I am probably most guilty of it as there is. I blame my love of analyzing every piece of mechanical anything I have ever came across.That I blame on love of making the car faster and analyzing everything that might possibly make that happen.
Hell got to blame something.

I know or should I say hope lots of others do the same. The only real downside is I tend to do it with ideas for business or trying something. I look at what it would cost,how feasible it is to make a profit. How many others would see it as a need to have? Other factors seem to tell me it is stupid to do. Next thing I know I see someone doing something similar and getting rich as hell. Then the wealth of some nonintelligent folks has amzed me for years.

Flipside. I will do the same thing on race car and say f--ck it let's give it a shot. Some have bitten me in the butt and a few have worked great and even had others start doing same after we made it work. Heck new parts only cost money and you might learn something new from trying it has always been my justification for trying new stuff. Just need to use the same thought path on money making ideas I guess.

How many runs have you made on your car?

I am probably at the opposite end of the spectrum. If it ain't broke, I don't fix it. I already have plenty of broken things to fix. Take care. Tom Worthington

quote:

Originally posted by Yellow Ticket:
How many runs have you made on your car?

H\

Have maybe 15 hits past two years. The A/Fuel team takes lot of my time. Not bad thing as I love that type of racing and tuning. Stupid **** has kept me from making any real laps. Either braks going away right before first hi,weather on available day or the drive system for fuel pump and vacuum pump throwing the pullet twice at track. After maybe 10 fire ups at house.

Figured something keeping me from being able to make pass this year. The steering box had been acting stupid. So new Rack and pinion on car now and old one with drag link is out.Save 3 lbs and oly 600 bucks.Not LOL.A new gear driven tri-drive for the mag,fuel oump and vacuum pump. You know how it goes one lil change requires 6 other things to change some. Did find cpl things that need attention so not all bad. Hopefully first of month, Piedmont has T-N-T Thursday, bracket race Friday and Saturday. So three days of hitting it. If rest of my damn parts get here.

There is something called paralysis by analysis. If messing with the car is the part that you love, then terrific. If you would prefer to drive the car, and well, even compete with it.....then you ought to consider changing your way of thinking. Trust me, as a guy with two turbo bracket dragsters....I get it. But I don't want all those ideas to fester in the shop.

Overthinking car not part of the reason for lack of runs/ Family matters with older members. Working on the A/fuel deal.Lack of cash flow not a minor issue. The stupid shyt happening at least half dozen times to prevent from running.Hell three at the track.

As for love of working and fabricating new stuff, that has always been the best part. Racing it proves if its works and winning just means your **** all worked right/ Hell main reason for building a race car is something to work on.Thats why I never understood guys having a car and not wanting to work on it.

A prime example of thinking about one thing and finding something else that needs attention. I was thinking about the air entering intake plenum and how it was sharp turn down to number 1 and 2. Pullued it to give it 5 angle job for beeter flow. I Noticed that the nozzle holder was riding high in the runner. The discharges was about 1/4" higher than would like.A hour od recutting and threading the holder had it down where it needed to be. The injector inner flange grinding took about hour and half. Looking it has to help 1&2 get more air, so worth the trouble all the way around.

The whole rack and pinion changeover,new gear driven tri-drive for making,fuel pump and vacuum pump had only cost me one weekend at track and the weather semi sucked then. Plus feel a lot better about the steering thing.LOL

quote:

Originally posted by Yellow Ticket:
How many runs have you made on your car?

Wondering why you ask?

Some people just have cars and work on them pretty much endlessly and rarely if ever race if at all...

I work with a guy who does exactly this and has a Top Sportsman type '63 Corvette

In the 15 or so years he's worked here I think he maybe raced the car 2 times and once was to get a license

He's had at least 2 engines in it, maybe 3 and it now has a blown engine in it and he says he wants to run Pro Mod.....3 second 1/8 mile times...

"paralysis by analysis" describes him perfectly.....

Not the first guy I ever knew that had a car and never raced it.....

Whatever floats your boat.....

Well said Rich..Can you check your PM's..sent you an Onan S.O.S. last night..Saw you on line this morning...Thanks

quote:

Originally posted by S/S Dart:
Well said Rich..Can you check your PM's..sent you an Onan S.O.S. last night..Saw you on line this morning...Thanks

I got it.....check your messages....

Two things and you really need to be doing both. You need to get that car to run exact number you think it will and to do that you need to:


1. Do what you can to make car consistent. Things like control water temperature, transmission temperature, air pressure etc, RPM shift points, etc.

2. You take notes and use all data you can to learn to compensate for those changes in weather or car. That comes down to seat time and notes, lots of seat time.

Control the things you can and compensate for the things you can not. Limiting the variables and know how much the ones you can not change will effect you. Many cars are different so you need to know what your car does as it changes.

Also if you make major changes to your combination then you are starting from scratch on your data and notes. I am guilty of that right now because I am setting up and driving several different cars and we have changed combinations several times on each.

Once I get all these cars dialed in I will only make minor changes and some fine tuning and run cr@p out of them to get good data. One day on dyno can save you months of tuning at track and thousands of dollars and help you win more rounds.

Personally I think you are making it harder on yourself running a dry block. I run water with a small radiator so I can control the engine temperature. That makes a big difference in ET. It has been a very long time since I tried it but if I remember right my old car was about .15 faster when water temp was 180* than it was at 140*. Ran even faster at 200* but I do not like to run it that hot. When I first start it up I lean it out and get plenty of heat in the motor and radiator then use that to keep it in the temp range I want. So I am not only using water to cool it but to keep it warm to make car consistent.

You also have the problem or challenge that few others have and that is the Front engine dragster. Those are very critical on weight distribution, tire choices, air pressure and chassis flex. If you had a generic rear engine four link dragster with same motor and paint job as everyone else then you could get help from them. There is so much differences between all of the front engine dragsters, none are the same or react the same so you have to figure it out on your own and it is not easy.

I had to go through 5 different tire combinations, moved weight around a lot and add bars to stiffen chassis before I got it really working well on mine. I had to make major chassis changes moved motor angle and location. Seat time and data. Much harder to make a Front Engine Dragster work good but nothing like driving one.

I spent a lot of time and money on Dyno, testing and tuning, tires and chassis work but I was able to make it work and win a lot of races and a few Championships with the Front Engine Dragster.

quote:

Originally posted by imakehp:

quote:

Originally posted by Yellow Ticket:
How many runs have you made on your car?

Wondering why you ask?

I ran a FED for several years. I have some info, and I can give some insight, but I didn't know what baseline amount of runs is there to work with.

Thanks for replys guys. All of questions about FED are cool and all. The post was more for other things in life like business and pulling the trigger on ideas in that area. I have habit of seeing why iot will not work and make good money as well as coming up with idea then analyze3 the hell out of it and think that stupid never make any real money. Next thing I know year or so later someone who never saw down side is making a killing at it.

Liike I said or think I did.Lot of very late nights past week. Working to get car ready for next outting,end of moth hopefully. Not only do hangovers last longer ,late nights add up quicker than they use to.LMOAO
Have some welding to do on rack and pinion.One more piece for tri drive. Run new plug wires with new mag location. One fitting for fuel line. Then fire her up and barring anything else stupid happening run time.

Will post some pics of new tri drive and rack and pinion by end of week. Good at working til 3AM suck at taking pics of it during or after finished.

To all concerned about fed runs. If you could drop a foot of both 5/8 x .058 or .049 and sam in 1/2 od by house tonight would save me butt load of time. Machining 8 adapters to go from 3/4 od to .5 od and then drilling out and installing in tubing PIA. LOL Hey got to try.

Rereading Curly1 post. Actually, consistent nonbreaking is what I am working on. So far most consistent thing has been stupid shyt happening when going to track. Nothing breaks at home.LOL

A car with a broken fuel pump drive will never make a run. So I built what should be a strong as hell over complicated machining piece.

Controlling what you can and making other work is exactly what I do about temp. I know everyone syas have to run water for temp. May be they are right. we only have had 5 or 6 injected combos that where dry blocks and most would print tickets. My old Nova duplicated to thou for 2 or 4 runs multiple times. Why not big winner the driver was not as consistent. Not sure but everyone else but back then(1986) I never staged dead on spot, never had an automatic shifter and never hears of two step till about 3 years later.

Far from new to bracket racing just a while since driving a bracket car.Lots of working on other stuff.Ton if helping lil brother run his stuff.

I haven't really followed the progress very closely, but I seem to feel this car has been a long time coming.

I'd say most of the parts you're making are readily available,.. Somewhere. Shouldn't really matter much if its a FED or RED or Altered, all the motor parts should be possible to find. I'm sure there are several FB groups that would offer parts for sale, and I understand some people don't use FB, but you're not going to find race car parts in the newspaper classifieds any more. I've built things to save money, but once I added up my time, I was better off just buying it. I know there is pride in creating your own stuff, but I'd rather race.

I've ran a dry block, but it was 7.50 1/4 index racing with a schedule and plenty of cool down time, still hated it.. Waiting for the pair in front to get off the track, waiting for the 12 crew members on the car next to you to set wheelie bars, take a vape hit, show the driver where the beams are (stupid) etc all while you're punishing the headgasket between the cylinders.

Very long time coming. Making parts has nothing to do with that. Yes most of parts I make you can buy.If you have the money or they are available. The dual drive simular to what I build had been not available for over a year now. Plus I can either fabricate stuff and work on car all night or watch the TV.
find me a starter mount for a TFX which has zero provisions for a starter.
A sheet metal intake or tunnel ram that works with BAE original style heads. Ok for uner 1500 bucks and up. Much less one for the 120 bucks I have in mine. No that is not coun ting welding hours.
Agree most parts will work fed or RED with a few exceptions. Lot less work with my engine combo.Yes a BBC would be bolt in and bolt on. I did not have two BBCs sitting here with all really good parts.TFX Hemis I had two of.One brand new stuff in it the other had less than 10 runs except the block that had been windowed and repaired. Hell I hate the idea of running the new parts. Feel like I am degrading them to put in low-hp barcket engine combo.

Yes I should have had it out more a lot sooner. Then family issues shouldn't take so much one's time. Then like most families, most of it lands in one person's responsibility.

As stated we have run dry block deals for years and never had issue. Understand lots disagree.

While off the thread as most things on this site I felt it rlated to what some have seen to be related and I am fine with that. It is all good and good conversation,unlike some of the crap here.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: wideopen231,