Lets call this 'Callaway Week'
Discussion
Right i must own up! ,i love vettes but what i know about Callaways i could write on my ear lobe,so it would be nice to know what i am looking at next time i see one,,who is Reeves Callaway ?,what is his background ?and why did he get into vettes?.
What do they do to the engine before they bang on twin turbo's?,how do's the ZF box deal with the torque that turbo's deliver?
Thanks.
What do they do to the engine before they bang on twin turbo's?,how do's the ZF box deal with the torque that turbo's deliver?
Thanks.
No great surprise you'd get a response from me. I know quite a bit about the subject but I'm a useless typist so in a nutshell:
Reeves Callaway was experimenting with turbocharging small european cars in the 80's. Chevrolet had a plan to build a "super Corvette" (which ended up being the ZR1 - anyone got one of those?) and by the looks of things they were a little confused as to which direction they were going, having thought about turbo v6 power but settling on a V8 because "who'd buy a V6 Corvette when the Camaro has a V8?
A book I've got on the development of the C4 shows that Chevrolet actually built their own twin turbo V8s before somehow commissioning Callaway to convert their cars.
Some people think it was a "temporary fix" for the upcoming ZR1. Having been in a Z I'd say the completely different engine charachteristics make them almost seem like different cars (L98 doesn't rev but makes max power @ 4250 RPM and max torque [570 ft/lbs] at a rather accessible 2500 rpm. Personally I'd prefer it to rev a bit more but it just feels like a really mad big block.
More info than I can type is available at: www.callawaycars.com (look under "milestones", not "millstones!)
Callaway actually mod the L98 small block quite extensively so it should be pretty strong although a couple of owners have put a rod through the block. Mods basically are: machine block for 4 bolt mains, forged ("pink" rods from early 70's) rods, forged low compression pistons, engine balanced and a few other engineering niceties that make you glad yopu spent $30,000 on an option for a stock looking Corvette.
Only external difference on most (including mine) are Dymag magnesium alloys. I don't think they were on all Callaway vettes and they cost around $3,000 a set probably as an extra cost option. Also available was the "aerobody" body kit, similar to that fitted to the Callaway that Claremont just sold. Another bargain (still available too) for around $8000 plus fitting and painting.
Apparently there was also a 100+ (HP)option available from the late 80's for an extra wallet busting $10,000 or so though it did take the car to nearly 500 BHP. As 400 was enough to exceed 191 mph I'd imagine that option was rather impressive...
According to a few US owners and one specialist tuner in particluar, it's pretty easy (and comparatively cheap) to get a LOT more HP out of a Twin Turbo.
Pretty rare cars with only about 500 Twin Turbos made. In 1990 only 58 were made, mine's number 33. I bought the car completely on impulse after a C5 6-speed deal fell through (didn't want an auto). Always loved ZR1s and was thinking about looking at a couple for sale (including Andy Smith's, now owned by C4KOH) when I saw this Callaway for sale. A ride in a '91 Callaway years ago left an impression on me and basically I just turned up, took it for a test drive, and weighed out the cash (sometimes you gotta do things without thinking). I'd never had a turbo car before but just thought of it as a regular small block vette with a couple of turbos which is really all it is.
Anyone who's read the old road tests of Callaways will know that they seemed to be a temperamental old thing, with loads of problems though I think that was probably an enthusiastic Callaway anxious to prove his cars (guess: before the litlle bugs had been ironed out). He's never been one to turn away from an opportunity to prove his cars. I'm sure he'd be at Elvington if it was a bit more local! My view, having read the old tests was that if my car had been around for 12 years without blowing up, it's hardly likely to now! Plus by the time mine was made it was in its 4th year of development.
When the LT1 came out in 1992 Callaway ditched the twin turbo idea and got increased HP from a normally aspirated engine.
They have modded a few ZR1s as well (bet that was expensive) and actually twin turbo'd ZR1s (4 in total I think) for those whose pockets go as deep as Australia.
As for the gearbox, well this is something I've wondered about, as should maybe anyone putting a lot of HP or torque through it. I'd read that the ZF in our cars was rated to about 450 ft/lbs torque capacity and my car puts out a lot more stock! Mind you anyone who knows about the famous GM "spike test" - something like running a ZR1 up to max revs and whacking the box in forward and reverse a few times (I'm so scientific) should probably have no worries. By the sound of things the (quieter) box from 93 is not quite as strong as our whiney early boxes. I'll post a link to a good ZF site when I find it.
That's all I can type....!
Reeves Callaway was experimenting with turbocharging small european cars in the 80's. Chevrolet had a plan to build a "super Corvette" (which ended up being the ZR1 - anyone got one of those?) and by the looks of things they were a little confused as to which direction they were going, having thought about turbo v6 power but settling on a V8 because "who'd buy a V6 Corvette when the Camaro has a V8?
A book I've got on the development of the C4 shows that Chevrolet actually built their own twin turbo V8s before somehow commissioning Callaway to convert their cars.
Some people think it was a "temporary fix" for the upcoming ZR1. Having been in a Z I'd say the completely different engine charachteristics make them almost seem like different cars (L98 doesn't rev but makes max power @ 4250 RPM and max torque [570 ft/lbs] at a rather accessible 2500 rpm. Personally I'd prefer it to rev a bit more but it just feels like a really mad big block.
More info than I can type is available at: www.callawaycars.com (look under "milestones", not "millstones!)
Callaway actually mod the L98 small block quite extensively so it should be pretty strong although a couple of owners have put a rod through the block. Mods basically are: machine block for 4 bolt mains, forged ("pink" rods from early 70's) rods, forged low compression pistons, engine balanced and a few other engineering niceties that make you glad yopu spent $30,000 on an option for a stock looking Corvette.
Only external difference on most (including mine) are Dymag magnesium alloys. I don't think they were on all Callaway vettes and they cost around $3,000 a set probably as an extra cost option. Also available was the "aerobody" body kit, similar to that fitted to the Callaway that Claremont just sold. Another bargain (still available too) for around $8000 plus fitting and painting.
Apparently there was also a 100+ (HP)option available from the late 80's for an extra wallet busting $10,000 or so though it did take the car to nearly 500 BHP. As 400 was enough to exceed 191 mph I'd imagine that option was rather impressive...
According to a few US owners and one specialist tuner in particluar, it's pretty easy (and comparatively cheap) to get a LOT more HP out of a Twin Turbo.
Pretty rare cars with only about 500 Twin Turbos made. In 1990 only 58 were made, mine's number 33. I bought the car completely on impulse after a C5 6-speed deal fell through (didn't want an auto). Always loved ZR1s and was thinking about looking at a couple for sale (including Andy Smith's, now owned by C4KOH) when I saw this Callaway for sale. A ride in a '91 Callaway years ago left an impression on me and basically I just turned up, took it for a test drive, and weighed out the cash (sometimes you gotta do things without thinking). I'd never had a turbo car before but just thought of it as a regular small block vette with a couple of turbos which is really all it is.
Anyone who's read the old road tests of Callaways will know that they seemed to be a temperamental old thing, with loads of problems though I think that was probably an enthusiastic Callaway anxious to prove his cars (guess: before the litlle bugs had been ironed out). He's never been one to turn away from an opportunity to prove his cars. I'm sure he'd be at Elvington if it was a bit more local! My view, having read the old tests was that if my car had been around for 12 years without blowing up, it's hardly likely to now! Plus by the time mine was made it was in its 4th year of development.
When the LT1 came out in 1992 Callaway ditched the twin turbo idea and got increased HP from a normally aspirated engine.
They have modded a few ZR1s as well (bet that was expensive) and actually twin turbo'd ZR1s (4 in total I think) for those whose pockets go as deep as Australia.
As for the gearbox, well this is something I've wondered about, as should maybe anyone putting a lot of HP or torque through it. I'd read that the ZF in our cars was rated to about 450 ft/lbs torque capacity and my car puts out a lot more stock! Mind you anyone who knows about the famous GM "spike test" - something like running a ZR1 up to max revs and whacking the box in forward and reverse a few times (I'm so scientific) should probably have no worries. By the sound of things the (quieter) box from 93 is not quite as strong as our whiney early boxes. I'll post a link to a good ZF site when I find it.
That's all I can type....!
I still cant get over the fact that a lot of the early Callaway cars used the Doug Nash or "Slug Crash" 4+2 trans. The warranty claims on the trans installed in a stock vette put Doug Nash out of business (the company was bought by GM to insure a supply of spares, don't try to buy new spares now though).
The original (1990)ZF S640 6speed is over specified by around 30% because GM were shit scared they were going to be in the same position as they were with Nash. The first year of production on both the Zr1 and Lt1 versions has much tougher gears and better syncro material. Later trans were derated.
If you don't do loads of drag racing with it the trans will put up with vast amounts of torque.
The test you refer to Malc is specifically for auto trans, basically you drive the car at full throttle to 40 mph and then select park. If all of the bits from the exploding trans stay inside the casing it passes the test. GM used have a lot of tests like this. This sort of distruction test is now simulated on a computer. No fun anymore!!!
>> Edited by blackzr on Wednesday 21st January 07:41
>> Edited by blackzr on Wednesday 21st January 11:13
The original (1990)ZF S640 6speed is over specified by around 30% because GM were shit scared they were going to be in the same position as they were with Nash. The first year of production on both the Zr1 and Lt1 versions has much tougher gears and better syncro material. Later trans were derated.
If you don't do loads of drag racing with it the trans will put up with vast amounts of torque.
The test you refer to Malc is specifically for auto trans, basically you drive the car at full throttle to 40 mph and then select park. If all of the bits from the exploding trans stay inside the casing it passes the test. GM used have a lot of tests like this. This sort of distruction test is now simulated on a computer. No fun anymore!!!
>> Edited by blackzr on Wednesday 21st January 07:41
>> Edited by blackzr on Wednesday 21st January 11:13
Thank god for that Geoff, I always wondered about the box's strength. It does actually "feel" like it handles the torque with no problems though I never torture my car and gear changes can be fairly leisurely without seemingly affecting forward progress. Believe it or not there seems to be no point changing above 4500 RPM.
As for the 4+3 used on earlier cars I guess they had no choice at the time. I always thaought that box was ridiculously dated in an 80s vette. Shame they couldn't have strengthened the 5 speed used in F-bodies and used that. As it was the 5 speed (T5?) was apperently not capable of handling the torque from a 1.0 fiesta engine, that's why they only used it on 5.0 engines, not 5.7s.
Interestingly automatics were an extra cost option (isn't anything with a Calaway!?) costing around $3500. They had to use a modified TH400 with an overdrive unit added giving 4 forward speeds. Don't think the 700R4 would have lasted 2 minutes!
As for the 4+3 used on earlier cars I guess they had no choice at the time. I always thaought that box was ridiculously dated in an 80s vette. Shame they couldn't have strengthened the 5 speed used in F-bodies and used that. As it was the 5 speed (T5?) was apperently not capable of handling the torque from a 1.0 fiesta engine, that's why they only used it on 5.0 engines, not 5.7s.
Interestingly automatics were an extra cost option (isn't anything with a Calaway!?) costing around $3500. They had to use a modified TH400 with an overdrive unit added giving 4 forward speeds. Don't think the 700R4 would have lasted 2 minutes!
Mr Callaway senior died about a year ago so young Mr Reeves now ownes the vinyards, the golf centers, the golf stores, the hotels and what else............ah yes! a couple of automotive engineering companies one in Germany and a smaller one in the US. They are not doing so much car based stuff in the US anymore but the German company is doing a lot of engineering consultancy stuff in Aus mostly with Holden.
All in all i don't think Mr Reeves is short of a bob or three!
>> Edited by blackzr on Wednesday 21st January 14:27
>> Edited by blackzr on Wednesday 21st January 14:29
All in all i don't think Mr Reeves is short of a bob or three!
>> Edited by blackzr on Wednesday 21st January 14:27
>> Edited by blackzr on Wednesday 21st January 14:29
jaytee368 said:
That's weird, I have wondered, fleetingly, in the past if it was just a coincidence.
Well now, this does beg the question how far could you hit with a carbon fibre twin turbo 1 wood.
And if you get a ricochet off the trees ,Duck!!
Mind you JT i bet the caddys go well
. Sorry back on topic
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