Drag Racing Discussions > Front Engine Dragsters

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Curly1:
If it overheated real bad I hope it did not blow a head gasket. And I did have an air pocket in mine once and lost a head gasket. Now I fill it with water and leave pump running for 30 minutes or more. Sometimes I jack up the front of the car to help get the air out of my heads, the radiator is low so I think it is okay. Put a charger on it and let it run and keep topping it off until full.  Those little Moroso sewing machine type water pump motors work but they do not move much water so when everything is good no problem but they are marginal and if you have any other issue it makes it worse. With it sitting that long I think you are going to have all kinds of carb problems, trash in the fuel lines. If it was me I would replace every fuel line because they start to come apart putting trash in the jets and or get brittle and will leak which can cause a much larger problem like fire. I would also replace the floats in the carb for same reason. They absorb fuel get heavy then they dump fuel into motor causing a huge fire risk.  I would put a NEW filter in line up near the carb to catch any trash. You really do not want fire.
I run a 170* thermostat in my altered but I have drilled some holes so it is always flowing water. If I remember right I drilled 4 holes .125 (1/8') I run the temperature controlled fan sensor and set it at 170*. Most racers do not run a thermostat at all but I do. You can check it to see how it is working by putting it in a pan and boiling it to see when it opens. With the little Moroso pump drive you have that does not move much water I would probably remove it completely if there is one in there at all.
For timing I would leave it as is for now since that guy supposedly had it working good there but in the future I would try lower timing. I think many people run way too much. I am running 28* on my motor now and was told it needs 38* It puts out a little more on dyno at 28* and is easier on starter and rotating assembly to.
I bet the cap and rotor has a bunch of corrosion on inside and those are cheap I would change those out along with plugs and plug wires.

I have drove some cars for other people and I can tell you this I will not drive one with out a diaper. That is one of most important safety devices you can get and they are dirt cheap. Not to save a motor if you blow a motor it is gone but a diaper it can save your life. Many have lost a motor near finish line and wiped out car or got killed. I lost a motor at the finish line back around 2000 and it was a hairy ride and I messed up the whole track but was able to keep it off the walls. They did not have diapers back then for sportsman racers.

jeff/21:
like I said everyone has their own way i've never run 28* on a NA motor and 26*- 28* on blown both the bbc and sbc and run crank driven water pumps when use, the disadvantage is you can't run the pump without the motor running. you always have to filter the fuel when you dump into the tank  and inline after the tank. little pieces of plastic from the dump cans can and do  get into needle and seats on carbs and into injectors nozzles lost motors and races because of it didn't have egt or broadband sensors at the time.

THE FRENCHTOWN FLYER:
I'm surprised nobody has suggested putting a Schrader valve in the radiator.(That's a valve stem valve like on a tire) I have one on my altered with a similar radiator. Mine is actually remotely mounted hear the front strut, connected to the rad with 1/8 tubing. That way I can purge it after refill without even popping the top panel. Schrader valves are vavilable at heating and cooling supply houses and better hardware stores.

Roger:
Great idea:) It's like the valve on a Dedenbear SBC water pump used to release air pockets in the pump. About $25. Tilt the car down in the rear to get the air out of the rear of the heads and purge the air from the radiator as you fill from the manifold.

THE FRENCHTOWN FLYER:
I also put a Schrader valve on the rear of my (six cylinder) head to purge the air there since my engine sits nose-down in the car.

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