Our Story

How I came up with and developed the Alkycontrol kit

Throughout all these years, that is the number one question that I have been asked by many friends, and many customers.

It all started in 1995, I had bought a 1970 Camaro car with dreams of supercharging it. I built the big block 454-cubic-inch engine and decided to go with a Procharger race P1200 unit. That was the largest blower made at that time. The engine was a 93-octane pump gas build. I used a blow through carburetor and modified it accordingly to handle boost. See pics in www.blown70.50megs.com

On my first race, the engine suffered a blown head gasket. Man, what did I do wrong? Took the engine to a shop, and they suggested a stronger MLS gasket to “handle boost”. Back at it, another race and few runs later, poof... there goes the new head gasket and now one piston got damaged. Again, to the shop, now they suggested upgrading pistons from hypereutectic pistons to forged pistons, also decked the block and o-ringed receiver grooves. Allowing the engine handle even more boost.

On my third race, I’m ready to have the race I never had. All the sudden the engine got blown and this time it was more catastrophic, five pistons damaged! That was my expensive lesson on detonation. What was happening is the motor didn’t have enough octane to quell the detonation and it took everything out. Fix was dropping the boost and timing. No longer was it “as fun” to drive.

Fast forward a few years later and in 2001, I wanted to get back into the Turbo Buick scene, as I had owned an 87 Grand National in the early 90’s. At that time tech was very limited, and we could run the motors hard when we used AV Gas at the time. I found a low mile 1989 Turbo Trans Am. It came with the same 3.8 turbo charged GN engine and the story takes off from there. Doing the bolt-on’s and there I got my first lesson thanks to a scan-tool called a Scanmaster. This tool read oxygen levels and registered knock. Knock being that old friend that had taken out so many big blocks.

Once I had the ability of reading knock, the skies opened, and I could put boost and timing without killing the gaskets if the knock reading was at ZERO. I found myself using leaded race gasoline to allow higher boost and timing and waking the power level up. Problem was it was expensive and, on that application, the lead from the race gas would often in short order take out the oxygen sensor. So, I was faced with replacing sensors and transporting 5 gallons of fuel to race my car at a local drag strip.

In 2001, I became involved with the Turbo Buick community, there was a company called SMC and they made an injection kit for the application. It was something new and something that I have been waiting for, but it used denatured alcohol with a touch of Klotz lube to help the small pump that came with it. Once I put this kit on the car, everything came together, now I could crank the boost and timing while not having to deal with the race gas or damaged oxygen sensors. Let alone the car was no longer prey when on 93 octane. This kit solved one part of my equation.

As time progressed and the desire to go faster/wanting more increased, I felt limited by the small fuel pump in the kit and needed a solution. Necessity is the root of invention. Next move was to go with a larger more capable pump. At the time, there was a DIY movement using an insecticide pump, and going with solenoids to create different stages as the pump was way too aggressive and would flood the engine. So, nozzles would be staged, one at 7 psi, next at 15 psi, next at 22 psi. The wiring and plumbing of the system were a mess, but the fix was simple. I needed a way to progressively ramp the power to the pump and such a device did not exist in the marketplace, yet.

It was on March 2003, with my extensive electronics background, that I decided to sit down and work on designing a controller. After many test drives and thirteen revisions, finally in August 2003 I had a device that served my purposes. I went on the Buick forums and introduced the controller. That led to the Buick community wanting a complete system, not just a controller. The first Buick kit was then built in Late 2003. The controller featured, a test button to allow priming/purging the system, a way to setup when it activates using a MAP(manifold air pressure sensor) sensor, the ability to setup to activate when under boost, and to change both ramp and slope of the voltage curve sent to run the pump using pulse width modulation. This was the start of the business! After years of refinements to components, it has made Alkycontrol the best kit out there for many of our car communities like GN, Corvette, Ford, and others.

Last but not the least, a special great thanks to our wonderful friends/dealers and to our Alkycontrol customers who are the source of our success.

How were my races after the Alkycontrol kit?

Fast forward a few years later, reaching the limits of my factory engine on my Turbo Trans Am. It ran mid 10 second quarter mile times at 130 mph. Not bad for a factory 6-cylinder streetcar with cast pistons, cast crankshaft, iron cylinder heads, weighing 3600 lbs. In 2007, I needed a different platform so, I bought a 1989 Mustang. It had suffered engine damage from the previous owner from detonation. After engine rebuilt, larger turbo charger, applied knowledge gained from the TTA engine, we now had a faster platform. In its current state it has 348 cubic inches, a Precision 88mm turbo, runs 28 psi boost, 20 degree’s ignition advance, makes well over 1000 wheel HP to the tires on 93 octane gas station fuel; two big nozzles, lots of methanol, and a very simple setup it has run 8.4 at 164. It’s been the test vehicle for product development.