First run...

[SaltandPepper]

Well made my first run tonight.....and my only run. Did an 11.94 which I am happy with since I never ran a FED before. My first run was not without it's problems though. As I went to tune the engine last night I noted my fuel regulator went south and was allowing the fuel to push past the needles. I went out this morn and bought a new one and dialed it in at 5lbs. The engine ran great but at the track I overheated like a big dog. by the time I got to the line I was at 190 and on the return I was steaming. I have a feeling this thing sat for a while. I guess my first thing will be to put a new thermostat in it but I wonder what the deal was. once I got it back to the trailer I was able to allow the water pump and fan to run and it did cool it down. Could the radiator be stopped up enough from sitting to let it overheat on a run? Any ideas on this would be appreciated.

[dusterdave173]

Drag cars do not use thermostats  take it out and toss it
*******make sure you had it filled no air pockets--with lay down radiator that was most likely your issue******
You need lots of initial timing to run and idle cool  you need it with big cams anyway so you should be 15 min and maybe 20 degrees BTDC at idle and then make sure your mechanical advance is limited and only adds enough at RPM to achieve your desired total timing usually around 36-38 degrees  so what kind of distributor do you have and I can tell you how to fix it
You could have carb too lean but I seriously doubt that

Bet it was guess #1 but hey--you made it and did not hurt yourself or anyone else
You are on your way to Fun!!!   Congrats

[SaltandPepper]

Dave, I have a MSD, how old I do not know....I included a pic. I had to drain the radiator due to a leak....there is a hole on the top that I assume is for a temp gauge that the fella had the wrong size plug in. I ordered the correct plug, which was a special thread from the place the radiator came from and refilled it. I assume I would have to let it run a number of times and keep checking and adding water till it gets the air out? Dave I would be appreciative of and advice you could give me.

[Roger]

Do you have a picture of your radiator, plumbing and water pump? I agree with Dave, check your ignition timing. Too little and it will run hot. No thermostat, let the water flow freely and control the temperature with the on-off switch. If you fill slowly with the outlet side of the radiator tilted slightly up if space allows, you can get the air out of the radiator. I run a radiator with gas and haven't had a problem with cooling, made 8 passes with it a couple of weekends ago and it never went above 205*.

[SaltandPepper]

Well obviously we still have some work to do. I checked the timing and it was on the mark the previous owner had but that means beans I guess. From the residue I obviously sill have a little antifreeze in it even though I drained it and replaced it with water. I knew this would be a project so I will just take my time. That silver plug on the top still leaks a bit...not bad but I hate leaks. I got to look on the positive side though....the tranny shifted fine and I have no more leaks from it since I replaced the shifter shaft and pan gasket, car ran straight as an arrow. I feel I have joined a good forum and thank all who are giving me advice. This winter I think I will have to dump some $$$ into it to upgrade the systems. The fuel regulator I replaced was a Barry Grant which I was told the company went OOB a while back. For this summer I will just concentrate on getting the bus ironed out. Below are some pics of the water system.

[dusterdave173]

betting $100 you had air in system

Fire up engine --get timing light blinking and just look--does it idle at one setting the advance as you raise RPM to about 3000 or so? If so it is not locked out--if raising RPM does not move timing it is locked out --at any rate--if locked out you can set timing at idle--set it on 38 degrees BTDC   If not locked out raise RPM ( with light blinking away) and when it quits advancing it means all mechanical advance is "in" so hold at that rpm and set it to 38 degrees BTDC  I guess you have a damper that is degree'd meaning it has numbers marked on it before TDC


Then see what it idels at--you must have at least 15 degrees at idle hopefully 18-20 or it will run hot
Will not take 2 minutes to check and report then I can tell you what to do next  we can fix it easy as pie
and

Lower that wheelie bar to about 2 3/4 inch off the ground with you in the car and tire pressure set  too high and when it does run you will be looking at the sky

This will take a few trips to the track but hang in there we will get you zooming in no time

[SaltandPepper]

Dave...you are a god send. I am going to the shore for a week then I will be back on it...I attempted to move the distributer to adjust the timing and as I turned it the timing mark did not move...so it is locked out?...how in the world do you unlock it? As soon as I get back from the beach I will start to work on it again.

[Roger]

From the photos it appears you have a VW Scirocco style radiator. They original style usually came a single row of cooling tubes and they all came with 180* flow, which was more restrictive than standard flow. Both the inlet and outlet to the radiator are on the same side of the tank they are attached to and the tank is divided in to 2 separate sections internally. Water flows into one side and through half the cooling tubes then has to flow into the other open header tank on the other end and make a 180* turn to flow back to the outlet. Small tube and restricted flow results, but I think your system will still work. You have a filler/upper hose attachment on the manifold very similar to mine. I've found that if I fill the cooling system until the water just starts to run into the upper hose and no more at rest, the car cools well and it doesn't puke any water. Having some air space in the filler/hose attachment is necessary for expansion. With the engine cold and not running, you should be able to remove the radiator fill cap and watch the water being pumped into the radiator if all is working well. On last thing I might suggest, don't pull out of the stating lanes unless the car is at 140* or less. I've found that running my pump from the staging lanes until I'm back in my pit helps, I gain about 50* of temp in the run process and the radiator fan is turned on as soon as I make the turn-around. Glad everything else appears to be working on the car, looks like you're on the right track:)

[dusterdave173]

Check and see if is a crank trigger--does it have a pick up at the damper?  hey just get with me when you get back from vacation and call me 704 244 6649 we can go over a few things and get you rolling 
we are ALL on your side and will do our best   we have been there brother believe me

[opa1]

Great to see it running. I Hope to have mine running before summer.

[SaltandPepper]

Roger, you are spot on with what Allied told me when I called them to order the plug. They did not go into as much detail as you but now I understand how the radiator could have air into it. On outboard engines you have to fill the lower gear cases from the bottom up with a pump so as not to get air pockets in the case. I wonder if the same principle could be applied to this system if I slowly filled it threw that plug hole with a hose or gravity fed water tank? Is there a better radiator that I could purchase that would accommodate the needs of this engine better? I purchased this vehicle at a fantastic price knowing that upgrades would probably be needed so if I have to put out a bit of coin to bring it up to speed I am willing to do so.

Dave....YES it does have a crank trigger and I have your number on speed dial, lol. I will give you a call when I get back from the shore. This will give me some time to get my questions in order and again, thank you so much.

This week my wife Sheron put her foot down and said she wanted to go fishing and crabbing so when she says that....I listen. She has been so supportive of all my projects. She and I just finished building a 100x50 mechanics and paint shop (private use only) and when I asked her if I could get money out of the bank and go to Texas to buy this FED, she asked why I was not on the road yet. A better women I could not have. When I crossed that finish line on my first run at 115mph I think she was just as excited as I was. One things is for sure....we liked the feeling, the accomplishment, the challenge. At a 11.9 we figure the only way to go is faster and we are going to stick to the plan.

[dusterdave173]

well moving the distributor just screwed up rotor phasing LOL but hey easy to fix  eat some crabs and get back on it

[421Altered]

I have the exact same radiator on my Enderle hat injected 421 sbc altered.  I agree with the other posters, you most likely have air pockets.  When I fill my radiator, I actually raise the rear of the car up about a foot to help it purge the air out of the system while I run the electric water pump.  Then after a while I let it down and keep running the pump.  All told, I usually run the pump about 20-30 minutes to get all the air out.  Even then, after the first time at the track after several heat cycles, and after it has cooled completely down overnite, I have to add a small amount so that the water level is about 1-2 inches below the radiator cap.  This radiator works well for me in my altered which I bracket race and drive from pits to track and back to pits.  Only thing that I don't like about it is I have not figured a way to convert from a rubber radiator hose to braided hose.  But hey, rubber hoses work for thousands and thousands of miles in street cars don't they?

[Roger]

421's suggestion to raise the back of the car then your idea to fill it from the plug in the front header tank sounds like it will work. It's amazing what you can come up with for ideas when you put a few minds together, that's what is nice about this forum. Just put a shutoff valve on the tank opening and a valve on the filler hose, it will be a little slow in filling but you shouldn't have any air in the system either. Just like your outboard lower gear case filling deal. See if it works for you then maybe decide to do an upgrade if necessary.
Now while I'm here I've got to ask you: does your wife have an unmarried sister by any chance that also approves of spending money out of the bank account on racecars??? If so, please reply by private message.   lol

[jeff/21]

On sbc intake had a petcock instead of a plug in the rear of the intake to bleed the system. as for the fuel system  had the regulator installed in a return line and adjusted to 8 PSI and timing varied between 36* and 40* all in by 3000 rpm on race gas we went as low as 32* depending on what heads we we trying it also had a filled block up to 1/2 way in the water pump ports 8" converter staged at 4000 rpm.
you have to try things to find what works for you. but you only make one change and record it and the results.after a half a dozen runs you will be comfortable then you have to get a routine down, how you do your burn-outs what temp and rpm you stage at. one size does fit all
ENJOY!