5/1/04 ----Here's a update on the car since running the 10.53 @ 129 back in November ,04.
We've installed a UPR anti-roll bar and installed a full set of Strange Engineering struts and shocks, we also upgraded the front brakes to 11". In that time we have run the car a number of times and made a best pass of 10.68 @128. We also gave the car to Bruce Oliver to wet sand and buff/polish the entire car out. It came back a different car. All that's left to do now is to have Sandy from Excel Signs to install the "GT" stickers.
In March I bought a video camera. Here's a few video's we shot so far. Note the small amount of front end travel.
Took during the month of March & April of 2004.
These video's were used to diagnose why the car pulls a wheelie then drops the front end suddenly.
Here's a few pictures we took of the car after getting back from Bruce. He wet sanded it and buffed out the entire car. It now looks totally different. The pictures don't do it justice after Bruce worked his magic on it.
Here's one picture that didn't get away!
6/02/04 - We test , we tune............. More passes on the car shows the suspension is just not working right. Maybe the slicks have had it but the car simply does not want to 60ft, what it should be doing. Research has shown the IC is off. Plans for fixing the rear suspension are in the near future. I decided that with the Hobbs switch installed I'd finally try out the Nitrous. One run , Car blasted a 10.26@ 136mph , not bad for letting off and hitting it again.
6/13/04 ---->Update- the car went 130+mph through the speed traps at Gulfport. After running low on C-12 I decided to add 5 gal of Shell's V-Power 93. The trap speed went from 127/128 mph to 130.74 mph @ 6150rpm's. And in the 92degree heat :) Needless to say it was sad to pull the top half of the engine down in order for the head work that was planned weeks prior. Total Engine Airflow will perform a 225cc CNC program to the heads and pickup the flow a little.
8/11/04- Car is up and running. Cylinder heads are now cnc ported by TEA. and I've installed a little bigger camshaft. It's a Cammotion solid roller with 257/268 degrees duration @.050 valve lift is .735in./.710ex.110LS. The plan is to spin the engine to 7000/7200rpm's through the lights while on a 200shot which all equals 145+mph. Well , that's the plan anyways.................
I'll have a mpeg posted shortly of the car. Engine now wants to idle about 1300rpm's... up from the 1200 rpm's the old cam use to idle at. Car is also notably louder. :)
9/12/04 - Went to Gulfport Dragway, Off trailer we went 11.04/128, spun real bad. Tried again and went a 10.88 @ 129, Spun bad again. Tried the NOS and almost lost it, tried one final pass again and went a 10.11 @ 142 @ 6950rpms w/ 1.54 60ft. time. Launching at 3k rolling then letting the MSD rpm thing turn on at 5k. Should have another 3mph in it but it'll have to wait. The tires are shot and need to be replaced. I'm going with a set of 28X12.5X15 M/T E.T. streets, I'm told they are the same size of a 28X10.5X15 E.T. Drag slick. I hope so, as the tires tend to rub just a little now and any increase in size is sure to rub more. FFW's TRUE STREET 2005 here we come.
10/17/04- FORD VS CHEBY , Off trailer with the M/T ET streets we aborted 1st run, Run two we blasted a 9.91 @ 145.30. Third TT we ran motor only and went a 10.59 @131.50 Went out 1st rd against a 8.09 cheby dragster......
Here's a couple video's - (In cockpit@ 10.66) spins bad in 2nd gear listen closely........ ( 9.91 pass @ 145mph ) Almost taking out the 330ft lights then yanking the car back into the racing groove.
3/5/05 - Lots of changes since last update. In November 04 we had the chassis certified to 9.90 specs. We also built and installed a set of modified upper control arm boxes. Tuning the suspension has been by far the hardest work so far on the car. I'm determined to get the car to ET. With the MPH we're making now we should be in the 10.0-10.20 range yet I just can't get the car to 60ft. Wheel spin along with the tire slipping on the rim is hurting us big time in the 60ft time. The higher I set the shift light the more MPH we keep pulling. I'm now shifting @ 6700rpm's and the transmission is working like perfectly. On December 10th we went T&Ting again in cool weather. 55degrees After sitting in the staging lanes for over an hour I blasted our fastest N/A et to date. 10.40 @ 133.50 but the 1.63 60ft time was dismal.
WINTER BREAK
In January I ordered and installed front and rear Strange brakes. I also worked on removing the doors crash beams and moving the battery to the rear of the car. In all a total of 68lbs was removed from the front end and 38lbs was yanked out of the doors. I've also added a set of WELD Racing Alumastar 2.0 wheels to the front. We also added the window net.
2/18--- I went to change the oil and discovered a piece of metal stuck to the oil pan plug. I immediately yanked the engine out and pulled it down. After still not finding where the piece of metal came from we decide to go back together with it. It was here I found the 2nd woodruff key in the crank had been sheared when I installed a new ATI balancer on the engine late last yr. While apart we inspected all the engine parts and found absolutely nothing wrong. In fact the engine looks like new. I did however have the roller lifters rebuilt by Lunati. We hope to make FFW @ NoProblemRaceway in April. Engine goes back in and re-fires with out incident.
3/23 NPR's 1st FFW is fast approaching With 10days left we take the car to Mobile, AL. to a chassis turner only known as Laverne. Laverne worked his magic on the car but I'll have to wait till next week to see the results. As of right now the car looks to be in pretty good shape. The cars balance is at 53.4% for the front and 46.6% for the rear. Car's total weight is 2849lbs. Not too bad.
Laverne and his wife Sharon are racers. Laverne drives a killer 8sec small block Duster and Sharon has a 76/80-ish 9sec 400cid small block Camaro. Nice friendly people that had nothing but nice things to say. They both compete at Hub city and are trying to get me to race with them. If I ever get my car sorted I'd love too....
Saturday I have Bruce Oliver from Madisonville Collision take a few nicks and scratches out of the car. It looks awesome and with the new rims it . Thanks
3/29 T&T at NoProblemRaceway , two days till 1st FFW at NPR. 1st pass go for 3rd gear and bam! no gear and tink-tink-tink I hear. My LONG shifter has vibrated apart into pieces.
I load up and go home, Thursday morning I talk to Brian at LONG and he agrees to overnight me a new shifter., Friday afternoon I get the shifter installed and make a quick pass around the block. I hear a slight ticking but load up and figure we'll take care of it later.
Saturday we make the cruise but fail to complete the 3 mandatory passes. In fact we don't even make one pass.
1st pass I launch on the rev-limiter (5500RPMS) and KABOOM!!!!!!!!!!!
Seems the ticking noise I heard Friday evening after re-installing the new shifter has come back to haunt me. 1st gear cluster is completely shredded off. About 7 to 10 teeth are gone on the main shaft 1st gear. Nothing else looks wrecked but after talking to Paul at Liberty 3rd gear cluster and 4th gear main shaft have cracks so everything is getting fitted with new gears. Transmission will be like new, overall I'm not disappointed. The DNE trans did last for 80 passes with the current engine combo. If plans go forward the transmission returned , reassembled and used in another car sporting a 302 street combo.
I ordered a brand new G-force GF-5R. With the hopes I will never need another transmission again. the guys at G-force push McLeod's Soft Lok but that will have to wait till Winter. For now I sent SPEC my existing clutch disc and had them replace the hub with the new MOPAR spline 1 3/16 " X 18.; seems they lost my disc though and sent me a brand new disc. While all this is going on I had my physical and plan to have my Sportsman license for the 9.90 class and be ready for Texas in September. FFW at the motorplex ,,,,,,,,,,,,lookout..
GF-5R Clutch Assisted w/ LONG Vertigate & Mark Williams Hardened Yoke
5/27/05 - Transmission arrived on the 5/13, it was installed on the 20th by removing engine and now I spent the last week taking measurements for the driveshaft that's needed because the 5R is 2in. shorter than the DNE. Strange will supply the new 3" chromemoly driveshaft. I also contacted HPC about the headers. While I had everything apart I emailed their corporate office in Utah and was informed the headers would be re-coated free of charge. I covered the shipping which turned out to be about $52.00 total there and back.
5/28/06 WOW It's been 1 full yr since I last updated the site. Looking over the last few entrys a lot things have changed. Here's a quick breakdown.
8/05 - I purchase a Dart Iron Eagle 9.5 deck 4.125 block