What a crazy day. I did 2 T&T passes last night. Nothing fantastic but it allowed me to test a couple more things. Second run got me a 9.514@141.86

First thing this morning when I got to the track, I changes the jets in the nozzles to fatten up the mixture. The likes the fuel. In the morning it was running great. By mid afternoon, it was way too fat so before I loaded the car up, I put the smaller jets back in.

10:24. First time trial run. .052 light, 1.378 60', 9.429@143.15. Felt like the car hooked hard.
11:53. Second time trial run. .029 light, 1.347 60', 9.393@143.24

1:34 First round eliminations. Dialed 9.39. Had 1.025 in the delay box. I red lit with a -.030 light. I'm convinced the rollout in that lane was bad because I wasn't the only who was red lighting in that lane. 1.348 60', 9.438@143.03

2:41 Bought back into the second round and got myself into the other lane. Left the same amount of delay in the box. Opponent dialed in 11.24 to my 9.38. He launched first and red lit by -.003. I red lit with a -.004. 1.354 60', 9.446@142.45. Since he was the first to red light, the round went to me. He also broke out with a 11.228.

Third round, unknown time, probably around 3:30. I didn't have lane choice and got bumped back into the lane I didn't want. Changed the delay from 1.025 to 1.035. I'm now the slower car so launch first and cut a -.002 red light. The car was running really fat by now. 60' was 1.36 and I only ran 9.56@141.5

Looking back at my logs, I have 9 red lights this year. 4 were in the last 2 days and 3 of those were in competition although I do have a win with a red light.

Density altitude started off at 4000' and by my last pass, was up to 4800'.

I got more video but I haven't had a chance to even look at it yet.

 

Well, at least you got a win the other day, right? Better luck next time.

Anyway, I was looking at some of your other videos, (very nice by the way)

Where did you get your steering column? I'm looking to drop a little weight by replacing my stock one with something like yours.

 

damn red lights, weird that the two lanes were different, but is it possible the one lane was hooking better and you were lifting it out of the beams not rolling?

 

Custom built. I yanked out the factory tilt column and found a non tilt column. Remove everything except the shaft. That alone takes 10 pounds off the car. A simple 3/4" solid shaft will do the same job.

Through the firewall, I replaced the factory bearing system with a flange mount bearing. Where the column attaches under the dash, I fabricated a hanger then used a pillow block / steady bearing with a stop collar on both sides to keep the shaft from sliding up and down. For clearance around the headers, I had to relocate the shaft through the firewall up and outward slightly.

The lower section of the steering shaft is also custom made. Cut the couplers off the factory shaft and weld on u-joint couplers from an Astro van's steering shaft.

I find the in car videos getting boring. I'm only posting the ones that look interesting. I try to record every run I make. I have a couple from today I'm currently editing and processing. My video card driver keeps crashing my computer when I'm video editing some videos. Need to install the update.

Today's third round loss isn't a big deal. Prize money and a trophy if you make it into the final round. The Wednesday night rumble has a year end cash prize that keeps going up based on car count during the season. Top 16 get invited back to the season final. You get 1 point per round win. I checked the points today. The 4 points I got on Wednesday puts me in 13th position but there are 4 others above me also with 4 points. It looks like we have one more Wednesday night race on Sept 10 then the final on Sept 24. 16th place has 2 points so the next race, somebody who has no points will need to go at least 3 rounds to be in the top 16 and then 3 rounds may not be enough if the person sitting on the bubble goes one round. I don't know how they would decide on a 16th place tie. Give it to the person who got the best reaction time or something.

One video is now ready. This is the only one I got from outside the car today. My photographer wasn't very steady. It's shot with a digital camera in video mode and no tripod. He zoomed in for the burnout but couldn't zoom back out when I got up to the line. Not a fantastic recording but better than nothing. This was my second time trial run and my best run of the day. .029 reaction, 1.347 60'. 1/8 mile, 5.994@115.69. 1/4 mile 9.393@143.24. Everyone seems to like how my car launches but the 60' times still suck. They should be in the 1.2x range.

http://videos.streetfire.net/video/C...ing_180345.htm

 

I red lit in both lanes but with 1.025 in the delay box and getting a .030 red light means I had to release the transbrake button before the top bulb came on which I know I didn't. Getting a few thousands of a second red is understandable but .030 red with a delay box has to be the track timing system. The guy I was pitted with was foot braking a 79 Camaro and in the same lane he got a .052 red light. Now bottom bulb racing is easy to get real bad lights but there were a bunch of reds in that lane today.

 

just why "should it" be in the 1.2's? seems like it wants to go 1.3's which arent bad.

 

ET and MPH say it should be lower than it is. The SS car I mentioned in the other thread gets a 1.34 60' and only runs 10.0. His car is also a couple of hundred pounds lighter and he runs a deeper gear in the diff. Why do I have the power to run mid to low 9's and only get a 1.34 60'? We both use a powerglide but I have to assume he's using 1.80 straight cut gears to my 1.76 factory gears.

Other cars running similar ET and MPH to me also get better 60' times. My car launches like a turbo car.

 

there are alot of factors in all this getting a big hunk of metal moving. The amount that hunk weighs has some thing to do with that. did you by any chance find out how much these other cars weigh? comparing oranges to oranges is important. If you compare it to a tangerine you will not get correct data. so lets say his overall gear ratio is in the low 10's and your is low 8's one might come to the conclusion that his will accelerate better (leaving tire size out for now since you said they are slighly smaller). find about 500 lbs to whack off the car then it will pick up garunteed lol

 

I can take 44 pounds off by removing my exhaust system At least my ears aren't ringing after all those runs.

I really need to get to a lower altitude track. I have 2 chances in September to race at 1000' lower elevation. I may try it if the weather cooperates. Winter is coming, nights are getting cold.

 

thats one thing i would not take off lol, leave the exhaust on!

Another track will make some new problems, like how much to change on the jets, whats the track like, but it is a pretty big difference in altitude and I guess thats like fall there so it is cooler in sept? maybe the d/a will be alot lower than usuall for you

 

Alcohol is very forgiving to altitude changes. I was running really fat today and the car still performed. Leaning it back down to where I had it before won't make a big difference going to the lower elevation track.

I would only want to go if I knew the air was going to be good. A bad day at the lower track can be the same as a good day here. No gains expected unless traction is much better.

 

Thanks for the info Stephen.


Much appreciated.

 

Second round of eliminations
http://videos.streetfire.net/video/C...ing_180396.htm

Third round of eliminations
http://videos.streetfire.net/video/8...ing_180355.htm

 

Low to mid 1.3s are pretty good for a 3000 lb car Stephen. To get in the 1.2s you'll have to get it on a serious diet. Dought if the exhaust sysem will do it. I too had more red lights last weekend than I had in the last two years. Only had 2 green lights all weekend. The track was preped very well last weekend, and may have been lifting out. Guess i'll find out next week end.

 

Captured a picture from the video of the outside launch that wasn't blurry. Guess I should shorten the limiters and keep the wheels up in the fenders.

 

no you shouldnt, untill you see what the rear is doing. it isnt excessively lifting the front, nor is it staying up that far.