future build questions

[noslin]

Hello,

im planning on building a 225" FED to run NE1 but want the gear stout enough for 7.0 pro if we decide to go down that road.   i have owned old air cooled Volkswagens my whole life and am tired of dumping money into my current car.   (its best is 8.67 @ 162).   ive done a lot of the work myself but with knowledge from others. ive done all the tin work in it, plumbing, wiring, misc fab, etc.   current ecu is Motec and have messed with AEM, and Electromotive.  so, i can tell you how to build a vw if you want to go fast but to build a FED i could not.

right now im in the mental accumulation stage of the project.  plan on using a power glide, 9" etc.  questions i have are the following. 

• what gear ratio first/second in the PG do you run.   i take it second is 1:1? .
• what size rear rim and tire diameter and width.  also, what bolt pattern is common?   a buddy told me he runs 5x5?
• can i  get away with stock third member or should i get alum one
• what spline axles
• what rear gear ratio is most common?
• what is better for shifter, i seen the Neal & Parks setup and it looks nice or use a standard shifter with solenoid for shifting
• do you need to run a drysump setup ?   we run one in our cars and it made huge difference.

plan is, im building the car and my buddy (who is going for the n/a n20 vw record in door car) will build the motor.  plans are to run 632 so we can step up to 7.0 pro maybe down the road.  it will be a MFI setup.   what i want to do is start gathering parts now and then when i get hte chassis built ill have everything to put it together less some misc fab, wiring, etc. 

me and my buddies have been going ot march meet the last few years and are hooked.  heads up vw racing just plain cost to much money.  so, im tired of rebuilding all the time due to weak parts and cost of maintenance when pushing it.  we really dig the nostolgia racing and are looking forward to being able to attend a few races. 

as mentioned, i know vw's but no so much what parts are needed for this type of racing.   

thank you
Dean

[fuel749]

Hello,

 

• what gear ratio first/second in the PG do you run.   i take it second is 1:1? .
• what size rear rim and tire diameter and width.  also, what bolt pattern is common?   a buddy told me he runs 5x5?
• can i  get away with stock third member or should i get alum one
• what spline axles
• what rear gear ratio is most common?
• what is better for shifter, i seen the Neal & Parks setup and it looks nice or use a standard shifter with solenoid for shifting
• do you need to run a drysump setup ?   we run one in our cars and it made huge difference.

thank you
Dean

High gear on a PG is 1:1. Your low gear choice depends on actual power level. A lot of guys with plenty of power run 1.69 low gear. Real good idea to run an aftermarket case and internals at the power level you're talking.

Hayden Enterprises, who also posts on here, probably has just the tire you're looking for. I'm sure he'll be along to fill you in on sizes. Bolt patterns can be all over the place. It'd be nice to think everybody had the same so you could borrow tires and wheels but it's not usually the case.

An aftermarket third member is a great idea. Which leads to axle spline:

I'd run 35 spline minimum and stepping up to 40 has the added benefit of stiffening the whole housing. Not to mention the fact that you'll probably never break one.

Gear ratio is another one of those things that needs to be matched to your intended RPM operating range, which goes with tire height and cam selection.

Shifter selection will come down to preference. The N&P piece is nice but eliminates park. Thats not really a bad thing because it has the added benefit of taking some rotating weight out of the trans. Precision shifters are thin and easy to put in the upper frame rail area of the car. Some people convert quarter stick or other type shifters to a push style like the N&P. Solenoids may not be legal depending on where you race.

Dry sump isn't needed but you seem to know the benefits of having one so that's kind of up to you.

The one thing you didn't mention but is equally important is converter selection. Some people cheap out because they buy it near the end of the build or for whatever reason. Have one built by a well known manufacturer using your cam, gear ratio, tire size, weight, etc. It'll be well worth it.

[dreracecar]

Ran NE1 since the beginning and been running 7-0 since the beginning also
Call me  310-768-3163  too much info to type
but let me say this----- Do not Over build the engine, build it to just a little quicker then the index, it will be more tuner friendly then trying to de-tune something that kills the index.

[tcoupekyle]

NE1 and 7.00 are goals for me for the future. Staying tuned for comments on this.

[noslin]

Ran NE1 since the beginning and been running 7-0 since the beginning also
Call me  310-768-3163  too much info to type
but let me say this----- Do not Over build the engine, build it to just a little quicker then the index, it will be more tuner friendly then trying to de-tune something that kills the index.

when would be a good time to call.  evenings are good for me or weekend.

for the engine, we were thinking a n/a 632.  just off the top of our head we figure it shouldn't be to hard to make 1.5hp/cube with decent set of heads.  also, im guessing race weight w/driver would be about 1600lbs.   should take about 1100 hp to be safe.  dont really care to run a smaller motor and have to deal with power adder or nitro (if its legal).   ill get him to thinking about parts etc.
 

The one thing you didn't mention but is equally important is converter selection. Some people cheap out because they buy it near the end of the build or for whatever reason. Have one built by a well known manufacturer using your cam, gear ratio, tire size, weight, etc. It'll be well worth it.

thank you for bringin this up.  for torque converter, locally we have specrite converters but ill get from whomever.   

Shifter selection will come down to preference. The N&P piece is nice but eliminates park. Thats not really a bad thing because it has the added benefit of taking some rotating weight out of the trans. Precision shifters are thin and easy to put in the upper frame rail area of the car. Some people convert quarter stick or other type shifters to a push style like the N&P. Solenoids may not be legal depending on where you race.

not sure what is eliminated in the trans but ill read up on it.   is a reverse lock-out needed then for these types of cars?  also, if no park would that be part of a reverse lock-out?

on the trans, just in looking at parts. looks like you can build a reall stout one seeing how some pro mods, 10.5's cars etc run them too.  just looking at parts, i was looking at input shafts.  you have vasco, 300 m, turbo spline, billet steel, etc.   then clutch packs.. six, eight, 10..  then i see valve body's.   high pressure vs pro tree.   i guess affects how fast it operates? (this was off Mikes Transmission site) what price range would be a ball park for spending on a glide for NE1/7.0 pro? 

ty
dean

[dreracecar]

Im here from 8 to 6 and on Sat till 5

  Ran 6.90's w/ 375 sbc and a blower  1640# nothing special

  you only need about  800 hp for a 1600# to run  NE1 consistantly and with that, minor tuneing and adding (or taking away) weight hit you dead on the index. trying to pull 300 hp away from the engine , you lose consistancy and the motor is not happy and trying to wheel race is a 50/50 loser

  Simple 454 (plus overbore if needed) 14 to 1, decent alu heads, tunnel ram injec. and a MagIII is plenty. Then I would change pistons to 10.5cr, go to Alu rods and add a 6-71 blower and you are at 7.0

  As a new guy --- dont try and overthink things, other racers seem to complicate matters but if you look at the ones that run good and consistant winners are the simple ones

[wideopen231]

Not near experiance of Bruce ,but have to agree build for .1 to .2 below index and tune from there. Enigne will be happies and most predictable when its run at or near full power. One would think backing a mkotor down is easy but it came be almost as hard as trying to get extra cpl tenths.

[masracingtd1167]

If you are building a 632 for it you should have no problems running 7.0 as long as you use a good pair of heads . A lot of the guys here in D1 are running that sr20 head with single 4 barrel carbs and running 6.90's with cars that weigh 1900 lbs . If you are mechanical and it sounds like you are you can save some money and do your own trans . TSR racing has a great book for building your own trans . Best of luck with your build and keep us posted with your progress.

[wideopen231]

If doing your own trans you can save a ton doing some shopping.Examples I bought a coan etreme duty planetary set 1500 new,cost 600,aluminum pump new 800 cost 350 and I shopped piece from each trans dealer.Saved 20 here 30 there and to my calculations I am about 1700 to the good with some really stout parts.Agree buy the TSR book its like powerglide bible.

[noslin]

If you are building a 632 for it you should have no problems running 7.0 as long as you use a good pair of heads . A lot of the guys here in D1 are running that sr20 head with single 4 barrel carbs and running 6.90's with cars that weigh 1900 lbs . If you are mechanical and it sounds like you are you can save some money and do your own trans . TSR racing has a great book for building your own trans . Best of luck with your build and keep us posted with your progress.

If doing your own trans you can save a ton doing some shopping.Examples I bought a coan etreme duty planetary set 1500 new,cost 600,aluminum pump new 800 cost 350 and I shopped piece from each trans dealer.Saved 20 here 30 there and to my calculations I am about 1700 to the good with some really stout parts.Agree buy the TSR book its like powerglide bible.

awesome info, that is what i would like to do,   ill order up the book and i can collect parts over the next year.  i/we are going to do everything we can by ourselves.  done it with the vw's so wont be a prob on this i dont think.   ill buy a typical chassis setup with steering, front end, rear housing, etc. and then go from there.

appreciate the help

ty
dean