...so yeah, it's getting "a little" higher than I realized...lol



Just found this shot from the USSN race. Props to Chris S, Bradenton's track photographer; he always gets some great shots.


Looks like I'm gonna have to get more drastic with the 4-link to keep it down. You can see the wheenie bars are past the line and it's still standing on them. Was carrying the fronts all of first and most of second, even with the front tied to less than 1" of down travel. This pass was a 1.182 60ft on the rears. We moved the IC forward another 6", down another 1", and went 1.161 the next day, still on the rears!

 

Ever think of a 1.69 ratio in the trans?

 

car is probably too heavy and those gears aren't as strong. Lots of guys have to keep a spare set in the trailer if they're running those 1.69 gear sets.

 

its got to be nice to race in the wintertime

 

Th400 - already working on a aquiring a 2.10 gear set; just takes $. lol I will probably raise the rear gear some for the new(bigger) motor as well. - I won't run a power glide if you give it to me and pay me to run it.

The car hovers right around the 3020# mark race-weight with both batteries in.

It's still largely in the chassis tune up. That pic was from Saturday after moving the IC forward 6" and down 1", I went back-to-back 1.161 and 1.162 60fts on the rears like that. Testing Friday it had been in the 1.18-1.19 range. - So I see no reason to alter how I'm applying the power when I have more room to tune the car to make better use of it as is. We still don't have enough hits on this car to even have a good baseline, and we keep making large scale/multiple changes. Having the car and thus the CG as low as I do doesn't help either; "the point of no return" becomes much more finite and also much sooner(less lift).

Here's a Friday(testing before the USSN race) shot that was just posted today of a 1.181:

 

Everything has it's limits. I play with theres quite often. You can't always rule them out until you hear how much power and how it's being made. Some guys have excellent luck with them and won't look back.


Shagwell...What do you have against powerglides? Just curious? I wouldn't run one in a car slower than mid-high 8's but definetely in a car like yours. Lots of guys switch with great results.

 

I'd hate to suggest a 4-link adjustment but you need to do something to keep that front end lower. I see very little space above the front tires, so I know you're already using travel limiters. Slowing the front shock extension probably won't accomplish much.

Best bet is to lower the wheelie bars and hope they don't unload the tires. Second option is to put a weight box at the front of the car.

 

Stephen you're right on with a 4-link adjustment. We still have so few hits on the car that I've been making some large scale changes basically everytime we go out. I had moved the IC forward 4" and down .75" before the race, then went forward another 6" and down another 1" after the Friday test session. It has gone faster with every change, but apparently I haven't gotten drastic enough to keep the front down yet. - You are also correct that if I lower the bars it unloads the tires a bit too much and slows down. - I have 3 limiter settings available; I usually run in the middle, which is around 3.5" down travel, but on the shot from the first post they were set to the shortest length, which is around 1".

Why do I dis-like powerglides? Because I dis-like changing transmissions that haven't even made it a full season. We exited an ATI, and A1, a TCI, and then a JW which we bought at the track all in one weekend. It's been several years now and the improvements have come a long way, but I just don't see the logic behind moving a heavier door car with less than 3 gears. Especially when at both the ORTC race and the USSN I saw a minimum of 2 cars every evening swapping broke powerglides. - If I had the $ it'd have a Bruno Drive and a 4-speed liberty.

 

You know it does not have to be that way. For every two people you see changing powerglides there are 4 people breaking records with them. I have guys come to me very often with self destructed PG's that look like grenades went off in them. Twisted metal and burnt parts are common around here. Every company out there has there own pitch that there powergide is the answer. Some companys have the proof. Those companys you mentioned are not any of them.
Like you said, PG's have come a long way. Even in the last 2-3 years companies have stepped up to meet the demand for the horsepower. I have oversized PG parts living 50-75 passes behind 2800 real horsepower. It's all about eliminating all of the weak links. It's something you should definetely consider in the future if you get fusterated with taming a T-400. If not, the 2.10 first gear is also a decent option as well but I don't have first hand experience with them. Just hearsay.

 

i know for a fact that JW has come out with some badass powerglides these days. but probably nothing in your range lol

 

We put over 100 passes on our last th400, and it was nothing more than a performance clutch kit, 34 element sprag, and a BTE pro-brake vb. That was all mid to low 5 sec passes @3000lbs. A guy I race with just had his 2.10 checked after over 200 passes in the 4's @ 3000+ lbs because his converter crapped out(has never even changed the fluid). Rossler put new frictions in it because he was there, but that was it.

I do not argue that there are people who have had great luck with glides. I'm just not one of them. I can build a 400 at home in my garage and be ready to go for 2+ seasons, w/o touching it. Everyone I know at this level or higher with a glide has to spend a decent amount of time just getting the line pressure and band settings to co-operate with their set-up, and then still doesn't get the life that good 400's do. - The proline boys dropped their glide(s) and went to the XHD210 for a reason as well.


One big variable is that I do not run nearly as large of stroke as most guys at this level do. I'm an RPM guy. The first three cars in front of me Friday didn't make it 100' under power due to kicking the tires off. They all run .1+ delay and roughly 250hp for their first stage; average 1.20 60's. My car went 1.187 right behind them, on the rear tires, hitting 550hp instantly off the brake, went right on through for a 5.45 @ 127.6. - Do I need to tame it down some to go faster, yes most certainly, BUT gearing and/or delaying the nitrous is not the only way to do it. Once it starts kicking the tires loose, then I'll look at delaying the hit/changing the gear, until then I'll keep tuning on the chassis to get it working how I feel it should.

- this is not ment to sound harsh, just my thoughts. - I'm a firm believer in a quote from Barney Navvaro I have written on a garage wall at home, "Following the sheep will not bring you success. You have to go down a different path and when you do you have to learn what they don't know."

 

I definetely didn't want you to think I was trying to prove you wrong. Believe me I get these calls in my sleep about switching to PG. I personally think the T-400 is an AWSOME transmission. It capabilites are excellent even in it's stock form. You have proved that with 100 passes on a 34 element sprag. I use this statement quite often. It can go 100 passes or it can go 3. That sprag is going to break. It's just a matter of when and where. Some small advise. Try not to spray the car through the 1-2 shift. Also think about investing in the bigger drum/sprag combo. It will save you a lot of ag. down the road.

I also here of a ton of sucess from bring the NOS in on a delay or pulling timing from the starting line but you have already stated that it's not the route you want to go.

Good luck.

 

I'm with you.

I'm not saying I won't delay the nitrous/timing, just that as of yet I have no reason too. The spray is on from the moment I let go of the button till I shut-it down on the big end. - The sprag definitely is a "wear item" and will definitely crap out at some point. The biggest problem with their lifespan comes down to set-up. The proper drum tolerance as well as getting at least some support to the direct drum(getting it to stay centered) are big keys. The 36 element "super sprag" set-up is obviously a nice improvement; we've also talked about running Griner's spragless set-up, though it takes some tuning much like a glide/band.

Seems your(TS's) "monster glide" has some respect on YB; there's a thread over there right now.

 

Thanks, I just checked that out. The guy posting with the name MB is Matt Butrim. He runs Outlaw Drag radial. He brought me broken parts every week until I finally talked him into bringing me the whole trans. everything was twisted, broken, burnt or exploded. I turned it into a monster glide for about $1800-2k and he has been 80 passes @ 3450 race weight going 7.20's like a bracket car. It's an agressive 632/F3R combo. He has sent me three other Outlaw radial or 275 customers since.

 

I didn't know you where from TSI.... I have great respect for your transmissions. All my friends run them and I will be getting the 5000 in the next month or so. That is the last peice of the puzzle for me. Besides having great pieces it's reasonably priced for me.

 

Thanks. PM me when your ready I can save you some money. I just put a 5000 into one of my friends cars. 408SBF/twin turbo runs low 8's high 7's at 3100lbs. Great trans and a popular unit.

 

Does your transbrake work in second gear and try launching in that?

 

Funny, I just was looking into one of those too. I am not ruling the th400 out yet.

 

Transbrake only works in first gear.

 

launch pic

 

no there are transbrakes out there that work in second gear FYI.

 

They can be modified or adapted to work in other gears including high gear but they're dangerous. You don't want to be in high gear at 100+ mph and have the transbrake accidentally activate.

If you want a 3 speed and want to launch in second gear, just use a glide.

 

Lots of fast guys are using second gear launches and trans brakes if they can't get out of the hole yet in first. A built powerglide to handle that kind of power isn't cheap at all and if the guys already have it that's what they use. Any transbrake is "dangerous" if the button is pressed accidentally.

 

My transbrake will only activate in low gear. If I'm in high gear, I can push it all I want and nothing will happen. In those few seconds while I'm going down the track in first gear, the delay box has a transbrake lockout which prevents it from reactivating. I have the delay set for 5 seconds so after I release the transbrake, I can't reactivate it for 5 seconds. That gives me enough time to shift to high and it's set low enough so that if I accidentally push it before I stage, I only wait 5 seconds before I can activate it again.

 

Several Th400 vb's out ow are designed for 1st or 2nd gear activation. They definitely require and upgraded input/drum and upgraded main shaft to handle the added stress though. - Many glide lovers are switching to Rossler's turbo glide for a reason.

Mine will work in 2nd, and had I thought about it then I would have tried launching in 2nd during testing Friday, or possibly during one my my qualifying runs.

I plan to have a 2.10 gear set along with upgraded shafts, and forward clutch hub when everything comes back together, hopefully soon.

 

insane O_o prolly would **** myself...lol

 

lookin great ****....hope i can have something like that someday!

 

thanks guys. Hopefully I can calm the wheelies down a little and get that 1.0x 60ft when I bring it back out.