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3L Safe Boost levels...

you meant 8.5:1 right? because you will have to run race gas if so. Joey

No you read it right, 9.5:1. If you drop the compression to 8.5:1 your setting yourself at the bottom of the barrel for horsepower/torque. I can always run lower boost for street, and bump it up at the track and run race gas. However if I drop the compression to 8.5:1 that's a hurtle I won't be able to clear.
 
The only "bad" boost things I've read here with a built block are the 2.5L heads lifting (3 instances, if I recall) at 23psi. Actually.. I'm thinking one of those instances was Joey's on a 3L. If you're going to do it up right, you might want to put larger studs in (if there's enough material) and also o-ring it.

I never found a copper gasket for sale, though I did find a company that would make one... using an existing gasket as a template.
 
The only "bad" boost things I've read here with a built block are the 2.5L heads lifting (3 instances, if I recall) at 23psi. Actually.. I'm thinking one of those instances was Joey's on a 3L. If you're going to do it up right, you might want to put larger studs in (if there's enough material) and also o-ring it.

I never found a copper gasket for sale, though I did find a company that would make one... using an existing gasket as a template.

Hmmm... I was planning on running ARP bolts on the heads and mains... but if that isn't going to be enough for 18psi then maybe I should start investigating larger studs...

Although with 2.5L heads your compression ratio is going to be through the roof unless these people were running 7.5:1 or 8:1 pistons...
 
I would think that would be safe, remember I was running like 12psi on my stock 2.5. Just wasnt enough... I had to sell that car and get something that could handle 30psi everyday ;)
 
Hmmm... I was planning on running ARP bolts on the heads and mains... but if that isn't going to be enough for 18psi then maybe I should start investigating larger studs...

Although with 2.5L heads your compression ratio is going to be through the roof unless these people were running 7.5:1 or 8:1 pistons...
They were built motors with low compression pistons. One of them was Keyser's old setup that TheFordGuy had.

Regardless, there has to be a reason the Noble guys can run so much boost with their motors. The lifted heads at 23psi might have just been a fluke too... but personally I'd spend a little extra to make sure that wouldn't happen.

As a side note, with 16psi on a built 2.5L... I could only sometimes get traction in 3rd gear with kind of sticky tires (Azenis RT-615's). More boost on a 3L would be lots more fun! :D
 
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