well as i get closer and closer to going home(away at college), i keep getting updates from my dad who is playing and working on my car.. since late in 2006, we have had a water leak problem and have changed head gaskets 3 times and sealed the head studs good.. also, the motor was pushing oil though the breather.. come to find out this past weekend, dad did a compression test and found a nice 160psi across the board but the #3 cylinder was only at 110.. so we figure, since we had the heads milled, no warpage; the head studs sealed, no leak from there; head gaskets changed 3 times, still no leak from that; it must be a cracked block.. well now my dad will try and track down a new, used block so we can get this motor pushing all the power it has..

and he finally got the car to somewhat hook on the drag radials.. runnin at 20psi!! he launches on the 3step at a mere 2000 rpm and the car just picks up and goes.. and this is only on a concrete driveway with cold tires.. so it should be an interesting ride once we heat those tires up and hit the track.. my dad thinks we can get the 1.6x 60ft's we have been chasing.. we also used to have shifting problems.. the gear oil we were using was not the recommended full-syn ATF.. we got the oil, and i took off the weights on the centerforce DF.. shifts like butter now.. so we will see what happens in 3 weeks.. though, i may only do 1/8th mile runs since the block will still be leaking.. ok thanks for reading

 

i hope if the block is leaking you're running water only with water wetter at the track and not coolant. Also some of the coolant stop leak stuff may help as a temp solution, i'd try a bottle or two of that and see where it gets you.

 

strictly water in this motor.. its been apart soooo many times, i give up on coolant.. water is practically free.. and i will be putting in a block sealer/stop leak till i get the new block bought, machined and prepped..

 

Hmm, I wouldn't buy a new block until I tore down that one and made sure the block was cracked. Did you do much machine work to the block? Is it worth a single sleeve, rather than a bore/hone/deck etc on a fresh block?

2000RPM launch? geez! I thought you had a big cam? I figured that was your idle speed

Good luck with it! It's mid june and you're still stateside at college? WTF man, college ended in april, where have you been?

 

sonix, it already has a sleeve in it.. and i do believe that the sleeve is leaking.. it was fine when we first got the block last summer then after a few months, it started to blow white smoke with a copper gasket(dont ask why i got those) so we swapped to normal gaskets and still blew a little water.. then we got the heads milled and i ran steel shim gaskets with a copper sealant spray and same result.. so we resealed the head studs, and threw on gaskets made for AL heads to iron blocks.. and this is where we stand.. a nice compression leak in the #3 cylinder.. and the smoke/water was always coming out of the drivers tail pipe.. we are just tired of this leak so we are gonna get a new block so we KNOW its not gonna leak..

my idle speed is about 900-1000 so 2000 is not very high.. most auto's can footbrake higher..

and i go to a trimester school, Oregon State.. start late september, end mid june.. it sucks but whatever.. at least i make it home a week before races..

 

Yea, I guess you've pretty much narrowed it down to the block. I just have a hard time tossing away a block that has so much money into it, if it can be saved. Your call, hope you can find a decent one there.
Refresh my memory, what's your current best timeslip?

 

i know what you mean.. but this block has been through alot and just gives us problems.. its time for a new one..

timeslip:
1.81
7.909 @ 88?
12.416 @ 110

that was with a SUPER RICH tune(11prim/5sec jets too high) and before the LCARB's, 90/10's, moroso SBC front springs and adjustable 3 step..

 

goin to the track today to see if 11's are there.. wish me luck!

current temp at the track is 84*!!!!!!!!!!!!! 53% humidity.. oh god, wheelspin here i come.. lol

 

Is this with a new block or the old cracked leaking one?!?
Let us know how you did...

 

oh god, today was HORRIBLE!!!! wheelspin like i predicted but worse.. best run of the night was a upsetting 12.91 @ 106...

track had dust on it so traction was NOT THERE even after a clean up and vht job.. high 2.1 60fts all day with a best of 2.0 at night.. tires just would not get sticky.. jetting was too lean.. wasnt runnin the mph i was lookin for.. 4mph slower than normal.. soooooo, tomorrow its gonna be rejet, stand on the burnout a lil longer and hope it works.. and hopefully the track is better..

to give you an idea of how bad the track was, there were 4 classes run tonight.. all 4 finals were double breakouts!!!

this is with the leakin block.. turns out its blowin past the sleeve on the #3 cylinder.. nothing major but a new block is in the hunt.. so i guess you could say i'm on 7-1/2 cylinders, so its not toooo bad..

 

ok ok ok.. rejet happened, and track was better.. so we went up 3 primary and 5 secondary.. first run of the day, in the scorching sun knocked off a 12.81@112.. 1.94 60ft.. eventually got her down to a 12.31 @ 110.. NEW BEST

on one of the runs i hit a 12.41 @ 114 so its got alot of potential left.. best 60ft was a spin happy 1.825...

next up: 26x8.5 slicks, block and maybe a tad more compression and tuning..

 

114 mph should put you in the 11's if you can just get that thing out of the hole good

 

I'm sure it'll go once you get a good launch.

That cam is a MONSTER! How is it on the street?

 

well the cam is not as bad as you think.. anything under 1600rpm is worth nothing.. anything above that, its pretty good.. and its never really been tuned to its full potential either so it may be different.. after 3k, it pulls pretty hard, straight to the 6500 rev limiter.. on a 385 to boot..

i've been launching on the 3step no higher than 3500 and just killin the DR's.. so next month i'll be mounting the slicks because the drag radials are finally DONE!!!!! then in august i'll be getting 28x11.50 hoosier qtp's and maybe a set of either 4.56 or 4.30 gears.. that should hook me up pretty damn good..

and then hopefully my journey will be over.. and my journey to 10's will begin.. LOL

 

ok ok ok.. another update..

got some old but practically new 26x8.5 MT slicks mounted and have some 4.30 gears on order.. with these, i SHOULD hit those damn 11's.. i'll be runnin open headers too since i cant run the street class with slicks anyway.. i'll be goin through the traps at 6400-6500 (my shift point(s)) compared to the usual 5700-5800.. now i just have to get a block and its all set..


the wait for once-a-month drag races continues..........................

 

Can't wait to see the new numbers Once a month racing hehe, I haven't taken the car out since May. This month there's a street legal night every weekend plus the first weekend in Aug. Going to try and go to at least 3 or 4 of them.

 

every weekend?!?!?! i wish.. ok maybe not.. its not too cheap to race here.. i dropped $130 last month for membership fees, one class on friday night and testntune and street on saturday night.. i would probably go broke and then some if it were every weekend.. lol

good luck on your races..

 

yo evilcartman, just went an 11.85 @ 117 last night.. 1.788 60ft..

new mods for that race were the 4.30 gears, 26x8.5 slicks at 19psi, open headers and 2 steps up on the secondaries..

the journey for 11's is over!!!!! next stop, 10's.. LOL

 

Nice, that car has more in it tho. Get that 60ft down, wouldent be suprised with a mid to low 11 from it.

 

ya thanks.. tonight, i ran test and tune and went an 11.76 @ 117.. had one run with a pretty strong tail wind and left me with an 11.89 @ 119 .. for the most part, i coulda went consistent 11.7's but i ran an 11.90 index class and had to play around on some pretty killer runs.. some potential 11.6 runs..

best 60ft of the night was a 1.721
best 1/8 ----------7.529
best 1/8 mph-----93.37
best 1/4 ----------11.769
best 1/4 mph-----119.32

and the only run with the exhaust on was 1.736-7.617-91.82-11.899-115.14



next stop---wider, taller tires, and the father wants to try an electric water pump.. on a friends car, it went from 13.1 to a 12.7.. i'm hopin for .2..