2001 Chevy S10 - Power From A PC

This shot shows you the precise welding capabilities of the Ida Automotive shop. Rob Ida (Bob's son) welded a plate perfectly to the Vortech hat with two bungs in it to insert two Pico-style injectors. Ida Automotive also included the hex fuel rail and mount (complete with Ida logo) held in by four 1/4-inch screws preventing any leaks. The added fuel will spray directly into the blower inlet hat, which will help eliminate the lean problem we were having before. The Perfect Power SMT-6 triggers the two Edelbrock injectors when the MAP sensor senses boost (from the vacuum hose). Fuel was supplied to the two new injectors from a 3/8-inch braided line with stainless fittings from the stock Schrader valve on the top of the fuel line (directly next to the stock fuel injector wiring harness).

The final piece of the pre-tuning puzzle was the installation of new plugs for our dyno runs. We chose the new E3 spark plugs for their Diamond-Fire technology that produces a larger and warmer spark. For the supercharged 4.3L application, we installed a cooler set of E3.54 plugs.

With everything bolted on and ready to rock 'n roll, we had one last chance to double-check our modifications before the moment of truth. Notice the Edelbrock injectors coming off the Vortech hat. That menacing look means power!

It was now time to strap the truck on the Superior Automotive dyno where Shawn Ellis, owner of SoCal Tuning, went to work loading the new Perfect Power software on his laptop. Shawn has experience looking at timing and fuel charts-the kind of experience that can make the largest difference when trying to make power.

After logging in and setting up the S-10's data to the program, the baseline fuel and timing figures were acquired. Using the AEM UEGO A/F ratio gauge, Autometer Fuel Pressure, and Autometer Boost gauges in the triple A-pillar pod, we were able to monitor these two key factors in the horsepower equation.

Starting with the fuel chart, Shawn was able to adjust the fuel injector pulse width every 50 rpm based on the fuel pressure and air/fuel ratio. Using the load deflection of each injector amperage, an exact point was able to be calculated and adjusted to make sure the injectors were sending just the right amount of fuel.