hall-trigger.
Easily fixed by pushing it in a bit with a flat blade screwdriver, but not to impressive when one take the price into consideration.


But boy is it shiny, I originally wanted the black version but that was back-ordered so went with the natural finish.
The original distributor was converted to Pertronix ignitor by the previous owner


I hid the CDI box and coil in the fender well and routed the cables.


With the washer bottle and charcoal canister mounted they are hardly visible.

And here the final engine bay is:



The only thing I would have done differently if I where to do this again is to use the canister type coil instead of the billet one.
That would have allowed me to retain the factory location of the coil and avoided the very noticeable HV line running from the fender well to the distributor...
I have a feeling that this will be changed quite soon...


To finalize the installation I pulled the CAN-bus wire into the cockpit and mounted the handheld underneath the dashboard.
(Motorcycle oil pressure gauge to the left, chosen for it small size)
It is mounted on friction hinges and strong magnets


Which allow me to fold the assembly up when I want it hidden

and since it is magnets I can move it up or around on the dash as I want.

The engine fired right up with the new ignition system and after some time idling it is purring like a kitten.
However with 6feet of snow outside and tons of salt on the roads I have not done any test drives...

Final thoughts:

Overall Holley have done an admirable work in designing the system.
The OEM style in-tank pump assembly makes plumbing a breeze
The combination of Sniper + Hyperspark is borderline to easy to install and get running.

However the quality control at Holley need some work.
The fact that the distributor was not spinning freely should have been found during assembly, if I hadn't found it the ignition pickup would most likely have failed quite fast.

The injector clip that was lose would have led to me sending in the TBI if it weren't for the forums.
And the design with a positive retention clip on only one side of the injector is not sufficient.
I found a gentleman on the Holley forum that 3d prints clips that together with small zip-ties retain the injector harness
I have ordered a set from him and when I get them I will add a follow up with images and my impressions of his solution.

As always additional images can be found here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/LiwrPhMUuLAoVRjaA

 

Glad it went fairly smoothly. The only thing I can say is personally I would want my coil that close to the ignition box. Sometimes the fields around these new parts cause EMI and issues. But nice right up, thanks for sharing. Be nice to hear some feed back when it gets road time on gains in MPG, or et

 

Add one more into the Holley need to get better quality control...

Since the weather is ok I planned to take it for a gentle spin on a local, non-salted, road.

Turned the ignition and what do you know.
The coolant temperature reads wrong..
(That garage was 50deg F and have been for the last month, 5 days since the car was touched)
This seem to be A VERY common problem due to the crappy sensors Holley use...
New Delphi is ordered...

But I got to run it a bit on the road

When it is hot it runs nice, the auto-tune is adjusting and everything else seem to be working as it should.

 

Just purchased the whole deal for the 66 Wildcat. Gonna have to back through this and read up. I however will have to go with the ext pump.

 

The coolant sensor is a bit annoying since I will spill coolant when replacing it.
I would recommend that you do not install the coolant sensor that comes in the kit and instead buy a Delphi (TS10075) or Standard Motor Products (TX3) CTS.
They are cheap and it seems like "all" have problems with the ones from Holley.
It reads to hot when it is cold and approximately correct at hot.

The injector harness/connector issue seem to be less common and probably not something that need to be done unless one see it as a problem.
The fix for this is also simple with two small zip-ties per injector (or the retaining clip that I will mount and review as soon as I get them)

Overall I am still satisfied and even with the small issues on assembly quality it is a solid unit.

 

You went with the master kit?
I do not think you can go wrong with it since it seems to be a solid kit.
The pump look to be a walbro pump and if the kit does not include ruber mounts I would recommend you to source some soft ones to absorb noise.
I have run that pump on a few cars and have had cases where it created resonance and a lot of noise.
That said it is an excellent and reliable pump so a good choice by Holley.

 

Did not buy the fuel kit but did get the upgraded pump recommended by the speed shop I purchased through. Told em I was going ext pump and they said that several of the pumps that come in the kit have had "Hot Fuel" issues when installed outside the tank and the one they sold me will not. I do plan on making and installing a cooler in the return line if a problem presents itself. I'll probably start another thread once the install commences.