This was the first time:
https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=204195

Below is from Sunday, last day of the racing season at Bandimere. In eliminations, not TT. I'm right lane, guy in left lane had won the class the previous day. (Sure glad he bulbed, though.)

 

If he didn't, he would have won anyway. You both broke out but he broke out by less. It would have been bad if you cut the perfect light then lost by breaking out. Now if you can just get that dial in a little closer you can close up the package.

 

I've been accused of being too good of a "top end racer". Had he not bulbed, I would have been watching him as he approached, anyway.

My car has a pattern: 1st TT after driving out to the track is quick, 2nd one after waiting an hour or so is a little slower, 1st round of eliminations is a little slower, 2nd round is between the TT's, 3rd round picks up more, etc. Except, that day, I had left the car at the track overnight, and my TT's were all within an hour (I got there late and round-robined the TT's in one session, two classes), so "normal" wasn't available to me that day. Therefore, I was hesitent to lower my dial too much - that dial was still quicker than any of my TT's had been.

Made it into the money, anyway. Took 8 rounds to win it.

Oh, I put a 5 on my dial when another guy bulbed against me in the 1st round.

Perhaps Santa will leave a weather station in my stocking this year...

 

I could also mention that during Saturday's racing, I had been throwing or twisting the fan belt every run. Turned out my alternator bearings were shot (end play - really long story), so after I went out I ran to the parts store (in the Camaro) and picked up a replacement, installing it in the dark out at the track. The new alternator wasn't keeping up with the battery since I hadn't had a chance to fully charge it up, so I wasn't able to do my normal cool-down with the electric fan. My "baseline" was all screwed up - not being able to properly cool down between TT's or elimination rounds meant I was launching with higher engine temps than I had all year. Cutting lights and fender racing was about all I could hope for Sunday. Then it cooled off...

It was one of the few days this year when I made a significant number of runs (nine total) with nothing but green lights.

 

Another thing you should do at the start of the day. Don't take the car down the track cold. When you get to the track, start the car, drive it up and down the return road if you can or have the rear up on jack stands and in gear and build some heat in all the moving parts. The tranny oil and diff oil will benifit if they've been warmed up but the best thing is in the engine. Not only should the oil be warm but you need to build some heat in the metal parts. Things like valve springs don't like to work if they're cold. I build, or try to build, heat in my engine then shut it down and let the metal parts soak up the heat before I make my first pass down the track. It will increase the life of the valve springs and make the engine more consistant. It's those 2-3 hour delays between rounds because of oil downs or rain that hurts me the most.

I rely on oil temperature more than coolent temperature. I try to get the engine oil to about 120*. It will usually be 180* after a pass. The tranny oil gauge starts at 140* and I barely see it get above 150 even after using the transbrake. As long as it stays below 230 I'm happy. With alcohol it's hard to build heat in the coolent. I'm usually at 145* at the starting line and the temperature never gets above 170* during a run. The bottom part of the block up to the bottom of the frost plugs is filled and I only use a rad and fan from a Turbo Firefly. When I come back to my pit I leave the water pump and fan on while I update my log book. Within a few minutes, the coolent temperature is around 120*.

No matter what I've done though, my first pass is usually out the window anyway. There's always something I've screwed up.

 

I did that, and will if I haven't made a run for a couple of hours. Just not the same as driving in or making a run, though.
Ain't that the truth? I call them my "trash run". Only exception I've had this year is the previous post (that was my first TT of that day).

I need to think about oil & tranny temp. I've been considering an oil cooler anyway, a temp gage would be a logical addition to that. I know a couple of other guys with '57s that have gone electric water pumps this year - but they both trailer their cars to the track. Then there's tranny temp control.

So many variables, so little time...

 

I will say for slower cars like mine and 5kid, tranny temp seems to be the biggest contributing factor to et prediction right next to the weather station. I like to keep the motor warm so when I come up on the 2 step it does'nt backfire and die-been there done that twice this season-but when they call us up to staging and there is a wait for the prior class to run out, aside from idleing the motor, I found that power breaking in gear @1800-2000 rpm for about 3 minutes will get my tranny temp up to 140 where I like to see it, and aside from he weather, this has helped immensly with consistency. I was going to take a halogen light out this season and try the keep the diff. warm, but just never got off my **** to try it, seems that's more Super class stuff IMO.