When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Thanks Dean. This past saturday the track was great. I got a lot more comfortable in the car and was able to push it harder as the night went on. Watching some video I need to work on the line Im running. It also looks like I need to stay in the throttle longer going into a turn, thats where the car behind me would always gain, then I would pull alittle coming out of the turn. The last two laps I ran my fastest times and I was running higher up and pushing it harder in and out of the turns. I guess my confidence was up at that point and the high side wasnt as slick as I had feared.
Had an awesome time. Last week in practice I was running 27.50 as my best lap time. By the end of the night this saturday I was down to 23.50. Not bad I dont think. Need to get a little faster, but it will come. Thanks again for all the help.
If anybody gets really bored, feel free to watch the following video and give me any feedback you might have. It is the last couple of laps. After we got together coming into turn 1, (which I dont know whose fault it was, I thought I was running the same line, and the other car just had a good run and might have pushed up. but I may have came down, I dont know) anyways, I couldnt get the car to go into 2nd gear so I had to start back in 3rd so it took a bit to get going, but after that I was pushing the car the hardest I had and was running my fastest times.
I think I might be trying to cut the turn too much. Especially in 3 and 4.
Last edited by 3rdgenmaro; 04-21-2015 at 06:35 AM.
Considering the three cars ahead are 70s camaros, which are the most popular for the class, assuming they are all running 350s, and have anywhere from 5 to 15 years of experience, I think we are doing pretty good.
I think more seat time will help us be able to see what needs to be tweaked. With all the help I have been given I have a good idea of small tweaks that can be done one way or the other. Just need the seat time to know for sure.
With the way the car is sitting, may need to cut alittle on the springs. Undecided on that right now. I dont see what it could hurt. Thoughts?
In your video, it look like the other guy got into you on purpose. Depending on how the track felt, you could have come down lower in the corner, set the rear and throttled just before the middle of the corner. With practice, you will be able to hold the throttle down a bit longer coming into the corner. All in all you looked good for a rookie. Lol Just have fun.
If your rules state you can use a camaro from 82-02...look to the use a coil over system from 94 an up...some mods will be needed...but i have made my own see pictureAlso are using BBSS set up with 200lbs springs in front and a monster in the RR..500 and up depending on the day...make a upper mount with a coil spring adjuster inverted..Front roll center on these cars are way outa wack so anything you can do to help this the better
Last edited by Pit Box; 05-18-2015 at 09:35 AM.
Reason: add picture and comment
so you adjust stagger with diffrent size tires??? with slicks they all size up diffrent from tire too tire and you pic your closest with the air prs. you want... your front tires look tall is there a tire hight rule in the front??? rotating weight and unsprung weight is obvly most important. nobody at our dirt track run sway bars, that being said there all g bodys or 2nd gens.. also no one runs rear sway bars in ashpault either in simiar classes
funny i was just gonna post about mods and see if anyone has tryed a winters in our cars.. im gonna use a set of mod coil overs and try and make them work.. cheap . you ever herd of old man engineering? i see your in NC.. also herd of Jr Miller lol and bowman gray
And if u have to run stock motor then you could run whatever the car could have come with right? Like a 350 with what ever the best flowing smallest chamber prob 305 heads.. and a 4 speed
your front tires look tall is there a tire hight rule in the front??? rotating weight and unsprung weight is obvly most important. nobody at our dirt track run sway bars, that being said there all g bodys or 2nd gens.. also no one runs rear sway bars in ashpault either in simiar classes
Yes, tire rule. Has to be a 70/75 series tire, unless you are an ashpalt car then you can run the asphalt track's legal tire.
Originally Posted by ambainb
i see your in NC.. also herd of Jr Miller lol and bowman gray
Oh yeah, been to Bowman gray several times. Always exciting.
Originally Posted by ambainb
you have a real hood with hindges?! lol gut the hood..
Remember, this is just the first revision lol. Always a work in progress and this got us on track just in time. Plan on changing a lot as we go. I am open to alot of suggestions on how to make a good looking light sheet metal hood. Maybe just gut the bracing of one????
Originally Posted by ambainb
And if u have to run stock motor then you could run whatever the car could have come with right? Like a 350 with what ever the best flowing smallest chamber prob 305 heads.. and a 4 speed
Im running the 5 speed. Yes on stock motor. The L03 has been doing suprisingly well, but I do have some plans that are still within the rules but should give me a good bump from the stock L03.
cool stuff, we were just down there and bought the old JR miller rig that sat for 10 years... sketchy ride home LOL, thats what we all do here, just gut out all the bracing... what are your bumper rules? and left side?
as for the madhouse ive never been, looks like a ****ing riot tho... like a mod demo derby, my couisins name andy jankowiak, we run well in the ROC class.. getting better, but well be making our first trip to gray this weekend!!!! cant wait to destroy the body we just built, come out and watch.. afterwords my cus may be able to give you some set up advice... hes never had a third gen but he can set up just about anything.... lime green 57X or 73X.. no graphics yet so we run our good oll duck tape
Just checking in to see how things are going (I had a few email notifications showing activity on this post)
Its all about fun.
Speaking of which, in light of telling you a story earlier in this thread about running on 3 lugnuts and talking about lug taper- that actually was a bad omen for me and came back to haunt me the last race (LOL)
In the old Joe Dirt Dodge neon's debut at Toyota Speedway, We qualified on pole (Of course- any of you expect different of me ) ..and then I drove the friking wheels off it...literally. I was out front of 26 cars, checked out already and leading on lap 10 by over a a half a lap on the entire field in a 30 lap race when... the left front oem wheel studs stripped out and I lost a friggin wheel. had a blast anyways. Ill get em next time.
Never trust 20 year old wheelstuds on a car that was destined for the salvage yard when I saved it. These studs have probably seen an air wrench or two over their lifetime and we now obviously fatigued bigtime. I had brand new lugnuts on there torqued to 85lbs, but as the song goes " It's a fine time to leave me Loose Wheel.."
Here's from a competitors view. I'm the Orange Dodge neon #32. You can see how fast I checked out and was gone. its an all stock class- my car is just different from setup adjustments, that's it. Suspension is completely stock, no rear swaybar either. It's not just what you have, but more importantly how it's set. By lap three I was almost a half lap ahead of 2nd place already. I am pulling over 1g in a Dodge neon on street tires and a stock suspension for christ sakes.
It was going pretty good. Kept getting more and more comfortable with the car and have improved up to 23.00 sec lap time. Right on par with the top cars. Last race I ran I started 5th and moved up right behind 2nd and 3rd. I was going for 3rd, he didn't realize I was there and pushed me up high in a turn, I kissed the wall and busted rf. Then inexperience and adrenaline got me. I knew something wasn't right, but from driving on the road, I didn't think it was a flat. So I ended up plowing the wall in turn 3.
The car was handling great and was running real good. I don't have as much time to work on it as Id like, so Im probably off track until July. Im having an absolute ball doing it. Never realized how much fun it was.
The l03 is ok as long as I can stay on the high side and not let out much. But if I have to try and pass on the bottom, Ive been loosing too much speed through the turn and don't have the grunt to win the drag race down the straights. I can pass on the high side though.
On a side note, my cousin drove this car in practice, and we ended up building him a 83 mustang. 5 speed 302. We just made his second race this past Saturday night. Once we get a small hesitation coming out of the turns out of it, it will be a front runner.
Thanks for your help along the way dean, I'll need it again Im sure.
It was going pretty good. Kept getting more and more comfortable with the car and have improved up to 23.00 sec lap time. Right on par with the top cars. Last race I ran I started 5th and moved up right behind 2nd and 3rd. I was going for 3rd, he didn't realize I was there and pushed me up high in a turn, I kissed the wall and busted rf. Then inexperience and adrenaline got me. I knew something wasn't right, but from driving on the road, I didn't think it was a flat. So I ended up plowing the wall in turn 3.
The car was handling great and was running real good. I don't have as much time to work on it as Id like, so Im probably off track until July. Im having an absolute ball doing it. Never realized how much fun it was.
The l03 is ok as long as I can stay on the high side and not let out much. But if I have to try and pass on the bottom, Ive been loosing too much speed through the turn and don't have the grunt to win the drag race down the straights. I can pass on the high side though.
On a side note, my cousin drove this car in practice, and we ended up building him a 83 mustang. 5 speed 302. We just made his second race this past Saturday night. Once we get a small hesitation coming out of the turns out of it, it will be a front runner.
Thanks for your help along the way dean, I'll need it again Im sure.
You are welcome, I love to help and try and teach what I can.
I seen some pics of this car on bowman facebook page. How was it?
Car was great, first time there and first time wheelin with a locker as aposed to the spool.. finished 8th the first night.. sat we made our way from 12th too 4th, def had a top 5 car but got punted and sent tail, wound up 9th.. couldnt belive how nice all the people were tho, nothing like the storys ive herd ... very welcoming
Are you guys familiar with Richie Evans? If u are ull appriciate this lol, my cousin is good friends with the evans family and Richie JR came and spotted for us, heres a pic of him sneaking a 61 sticker on Jerry Cooks golf cart saying " the battles never over " lol
04-21-2015, 06:31 AM
) ..and then I drove the friking wheels off it...literally. I was out front of 26 cars, checked out already and leading on lap 10 by over a a half a lap on the entire field in a 30 lap race when... the left front oem wheel studs stripped out and I lost a friggin wheel. had a blast anyways. Ill get em next time. 
