mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

it's got a 650 double pumper on it now. when we got the car, it had a 750 vacuum secondary on it. no idea if that was officially said in the thread or not.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

here's the full slip

SeriouslySinnin

Cant wait to race this thing again... Next time out will probably be a T&T to track down a lil oil leak (only when under load) and test out a carb I got on the cheap. 750 holley dp with proform center

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

couple of updates

we put a thirdgen width rearend in the car to tuck those tires:




also, we're at YB Nationals this weekend and we are running the car in two classes, and chucky and i are splitting driving duties. pretty stoaked about that actually. i tested the car today and found that it really seems to like a set of TR55 plugs in lieu of a TR6. in ~1450' DA, and accidently overshooting 1st into 3rd, i was able to make a new best in the car at 12.25 @ 110mph here's to hoping for a successful weekend!

skinny z

Good luck. Try not to break anything.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

this weekend was a mess, lol!

over 500 cars on the grounds, and many of them double entered. We ran two classes ourselves, Super Street (dot tired, stock suspension .500 full tree bracket class) and Pro Dial (.500 pro tree bracket class). the weekend started out like this:



to be honest, it didn't get much better from there, lol.

first pass off the trailer on friday, i have the cover on the shift light, can't remember what we were shifting it at and overspun the motor to 6500 rpm on the 1-2, then shifted early on 2-3 at 5000 rpm. also pushed through the lights cause the brakes won't hold and it was a terrible 12.54 @ 108.99, lol. i also had a light scrubbing sound coming from the brakes (lt1 discs on the thirdgen rearend). i found that the rotors were scrubbing the inside of the caliper bracket. apparently i didn't account for the different axle flange to housing end spacing. a washer on each stud under the rotor fixed that issue. we kept an eye on the lug nuts all weekend, none backed off.

two more passes as i got more comfortable with the car (i'd only made 1 pass in the car before) and i got a new best for the car at 12.25 @ 110.44.



saturday is "qualifying", which for bracket races means we are getting some test passes, while the pro classes qualify, lol. chucky's first pass goes 12.38 @ 109. he is doing a great job in the car and is trying very hard to get all the steps down to staging the car. it finally "clicked" with him this weekend on why some of the things happen (like clearing out the motor between burnout and staging, etc). for some reason the car stumbles with him driving right at the hit, but it doesn't with me. i think there may be some differences on how we are each on the converter. i'm bringing it up to 1800-2000, i think he's only bringing it up to ~1600ish. not sure why it's stumbling with him vs me, but it is. i'm sure we have some more accelerator circuit tuning to do.

my pass, i back up the new best with another new best of 12.24 @ 109. i don't have that slip for some reason.

...cont...

skinny z

Sounds like it could be nice and repeatable. I'm surprised how differently my car behaves regarding the foot stall. It also likes to have it's "throat cleared" after the burnout.
Now work on that reaction time and you're golden....!

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

2nd round of qualifying saturday, we go up to the staging lanes only to be turned back. the car was smoking BADLY, and it appeared to be out of the tail pipe. we go back to the pits with our tails between our legs, ready to take the car home.

we spent some time looking the car over, pulled the plugs to no avail. the car also had stopped smoking. this was only weird because the car was ROLLING smoke out the tailpipe. it looked like we got a ring or something. it just didn't make any sense. we decided it would be best to pull the plug on our participation. we didn't want to be the guys in the 12 second car that oiled down the track at YellowBullet Nationals....

it ate at me the entire way home saturday. i decided to bring the compression gauge back to the track sunday. actually, i brought 4 tools. i decided if we couldn't figure it out with those 4 tools it would go back on the trailer. compression test showed the bottom end was healthy all 8 were 160-175. we threw the plugs in it, fired it up and all was cleared up. we decided to run.

end result was first round runner up for both classes, but we learned a bit more about the car, and i think chucky is getting real comfortable with the setup now. here' a few more pictures from this weekend:

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

that pass was during pro-dial, which is a .500 pro tree class. the car just wouldn't leave fast enough. oh well, lol, will run .500 full tree classes in the car from now out. live/learn.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

We went to Mason-Dixon this past weekend in Hagerstown, MD for a Pro Stick race with my car. They had a footbrake class as well that Chucky drove his car in. he made a new personal best in the car running a 12.30 @ 108. the car would have gone faster on a pass in round 1, but he was on the brakes to not break out. i believe he went 12.30 three times this weekend!



and a cool slow motion launch! he is picking up both front tires now, albeit a little twist on launch. we are going to preload the factory iroc/ws6 rear sway bar some to see if we can level it out.


we got one more outing in november with both cars. here's to hoping for some fantastic weather conditions! i think a 12.1x is possible from this car!

skinny z

Well done Chucky.
What's the 60' like? What are the rpm's through the traps? The ET and mph look like they're well synced.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

car 60's 1.65-1.68, traps right at 5500 rpm i believe. he shifts at 5750. it *could* use a touch more gear, but it's working so well, i don't want to fool with it, lol.

skinny z

Is this still the spec on the car? That and a Jegster short torque arm?
For an engine as modest as it is, it's performs very well. Personally I'd love to see a low 12 out of my own (engine detail is similar although I have slightly more cam) but at 3700 lbs it isn't likely. Trap speeds are close.
It's been fun to watch your progress. Keep it up.
Curious as to what you have for a timing curve and what your cranking compression pressure might be. (I may have asked that already...)

billybob6110

what valve covers and air cleaner is that? I really like the combo of the 2 together.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

the combo is still unchanged. cranking psi was 160-175 on all holes. we did that at YB Nats after our smoke-screen display trying to determine what the issue was. it still smokes on occasion, we can't pinpoint the issue yet. the only thing that makes sense is possibly valve guide seals.

the air cleaner and breather are spectre. the valve covers in the picture were some cheapy ebay jobbers that i got and they sucked. leaked oil out the top of the bolt holes and around the perimeter. chucky bought some cover adapters to use a perimeter type valve cover and the engine looks like this now:


no longer leaks around the valve covers

billybob6110

I like the edelbrocks too looks nice and clean. how long are each door bar roughly? from point of cage to floor?

SeriouslySinnin

Had a great last day of the season with the DirtyBird going 12.03 @ 110; 1.58 60'. Here is some video for you guys...


Also just acquired an LS this weekend. We are in the very early planning stages at this point but I will keep the updates comin...

skinny z

I've always liked the story about the DirtyBird. It moves out pretty well for what you've done and have invested. Nothing like go old hard work to get good results.
I've talked with Matt about getting my Coupe dialed in on the 60' like yours. The weight difference notwithstanding (I'm at 3600+ lb), if I could get a 60' in the 1.6x range, my times would start to reflect the effort put into the build. I've even lost the 1.7 flat that I had a few seasons back although it's a (slightly) different chassis and a (somewhat) different engine.
Looking forward to next season. Right now I'm locked into sub-zero temps and with no heated shop to access, I'm forced to wait it out.
Well done.

SeriouslySinnin

Its definitely been an interesting road. One of the first "hobbies" I have stuck with for a significant period of time. Everyday I am looking forward to figuring more stuff out on the DB and getting more experience.

zacharyhorn

iTrader: (1)

Congrats on the PB. Lost contact with you guys.

billybob6110

all the links to the rollcage install are all broken. is there a way to make them viewable again? also what kind of welder did you use?use gas or not?

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

looks like i'm going to have to host them all to photobucket and try again :/ let me spend a little time getting it straight. i have several threads that are junk now cause i hosted them all on facebook.

It's a hobart handler 140, and all welds are done with gas (as per NHRA mandates)

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

i fixed the roll bar pictures, but that's all i am going to do for now.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

so this is happening...maybe not for the 2015 season, but soon

357 Camaro

This was a very enjoyable thread to read.


Congrats on the the times. Looks like a lot of hard work put into it.


Cant wait to read more about this new motor. Is that the ls you mentioned above?

skinny z

x2

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

no, the ls i mentioned above was a 5.3, and turned out to be a dud. this is a 5.7, and looks amazing. can't wait to see this come to fruition. lots of hard work for sure, lol! my car is currently taking up huge amounts of time, space, and resources, so this project is only in the parts acquisition stages. it's gonna kick *** when it's done.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

Chucky successfully set up the manual brakes in his car over the winter on his own and has done a little racing this season so far. he has gone rounds every time he's been out. i'm like a proud poppa!





and more goodies on the way. would really like to see an 11.9999 out of this thing before we pull the existing drivetrain

357 Camaro

I want one of those k members lol how much are those. What is his combo for the 5.7 he is runnin this year.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

the engine combination has not changed since the start of the thread. the 5.7 we are putting together is still not finalized, but what i can tell you is that it is a stock bottom end, and will get a custom cam from Martin at Tick Performance. I can guess it will be in the mid 230* range with at or around .600" lift, with a 109-111 ish lsa. Check out www.paracing.com for information and pricing on the kmember. Contact jason directly. he's super easy to work with.

I went back and fixed more of the pictures in the thread. I believe that all the important pictures have been replaced with new ones hosted at photobucket, so we shouldn't have a problem with them going dead again.

357 Camaro

Ah sounds like it's gonna be a strong build. Ty for the link matt.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

We put in some more wrench time on this project this weekend. Got the old k-member, a-arms, and springs out, and got the new stuff in. i also spent a little time getting the carb dialed in a little better, and i'd say it's super crisp now

getting to watch Chucky take charge and get right to work is always a pleasure for me.



we used this little beauty to keep the engine in place for the install. i've used this twice now. definitely worth the $30 i spent on it from craigslist



eerie



new stuff going in







and back on the ground





all in all, the install took about 4 hours, so not bad considering! we will be going to Cecil County Dragway this saturday.

skinny z

When did it get painted? Seems I missed that part.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

nope, we didn't mention it, lol. it's plastidip, not paint. chucky did it himself. it was his first time and i think it turned out great for what it is, but there are some imperfections here and there. he wants a real paint job some day, and this is the scheme he wants it to be.

357 Camaro

Looks great can't wait to see the new results. All and all how much weight do you think you removed?

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

this setup removes about 70lbs directly over the center line of the front axle.

SeriouslySinnin

Well, while we were replacing the front suspension we realized that the rear tires had minimal tread left and decided to acquire some new 28" M/T Pro Bracket Radials. Was on a 26" MT ET Street.

We fully expected it to be slower without a gear change, but surprised us with runs of 12.16, 12.156, and 12.07 @ 111 at a DA of 2200. Personal best is 12.03 @ 110 with a -2000 DA. We are positive it will easily go into the 11s in better air, which was the goal for this season before we pull the sbc.

Pretty amazed with this car right now.

26" ET Streets


28" Pro Bracket Radials

skinny z

Nice numbers. Yeah, once the fall air rolls in, you'll be racing at a sea level DA. 11's should come easy.
I was thinking of a move to the same 28" MT Radial from my 26" ET Streets too. Any concerns with how a radial performs as opposed to the bias slick? What were your 60' times like when comparing the two? I'm curious as I'd lost some of my 60' time I (from a best of 1.71 to a miserable 2.0x although with good track prep I'm steadily 1.8x). Keep in mind that's a 3700 lb race weight and basically a street suspension (except for the air bags).
Nice work.
Keep us posted.

skinny z

Does that put your race weight around 3000 even?

SeriouslySinnin

Well the 60' was significantly better, but we cant be sure it was the tires vs the carb adjustments or the new front suspension. DirtyBird no longer pulls tires, but is more of a smooth take off. Ill get a video up soon of the new launch.

The Pro Brackets are a "radial slick". I havent had bias ply on the car to compare it to. I can tell you that it is great feeling tire. Not sure how to describe it, just feels very sturdy.

I havent had the car on a scale since the changes, but my guess would be around 3050 with driver.

skinny z

My ET Streets are a bias slick. I was thinking yours were too.
At any rate, it's good to see the progress.
Wish I was experiencing the same....(DA here in the summer can be 4800' !)

SeriouslySinnin

I guess I should have said "ET Street Radial".

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

The new tires are definitely more consistent

skinny z

Which is I would expect a new tire to be. That's where I'm at with my (very) old ET bias ply slicks. I will say that when the track was prepped (on a sunny day), my 60' came around nicely but the tires are still suspect.
Interestingly, as SS pointed out, you expected the times to droop a little without a gear change to compensate for the larger diameter tire. My best 60 was with a 3.27 gear as opposed to the 3.73 that I'm using now. Go figure.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

it's not a good apples to apples comparison though cause we pulled 70lbs off the front of the car, 4lbs lighter total for the tire change (unsprung rotating weight) as well as did some carb tuning (rear accelerator pump circuit) which is much more crisp. so while i am confident the tire change was worth something, i cannot give all the credit to the tire.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

12.15 pass

357 Camaro

Looks like it's running strong congrats.

rb85TA

I'm getting ready to pull the Dana 44 out of my car ( 3.92's & full spool ), gonna freshen it up & sell it. ...let me know if Chucky is interested.
Looking to put a 9" under mine ��

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

possibly. pm me more information, including asking price. i see you're in TX.

rb85TA

Yes, I'm in Texas, just 20 minutes south of Austin.
The rear is a GM performance ( SLP ) upgrade rearend with disc brakes ($1500.00 new ), +$350.00 for spool,3.92 gears & long stud upgrade.
There was nothing wrong ( no noise, clunking or jerking ), when the car was parked. I am/was planning on just freshening it up with a "soft kit"(seals , bearings, fluid & gasket ), because it's been sitting for 5-6 years. It will have disc brakes on it if you guys decide to buy it ( got an entire brake upgrade for my car, not yet installed ).
$1k + shipping the way it sits . If you want me to freshen it up +$200.00 (should cover the parts & shipping to me). Not going to beat up a couple of hard working guys trying to build a solid thirdgen