sorry if this is a double-post..my comp keeps freezing.

Hey guys, I have a 83 Z28 w/ 4 bbl 305. Minor mods...gutted cat/flowmaster muffler, hypertech chip, etc. I'm hoping for high 15's.

Since it's my first time, I have a few questions:
1. I'm gonna be running street tires. I'm thinking, lower rear pressure to 20 psi and leave fronts at 32. Skip the water but do a dry burn out to get tirs warm. Good/bad?
2. I have the 700r4 tranny. Should I leave it in D (overdrive won't kick in right?) or leave it in 3 (so overdrive can't kick in) or just shift it myself going through the low gears?

Any other hints anybody can help me out w/? Wish me luck! hehe . Thanx guys.

 

Street tires (radials) shouldn't go below 28 psi. The stiff sidewalls won't roll over like a bias drag slick. Instead the center will curl up giving less traction. Street radial work best at 32-35 psi.

Skip the water. A street tire isn't designed to heat up so trying to do a big smoky burnout is just wearing the rubber off. Drive around the water to the inside. Rocks, rubber and debris are broomed to the outside and you don't want to drive through that. Do a short dry hop just to clean off the tires. You don't want to track any water up to the starting line.

The 700R4 is a poor choice for a drag racing transmission. To be consistant, just leave it in drive. To try and get your best ET, you'll have to manually shift it. Hold first gear to above the red line. Shift from second to third at red line. Chances are you will run out of track before needing OD which you don't want to use anyway. You need to overrev first gear because of how wide the gear spread is from first to second. It's that low first gear that hurts.

You can cut a good light with good reaction times if you launch when you see the last yellow light come on. By the time you and the car react, the green should be on and you should have a .5xx or .6xx reaction time.

Don't expect to know everything the first time you go to the track. Watch the first few rounds to see what everyone else is doing first. The main thing is to just go and have fun.

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Follow my racing progress on Stephen's racing page
and check out the race car

87 IROC-Z SuperPro ET Bracket Race Car
461 naturally aspirated Big Block (times are for the current engine)

Best ET on a time slip: 11.447 altitude corrected to 10.99
Best MPH on a time slip: 119.42 altitude corrected to 124.86
Altitude corrected rear wheel HP: 493
Best 60 foot: 1.586

Racing at 3500 feet elevation with a typical race day over 5000 feet density altitude!
Member of the Calgary Drag Racing Association

87 IROC bracket car, 91 454SS daily driver, 95 Homebuilt Harley

 

Thanks a lot Stephen. The transmission isn't in there because I chose it as a drag tranny...it's in there because thats what the car came with and I'm broke . Thanks for the quick reply.

 

why would you say that stephan? there are a lot of guys going very fast with 700's and the later 4l60's. it is a good and fairly strong tranny with a great first gear. the only down fall that i see is the huge jump between first and second(knocks you rpm's down by almost 45%). there are a lot of cars i have seen weighing in at 3400lbs that are running high 10's and low 11's with them. and i know from my car that they are very consistant with their shift points and produce consistant et's.
i don't mean to this as a flame or anything, i have jsut all of a sudden heard a bunch of guys bash this tranny and it doesn't make much sense for a street guy running mid 10's or higher in a sub 3500lbs to need anything more. the first gear avoids having to run a ton of gear to get it out of the hole and the overdrive keeps the car better mannered on the trip to and from the track.

chevy83z28, my only sugestions are to have fun and try putting 40-50psi in the front tires while you are at the track to help the car roll a little more freely, just remeber to knock them back down to normal pressure before you drive home.

later
tim


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Thanks for all the replies guys. I got back last night from the track, had soooo much fun... the feeling of your blood pumping as the light turns green is awesome.

I'm guessing since it was my first time... I did three runs, and got 16.854 @ 80.802, 16.606 @ 81.371, and finally a 16.387 @ 82.979 mph. My best reaction time was on my second run and was only a .341, which I realize is horrible but should only get better with more practice and experience. Plus the track (west hamptons, li) was a little slippery cause it had a layer of rubber all over the track. I think the car can run a 15.9 if I just practice some more.

I ran it shifting through the gears, and I realized how bad the stock shifter is for this application. I've searched the site about the B&M Conosle Megashifter designed for the car. I have some questions about it: does the kit come with a new plastic console piece, or just a template for me to cut apart my existing one? Also, do I really need to drill a hole into the floorboard to mount it? The wiring part kinda irritates me in the fact that they design a shifter for the car, but can't make it fit perfectly, but I don't mind wiring it up. But for those of you guys that have this shifter, and have gotten through the headaches of installing it, how is it? Is the transmission cable reliable? Is it worth the money from upgrading from a stock shifter? Again, I've researched this shifter on this site but still wanted to ask these questions. Thanks again everybody!

 

I'm happy with my megashifter. It come with a new console cover. I bought it when the car still had the 700R4 tranny in it. It's adaptable to a 3 speed auto as well and comes with a different shift indicator if needed. The wiring is required for the neutral start and reverser lights. It's not that hard to do. I don't like how the shift handle attaches to the shifter. Mine isn't tight anymore. I also upgraded my handle to one with the button that I use for my 2 step.

If I was going to buy another shifter I would go with a Hurst Quarter Stick or the B&M Pro Stick. The Megashifter is nice but I don't like the feel of the ratcheting.

 

If the shifter comes with its own new console why were all those people complaining about cutting up their old ones? Maybe they just bought the regular Megashifter and not the console shifter I'm thinking. Did you have to drill new holes for the shifter or did it fit right into the factory holes? If all I have to change is wiring for the new shifter... it's gonna be bought soon! hehe

One last question... why do you need a relay? Is it for the reverse light or the neutral safety switch?

[This message has been edited by Chevy83Z28 (edited October 22, 2001).]

 

.348 is a bad reaction time ? That doesnt sound too bad over here.

-- Joe

 

im pretty sure there is a 1 in front of that r/t.

 

The timeslip just says .341, not 1.341. However, I think since .5 is the lowest possible r/t, they automatically subtract .5 (which would make my real r/t .841.) Does that make sense or nah?

 

Depends on the timing system used. Most of us are familiar with a .500 perfect light. Older systems still display .000 as a perfect light. If it's that type of system then the .341 is really .841 RT.

The shifter comes with the top part of the console. You still have to cut the factory console to install the shifter. Then the new piece is screwed over top, filling the hole. The shifter bolts to the floor like the original one. I can't remember what the relay was for, possibly for the reverse or the power truck latch. I didn't need it. I only needed to hook up the neutral start wires.

[This message has been edited by Stephen 87 IROC (edited October 24, 2001).]