Author Topic: No money no funny !  (Read 5828 times)

Offline retroboy

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 221
    • View Profile
  • Your Track: Whyalla
  • Your Vehicle: FED
No money no funny !
« on: December 23, 2015, 03:03:01 AM »
Well after two years building on a super tight budget I made my first passes in my small block Chrysler powered FED in nearly 30 years and Killed the engine.  It's a long story and one I won't bore you with but now I'm piecing a motor together mostly from what I have kicking around. I have a block with some wear but it's @ .040 same as my pistons So I've had it tanked new cam bearings fitted and honed. I've put a set of bolts in some factory rod and had them resized, and I've had a crank ground. I have to clean some metal out of the piston skirts with wet and dry - fingers crossed. My old "J" heads are OK and I will use the same old Vertex. To get the car and myself sorted I'm going to take my injection off and go with a 750 DP initially. Now I need a cam and lifters. My heart lie's with a good old fashion solid lifter set up but I'm xxxx scared of loosing cam lobes now that engine oils are all messed up. All I want to do is run high 5's on the eigth at some relaxed country tracks. Now I run with no electronics and no trans brake so it's really hard to get any revs up on the line on the brake because the car wants to creep/drive at much past 2200. The converted isn't ideal but it's a 9" that stalled at 5000 in a Dart. Now I'm looking beyond the engine only,  rather the whole package and I'm asking what would people think if I put in a Hyd cam around 260/270 degrees @ .050" and used the V-max adjustable lifters from Rhoads that wash off some lift and duration unit around 4,000 rpm to help me off the line but still let me see 6500 - 6700 or so in the top end. It's effectively VVT set up so I cam use a big HYD stick. Any ideas

Offline wideopen231

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1917
    • View Profile
  • Your Best Time: 1/8 3.70@ 198 1/4 5.78@245
  • Your Engine: Hemi 526 ci alcohol
  • Your Track: Piedmont
  • Your Vehicle: 225 CMC FED
  • General Location: NORTH CAROLINA
Re: No money no funny !
« Reply #1 on: December 23, 2015, 04:46:27 AM »
      Hydraulic or solid the wear issue is the same.A roller is more cost up font but if you swapped cams its cheaper in long run.You can swap cams as many times as you want w/o changing lifters.You could go hyd. roller,but hydraulic cams are not as consistent et wise if you plan to play around and bracket race any.Duration wise I would try to say 260 or 270 at 50 would be fine.Keep lift reasonable if you're not looking for max power why have huge lift and abuse the valvetrain?

Blowing motor first time out does suck.Congradulations on sticking with it and getting new bullet back together.Lots would give in.Now get it up and running again and have some fun.
Relecting obama is like shooting right foot because it did not hurt enough when you shot left foot

Offline Paul New

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 745
    • View Profile
  • Your Best Time: 6.47 @ 214 MPH SBC
  • Your Engine: 387" SBC
  • Your Track: Woodburn Dragstrip
  • Your Vehicle: 2005 FED
Re: No money no funny !
« Reply #2 on: December 23, 2015, 07:42:26 AM »
You can buy oil that has the zinc in it still. Valvoline VR1 racing oil has it plus several specialty oils, Comp Cams, Joe Gibbs, and many more

Offline Frontenginedragsters

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 202
    • View Profile
    • Pro-Formance Specialties
Re: No money no funny !
« Reply #3 on: December 23, 2015, 10:57:17 AM »
 RetroBoy:
The solid flat tappet and hydraulic flat tappet cams and lifters use the same open and closed valve spring pressure.
Keep your vision of a solid lifter camshaft. Hydraulic lifters are for Obama voters.
Measure spring coil bind and open and closed pressure's. If you stay with 100 closed and 300 open you can't go wrong.
Use oil with Zinc or use an additive. When you first start it up rev it up and keep it revved up. Lifters need RPM to spin as fast as possible.
Run it like that about 15 to 20 minutes total, you don't have to do it all at once.
Pull the valve covers and check your lash. Go racing.
I don't know enough about your engine but if its basic stick with about 248-258* @.050".
Good Luck.
Matt
Driving a Front Engine Dragster builds character and keeps you awake for a 1/4 mile at a time.
http://www.pro-formancespecialties.com/

Offline jeff/21

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 186
    • View Profile
  • Your Best Time: 8.24
  • Your Track: any with-in a 6hr radius
  • Your Vehicle: fed
Re: No money no funny !
« Reply #4 on: December 23, 2015, 04:20:29 PM »
If you can take you torque or send to someone in your area that builds race converters and get them to loosen it up, the car will be easier to drive and more consistent.. For oil I use Brad Penn and as stated above you don't need a lot of spring pressure and it helps the cam and lifters last longer

Offline hotrod316

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 352
    • View Profile
Re: No money no funny !
« Reply #5 on: December 24, 2015, 05:18:07 AM »


Keep your vision of a solid lifter camshaft. Hydraulic lifters are for Obama voters.

[/quote]

THANKS MATT ! ! !
NOW I KNOWN  WHY HE WINS  ;)
steve m.

Offline Oldschool

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 122
    • View Profile
  • Your Best Time: 8.42 in a BB Chevy Altered 9.28 in my Vega
  • Your Engine: 434 Scott Shafiroff Racing Engine
  • Your Track: US 36 , Mo Kan and Heartland Park Topeka
  • Your Vehicle: 173" Front Engine Dragster
Re: No money no funny !
« Reply #6 on: December 24, 2015, 09:39:49 AM »
Agree !
It is not the years in your life
But the life in your years

Offline retroboy

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 221
    • View Profile
  • Your Track: Whyalla
  • Your Vehicle: FED
Re: No money no funny !
« Reply #7 on: December 27, 2015, 12:14:04 AM »
Well the block has come back from the machine shop less the main caps. Everything is closed here 'coz of  Christmas but I hope they haven't lost them. After my local track closed up and now the loss of the first engine that could be the straw that broke the camels back.
Cheers
Tony
« Last Edit: December 27, 2015, 01:59:33 AM by retroboy »