[don_w]

1/8-Mile Drags, Qualcomm, October 3, 2008

We went back to RaceLegal at Qualcomm, except this time we were running the track tune. Racing here is always a challenge, since the “track” is really just a parking lot. And there are a ton of cars with street tires there. So traction is always been hit and miss. However, it wasn’t hooking too bad considering where we were.

We made a total of sevens runs, six of which were better than the previous best ever at this track, including al all-time best for an 1/8-mi anywhere.

Here are the videos from Friday, October 3, at Qualcomm. The videos marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.

** Video #1, Time 6:58 pm, DA = 1,397 ft:
My first run turned out to be the best of the night, and the best ever ET on an 1/8-mile track. After a track-best 60’ time of 1.581, I ran a 6.798 @ 102.98. The MPH was also an all-time 1/8-mile best. Whatever was in the other lane struggled to a 14.716 @ 50.96.

** Video #2, Time 7:14 pm, DA = 1,393 ft:
Donna’s first run of the night ended up being a new personal best for her on an 1/8-mile track. After cutting a good 0.553 light (on a 0.500 tree), she tripped the beams in at 6.830 at 102.51, 1.611. The MPH was also an all-time 1/8-mile best. The pick-up truck running against ran 12.217 @ 56.31.

** Video #3, Time 8:16 pm, DA = 1,419 ft:
After the last pass, I noticed that the radiator fan had quit working. So, we had to allow for additional cool down time in the pits. Plus, I left the heater on during the runs to help keep the car cool. On this pass I was lined up against out friend Dan’s ’68 Camaro. In the past, we had always be evenly matched, and this was no exception. I got up on the converter to much, and the car rolled in deep, and then spun on the launch. Both of us left a little early (me by 0.01 second more than him), but since I spun, he had made that up almost a full tenth in the first 60’ (my 1.703 to his 1.618). I reeled him in, and got him by a couple car lengths at the stripe. The numbers were 6.962 @ 102.02, to 7.133 @ 97.19. These side by side runs are the best!!

Video #4, Time 8:56 pm, DA = 1,351 ft:
Donna’s next run was against a Neon SRT “jelly bean”. Both of them roiled in real deep, putting out the top bulb, and Donna went waaaay red. I think going in that deep cost her in the 60’ and the ET. The 60’ was only 1.706, and her timeslip said, 6.940 @ 102.51. The Neon ran 9.285 @ 81.81, 2.349.

Video #5, Time 9:42 pm, DA = 1,447 ft:
Now it was my turn to go red again… three in a row for me. haha. The 60’ foot was pretty good (1.592), but the car dropped off a couple hundredths to 6.850 @ 102.27. The other car (with the ironing board on the trunk) ran 9.782 @ 71.65, 2.156.

Video #6, Time 11:02 pm, DA = 1,451 ft:
On this pass, I took my son with me. With a passenger, I had to run slower than 8.50. So, the plan was to go all out to 1/2 track, then get on the brakes and let the other car come around me. Mission accomplished. After I nice 1.594 60’ time, I got on the brakes haldway down, and ran a stellat 10.704 @ 26.22. Yep… 26.22mph. Normally when you see an ET of 10.7, you expect 126mph… not 26mph. LOL. Anyway, the other car ran 8.668 @ 78.80, 1.949.

Video #7, Time 11:37 pm, DA = 1,414 ft:
On the last run of the night, the car stumbled badly in 1st gear for some strange reason. Not sure why. Anyway, I ended up running a 7.087 @ 99.77, 1.669. The other car ran 9.481 @ 73.77, 2.265.

[forensicsteve]

Awesome...enjoyed watching vids. Hoping to race friday...first time in three months.

[don_w]

Originally Posted by forensicsteve

Awesome...enjoyed watching vids. Hoping to race friday...first time in three months.

Going for the 9s now?

[don_w]

1/8-Mile Drags, Qualcomm, November 21, 2008

After a 7-week hiatus away from the track, we went to RaceLegal at Qualcomm for what turned out to be a short evening. All in all, the car ran decent, and fairly consistent with all five clean runs in the low to mid 6.80s. But the humidity was quite high (70% to 80+%), which offset the cool temps (55 to 61 degrees), so no new personal bests were set. My car just hates moisture in the air.

We made a total of six runs, and then had to shut it down. On the last few runs, my radiator cap was not sealing and was blowing coolant all over the engine. On pass #6 it got so bad, that the car started misfiring at the top end, and the water temp started to climb quickly. Funny how a $6 part can end your night at the track.

Here are the videos from Friday, November 21, at Qualcomm. The videos marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.

** Video #1, Time 7:04 pm, DA = 755 ft:
My first run was against a Corvette on steroids. This is a low 6-second car and was out on me by a couple car lengths, when for some reason he clicked it off early and I passed him at the end. I had him on the tree by 0.037, and ran a 6.843 @ 102.27 with a 1.592 60-foot time, with the Vette slowing to a 6.974 @ 69.22, 1.471. Guess my wife and son didn’t realize he lifted based on their comments at the end of the video.

** Video #2, Time 7:28 pm, DA = 743 ft:
Run number 2 for me was a solo. Even though it got out of the groove on the launch, it still turned out to be my best pass of the night. After 1.595 60-foot, it ran 6.831 @ 102.50. So, the first two runs were with a hundredth of each other.

Video #3, Time 8:14 pm, DA = 540 ft:
Donna first run was a disaster… as was the auto focus function on the camera. haha. She got it up on the converter way too much, and rolled the beams. Then the car blew the tires off, resulting in a spectacularly horrible 60-ft time of 2.086, and an equally poor timeslip of 7.323 @ 102.51. The SN-95 Stang in the other lane ran 8.637 @ 83.48, 2.184.

** Video #4, Time 8:59 pm, DA = 529 ft:
Even though my camera focus issues remained, Donna’s effort was much improved. This solo run resulted in the low ET of the night, as well as the best 60-foot time ever at this track. She ran 6.807 @ 101.81, 1.566.

** Video #5, Time 9:37 pm, DA = 253 ft:
My next run was against a turbo Brand-X’er. After grabbing 6/100 on the tree (0.549 to 0.612), I kept pulling away from him. I ran 6.859 @ 101.35, 1.599 to his 7.613 @ 79.22, 1.655. Now my first three runs were less than 0.030 apart, and the 60-foot times were all 1.59x. I like that consistency.

Video #6, Time 10:17 pm, DA = 224 ft:
I’m not even sure what was lined up next to me on this run… maybe an old Datsun B210??? Anyway, this is the run that caused me to call it quits for the night. The car started breaking up on the top end (you can hear it on the video), so I lifted. And before I could even make the turn at the end, the temp gauge was going up fast! I pulled over and shut it down, and took a look under the hood. There was coolant all over everywhere and steam billowing out. I thought it blew a hose or something. But nothing was running onto the ground, and the origin was definitely the radiator reservoir. So I flipped the water pump and fan on, and the coolant temp dropped to 180 degrees in less than a minute. I slowly idled back to the pits. Oh yea, even though I lifted, it still ran 6.861 @ 98.68, with a 1.588 60-foot (my best of the night). Yet another consistent timeslip. Next time we go to the track in two weeks, I’ll be running in the bracket races for sure!

[travelers]

You have some great 60' times. Did you find out what's with the reservoir?

[don_w]

The 60' times at this track are slower than anywhere else. It's capable of low 1.50s/high 1.40s on other tracks (best so far is 1.48).

I bought a new radiator cap yesterday, but I haven't tested it out yet. I'll do that today.

[stlwagon]

Originally Posted by don_w

The 60' times at this track are slower than anywhere else. It's capable of low 1.50s/high 1.40s on other tracks (best so far is 1.48).

I bought a new radiator cap yesterday, but I haven't tested it out yet. I'll do that today.

You're not running the stock overflow tank are you?

[don_w]

Originally Posted by stlwagon

You're not running the stock overflow tank are you?

Yes, still stock. One of the few things that are still stock. hahah

And the cap seems to have done the trick. Drove it hard yesterday, and drove to work today. So far so good.

[stlwagon]

Originally Posted by don_w

Yes, still stock. One of the few things that are still stock. hahah

And the cap seems to have done the trick. Drove it hard yesterday, and drove to work today. So far so good.

A few have found that the filler necks are deformed and the caps don't seal very well.

[don_w]

Originally Posted by stlwagon

A few have found that the filler necks are deformed and the caps don't seal very well.
.

I'll keep my eye on it... and if need be, it will be a good excuse to get a Canton tank (or something similar).

[stlwagon]

I've been thinking of asking Santa for one this year.

[don_w]

1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, February 21-22, 2009

This trip to the track was actually a culmination of about 3 months of work. Back in December, a crack was discovered in a water jacket of my aluminum block. Adam at ST Motorsports attempted to save it, but it was not to be. So, I made the decision to switch to the Ford Racing Boss 5.0 Modular iron block (aka, the Big Bore block). I kept the same crank and rods, but had to get new pistons made. Fast forward to February 14, when I was able to bring the car home with the new engine. The plan was to put some miles on it, and then have Adam put a track tune in it on Thursday, 2/19 and test it at Irwindale that night.

The first run at Irwindale resulted in a sputtering/coughing at the top end, so Adam made a change in the tune. Run #2 was a little better, but it still nosed over at the top end. Run #3 was the best (6.691 @ 103.04), but I noticed the wideband gauge showing mid-12s. So, Adam made another change in the tune, which we were going to test on Saturday at Barona.

During the first run on Saturday, I observed the AFR still in the mid 12s. I spoke to Adam over the phone, and using the Predator, I richened it up 8%. Donna made the next pass, and she said she saw high 12s on the wideband. This made no sense, so I made another pass and sure enough, it was about 12.8. So, after talking to Adam again on the phone, we suspected that maybe my wideband O2 sensor was faulty (it is almost 3 years old now). Without reliable data, it made any more tuning basically impossible. So, after the 3rd run, we made the decision to play it safe, and just have some fun for the weekend. I pulled 2* of timing out of it across the board and left it like that.

Over the weekend, we made a total of 11 runs. Even though we never got into the 6.6s, we still had fun, and Donna set a new personal best for her.

Here are the videos from Saturday, February 21, at Barona. The videos marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.

** Video #1, Time 10:48 am, DA = 3,004 ft:
My first run was my best of the weekend, and my best ever at Barona. It was also the best 60-foot time at Barona ever. I ended up running 6.765 @ 102.226, 1.461. The other car made a really run at 6.472 @ 110.157, 1.486.

** Video #2, Time 12:05 pm, DA = 3,104 ft:
After changing the tune by richening it up 8%, Donna made her first pass, and was just a tick slower. She was racing Ed (msgt46270) on the run, who was making his track comeback after almost a 2-year absence. It was great to see him making runs! Both of them cut identical RTs (0.145), and Donna ran 6.776 @ 100.492, 1.472, to Ed’s 7.602 @ 91.375, 1.692.

Video #3, Time 1:37 pm, DA = 3,300 ft:
This pass was in the “Run for the Money” competition. I was dialed in at 6.77, but it didn’t run the number. I kept the same tune settings as the previous run, but maybe the warmer air had an effect. Bottom line, it ran 6.821 @ 100.643, 1.481.

Video #4, Time 3:30 pm, DA = 3,410 ft:
Prior to this run, I reset the fuel to where it had been previously, and pulled 2* of global timing out of the car. This is how we left it for the rest of the weekend. Donna cut her best light of the weekend on this run (0.058), but coupled with the warmer air, all she could muster was a 6.979 @ 100.812, 1.579. The 60-ft was off by about a tenth. The other car ran even better than he did against me earlier, with a 6.177 @ 112.349, 1.443.

Video #5, Time 4:43 pm, DA = 3,177 ft:
On this run, I was lined up against Brian (Habu). This ended up being my worst run of the weekend, when it coughed in first gear for some reason. You can hear it on the video. I ran 6.928 @ 100.877, 1.547, with a 0.048 light. Brian tried to cheat, by leaving 0.028 early… haha. He ran 9.067 @ 81.926, 1.918.

Video #6, Time 5:27 pm, DA = 3,026 ft:
Donna was paired up with Grant (gmantheman) on this run. Once again, my car hiccupped down low, killing the 60’ time and the ET. Donna tripped the beams at 7.026 @ 100.474, 1.610. Grant ran 8.877 @ 80.873, 2.104.


And here are the videos from Sunday, February 22, at Barona.

** Video #1, Time 10:25 am, DA = 2,819 ft:
Donna made the first run of the day, and it was by far the best of the weekend. It was her personal best 60-foot ever (1.471), as well as the overall best 330’ and 1/8-mile numbers of the weekend. She went 4.334 @ 79.609 at the 330’ mark, and 6.723 @ 102.868 at the finish. A new Personal Best for Donna, and the best ever for the car at Barona. Nice job! Her opponent ran 8.025 @ 89.450, 2.036.

Video #2, Time 11:14 am, DA = 2,984 ft:
I was next in the seat, and couldn’t come close to Donna’s ET. I ran 6.825 @ 101.876, 1.507. The other car ran 10.391 @ 71.887, 2.629.

** Video #3, Time 11:49 am, DA = 3,063 ft:
On this run, Donna was paired up with a quick GT500. I had been talking to the guy earlier, and he said he had the 3.4L Whipple at 18lbs of boost, making over 800 at the tire. He was running a manual trans. Unlike a lot of other GT500 owners, he was running slicks on 15” Bogarts, so his traction was good. Donna ran 6.866 @ 101.504, 1.552, and GT500 ran 6.700 @ 105.387, 1.507. Since Donna jumped the tree a little (-0.055), and his RT was 0.109, they were only 0.002 apart at the strip.

** Video #4, Time 2:18 pm, DA = 3,477 ft:
My last run of the weekend started off with damn-near a perfect light. I cut a 0.001 reaction time, and a 1.499 60-foot, en route to a 6.840 @ 101.663. The other car ran 7.625 @ 90.224, 1.705.

Video #5, Time 3:20 pm, DA = 3,629 ft:
Donna’s final run was very frustrating. First they pull her into to the water box, for what appeared to be a solo pass. But no… they had her sit there while some tube chassis car sloooowwwwlllyyy pulled in too. Then it proceeded to do a John Force burnout, way past the tree, at which point it apparently couldn’t get into reverse, so it idled down the track. Meanwhile, Donna is still sitting back there. So, now they pull another car in to face her, which goes past the beams too. While all this is happening, my car is just getting hotter. Deep staging didn’t help either. Predictably, when Donna finally gets to run, it sucked. The car hiccupped again down low, and then could only run 7.118 @ 100.943 (versus 10.411 @ 72.121). You can hear my frustration at the whole thing at the end of the run. We decided to call it a weekend after that run.

[travelers]

That some good runs. You couldn't find a place to pick up a new O2 sensor?
When you get the timing back up, you'll be in the 6.6s.

[gmantheman]

Great Vids Don. I am surprised that the DA was that high. I thought it would have been around 2000-2200' because of the cooler temps.

[don_w]

Originally Posted by travelers

That some good runs. You couldn't find a place to pick up a new O2 sensor?
When you get the timing back up, you'll be in the 6.6s.

No, not on a weekend out in the boonies. haha.

And to be honest, we really want 6.5s out of this setup. Not sure if the transmission will live there, but whatthehell... gotta give it a shot. LOL