Not sure how i would add another 2.3L without a custom intake and/or hood mods. I am pretty set on the 3.3L Whipple because it will have to work much less to provide adequate boost levels. I also think I am loosing some boost into the crank case due to the internal PCV system of the 8.1L. A custom intake addressing the PCV setup, plus the 3.3L should get me in the 8psi-9psi range fairly easily (with room to grow) and make for a decent increase in rwhp i think. Obviously money is a factor here as I will have to inccur the price of both the manifold AND the new blower. I should be able to recoup some money by selling both the 2.3L blower and 8.1l intercooler and parts, but that probably wont even cover a third of the whole project. A manifold mount should clean up the inside of the engine bay considerably too, I can get rid of the 6 feet of induction tube, add-on intercooler, get the alternator back to its original location, and clean up the belt routing. There are a lot of incentives to the project, the only downfall is the $$ right now. The build will probably take a few months at the minimum so that SHOULD help me to put a little $$ away at a time....but we will see. Nothing is etched in stone yet, i really wanted to get opinions on which blower would better suit me using some technical explinations. Still very interested in what the guys from Magnuson would be able to tell me about the TVS2300 on the 8.1L though.

 

The PCV can be fixed easily with a check valve. I had to weld a boss on Raylar's intake to add the check valve. But the stocker you can drill and tap the intake it's self.

 

Since you're going to be designing this "kit" for yourself from scratch, consider driving the supercharger with a dedicated wider belt. I'm pretty sure a conventional big-block dampener has the same crank and same hub diameter as the 8100 does based on photos of marine setups I've seen. The problem would be the air conditioning compressor with its dedicated belt. I bring this up because I found an ATI dampener for my project that's got a 10-rib serpentine drive around it. (This was after buying an 8-rib pulley from a CAT engine that I was going to basically butt weld to the back of the stock pulley - still have that option too) The 8100 has the balancer and accessory pulley integrated into a single unit, correct? Maybe some Vortec 454 parts would help.
And yes - as you've concluded the 2.3L Whipple is too small. I was over-spinning mine with just a 6.3L motor, not to mention the same belt-slip issues you've been battling. The 3.3 (or the 3.4 with the Gen-II rotor profiles) will be the right size. I'm going to use the same supercharger. The best to ensure the belt situation won't cause future frustration is to start now trying to get 8 or 10 ribs dedicated to turning it.

Here are the ATI parts - no photos unfortunately.

ATI-916891
CRANK HUB & INNER SHELL - ST - CHEVY BB INT BAL 6 PULLEY HOLES 2 KEYWAY

ATI-917066
DAMPER - 7.5 - ST LW - 10 SERP GRV - CHEVY BB

 

Thanks James...I was hoping you would find this thread . Does anyone make a 8 or 10 rib conversion for the 8.1L? As you mentioned, I think that a standard LS1 conversion kit would work for my truck, but the dual groove crank pulley that drives the main serpentine belt as well as the smaller 4 grove belt for the A/C compressor creates an issue. I suppose I could have a custom pulley made, but I dont know who does that or how much it would cost. Here is a pic of the crank pulley.....

 

It looks like there is a lot of space between the A/C compressor pulley and the timing cover. I wonder if the stock pulley/balancer is cast iron (probably) or steel. If at least the outer ring is steel it might be possible to weld to it without damaging the elastomer dampening material.
Keeping the blower drive as close to the timing cover as possible will minimize the side-loading of the crankshaft. (That's what broke my 383 4340 forged crank.)
If you can get a pulley in between there and work out a belt path and a tensioner location, that would seem optimal to me.

This is the pulley I had considered using:


The intent was cut out the center and weld it to the backside of the stock pulley.
(The old Vortec 454 uses a separate balancer and single serpentine pulley closer the the classic configuration.)


P.S. - nice photo, I had not realized the Gen-VII heads had such a deep rocker cover rail, the covers are really short!

 

Yes the 8.1l does have the same crank hub as a conventional BB. I've been considering converting it for reliability reasons.

 

Well, let me see if the intake is gonna work out or not first....then I can start to concentrate on the peripherals.

 

What size is the TVS2300 intercooler core? H x W x L?

I realize this will upset the apple cart for those cheering for the whipple.....but after talking with Brian it sounds like the TVS2300 would be more than adequate for the 8.1L as long as I can spin it fast enough. The 8.1L only revs to about 4900 stock and thats the main reason its so tough to get the boost i need. By his calculations, I would need to spin the TVS to about 15000rpm to get 10psi into the 496. Which would mean I would need a 9" crank pulley and 3" blower pulley. Still well within the TVS's efficiency range, but difficult to do with the stock drive belt...much less a 6 rib one. Not to mention I could never fit a 9" crank pulley in there even if i wanted to. I just wish I had not fell in love with the look of the front inlet TVS.

The rear inlet Whipple is looking like it would make for a very difficult fit against the fire wall too. So I am thinking about maybe an alternative drive belt for the TVS2300, maybe a cog belt driven from an add-on crank pulley or something. It may be a little loud, but I am told there are ways to significantly quiet that down. This is something I am definately going to do....i just gotta make the big decisions now. The tight fit of the rear inlet and added induction tubing of the Whipple are steering me toward the TVS....if the Whipple had a front inlet blower i think my decision would be much easier.

 

I tried to get that info out of Brian many times and my PM's must have fallen on deaf ears, lol. SO, I decided to pull the tub off my 1900 and see fro my self. I'd bet the 2300 uses the same intercooler core. It measures 15.5 X 4.5 X 2. I have some pics too, but they're still in my camera.

 

Also, you can make a cog belt MUCH quieter. The noise is made from air trying to escape from between the pulley and the belt as they come together. Think, balloon when you blow it up and then stretch the neck really tight and let the air back out. You can reduce that noise a lot buy dilling small holes evenly around the pulley in the cogs to allow the air to escape though them instead of being force out the sides of the belt and pulley. My dad has done this at the power plant he used to work at on large air compressor they had there that used cog drive belts. Said it makes a big difference.