A MAN AND HIS TOY
IN THE BEGINNING
www.luskvilledragway.com. visit Luskvilles website
Update, Engine is now running and revs and idles nicely. Steering is hooked up and working. Little by little we are getting there!
http://www.dropshots.com/day.php?userid=196948&cdate=20061016&ctime=174053
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The construction begins. First time on its wheels
Motor installed
body panels mocked up in cardboard
Rear hoops installed
Trial fit of roll bar hoop. Scary, isnt it. Bar must give suffucient room while being safe because we are SENIORS and not as flexible as we once were so entry and exit is more of a problem
So I called my test pilot and friend Gary Wager. Gary just purchased a Rear Engine Dragster (aka glorified go kart) and he has an eye for this kind of thing so I knew he could sort it out. We started over with rule book in one hand and a tape measure in the other. By noon (pre two Hot Turkey Sandwiches) we had a suitable bar tacked together and need to get two rear bars bent to finish the bar.
Today I began weighing the car. As best I can figure with my limited scales it weighs about 1224 pounds. My design weight with me in it (300#) is 1750# so I think we are right on track since there is only minor stuff left to install.
My test pilot G Wager gave me the "your gonna need a new helmet or a full face goggles and gas mask" speech. After fitting the rear bars (all bent for me courtesy of VEGA BOB of Bobs Performance Belleville Ontario) I dug out my gas mask and had Linda take a photo for GWs benifit. Just so you know I listen!
Short isn't it! Rollbar is coming along fine. Steering wheel and brackets next
Unable to find what I wanted and inspired in the night how to do it I set out today to make my own steering wheel.The centre is what I wanted and I am playing with wheel size making carboard ones till I get it right. You have heard of Grant Wheels? Well, this is a "Grunt" Wheel.( AKA Handmade)
My first paint job and my wifes trial fit of Upholstery material is below
more
http://www.dropshots.com/Dolmetsch#date/2008-07-05/23:25:18
TEST DRIVE VIDEO ^
AND IT EVEN DOES GO IN THE BACK OF MY TRUCK JUST FINE. I LOADED AND UNLOADED IT TWICE ALONE JUST TO BE SURE
http://www.dropshots.com/GaryKWager
FINALLY I RUN THE DRAGSTER.
On sat night at Shannonville Motorsports Park I debuted the Senior Dragster. I was welcomed by track manager Jim Parkhurst. My friends Bob Gauley, Mike Sietsma , Bob Bosma and Gary Wager showed up to help. Bob G helped me stage. Mike Sietsma looked after the tech details . They pushed me up through the staging lanes. I tried the car for a quick trial on the long return road and was shocked when it broke the tires loose at about 3000RPM.. I made a few boo-boos as well. I had topped up the cooling system but not emptied the overflow so when the engine ran for a bit too long it pushed some of the extra water out onto the track. The starter was angry but Bob G got him calmed down and motioned me back to the side where he and Mike S emptied the can. I ran the next car up. G Wager told me leave on the second amber because he knew how bad I am on the tree. I did but for once in my life I left good so i red lit but who cares? I was shaking down a brand new car and not thinking about racing. The slant six surprised me in several ways. First lt likes being hot (My 426 Hem was like that too) I staged and held the handbrake tight. It seemed like forever but the engine liked it. I did no burnout but just staged and waited. When I left I was shocked at how hard it pulled. At about the 60ft mark or where they had stopped the sticky spraying it smoked the tires. Gary W caught it on video with his camera . Maybe because the batteries were almost failed or something but it is clearly visable on his clip. Bob B also took video with my camera but we were running into the sun so it is a bit hard to see. I need to rework it I left it in drive with my not yet patented shift controller setting the shift points. I slid about a bit when it shifted but not bad. I forgot where the 1/8th was so ran it out the back door. Before the traps my helmut rose up off my head about an inch or so tugging at the chin strap. I should have tightened it more. My sunglasses blew up under the helmut so the wind was hitting my eyes. I squinted and kept it going. I could hardly see but didnt care. I braked hard when I crossed the 1/4 milemarker.Iit stopped easily although there was a bit if tire smoke. I drove down the return road but it was no getting too hot. I shut it off and let it coast for a minute. About 100 yards from my pit I refired and popped it in gear for a second and made it the rest of the way easily. I will have to either tow back or rework rad system I guess. My time which Gary W had already picked up was 8.43 at 81.76 in the eighth. More than i had hoped for on a shackdown no burnout run. There was a lot of wheelspin. i didnt think there would be any. The power surprises me. It pulls real hard (I said REAL HARD!) mid range and spins the tires at that point. Must be the manifold/carb headers sweet spot. I will check it over now and see what we can do about the overflow and cooling. I also noticed as i got out of the car the one tire now had cracks in the face that i could see. I decided that I had had a good, fun, tire blistering, first pass. I had broken nothing and had had a ball. I loaded it , sat around for a bit with my friends then headed for home with a contented smile. The carb set up while diffficult to get where we now are is awesome powerwise. It feels like a big block it pulls so viciously at about 3000. I dont know what it will run but we will find out. In the meantime my experiment has proved to be a resounding success.
Thank you all who helped me. DonD
The Induction set up
While the 6 carb set up worked fine with a mild street cam after I installed a custom made race cam the engine needed an accel pump shot on intial launch . There was simply no way to do that with these carbs and try as I might I was unable to make them work satisfactorily with the new cam. Finally afer several different settings, fuel pumps , regulators, etc I swallowed hard and removed the set up as an assembly. Realizing my goal had been achved I had to be grateful for the sucess i had had and move on. I had an Offy 4 bbl intake in the shop and set about to bring it up to my liking.
Here it is installed.
The Offy intake always had some problems. The biggest one was that the carb was installed sideways and at low speed the front 4 cylinders received prety good distribution but the back 2 had to fend on their own except at Wide open throttle. In the past I cured this on mild engnes by opening up the carb plate and installing a 2 barrel to 4 bbl adapter upside down , then usied a Holley 500 2 bbl. That would not be enough carb for this motor so i took a different approach. I removed the stock Offy carb plate and took a 1 inch 4 hole spacer. I redrilled it to set the carb parallel to the engine and with a bit of grinding and trimming made it all smooth. I used an Edelborock carb I had already been experimenting with as you can see in the photos. I placed it with the primaries to the outside. A few hours playing with jetting , metering rods and the associated springs I got it almost perfect. It needed a bit more but not a whole step so I drilled and burnished the jets with a number drill. It appears to be bang on now. It starts runs idles and goes like stink.
THE ROAD TEST
One day not long ago Alky Dragster pilot Bob Gualey stopped by to pick up something from my shop. We had to move one of my cars out and he choose the dragster. I turned on the power for him and before I knew it he was out the driveway and on the asphault giving the new setup a shakedown pass up to a parking lot about a 1/8th mile away. It ran pefectly. On the return pass he staged and launched it . It went sideways for a few feet then straightened out. Bob says the front wheels were dancing in the air. It was too far away for me to see. Anyway. Despite my shock at this impromptu road test I was thrilled to watch it run and to hear it singing a smooth sweet song. Apparently it works perfectly.
NEW GOALS
I am now interested in what I can make this little car run. At 1400 lbs if I can make an honest 300 HP the thought is scary even with a 200 lb driver's weight added. Even at the conservative 250 HP it should be good. I know it wont be easy and it will be a step by step process but that is what I find interesting.
After a few fun years of running this car i decided it was time to improve the launch. The car was built with a Mopar econo converter seeing as how the trans was the lockup style the converter was rated at 175K in the Mopar rating whatever that is supposed t mean. It was the highest value in a lock up they sell. I opted to convert the trans to a non lockup. and got a shaft from my friend Don Golka. I then phoned the number one torque converter manufacturer in the owrld. Frank Lupos Dynamic Converters. I have used them before. There is non better and they always beat the competitions and not by a wee bit either. Frank recommened an 8 inch and Sean his phone guy set up the deal.I am always a bit nervous when making changes but i knew this one would be good. I staged thecar at the Flatout Weekend in Shannonville after a shakedown pass to make sure everything was working and a check over for leaks and errors. Luckily all was well. Bob Beazer who used to do the rain Dances for NHRA at the Nationals was there in his Indian outfit andflagged me off. I noticed immediately on releasing the brake we were airborn. I could feel the front wheels lift off the ground. I stayed in it and it settled back down gently in a few feet. MMMMMM that was interesting. I hadnt expect that. By the end of the day i was used to it and gave it everyhing on launch. It would lift 4 inches or more and carry them more than one car length in distance. It felt good. The trans which i leave in drive was shifting about 4200 to 4500. I find I am to busy to read the tach so i just eave it in drive. here are some videos of the first wheelie and the third. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RrGDPXOQtI
I came home a different man. my little car went from being a hot cruise down the track to feeling like a definate race car. The following monday i began going over it.The headers were reworked to give all the same length. The carb was overhauled and fattened up as the plugs were snow white and it was obviously on the lean side. The secondary air valve was ligtened a bit to speed up secondary opening. (I may regret that but that is how you learn .( by trying not talking.) I put a full kit in another valve body and installed it in the car. I am hoping to raise the shift points into the higher end of the power band as well as I would like some gains of some sort from the quicker shifting valve body. I have two other tricks up my sleeve but they require gold which i have none spare right now. When it become possible i will do them. Within a run or so the ethaddropped .44 seconds adn there is every reason to believe more is on the way. thee work I ddi this week will help too I hope. We shall see.
As of Oct 9 2010 the car is now perfoming very strong. Solid 7.60s in the 1/8 mile. Short times are alos on the 1.60s. My gal is for 1.52 short times with this engine set up. I am getting closer. Next mods will be revamping the headers and a bit more compression. I also have to add wheelie bars as on the last pass of the year I wheelied so hard the rear frame section smacked the ground. It was so hard it hurt.
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