Since there wasn't a single posting yesterday, thought I'd ramble a little to give people a reason to look in.

I haven't been to the track since June 10th. For the sake of peace on the home front, I dropped from 3 season series to 1 this year, and there's a big gap in the schedule right now until July 8th. I'm thinking about asking for a kitchen pass for a club race tomorrow, but haven't worked up the nerve yet.

In the meantime, the Camaro remains torn apart with a lot of work left to do and few opportunities to touch it. Last weekend I spent all spare time tracking down a low oil pressure problem on the wife's Bonneville while the son removed the exhaust y-pipe & cat, and replaced the motor mounts with polys (that was fun). Still haven't gotten the headers re-modified to send off to Jet Hot, haven't gotten the engine put together yet, haven't port matched the intake yet. And, I want to replace the water pump on the 396 and flush out the cooling system (not in that order, of course).

And the days aren't getting any longer...

 

Last weekend the Saturday race was a complete rain out. Sunday morning there was no rain but water was coming through the cracks in the pavement so racing took forever. I was smart and just stayed home. I hate sitting around waiting for them to dry the track after 4 cars go down it all day long. The alcohol funny cars were having a hard time with traction.

I'm still waiting for parts and machine shop labor before I get my engine back together. I'm guessing the new block is still 3 weeks away.

I don't have a local race again until mid July.

 

Went to the track last Saturday at California Raceway. No new bests but just confirmed my times. See signature. I did manage to beat an 2005 Mustang GT pretty badly. He red lighted but still did not stand a chance. Hehehehe.

 

lets see, when did i break my locker? april? yeah, that was the last time i got to the track make any decent passes, then i broke the rearend.

i did get to the track in May, but i killed all 8 plugs off the line when i had a freak distributer driver gear failure. finally got it all back together, but was unable to make any more runs that weekend. oh well.

i want to get a double pumper before i go back, and learn how to tune that a bit, then i'll head back over to get my tree hackin' skills back (hey, last year i got two perfect .000 lights!) so i gotta work on keeping up my record. hope to get the car dialed in to the 13.25 index for the American Muscle class in the NSCA and go to Columbus OH and woop up on some 1974 cuda butt! (the guy whom i picked the fight with...)

oh, yeah, and did i mention that i plan to do this with the new 1990 RS/SC and not my 87? i still have a 100% transplant to do! LOL

 

I took last weekend off to spend with the family, have'nt had rain for awhile so been working in the feild 12 hours trying to make a dent in my construction schedule before customers start finding somebody else to work for them. The next 7 weekends in a row are full Sat/Sun race schedules and so begins the burnout..unless car keeps workin and driver keeps head out of rear end.

Points race this weekend, dont know if I'll have time to get out there Fri for a few passes to get my feet wet or not, depends how day goes i guess. Hopefully I can keep the dream alive with another good weekend, at least I can say I sat at #1 for a few months LOL

 

That is odd ,I had the same thing with the distributor gear happen to me my last time out.I was using the comp cam polymere gear,broke half the teeth off.I have been told that its not to uncommon with those .What are you using?

 

I managed to get the cooling system worked over last night. And, this morning I screwed up the courage and was granted the pass for tonight.

Also got the Camaro headers ready to ship off to Jet Hot today. Fellow racer runs a box and shipping store, I'll run them up to him during lunch.

 

well, wished i could say it was a polymere gear, but it was a factory iron one, which made me change the oil REALLY fast!

this is not the first time it has happeded either.

well, when i pulled the dizzy, there was a LOT of play in the shaft, so we put on a new msd iron gear and put a plastic washer in the dizzy and reduced the play alot, but it still spins freely, etc. seems to be holding up fine! still got great oil pressure too! seems like nothing i do will ever hurt this 305!

 

I am still waiting for the crank to get balanced at the local machine shop. Who knows when it will get done. Its been there since May. I did follow the advice of IHI and a few others and picked up a Vic Jr. intake. I am not sure if i'll try the RPM Air-Gap first and then swap or if I'll start with the Vic Jr.

Tonight is a street legal night at the track. I am going to take the GTA out for a few passes so that I can work on my lights and am excited to see what Blackroc86's Camaro will do on its maiden pass with the new mill.

We are heading to Edmonton tomorrow morning (350 miles) for the IHRA national event. I have never seen fuel cars before so it should be a blast!

 

Trevor, the track may be problematic trying to stick that much power, but you will be impressed with what you see, hear and FEEL!!!!! Definately worth the trip.

For no more than it take to swap intakes, try the rpm first to see how it performs, then swap the vic jr on last so your done better to do A-B testing than A-B-A

 

That's pretty much what I was thinking. I would always wonder what the dual plane would've done if I went right to the open plennum intake. I'll run both at the track and possibly at the new chassis dyno. I am curious to see the difference on a (relatively) small cam and lower rpm engine.

As for the trip, Jody and I have comprimised. One day of shopping at the famous West Edmonton mall and one day at the nationals.

 

LOL!!! You need to have the wife bring a friend so your not forced into the sacred female ritual of shopping....I hope you have the nerve and she comes out alive!! I used to do that when I first met my now wife, maybe 3 times, then said to heck with that, you need to call your girlfreinds for this sheeot!!

So take another couple, you go your way, she goes her's and everybodies happy

 

I was going to go last week, until I found out about a friend accross the way. http://www.canoncitydailyrecord.com/...ry.asp?ID=512. Dident much feel like racing. Was going to go last night too since the guy that owns another shop down the street was going to let me make a couple time passes in his fiberglass 11 sec vega but it looked like rain for the 5th night in a row so I dident bother.

 

One day shopping at the West Edmonton Mall? Can't be done. I spent 3 hours just in the water park.

 

Well, it was a busy weekend. Took the GTA out to the home track on Friday but didn't tech it as I ended up driving for Jim (Blackroc86). Only made two passes - neither were good but there is potential. The first one was a 1.89, 12.4 @ 94mph letting off at the top of 2nd gear and coasting through. On the second pass the car spun the tires and then ran a dismal 12.9 @ 105. Somehow I managed to shift the B&M megashifter from 1st to 3rd.

Saturday was shopping (it rained and there wasn't racing anyways) and Sunday we were at the race. It was about 40* and damp in the morning. Here a few pictures that Jody took:

It was my first time seeing Top Fuel. Clay Millican won in spite of taking out his engine every round. His best pass was a 4.54 @ 325mph.




Look at these giant golf carts!


Jet Ambluance. Look where the fans are!

 

A jet ambulance, now that's pretty cool!!


This was from the World Series of Drag Racing in Cordova, they had Gartlis and MulDowney running, we were able to get about 50' from the track and close to the starting line.....how'd you like that punch in your chest feeling?? LOL


Who is the TREE MASTER in this picture!!! the camera guy of course

 

I was pretty close for the semis. I snuck down and stood against the fence at the bottom of the stands.

TF, Nitro Harley and Pro Stock were all favorites of ours. They also had Nostalgia Top Fuel Dragsters. The Ambulance ran something like a 7.20 @ 208. I can't believe they didnt' evacuate the balcony when it ran though!

 

LMAO, looking back at the first jet picture, everybody's watching, then the next picture they all have their back turned LOL!! PRICELESS!! Not the place I would want to be fo sho!!

We had some brain dead women walk behind the jets as they were doing their "bursting" then fire show, seen her get almost knocked off her feet and for some reason she was running at about a 45* angle of her original path after the first set of "pop-pop" LOL!!