This was a bit of a freaky day at the track. When we arrived at 7am, the temp was just below 40 degrees. And it never got out of the 40s all day long. Normally, this would make for some good air (which it did, for a track at 1,700 feet elevation), but we had cloud cover until noon, and without any heat in the track, it was tricky. Traction was hit or miss all day. We saw two cars go into the walls hard, and one of the drivers had to get transported to the hospital. We heard later that he would be OK.
And to add to the freakiness, it actually snowed for a few minutes at about 10:30am. Yep... it snowed, here in San Diego. Of course it didn’t stick or anything, but just seeing any snow at all around here is pretty rare. I’ve lived here 15 years, and this is the first I’ve seen. My wife, Donna, shot a little video of it while it was blowing around:
I came up a couple hundredths short of setting a new overall personal best, but both my wife and I did run the best ETs at this track ever. I had the quickest of the day at 7.112 @ 97.012. My previous best here at Barona had been a 7.19. We also had a couple other new bests. Donna went over 99mph (twice) for a new mph mark, and I recorded my lowest 60’ time ever, 1.549. Donna also ripped off a 1.560, her best ever.
Here are the videos from Saturday, January 13 at Barona. As always, my favorite vids are marked with a double asterisk (**). Note: These are high quality videos, so the files are large. Please be patient while they load.
Video #1, Time 10:13 am, DA = 605 ft:
My first run of the day was a solo run. I had to wait a little extra time while they removed some debris from the track, so I think the engine got a little too much heat in it. Even so, it ran a 7.218 @ 95.761, with a 1.596 60’ time, and a RT of 0.564.
Video #2, Time 10:19 am, DA = 594 ft:
My second run was doomed from the beginning. As I was doing the burnout, the car in my lane ahead of me almost hit the wall. So they backed us both up, and re-sprayed the starting line in my lane. As cold and cloudy as it was, I immediately realized that the compound probably wouldn't dry and it could be slick on the launch. I did a good second burnout hoping it would help. But, as soon as I started to powerbrake it at the line, it broke loose a little, and rolled through the beams causing me to go red (0.420). And then the car made a hard move to the right, and I had to get out of it. I just coasted on out for a killer 10.155 @ 62.376, 1.611. The 460ci nitrous Ranchero in the other lane ran 7.617 @ 90.716, 1.698.
**Video #3, Time 10:31 am, DA = 613 ft:
My third run was the best of the day, and a new track record for my car. My RT was bad (0.644) but a lot better than the other guy’s (1.007). But, his low 6-sec car caught up pretty easily. I ran a 7.112 @ 97.012, 1.566 to his 6.231 @ 111.397. My 1.566 60’ time was the 2nd best ever at this point.
Video #4, Time 11:29 am, DA = 662 ft:
Here is Donna’s first run of the day. She is up against Cher’s brand spanking new Saleen Parnelli Jones Boss 302. Her car is one sweet looking ride, and I have to admit it is my favorite of all the specialty S197s I have seen. Unfortunately, Cher’s stock street tires did not hook all day, so she struggled to really get a feel for what the 302 would do. On this run, Donna went 7.248 @ 98.467, 1.676 vs Cher’s 9.800 @ 80.675, 2.742.
**Video #5, Time 11:43 am, DA = 709 ft:
Donna’s next run was much better, and was her best of the day, as well as her personal best of all time!! She had a solo run because a car broke in the other lane. After ripping off a 1.560 60’ time, she ran 7.138 @ 98.866. The 1.560 60’ time was the best this car had ever run at this point, and was by far Donna’s best. Her previous best 60’ time had been 1.618.
**Video #6, Time 12:48 pm, DA = 915 ft:
During the lunch break, the sun decided to make an appearance. While it seemed to help traction some, it also caused the DA to get a little worse as the day went on. Donna was up against a pretty quick Lightning truck, and they both fell asleep at the tree. But the blown truck was no match for her, as she went 7.153 @ 99.147, 1.626 to his 7.873 @ 89.666, 1.805. Her 99.147mph trap speed was also a new best for the car… the first time it’s ever gone over 99mph!!
Video #7, Time 12:53 pm, DA = 1,004 ft:
Donna had a solo run on this pass. She didn’t get a good burnout, and may have had moisture on the tires. Anyway, the 60’ time was off, and the car got a little loose at mid-track, so she decided to abort. She didn’t want to join the ranks of cars hitting the wall… we saw enough of that on this day. She went 7.801 @ 72.740, 1.723.
**Video #8, Time 1:14 pm, DA = 1,155 ft:
Here is a run I really liked. First of all, my opponent was driving a Hertz GT-H. Pretty car, but no match for the blue car. I cut a decent light (0.546), and then ripped off the best 60’ time I’ve ever run, 1.549. When the car launched, it hit harder than I’ve ever felt it hit before. Unfortunately, Donna decided at the last second to zoom in on the rear tire, so we’ll never know if I got air under the left front tire or not. But it sure felt a lot different than any other launch. I believe if the DA wasn't over 500’ worse than it was on my 3rd run, the car would have dipped into the 7.0x range. As it was, it ran 7.126 @ 95.547, 1.549 to the GT-H’s 9.159 @ 79.653, 2.222.
**Video #9, Time 1:19 pm, DA = 1,173 ft:
Donna stood directly behind me on this run, and got a pretty cool video of the launch. On this run, I was up against the same big block Ranchero I had faced earlier when I had to abort the run. Since I was hot lapping, only 5 minutes had passed since my previous run. After cutting my best light of the day (0.507), I ran a 7.163 @ 98.494, 1.591 against his 7.580 @ 90.674, 1.655.
Video #10, Time 1:36 pm, DA = 1,076 ft:
Even though I had a good RT on this run (0.530), my launch was awful. I didn’t get up on the torque converter like I want to, and it was really soft in the first 60 feet. I ran a 7.340 @ 95.939, 1.718 (yuk) to the GTO’s 8.785 @ 78.130, 1.935.
Video #11, Time 2:16 pm, DA = 1,165 ft:
Donna’s next to last run was against a 5-sec car. Even though they left the line with 0.001 of each other (0.591 to 0.592), his “wheels up” launch meant it was over before it started. I think she may have had some water on the tires after a less-than-stellar burnout, and she could only muster a 7.312 @ 95.436, 1.693. The real race car ran 5.841 @ 118.796, 1.237. Wow!
**Video #12, Time 2:31 pm, DA = 1,052 ft:
Donna managed to get back quick enough to sneak into the staging lanes for one last solo run before they closed the gates. Up against a classic Olds 4-4-2, she made a pretty good run, 7.170 @ 99.274, 1.594. The Olds went 7.889 @ 86.847, 1.722. Donna’s trap speed on this run was an all time high for my car!!
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2005 Sonic Blue, a.k.a. "BAD 05 GT", Auto Trans (and damn proud of it!) Best 1/8 mi: 6.691 @ 103.04, DA= 1,166' (2-19-09) Best 1/4 mi: 10.37 @ 132.98 (3-14-08)
Kenne Bell 2.8L SC, Boss 5.0 Block w/Cobra crank, Diamond Pistons, Scat Rods, Livernois P&P Heads - Check out my Homepage for Full Mod List and Videos
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigwilly43729
HP numbers are good and all, but they are like asking someone how much they can bench. What difference does it make if I can still kick your a$$?
Nice, Don... How much more do you think you'll be able to shave off that ET without additional mods? You seem to continually squeeze out a little more.
What was that other car in #3? Looks like an old Chevelle.
I think there is some more in it. So far, all I have run is a conservative 91 octane street tune (<18* timing). We haven't even put it on the dyno to develop a tune for race gas yet. It's anyone's guess, but I think with a more agressive tune, some 100+ octane fuel, and good air (like I've seen the past couple weeks), it could easily hit the high 6's. And obviously, if I wanted to swap a pulley and up the boost, it would certainly run quicker. But for now, I'll stick to no more than 12psi.
BTW, the other car is a mid 60's vintage Chevy. Here are a couple pics of it:
2005 Sonic Blue, a.k.a. "BAD 05 GT", Auto Trans (and damn proud of it!) Best 1/8 mi: 6.691 @ 103.04, DA= 1,166' (2-19-09) Best 1/4 mi: 10.37 @ 132.98 (3-14-08)
Kenne Bell 2.8L SC, Boss 5.0 Block w/Cobra crank, Diamond Pistons, Scat Rods, Livernois P&P Heads - Check out my Homepage for Full Mod List and Videos
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigwilly43729
HP numbers are good and all, but they are like asking someone how much they can bench. What difference does it make if I can still kick your a$$?
I think there is some more in it. So far, all I have run is a conservative 91 octane street tune (<18* timing). We haven't even put it on the dyno to develop a tune for race gas yet. It's anyone's guess, but I think with a more agressive tune, some 100+ octane fuel, and good air (like I've seen the past couple weeks), it could easily hit the high 6's. And obviously, if I wanted to swap a pulley and up the boost, it would certainly run quicker. But for now, I'll stick to no more than 12psi.
BTW, the other car is a mid 60's vintage Chevy. Here are a couple pics of it:
Cool... What's the best race gas you can get out there? We can usually find 110 airplane gas back here.
They sell several different grades right at the track. I don't remember all of them, but there is something like a 103/104, 110 and 116, at least. I've been buying 110, and splashing a few gallons in with the pump gas before I run... generally a 50/50 mix, so I end up with about 100 octane in the tank. Even though it's not tuned for it, I do it for detonation protection.
__________________
2005 Sonic Blue, a.k.a. "BAD 05 GT", Auto Trans (and damn proud of it!) Best 1/8 mi: 6.691 @ 103.04, DA= 1,166' (2-19-09) Best 1/4 mi: 10.37 @ 132.98 (3-14-08)
Kenne Bell 2.8L SC, Boss 5.0 Block w/Cobra crank, Diamond Pistons, Scat Rods, Livernois P&P Heads - Check out my Homepage for Full Mod List and Videos
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigwilly43729
HP numbers are good and all, but they are like asking someone how much they can bench. What difference does it make if I can still kick your a$$?
It looks like you had an interesting day. Any problem keeping the tires heated up? You have some great videos and times.
Thanks. And I had no problems heating up the tires... but the track was another story. It was actually too cold, especially before the sun came out. Cars were all over the place. Two cars were pretty much trashed -- a 5-sec Chevelle and a '63 split-window Corvette (with a 572 ci big block). The Vette bounced off the left wall, and then went headfirst into the right wall. Tore it up pretty bad.
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2005 Sonic Blue, a.k.a. "BAD 05 GT", Auto Trans (and damn proud of it!) Best 1/8 mi: 6.691 @ 103.04, DA= 1,166' (2-19-09) Best 1/4 mi: 10.37 @ 132.98 (3-14-08)
Kenne Bell 2.8L SC, Boss 5.0 Block w/Cobra crank, Diamond Pistons, Scat Rods, Livernois P&P Heads - Check out my Homepage for Full Mod List and Videos
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigwilly43729
HP numbers are good and all, but they are like asking someone how much they can bench. What difference does it make if I can still kick your a$$?
Saleen S/C 3.2 pulley tuned by JDM Engineering, GT500 pumps, CHE goodies on the rear, 4.10's, KOOKS/ high flow catted X pipe with PYPES Violators, Spydershaft, TCI 3500 stall, PA deep tranny pan. Meziere w/p,M&H 325/45/17 DRs.
future mods.... a 3.0 pulley
How would those times relate to 1/4 mile times.. any guesses??
Around here we pretty much have all 1/4 mile tracks so 1/8 times is like a different language to me.
Thanks for sharing!
Equating 1/8 to 1/4 is not an exact science, but I have a database of several hundreds runs and those data show that multiplying an 1/8-mi ET by about 1.553 gives a decent approximation of a 1/4-mi time. So, a 7.11 in the 1/8 would be about in the 11.0 range in the 1/4.
Also, here is a link that someone else provided in another thread. It looks like it is very close to my data: 1/8 to 1/4 Mile Conversion
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2005 Sonic Blue, a.k.a. "BAD 05 GT", Auto Trans (and damn proud of it!) Best 1/8 mi: 6.691 @ 103.04, DA= 1,166' (2-19-09) Best 1/4 mi: 10.37 @ 132.98 (3-14-08)
Kenne Bell 2.8L SC, Boss 5.0 Block w/Cobra crank, Diamond Pistons, Scat Rods, Livernois P&P Heads - Check out my Homepage for Full Mod List and Videos
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigwilly43729
HP numbers are good and all, but they are like asking someone how much they can bench. What difference does it make if I can still kick your a$$?
As always, great runs brotha man. Makin' us old Libra's proud
Who knows, if the damn ice ever quits falling out of the sky ( in TEXAS!! ) I might make it back out to the track one of these days.
Who am I BSing, My schedule is full with travel until July.
So do you not teach Donna how to get her MPH up on the burnouts because you are afraid she will outrun you?
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2005 GT Premium,torch red, all available factory options.
Performance mods: Lets just say it's not stock.
Some people are like Slinkies. They're really good for nothing. But they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.
As always, great runs brotha man. Makin' us old Libra's proud
Who knows, if the damn ice ever quits falling out of the sky ( in TEXAS!! ) I might make it back out to the track one of these days.
Who am I BSing, My schedule is full with travel until July.
So do you not teach Donna how to get her MPH up on the burnouts because you are afraid she will outrun you?
Thanks, Doc... but who are you calling an "old" Libra? haha. And that travel schedule of yours is bah-rutal.
I've actually coached Donna quite a bit on her burnouts, but for whatever reason, she is still inconsistent. I've also been trying to get her to foot brake it at the tree more often. If she can get her 60' times down a little more, she ought to be able to post quicker ETs than me most of the time. With her being 100 pounds lighter than me, I can see the effects on the top end (higher traps than me), but she's losing a few hundredths in the first 60'.
For example, last weekend, my average run (not counting aborted runs) was 7.192 @ 96.551 and hers was 7.204 @ 98.238. Even though her avg ET was 0.012 slower, her mph was 1.687 higher. And my 60' avg was 1.605, where hers was 1.630. So she lost 0.025 in the first 60', yet was only 0.012 slower.
If she ever gets it figured out, I'll have to add ballast to the trunk to slow her down.
__________________
2005 Sonic Blue, a.k.a. "BAD 05 GT", Auto Trans (and damn proud of it!) Best 1/8 mi: 6.691 @ 103.04, DA= 1,166' (2-19-09) Best 1/4 mi: 10.37 @ 132.98 (3-14-08)
Kenne Bell 2.8L SC, Boss 5.0 Block w/Cobra crank, Diamond Pistons, Scat Rods, Livernois P&P Heads - Check out my Homepage for Full Mod List and Videos
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigwilly43729
HP numbers are good and all, but they are like asking someone how much they can bench. What difference does it make if I can still kick your a$$?
Yea, tell me about it. Off to Denver next week for three weeks, then on Valentines day ( of all days ) i'm off to Hong Kong for two weeks, then sometime around the first part of March it's back to Australia for 12 weeks.
__________________
2005 GT Premium,torch red, all available factory options.
Performance mods: Lets just say it's not stock.
Some people are like Slinkies. They're really good for nothing. But they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.
That car keeps getting faster and faster everytime Don posts up some new vid's. Shows what a little practice can do. Personal favorite is still the one where the Ford GT gets a spankin. How many runs since the rebuild now approx. Don?
That car keeps getting faster and faster everytime Don posts up some new vid's. Shows what a little practice can do. Personal favorite is still the one where the Ford GT gets a spankin. How many runs since the rebuild now approx. Don?
Practice is good, but can only take you so far. Having good air and track conditions is the key... but you can't control that. We went last night, and the air wasn't as good, so no new personal bests. But we still had a blast. Vids will be posted later.
And since the rebuild, I have 7000 miles and 208 runs on the car.
p.s. BTW, the Ford GT vids are a favorite of mine as well.
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2005 Sonic Blue, a.k.a. "BAD 05 GT", Auto Trans (and damn proud of it!) Best 1/8 mi: 6.691 @ 103.04, DA= 1,166' (2-19-09) Best 1/4 mi: 10.37 @ 132.98 (3-14-08)
Kenne Bell 2.8L SC, Boss 5.0 Block w/Cobra crank, Diamond Pistons, Scat Rods, Livernois P&P Heads - Check out my Homepage for Full Mod List and Videos
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigwilly43729
HP numbers are good and all, but they are like asking someone how much they can bench. What difference does it make if I can still kick your a$$?
Results from the track 
Any problem keeping the tires heated up? You have some great videos and times.
