Well, just want everyone to know that even though we didn’t get a chance to compete - we had a great time doing test-and-tune runs. Had a really great reaction time on the second run, and a great ET and sixty foot on the first run.
Dragtracker is working nicely for organizing our runs and quickly finding runs from comparable weather conditions.
Tags: 60', drag racing
Found this article very interesting…
http://sportscarnet.com/blog/2008/09/shocking-and-fascinating-facts-about-top-fuel-dragsters/
Looking forward to getting out on the 4th. Hopefully I can keep cutting good lights and get even better at the top end game. Iactually feel pretty confident with that, but getting a good dial-in, well, I don’t have any experience with it since Dad always dialed us in. But I hope to get the hang of it before too long. It was always about trusting him, so the times that I wouldn’t have dialed the same thing he did, I would have lost and so I need to use his logic a little better at those moments.
Tags: dial-in, drag racing, finish line
Well, I’m happy to say that the tranny leak has, for the time being, been solved. I found that the speedometer cable cap was missing and have a way to fill it so that it won’t leak anymore. But I still saw some fluid on the very bottom of the transmission shield, so I need to continue to check on it. Now, we just need to figure out when we can go racing again!!
Tags: transmission
Now this book looks really interesting. I’ll bet that alot of concepts apply to Pontiac engines:
Well, for a first weekend out, it was a major success. Went 3 rounds in the first race, and 2 rounds in the second one. Solved a water leak, and trans leak and almost solved an oil leak. Unfortunately the work required pulling the lower heater hose off the ‘69 firebird, but that is okay. I was glad to find and fix the leak before it blew out the hose on the track.
I made a mistake of showing up at the track without the right spare parts. Dad always took lots of spare parts and alot of them I wouldn’t be sure how to change at the track (for instance, converting the ignition system to the original points system if the coil went out). So I failed to take a spare alternator belt and it almost bit me except that on the run when it flew off, the opponent red-lighted and the following run I lost. Not a lot of repercussions, but I will be buying a few spares and making sure they go to the track with me.
The ET’s were good on the car. Although they ranged pretty wide from 7.22 to 7.01. And the 60′ times were pretty consistent with a best of 1.50. That is as good as we can expect using 4.11 gears and a slightly lower horsepower motor. I think we have seen as low as mid-1.40’s but for summer heat, I’ll take a 1.52 consistently any time.
Reaction times were all within 0.000 and 0.100 which is really good considering how long it has been since I competed.
Tags: 60', competition, spare parts
and no, I am not referring to anything related to the car. This time, they let me down because they insulted my wife. She was at the baby doctor and she mentioned that we want to protect our baby while at the track and the doctor totally rolled his eyes. Like, because I am involved in motorsports, I am somehow less than this guy? Guess what, I write the checks and I am his customer. If we aren’t satisfied, we go elsewhere. Jerk.
We are looking at building a new engine. Our options are between a 400 and a 455. Not sure if we have blocks with good, straight cylinders. If not, we will have to bore it out and go for a larger size. I am considering buying a rotating assembly from Jim Butler Performance (http://www.jbp-pontiac.com/products/engines_assemblies/rotating_assemblies.html) The price doesn’t matter as much, I just want to make sure I buy the right size and am smart at which size motor I build because we have lots of heads and intakes around, but if we go for a 455, I will want to make sure I have heads that flow plenty of volume as well as a Dominator (1050) carburetor.
We’ll see. I’m keen on doing the research because I have time to spend reading, I just don’t have time to spend working in the garage at this point.
Tags: 400, 455, engine, jim butler performance, Pontiac, rotating assembly
As the 2008 season nears completion, we are hoping to get to race! I know, its a little ridiculous to take a 6 year hiatus, only to get out at the end of the year, but you do what you can, when you can. We just delivered a baby girl, but here and now will be the best time for me to get out, so that is the plan.
We are ordering a new helmet and have got new seat belts installed. All that is left is fixing a pesky tranny fluid leak, and we’ll be there.
Tags: helmet, safety, tranny fluid