I have not been around this summer, it`s been a horrible year, between health issues and injuries and other things I care not to discuss, ultimately There has been no time to run the car, as some of you may remember I took the car out last winter and shortened the rear axle, installed mini tubs, coil overs and all chrome moly links. I upped the rear gear to a 4.10 and put on a new set of 29x10.5 hoosier slicks. Many night were spent working on the bullet, new afr heads, bigger cam and new valvetrain, by springs end I had gotten to the track 1 time to find no 2nd gear in the freshened th350. I did get it out and back to the builder who quickly returned it, it was back together within a week and then hell broke loose around here. Things have all turned out for the good now and everything in my life is going good again and it was a blessing to get back to the track this weekend......It`s always nice to be booted when you surpass another goal...9`s on motor finally!! The rear suspension and new upper end on the motor really shined this saturday, the engine is crisp even on a nitrous tune, pulling mid 1.4`s and 139-141 mph on nuts 114-115mph 1/8`s. most all of the runs on motor were 9.93- 9.98 BEST PART!!- It drives DEAD straight off the line, without any drama and no wheelies, this is a first for this car it has always been a car that need a good amount of "input" to stay in the groove.
I Got only 1 nitrous run today (no neck collar)....it was a std 150 shot using 7lbs of fuel pressure & 1000lb of bottle psi progressed in from 40% to 100% in 3.5 secs. The car reacted better than expected with a mid 1.3 60` a 6.0 1/8@ 120mph and a 9.44 ET @ 144mph !!

 

Congrats I hope you come back and let us know when it improves as we all know it with that 138 mph trap speed.

 

very nice outting to get back in the swing of things, but as i've found out recently, you can bring the squeeze in at a higher percentage and not sweat it. Heck, I'm pulling consistant 1.33 60's on my 9" slick eveytime i spray it, and you've got rubber in reserve so let'er dig

great times BTW

 

sweet, but you really dont want to hammer the solenoids that long on the progressive controller, but I know why you are at the moment....um first hand experiance lol

 

Its good to here your car and your life are straightened out. Those are some impressive times! I followed your mini-tub project closely because I shortly after mini-tubbed my car as well so I wanted to thank you for the helpful thread also. I agree with you about getting kicked out for being to fast not such a bad thing

 

The early trap speed of 138 was with a 125 shot prior to doing motor and rear suspension upgrades
the current 138 trap speed is on motor only, actually I got a 139 but only once.
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Thanks IHI ! That means alot...I would have tried a shorter progressive but I got the tank closed off by the strater, (no neck brace) Next time out I`ll be shorting the rise time and raising the starting % The track I went to yesterday is like black magic to hook at but there are a few guys regardless of track prep or temp...they HOOK, took a long time to get here and I hope the hook stays in it

 

yes I know, but this track...you see this track, I was lucky to be able to run the bottle at all, it`s that slick period. I`d love to be able to just delay it and hit it with all 150 just off the launch but alas it was not meant to be. I may try to go to milan dragway this wed night for a t&t.

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Hey I`m glad I was some help and I appreciate your well wishes!! being kicked off the bottle is not so bad, I`ve been lucky enough to talk my way to finishing the day anytime I exceeded the saftey equipments limits.

 

depending on the track and car using a delay can upset the car pretty bad. It may be better to spray it light out of the hole lightly and feed it in rather than hit it with more on a delay, oddly enough on slick tracks around me it works better to hit it harder off the line than delay it. I have tried it both ways though...you will know if it doesnt like the delay method, cuse it does some crazy stuff when you dont expect it, just a warning

 

[quote=greezemonkey;3867398]The early trap speed of 138 was with a 125 shot prior to doing motor and rear suspension upgrades
the current 138 trap speed is on motor only, actually I got a 139 but only once.
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Congrat man!!! With all you've gone thru this year, no one deserves it more than you!!!!

It's all in the converter!!!! J/K

Mike.

 

You know converter guy.... I was trying to keep that weapon of a torque converter a secret but you get the BIG AND for the trans and converter, they both rock! Trans runs 180* hot lapping and converter stalls the same everytime and is probably the real reason behind the big MPH! Thanks

 

There is nothing like good converter lol

 

Awesome man! Glad to see you are back out doing what you like!
Running killer, and still one of the nicest 3rd gens on the board!
Rock!
I am really jelous! I wanna spray to! Now would be the time for me too, the 29" tires seem to have had a 1/10th negative effect on et's from what I can tell.. But not running bad in the hotter weather we have had on my last few times out. Congrats man, stay better to!!
How far is MIR for you? Still want to make a trip there this year and hope to pull a nice time, or break something. Milan is about 6.5 from me, actually though of going there also, have a friend in Midland who keeps bugging me to come visit with car.

 

Shitzz..you got nothing to be jealous about, you`ll be in the 8`s when you spray!! Thanks alot, it has been a rough summer, I will check to see how far MIR is from me.

ON another note, I went to MIlan last nite for thier test and tune and found that a good track has it`s benefits!!!! NEW BEST AGAIN!!!

 

Unreal man!
That car is sick, more, more, more n20~quick!

 

And bring your nitrous in sooner your 60 ft should be a 1.30.

 

Tried that, car gets wild loose in 1st and 2nd, nothing I`m sure more suspension work or tunning couldn`t fix. I`m running 10 way QA1`s and had them set a 7 which is pretty tight, tried 5 early in the day and it was loose and steered toward the cones out of the left lane. Tires seemed to like higher pressures too last nite, had them at 15.5 to keep them stable..could the side walls go out in 15 passes?

Did have a fist full of mid 1.3`s but not on that pass

 

I think you have some issues to work out....when you had the shocks set on 5 (guessing that you are talking about the front struts) it pulled LEFT? First you should check what happens to your toe at full extension, it was probably toed way in and rolled over to the right so it drove the car to the left. How was the groove that day, was it possible you were out of the groove?

I dont know how your car is set up so I cant say what else to change at this point, but the 60 foot could stand some improvement, but when that turbo 350 gives up the ghost it wont matter. you may need a bit tighter converter for nitrous, do you know what it is flashing to?

Oh by the way when i set the toe I usually set it with the front raised like it is going down the track, but the bump steer must be minimal, otherwise it gets a little wild on the brakes

 

I was counting on the TH350 to go into the 8.90 range. I'm trying to talk him into using a little more juice. The converter is my sweet 9'' hybrid ( my favorite converter to build) that works great with the juice (look at the MPH increase from motor to juice).

common' monkey hit it with the big pills!!!

Hope to see you monday at lapeer. call me if your going.

Mike.

 

I am hoping mine will do better than 8.90, but its well past its practical hp limit, so i have a stock 87 camaro driveshaft behind it lol, still has a gm front joint if you want to know. I am just making guesses on how to make a car go that i have never seen run, so i tried to cover all i could think of at the time. but if he uses the big jets in the nitrous it will flash even higher , most likely driving his wheel speed up higher than the ability of the tire to grip, otherwise know as wheel spin, blowing the tires off.....etc. So that being said, why open the hood on a car that isnt hooking?

I would like to see some video of the car from outside, close enough that you can see the suspension on both ends of the car, then maybe i can make some better suggestions.

I just reread which lane it was in, I was tired lol, fixing the right turn is alot easier. you need an anti roll bar in the rear, or more preload in it.

 

I wasn't trying to give you hell . I thought i was living dangerously by using the sun shell with the holes in it on Monkey's trans, but your driveshaft deal takes the cake. There were a lot of wholesale changes this time around, so there will be a a lot of tuning needed everwhere (suspension,engine, DRIVER > J/K scott).

 

the light sun shell does cut some weight that needs to be spun around, and doesnt sacrifice that much strength. the...wait i shouldnt give away too many trick lol. I keep looking to see if the d/s is starting to twist, but i think when it starts, well it will finish the job all at once lol. so how do you feel about richmond street gears for a 12 bolt? lol how about machineing the spool on a brake lathe to use 3 series gears on a 4 series spool? by the way its a light weight steel spool to start out with

 

im running a stock driveshaft still too. rear u-joint is greasable.
1.33-1.36 60's most every pass.

lol...

 

It has lakewood 90/10`s on the front..non adjustable, I need something tighter up front, they were good for the car 2-3 yrs ago when it was a 11 second car but now they keep the front up all the way down track, which in turn keeps the suspension/steering hanging. The rear shocks seem to make or break the car now, depending on what adjustment they are set at (tration wise)

 

Buy lottery tickets NOW....your living on borrowed time my friend, each pass is a time bomb, you never know when it's going to blow apart...i hope for your sake it's on the starting line, i've got to see what a "stock" driveshaft does to a car interior when it breaks the rear u joint at half track....it turns roll cages into crumpled steel, and pray it does'nt catch body parts, blow your slick when it starts breaking apart.

I know there are way more unsafe things taking place on a racetrack just like this scenario, and to each his own, but sheeot like this is just retarded...you have to stop at some point and honestly think about your safety or the guy that you may crash into/cause to crash, at some point by being cheap or "we'll just replace it when it breaks". I know even a race shaft can break, but take the percentages of HD parts vs stock junk; the good stuff has a higher safety margin. I hate to soap box, but there comes a point when you have to stop thinking about yourself and think about the folks around you that can be hurt, injured, killed and base build descions on that as well...there's parts on a car not worth tempting fate...driveshaft aint one since they do bad bad things when they let go

 

I dig it !!!

 

Well said sir, plan to upgrade that part ASAP!!
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sorry I couldn`t make it to lapeer..post up how vinney does!!

 

Vinny won the whole thing yesterday (sun) and i'll post later on today.

 

i know, i know.... i had a denny's hd shaft in the car but sold it with my other trans so i put the stocker back in for the time being. -and basically forgot about it. lol
i had a friend break an aluminum shaft at the top of 2nd gear in his 4th gen. smacked the bottom of the car, set off both airbags, busted out the windshield, and i believe it cracked the pinion support on his 9". (pinion support broke about 2-3 passes after this incident)

 

I had a freind with a 70 nova, street strip car running 10.70's on the motor that was making a pass, he got just past the 400' mark or so and we heard the immfamous explotion, seen parts hit the track then seen something inside the car wailing around violently. Ended up it split the yoke on the center section, puked the shaft out due to centrifical force and the driveshaft tore it's way up into the drivers compartment wailing violently, even dented/bent up parts of the cage and subframe connectors he had installed it was so violent....easily a life takes or at the very lease a body mangler if it'd a caught hold of him somehow, which luckily it did not, but he still had alot of damage to repair on the car though.

 

Nice feather in your cap eh? and some big doh in his pocket

 

Still running stock steel in mine that had 9" yoke welded on back by Napa.

My T/A still runs the stock aluminum with 1.38 60s, though that one worries me alot.
Gonna be on my wish list as well.

 

ok, this guy just took my crown of dumbassity. lol!
no kidding, ive seen at least 4-5 of those things twisted up like a pretzel just at my local tracks. and my buddie's as i mentioned in the above post.

thats awesome that its holding up so far though!

 

I'm real proud of you and vince (my lapeer gang). Vince went 3 rounds and let a guy go by him when he though he was going to break out. He won the race of champions though (3rd year in a row), so he gets his trip to Norwalk at the haloween classic. He went 154 mph all day long.

Mike.

 

I have seen alot of the 4th gen 3.5" driveshafts break, I really think the thirdgen aluminums are stronger. I would not call it dumbassity, but maybe just overlooked. As for the steel one in my Camaro, I trust that completely.
I did have a driveshft guy build me a 4" when I placed a th350 in TA for a bit, never reached 60ft on firt pass, came apart at his weld and he refused to warrant.

 

I stiil have a stock driveshaft cuse no matter what trans i put in there it wont work, I was pretty sure that trans would have puked by now, but it does have a 1350 joint for a 9" on the back, and i dont run extreame pinion angle that binds most of them up and kills shafts, its at .5 neg. There isnt a drive shaft shop around here i trust to build a better one, either.

monkey, throw those 90/10's out lol. rear adjustments are going to have a big effect on a higher hp car.

 

You want the number to the local shop that does everybodies driveshafts...literally? depending on whatcha want will be around the $300 mark. I have a 3" with 1350 yokes/solid 1350 joints and got outta there years ago for $323.?? obviously it's going to go up with material prices, but this place does them right, you just give them center to center joint measurements.

 

how the hell do u get anything to hook with .5 neg pinion angle

 

thats basically what i run as well. pinion angle is not what makes a car hook, contrary to what most people think.

 

pretty well i think, better than most maybe, by the way 1.29 60 ft, on the rear wheels on that pass, set the fronts down about 120 ft or so lol

 

Woulda been 130' if you had'nt of been leaning forward.

 

I couldnt see so i was changing radio stations, actually i was looking for the shifter, sorta lost it...yes i was pulling gears with the wheels up lol

 

Blah blah...you dropped your smoke, been there dun that. Mine actually flew in the back of the car so i think that's the only reason mine made it past the 60' timers on the hind end..between my fat **** and my subwoofers, there was lottsa weight back there

 

nope dont smoke lol, well tires when needed, but not cig's