Found a deal on a 96 Tahoe with a whipple supercharger. Has a 4" lift, pretty clean, 68k miles, but says motor has a knock, they say a rod bearing. I've been searching for awhile and can't find any info on power output. Ive heard that the whipples are good, and getting it for $1500. Is it worth it to get it?
CK5
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Who knows whipple superchargers for Vortecs
- Thread starter b454rat
- Start date
even if it needs a new motor i just got a new vortec gm long block 4 bolt main shipped for 1800 bucks .
if its clean and you can get the 96-newer to pass the obd2 plug in inspection test i would say its a decent deal .
heck the whipple is prob worth almost that used .
if its clean and you can get the 96-newer to pass the obd2 plug in inspection test i would say its a decent deal .
heck the whipple is prob worth almost that used .
trying to figure out if it requires 93 octane, or if can run 87. If it does require 93, then would explain bearing failure. I guess it's an early unit, uses a piggy back ECM for the whipple, and an injector for more fuel, so if running ok should pass...
beags86
Eastbound and Down
Why would octane rating cause bearing failure? The octane rating would cause detonation, which usually causes a hole in a piston or a broken ring/land.
Whipple supercharger are close to the Magnuson design. Good chargers. Power output depends in what size charger and what boost psi.
I did have a Whipple on a Burb with a 454. I liked it, but mine was a '94, and therefore the limiting factor was fuel delivery (TBI). The blower was well-engineered and well made - the TBI just couldn't match the air delivery. It would be different on a Vortex for sure.
On an EFI engine the ECM will prevent detonation. It may knock back your timing so far as to render the blower useless with low octane, but hi-test certainly won't damage anything. I ran 91/93 (highest I could find) in both that Burb and the GTP Pontiac I sold @blazinzuk. It'll just let the engine do more with that boost.
To me, the price on that truck would make me leery because it's so low...but I'm just currently at a point in my life where I don't want to deal with significant engine issues.
On an EFI engine the ECM will prevent detonation. It may knock back your timing so far as to render the blower useless with low octane, but hi-test certainly won't damage anything. I ran 91/93 (highest I could find) in both that Burb and the GTP Pontiac I sold @blazinzuk. It'll just let the engine do more with that boost.
To me, the price on that truck would make me leery because it's so low...but I'm just currently at a point in my life where I don't want to deal with significant engine issues.
I thought I read somewhere that detonation can cause wrist pin or rod bearing failure, along with melting a hole in the piston. Over time, with light detonation it hammers the pin/bearing, then with prolonged detonation it melts a hole. Either way motor has to come out, and rebuilding a 350 is stupid cheap and easy. But, this is also what the seller says. I haven’t heard it run so I can’t say. She says it knocks, well what kind of knock is it? Does it sounds like woody woodpecker? Ok, then it could be a wrist pin or rod bearing. Is it a low pitched thunk, ok then maybe a main bearing. Other than an SAS, this Yukon has most of what I want to make into of my current Tahoe. Even tho it’s an IFS lift, it still lifted lol. My tundra is lifted, and hated driving my tahoe stock. My car is low, but fun to drive and better on gas than either. 08 Cobalt SS putting 400 to the wheels.
heck could be a broken flex plate ?
Could be...waiting in call back, trying to find out what the noise is. And hear it run. She didn’t say how the noise sounded. But with a stock tune, 91 octane was required. So if she didn’t run at least that, then could have put a hole in the piston, but even then it doesn’t knock, and would smoke like crazy.
beags86
Eastbound and Down
Yep, I would be all over that for 1500 bucks. If you find a blown up engine, toss together a nice little 383 and do 
She texted me over the weekend, without cowl hood n wheels, $1200. Already have a cowl hood, and 6 lug wheels n 33s or similar are easy enough to find. She called me back, asked bout the motor, and was basically overrevving it. Tranny wasn’t shifting right so manually doing it, and I’m sure beating on it helped too. Either way I’m getting it.
