What did you do on your Front Engine Dragster TODAY?

[janjon]

From Don's post: " A couple of years ago I let her sit in the car while her Dad took a picture of her. I guess it meant more to her then I realized.  Made the whole day worthwhile. "
 When I was a kid, and before I had a drag car, I would have given anything for a chance to just sit in one, to see how it looked and felt. When I was old enough to get myself to the track to watch, and if I asked someone if I could just sit in their car, there was always a reason why not.
I go the other way. when kids or anyone shows an interest anytime I'm at the track or have the car on the trailer anywhere, I'll offer to let them climb in and set a spell. Sometimes even light it up, tied down on the trailer.
 I had a guy approach me in a store awhile back, and he said hey, I remember you, you let my son sit in your race car at the hardware store six months ago, he still talks about it all the time.
 We're so fortunate to have this experience of going drag racing, and one of the coolest things to me is when we can SHARE it!

[ricardo1967]

....
When I was a kid, and before I had a drag car, I would have given anything for a chance to just sit in one, to see how it looked and felt. When I was old enough to get myself to the track to watch, and if I asked someone if I could just sit in their car, there was always a reason why not.
I go the other way. when kids or anyone shows an interest anytime I'm at the track or have the car on the trailer anywhere, I'll offer to let them climb in and set a spell. Sometimes even light it up, tied down on the trailer.
 I had a guy approach me in a store awhile back, and he said hey, I remember you, you let my son sit in your race car at the hardware store six months ago, he still talks about it all the time.
 We're so fortunate to have this experience of going drag racing, and one of the coolest things to me is when we can SHARE it!

These positive memories imprinted in these children’s minds are PRICELESS.

[GlennLever]

Racers of tomorrow.

Every chance I get I sit one (kid) in the cockpit of the dragster. The faces are worth the effort.

[Dolmetsch]

An old friend and former junior stocker racer Bob W just posted this picture of me at speed at Picton still hanging on to the brake handle for dear life. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=801477&highlight=picton.
Best photo I have had taken probably ever. Must have been a zoom lens as it is a long ways down track I think because I have my chin tucked down to keep the air from popping my visor. That is usually top end of third gear.
Don

[Blind Mule]

Cool little car looks like a money maker to me simplicity in motion!

  Randy!

[tylercrawford]

Started bolting on stuff finally . . .

Motor/trans/rear is in, just a lot of little stuff.

Machined some spacers for the idler bracket today, have to mill down the pop-off plate as it gets close to the oil pressure gauge and can easily take ~.125" milled off the bottom (street weiand deal, NOT an SFI plate).

Got my father-in-law to turn a wrench or two and help with the backing plates when my in-laws stopped by yesterday.

And my garage is a mess. thanks 

[wideopen231]

Hey its called progess. As for garage I do fill better about size of mine,as for mess that means your working in it. I spent 2 days reorganizing mine only to have big mess after two nights working late on projects,

[buickfed]

From Don's post: " A couple of years ago I let her sit in the car while her Dad took a picture of her. I guess it meant more to her then I realized.  Made the whole day worthwhile. "
 When I was a kid, and before I had a drag car, I would have given anything for a chance to just sit in one, to see how it looked and felt. When I was old enough to get myself to the track to watch, and if I asked someone if I could just sit in their car, there was always a reason why not.
I go the other way. when kids or anyone shows an interest anytime I'm at the track or have the car on the trailer anywhere, I'll offer to let them climb in and set a spell. Sometimes even light it up, tied down on the trailer.
 I had a guy approach me in a store awhile back, and he said hey, I remember you, you let my son sit in your race car at the hardware store six months ago, he still talks about it all the time.
 We're so fortunate to have this experience of going drag racing, and one of the coolest things to me is when we can SHARE it!

I do it whether its a car show or at the strip. fun watching the kids and adults faces. its just a piece of metal and I can fix it if they break it. 

[buickfed]

took the rail over to my fathers long driveway for short testing. everything works fine. we made 8 trys and the engine did not get hot. HURRAY. we have buick day this Saturday at Lebanon valley. hopefully we will see some good times.

[gregm784]

I too LOVE to have people sit in the car.  I remember growing up HOPING to get a chance to sit in 'a racecar'. 

[masracingtd1167]

Cam is back and installed Lifters are on there way Pan is on . Time to get this thing done!

[coupemerc]

Looking good Bill. Who's lifters did you end up using?

[GlennLever]

Went testing Friday, and ran the gasser series race on Saturday; This is after fixing the leaking head gasket on the right side (this time) and bolting the brand new Littlefield standard 8/71 blower on. I first ran a tank of fuel through it to take some of the tightness out of the blower, it still has a ways to go to be broken in, I still have not gotten the shift light working. The bulb is ok, the connections seem Ok, I think the MSD RPM switch is broke. Here is a summery

Get closer to the 8.500 index

First run, Friday night 6:10 PM
Air Density 1640
Top Pulley 58 
Pill 75
Fuel Pressure 82.11
Top end Boost 10.13
Sift to second gear 6479
60 foot 1.316
¼ mile   8.698  155.68
Comments, This is the first run with the new blower. This is slower than with the old carb. setup, need to do some work here.

Second Run, Friday night 7:08 PM
Air Density 1512
Top Pulley 54 
Pill 75
Fuel Pressure 79.62
Top end Boost  11.94
Sift to second gear 6407
60 foot 1.226
¼ mile   8.254  158.89
Comments, Pumped more air into the engine, leaned it out. This is really unusually good air. This was a very smooth run, when I got out at the top end I thought I had run a slower run than the last one. Engine really liked this set up, but it is too fast for the 8.5 we are looking for.

Third Run, Friday night 8:04 PM
Air Density 1529
Top pulley 56
Pill 75
Fuel Pressure 80.27
Top end Boost 10.65
Sift to second gear 6481
60 foot 1.253
¼ mile 8.469 157.42
Comment, Good comparison run  (air quality). Took a little air away (fattened up a little to make it go slower. Still too fast. Engine struggled a little to get to the shift point. Really pulled hard after the shift. Accelerometer went from .57 to 1.14


Fourth Run, Friday night 9:04 PM
Air Density 1119
Top pulley 57
Pill 80
Fuel Pressure 77.42
Top end Boost 10.65
Sift to second gear 6494
60 foot 1.248
¼ mile 8.483 157.42
Comment, Air quality jumped up. Took a little air away (fattened up a little to make it go slower), took some fuel away to try and keep the air fuel ratio close. Still just a touch to fast, but close. Engine did not like this, felt rough.

Ok, now Saturday, Gasser series racing, You have to remember I have only been running the dragster three years now and each year I have made significant changes to the engine so data from one year is not good for data for the next year (don’t laugh).
Gasser series is 1/8 mile ET racing, so I have no ¼ mile times (so for comparison a ¼ mile 8.483 is an 1/8 mile 5.427)

First round of qualifying, Saturday 1:44 PM
Air Density 1896
Top pulley 57
Pill 80
Fuel Pressure 74.19
Top end Boost 10.84
Sift to second gear 6568
60 foot 1.270
1/8 mile 5.301 134.87
Comment, Air quality is closer to normal for around here. Decided to make no changes between last run last night and this run. Track prep may not have been as good and I had some wheel spin of the line. There was a sharp peak in engine RPM right before the shift to second, in .05 seconds the engine RPM jumped 156 RPM. The air would have had the effect of fattening it up. Ran to fast for a ¼ mile 8.5

Second round of qualifying, Saturday 2:49 PM
Air Density 2007
Top pulley 59
Pill 85
Fuel Pressure 66.36
Top end Boost 9.02
Sift to second gear 6487
60 foot 1.277
1/8 mile 5.364 132.27
Comment, Air quality still falling. Took some more fuel and air away. Still too fast, but going in the right direction. Felt pretty good.

Third round of qualifying, Saturday 4:15 PM
Air Density 2262
Top pulley 60
Pill 90
Fuel Pressure 57.83
Top end Boost 8.43
Sift to second gear 6434
60 foot 1.283
1/8 mile 5.368 134.42
Comment, Air quality still falling. Took some more fuel and air away. Fuel pressure as well as boost is falling off pretty good now. Still too fast, but going in the right direction. Felt pretty good.

Ok, now we are into the first round of elimination so we decided not to play with it and see if we could predict an ET.
First round of eliminations, Saturday 6:10 PM
Air Density 2270
Top pulley 60
Pill 90
Fuel Pressure 59.59
Top end Boost 9.09
Sift to second gear 6200
60 foot 1.276
1/8 mile 5.378 131.88
Comment, I short shifted by 200 RPM so my ET was down. I treed the guy though so won the race by .1144 seconds.

Second round of eliminations, Saturday 7:34 PM
Air Density 1842
Top pulley 60
Pill 90
Fuel Pressure 64.85
Top end Boost 8.76
Sift to second gear 6343
60 foot 1.274
1/8 mile 5.391 132.15
Comment, Air got better. We were concussed by this run, it was almost identical in shift points, launch, etc as the last run but lost .020 on the run. It finally dawned on us that the blower was still new and still losing up. Over laid the two run graphs and low and behold boost at the shift on run 4 was 8.05 and on the last run 7.91. In almost all other respects the graphs from the two runs over laid themselves. I treed the guy again but it was not enough to overcome his dial in of 6.22 when he ran a 6.221. I lost by .0197 seconds.
Not a bad outing for my first race with a blower and mechanical fuel injection, I’m happy, cannot wait till the next outing. I can’t go this weekend as my better half, crew chief will be out of town.

[masracingtd1167]

Looking good Bill. Who's lifters did you end up using?

I ended up using another set of Jessel lifters I bought a used set from Patterson with very low runs on them 

[Dolmetsch]

Pretty good outing I would say.
I would have to lie if I said I missed those index/bracket worries.
Don