Jean-Sébastien Guay, Eng. MBA

Chainsaw-Powered Motorbike - 1999

In 1999 began a new trend of adding an engine to almost anything and I had in mind to do a gas-powered scooter. I finally found a small engine that had a good clutch, the only problem being this engine was way too big for a scooter. In fact it was a 70 cc, 7 hp engine from a 1954 Pionneer chainsaw, pretty heavy for a chainsaw. So the project changed a little bit to a motorbike. After 6 months of fabrication, the end result was very satisfying. The best top speed we got was 60 km/h on a flat terrain.

NX2000 1992 - 2001-2002

I bought this car, my first one, in 2001. It wasn't long before I started modifying it. I had first planned on building a naturally-aspirated machine, but when I heard about a japanese turbo engine that could be fitted in it, I completely changed my strategy and went for it. With close to no experience in car mechanic, I opened a service manual and started learning. Sometimes it would go very well, and some other times it just would not go, but I've always found a solution. At the end of the 2002 summer, it ran a quarter mile run of 13.74@105.4 mph, which is a pretty high trap speed, so with better tires and better launch, low 13's were reachable. The engine output was approximatly 210 whp.

Gas Turbine - 2007

I've always had a strong interest in gas turbines and I was looking for a real project to satisfy my passion about them. Some people on Youtube have strapped an automobile turbo to a combustion chamber and they got pretty good thrust out of it, so I decided to give it a try. In one of my class, I had the opportunity to write a feasability study on this kind of engine configuration. I bought a lot of parts to make it work, but I also had to fabricate: custom flanges, supports, oil tank, combustion chamber, injectors, exhaust nozzle and a control panel. The turbo choosen was huge, to ensure to have enough thrust for the Phase 2, but the downside is that it was very hard to start and barely idled. Oil supply is a key factor in a machine like this, as long as oil circulates in the core, it's mechanically safe.

A gas turbine is no different from other engines working under different cycles. It needs:

Structure: A frame or mounts to hold it.

Fuel Supply: Propane for an easier start-up and diesel #2 for power. A high pressure pump delivers the fuel to the injectors after going through a fuel filter.

Oil Supply: A volumetric pump feeds the core of the turbo after the oil went through an oil filter. It is then cooled and stored in the oil tank until it's pumped back.

Ignition: I made a circuit with an LM555 that outputs a square wave that's implified by a standard ignition coil from a car. This system gives about 20 sparks per second, enough to light the propane in a fraction of a second.

Controls: The controls are pretty simple at this stage, 3 throttles to control the propane injector and 2 diesel injectors, ignition switch, oil pump switch, fuel pump switch and a few gauges: pyrometer to monitor the exhaust temperature, fuel pressure, oil pressure and combustion chamber pressure.

Starter: On some versions, there's an automated electric starter, in my case, I was relying only on an electric leaf blower.

Power Output: The simplest output is to use the thrust produced by the hot gases escaping the nozzle at high velocity, but a secondary turbine can also by attached to the exhaust to transform the energy into mechanical work, by using, for example, a transmission.

The engine is started by blowing air with a leafblower straight into the compressor intake, lighting a pilot flame with propane in the combustion chamber and when the chamber and oil are warmed up, diesel fuel can be injected via 2 injectors of different sizes and flow capacity. The idle speed for a turbine this size is about 20 000 rpm and maxes at 60 000 rpm, but smaller car turbos can reach maximum speeds of over 200 000 rpm.

Morocco - 2008

I landed in Marrakech and stayed in Morocco for a total of 7 days. Beside visiting this city, the real purpose of the trip was a 1200 km raid over 6 days on an enduro bike, a KTM 400, which is a really nice bike, I really enjoyed the torque down low for the harder parts of the trip and the climbs. The best part was riding wide-open-throttle in the desert in a straight line with 9 other riders next to me. Right after that, the Sahara's arms were wide opened to welcome us and we were able to have some fun in this huge sand box for grown ups.

Switzerland - 2008

Switzerland is a country I have always liked. The main reason is for the amazing landscapes and also all the industries that makes Switzerland so unique as a country. I once visited Switzerland when I was 3, but unfortunately I did not remember much of it! This time I wanted to see how the wine was made and hike some "bys", these channels that have been carved on the mountain sides so that the water from the lakes high up could reach the wineyards of the valley. This marvel of engineering is amazing considering it was built in the 14th century. A quick trip to Gornergrat at 3100 m to have this beautiful view of the Cervin, 4478 m.

California - 2009

I lived in North California for 3 months, so on my free time I was able to visit this beautiful part of the country. San Francisco is such a beautiful city and really has a unique topography that makes it fun to explore on foot or with their historic cable car. A visit to Alcatraz is a must! I was amazed by the giant trees of Muir Woods and the view over the wineyards. A road trip on the US 1 was mandatory, as the view I got was beautiful mile after mile, with on one side the mountains and on the other side the Pacific Ocean. I was able to drive on this road for a few hundred miles when traveling south to visit Los Angeles.

Route 66 - USA - 2009

After my stay in California, I had to come back and since I had to bring my car back too, I decided to take the long way back and tried to follow as much as possible the famous Route 66 that travels from Chicago to Los Angeles. It took my friend and I about 5 days and 6000 km with some planned stops to see some of the most popular landmarks along the way. It's in one of these trips that you realize how big North America actually is and how diversified it is. One of the most beautiful landscape I have seen in this trip is the rock carvings in New Mexico, as if waves would have sculpted the rock.

Germany - 2010

I was there for a total of 11 days. I had always wanted to try the Autobahn and I did try it per the picture below. This was as fast as the car could go. Caution though, as the cars in the left lanes are travelling at speed much higher than the right lanes, so overtaking has to be planned far in advance if the car you drive is not powerful! The stay was in Baden-Baden, which is reputed for its thermal baths and architecture. I also visited the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart, a piece of art.

Japan - 2011

During a business trip, I was able to live at the same pace as the Japanese, get a ride in their popular high speed train, the Shinkansen. I tasted the most delicious sushis delivered to you not by waitresses, but by a conveyor belt, a typical sushi bar element.

I have owned different cars over the years and besides the Grand Marquis, I think we can say I have a preference for sports cars! What I'm looking for in a car is handling, power, comfort and reliability. My tastes evolve from car to car, defining more and more what I want in the next one.

Owned	Make	Model-Year	Caracteristics	Picture
2001-2002	Nissan	NX2000 - 1992	This is officially my first car. Soon after I bought it I turned it into a project car by swapping the engine for a japanese turbo-engine. This was the modification with the best power/cost ratio I have ever done. Later during summer I changed the exhaust system for a bigger one, added a front mount intercooler, bigger capacity fuel pump, ceramic clutch disk and boost controller, just to name a few. Unfortunately I crashed it and could not re-use the body.
2002-2003	Mercury	Grand Marquis - 1985	I had bought this amazing car with one of my friend and it was supposed to be my winter car. Unfortunately, we never got to make the engine run good and reliably and one time when a towing truck was moving it, the rear portion of the ladder frame broke in two. The end.
2002-2004	Infiniti	G20 - 1992	I bought this one after the accident with the first NX2000. The engine configuration are about the same except as the NX2000 for the transmission having a higher ratio on the 3rd gear, which I prefered. I took off as many parts as I could from the NX2000 and re-used them on the G20. The result was a sleeper car, with room to spare for 4. Handling-wise it could be improved, but replacing all 4 shocks with gas-absorbers helped a little bit. I sold the car and bought a Honda 400ex for the summer of 2004.
2004-2006	Nissan	NX2000 - 1992	When I was trying to sell the G20, I had planned to buy this car that had a shot engine, change the engine and sell it for a profit. I changed the engine and when I sold the G20, I started to use it to go to work and after a while forgot about selling it and just kept it for 2 more years. I drove it for 6 months without radio and to this day I still can't believe how I could stand this!
2006-2008	Acura	RSX Type-S - 2002	After the second NX2000, I wanted to treat myself, no more repairs, modifications or trouble. I got this clean, good-handling, comfortable coupe and had a lot of fun with it for about 2 more years. It's on this car that I have first changed brakes on a car and I ended up changing both fronts and rears.
2009-2010	BMW	330Ci - 2002	I first wanted to buy an M3, but I had a pretty good deal on this particular car. I really enjoyed the additional torque of the inline 6 and the very precise steering, very responsive. It felt like the car was on rails and anticipated all the steering wheel movements. This was a perfect highway car for long trips because the seats were so comfortable, you just could not get tired of driving.
2010 until now	Honda	Prelude - 2000	The Prelude, beside being an iconic car for Honda, is a very fun car to drive. Its design is debatable, although I really like the rear-end, the front could have been nicer. Power-wise it could be better, but when pushed above 5000 rpm it performs well. I improved the suspension by changing the coils and struts for better, stiffer ones. The car also had a tendancy to understeer, so a bigger rear swaybar replaced the small stock one to re-balance the car. A stiffer engine mount was also added to reduce wheel hop during hard accelerations. I've done a lot to this car so far: brakes all-around, suspension all-around, wheel bearings, clutch, timing belt, paint, anti-sway bars and the list goes on!

Karting: About once a year I like doing some laps on a track near Montreal. The karts are 125cc's, 29 hp and they can reach up to 115 km/h in a straight line. The best lap time is about 50-51 seconds and so far my best lap is 54.4 seconds. I expect this time to drop in the 53s next year. Here's a video of my fastest lap.

Training: I like to stay in good shape. In 2012 I participated in the Spartan Race near Tremblant, which is an 8 km obstacle race. Later this year, I ran a 10 km up the Orford Mountain.

Jogging: The sports as simple as it gets, put your shoes on and go. I usually run 5-6 kilometers at a time.

Golf: I like this activity for its technical challenges. Everything has to be perfect and when all is right, it's very satisfying.

Mountain biking: I enjoy free riding or downhilling at Mont-Sainte-Anne.

Snowboarding: I've been snowboarding since 1996 and I still enjoy it everytime! My favorite place is by far Le Massif

ATV: In 2004 I bought a Honda 400ex and had a lot of fun with it going to sand pits, getting stuck in mud and also just plain riding, that's paradise!

Drum: I started playing drums when I was 8 and I could barely reach the pedals! In my first show I played Imagine by Lennon.

Tenor Saxophone: At 15 I signed up for the school band and started playing saxophone. I was pretty good at it and most of the time I would get to play the solos in our shows.

Preferred music styles: Rock, metal, jazz, pop, oldies.