What did you do on your Front Engine Dragster TODAY?

[gregm784]

I understand.  I tried water, i tried holding water, recirculating water, etc. Then i had to replace my block (good story there...), and this block has never seen a freeze plug, water, or anything like that.  matter of fact, my heads on the car now are solid, with no water ports in them.  It's cool after 20-30 minutes.  With water it took forever to cool.

[afaulk]

  Out with the engine today. It was leaking like the Exxon Valdez  . Rear main, pan gasket below the timing cover. Building character I guess, did I really need this?

[GlennLever]

I understand.  I tried water, i tried holding water, recirculating water, etc. Then i had to replace my block (good story there...), and this block has never seen a freeze plug, water, or anything like that.  matter of fact, my heads on the car now are solid, with no water ports in them.  It's cool after 20-30 minutes.  With water it took forever to cool.

With the coolant setup I have the block is cool almost quicker than I can do pit maintenance for a turn around when it works. I will hate to give that up.

[gregm784]

How do you cool the trans between rounds?  I have a blower that i bungee on the center section and it blows air around the converter and the outer case of the glide. 

[GlennLever]

How do you cool the trans between rounds?  I have a blower that i bungee on the center section and it blows air around the converter and the outer case of the glide.

My coolant lines for the transmission are steel and run all the way to the front where there is a large fined cooler. Transmission heat has been a small problem but never hotter than 200 by temp gun.

I do not make anywhere near the HP you make and ET's are much slower.

[wideopen231]

I might be shown to be wrong(heard it happened before) but Im going to run my combo dry and use fuel system to cool it down on return road. If it becomes issue I have oil  system so I can change it out in cpl minutes max. Besides with solid block and billet heads theres not really a water option.

   Im going to have trans cooler setup.Ive seen few feds with them in cockpit.IMO thats just not cool(literaly).I will have mine in front of motor and have fan on it. I hate idea of extra weight but guess it a have to do thing. Would love one of the pump deals that pumps trnas fluid thru cooler while in pits but at price of 800 to 900 bucks its just not happening right now.

  I had idea for circulating coolant thru tubes build into oil pan ,but figured condensation would be a problem. Moving alcohol makes heck of coolant as evideance by ice on hat of 200 degree engine.

[gregm784]

Build one. I'm going to.  24 quart or so ice chest, sweat some 1/2 copper pipe coils in the cooler, fill with ice. Use a HOlley fuel pump to move fluid.  200$ tops.  I'm collecting parts.

The expensive part is the drybrake QD fittings.

[wideopen231]

Main thing done today was to make more room to work on the car. Built some shelves and rearranged parts all day. Made run to scrap yard to get rid of some stuff,what happens I saee a 8 foot stainless steel benchtop with builtin sink.So now have to work a new workbench/parts washer into shop.Plus the A-frame engine hoist out of old shop. Some people never learn when enough stuff is enough.

 I did get some old pistons cleanedup and massaged some so they would work in backup motor last night after cpl hours of parts swapping to see if i could change some crank/rod/piston combos around and maybe work with gaskets to get more compression into motor.

[Cajuninjector]

We fired up and made sure everything was cool since we swapped converters. Loading up tomorrow and heading to Ardmore Dragway to race Saturday. Weather looks like it will be good. Hope the combo likes a high stall. If not, it'll be a long ride home. Gunna bring the old converter just in case.

[gregm784]

Connected new oil lines.  Primed the oil system and checked the output pressure of my Titan oil pump.  Going to wire in the replacement shift light tomorrow, the button up things for testing this weekend. 

[AF150]

Gonna button everything up today and head for Ardmore tomorrow as well. Looking for
sunshine and 75° for a major spring nostalgia race.

[Frontenginedragsters]

 Worked on my car tonight for the first time this year.
I have to re-work the wheelie bar. I made it years ago and it was never right. Car always went any way it wanted when it touched the wheel to the ground.
Since then I'v learned a little more. I read Roo-Mans section on it and decided to start over. I know Glenn will want me to post pictures but that might take awhile.
I need to re-assemble the engine and try a different 1st gear ratio and take some weight off the clutch.
We need to get back out to the track and try to beat up on Glenn

Matt

[GlennLever]

Worked on my car tonight for the first time this year.
I have to re-work the wheelie bar. I made it years ago and it was never right. Car always went any way it wanted when it touched the wheel to the ground.
Since then I'v learned a little more. I read Roo-Mans section on it and decided to start over. I know Glenn will want me to post pictures but that might take awhile.
I need to re-assemble the engine and try a different 1st gear ratio and take some weight off the clutch.
We need to get back out to the track and try to beat up on Glenn

Matt

This is really good to hear!

You were always faster than me, I do not remember your times.

You are most likely still faster than me as I will be running 8.500 or tiring to tune to that all season.

Take some pictures and bring the camera in with the cord and give me a call. I will come down and e-mail them to myself and post them up for you.

I was also in my trailer today, Steve was over. I got the head off, sealed the coolant leak up, head back on, valves set, and the NEW BLOWER on.

Looks like rain tomorrow, I think club racing will be rained out, and my swap meet is Saturday morning rain or shine, Saturday afternoon may be OK to see if it runs and does not leak. If it does Matt might finally get his wish and see the radiator, pump etc go away.,

[wideopen231]

Hopefully by the time today is over she will have finished fuel tank. Just finished welding the vent tubes in and the  trap door to help control fuel on deceleration. adding rear panel and supplu tube tonight and finishing the welding and testing for leaks. Got to add cpl return ports  also.

[buickfed]

I got all my brakes parts (aerospace components) finally and installed them today and burned the pads in. just for thought, I check the head exhaust ports for temperature. the side with the zoomie on it had even temps across the head. the header side, the middle two were 100* more and the ends were 50* more. the heads all around were pretty close. just at the exhaust ports that were different. strange.