Gotta tell ya - I"ve avoided the water box for years, and always done a pretty conservative burn out,...but for whatever reason, this year I've been going through the box and just WAILING on the tires - low RPM but long duration with LOTS of smoke, and finding better traction.... So I guess try everything, and see what you like best!
Well, I've got some work to do to achieve my goals, but at least I know what the hell it runs. Best run of the day was 14.985 @ 88.5mph. And it weighed in at 4310lbs with me and 5 gallons of gas. Still going to make runs tomorrow and try a few things. So far I learned that leaving the car in high stall cost me .15 and some MPH. And the car ran best with the ram air setup, even with a semi-dirty air filter. I felt like it hooked decently, track was prepped, and best 60ft was a 2.06 I believe. Bob, I'm going to try and work with those molds you gave me during the fall and beginning of the winter. I'm hoping to learn some stuff, and maybe send you my heads like we've chatted about before.
Hey Andy, I was hoping you would be able to get into low 14s. Mabey tomorrow you can do a little tuning. I thought cam would help on the top end with that holley.
Hope you had fun! How many runs? I guess you'd feel any fuel starvation during the runs, but I wouldn't be surprised with 5 gals of petrol?
Dynamite! Hey, into the high 14's with a 4300 lb car on the first time out is success, any way around it. And a 2.06 60 ft is great, beats my best by .04. Those numbers may not sound like much until YOU"RE the one out there trying to pull them with a million things working against you...I've seen much faster cars run a lot slower, and beat cars I never, ever should have. Check the pure stock drags results spreadsheet. You don't see 2.0x 60 fts until cars running mid 13's, and NONE with gears less than 3.73 (except for Roberta's Stage1 with 3.64's). Is it an apples to apples comparison? No. But those guys are the best of the best, so that says a lot about the nailhead torque and your build..... http://www.purestockdrags.com/p/race-results.html Great job.
Honestly Bob, it ran very well and very consistent. I think that's really all she had. The spread between all runs was never more than a tenth and a half. I guess I thought the heads got a little more love when they were rebuilt with the motor years ago, but at least now I have a solid starting point. Thanks Dan! Got 7 runs in. And had lots of fun. No fuel starvation issues to report. I was trying to minimize any weight this thing had to haul down the track! Thanks Rhett! I actually misspoke, best 60ft was a 2.09 on the fastest run. I kept playing with air pressures and it seemed to do best at 24psi. The 60fts got worse when I went a few pounds lower. I was going to try doing a big smokey burnout in the water box today to see if that helped , but Mother Nature might have other plans...
2.0 is 2.0 - good by anyone's yardstick, and you still got me by a hundredth!. Tire pressure is tricky, it's a thin line between traction and trying to ride a bike with flat tire. I generally go 25, never below 23....it works with my Silvertowns, but I think sidewall construction makes this a tire by tire thing. Glad you're getting enough runs to be able to make changes and compare. Good call on weight, BTW - I take out anything that isn't nailed down, even the floor mats (the OEM Buick mats are surprisingly heavy!). I once weighed it all, spare tire, jack, stuff I carry - it came to 85 lbs. Ask Doc about how that equates to ET! Keep up posted, and good luck with the weather.
When traction is POOR, try staging in low stall and just as you launch , flip on the high stall. After 2-3 seconds go back to low for the rest of the pass. This helped my 401 & 455 on the street and may help you. I could really feel the difference. A full launch at low stall has always been doggy with my cars. That 2-3 seconds of high stall got my speed into the power range fast. When traction is good, launch with high stall for the first 2-3 seconds. Feels good! My beautiful (now deceased) 65 GS ran mid 14's at St. Louis/Alton, IL. back in the 1970's. It had A/C and power stuff and no weight removal at all. Probably 3900 lbs or so with driver and fuel. Had over 90,000 miles on the stock untouched engine. I gained over a full second by doing this.... * Removed the heat riser valve. It was stuck nearly shut! * Dual glass pack bullet mufflers. 1 tenth * 3.08 to 3.55 posi. 2 tenths * Found non air crank and water pump pulleys that slowed everything down. 1 tenth. (A/C still worked fine) * Went one size richer in the AFB carb. 1 tenth * Installed distributor kit and springs. 1 tenth. * Found some recap tires with soft rubber my fingernails could dig into. Big help launching and consistent runs. * Replaced 300 trany with 400 trany and small 300 switch pitch converter. Got 2 or more tenths when traction held. * Found some aluminum Buick valve covers for $25 from a Super Wildcat.... 0 tenths, but made me proud to open the hood. Loved that sweet little GS Buick till my X-wife totaled it on Lindbergh Blvd in 1975.
I got that one. Every 100 lbs is approx a tenth!! Also makes for a good incentive to go on a diet. At least for me it did. My car will be .050 faster byou the time I am done just by reducing my personal weight. My car will be faster, my truck, my Polaris Ranger.....lol. Looks like you are off to a good start. Glad you had a good time.
I usually shifted at 5k RPMs. Didn't seem to pull as hard above that. Tried a few runs shifting earlier, and they were slower. Tried one run shifting higher and it didn't seem to have much of an effect. For my setup, it seemed best to switch to low stall at about 4k RPMs before shifting to 2nd. Any lower and it would bog slightly, whereas 4k RPMs was a smooth transition. Mother Nature actually cooperated and I got another 7 runs in, although it was hotter than hell and super muggy. It was obviously not going to run as fast as it did yesterday, especially hot lapping like we were, but it was fun nonetheless. I cut some really good lights, perfected the "John Force Burnout", and beat both my buddies when we ran. They both spun like hell even though they trapped much faster. It even looks like a real drag car now, with numbers painted on the windows and rubber covering the quarters... :TU:
Dynamite! that car is now "legit" I cant help but keeping the markings and rubber on mine all the time. Something to talk about at your next "show 'n shine', cant tell you how many car I've parked next to that have never even done a burnout or full throttle pass. Real nice cars too. The air is SUCH a big deal for my car anyway. I find I never know what I'm gonna run until I get there, and it can change day to day without ever touching the car. Personally.. I only run early spring or late fall...everything else is just a lesson in frustration. My car didn't make power above 4800 - tested and replaced the weak valve springs (with help from Tom's spring tester) and now am good to 5100 or so. Set the governor accordingly. I set up my car with a Bruce Roe timer for the switch pitch...Launch in high stall, and it stays goes to low stall automatically in 3 seconds. about the 100' mark. Tried launchng in low stall and going immediately to high with a momentary switch, but lost a tenth. Congrats - and keep us posted.
Congratulations, bet it was fun. 14.90's at BIR. You can knock a couple tenths off that at Rock Falls.
Took my '37 Buick 4 door to Tristate dragway in early August. It has a 66 401 nailhead with an 800 cfm Edelbrock out of the box, an MSD distributor @ 35 degrees total, mildly ported heads and stock manifolds, mild hydraulic cam, 2" dual exhaust, street tires (255/60/15), and a 3.23 suregrip rear axle. Car has been weighted with 4 wheel scales at 4050 lbs. It ran a best of 14.43 @ 96 mph, I was both happy and surprised.
Well, aside from porting the heads this winter and some exhaust cutouts, this should be a nice little addition... :3gears: I got a screaming deal on the kit and just couldn't pass it up!
I got a screaming deal on the kit and just couldn't pass it up![/QUOTE] :laugh::laugh: let it fly.. a little nitrous never hurts
