Maria8

Well, heading out with my 85 F2 procharged TA for Drag Week again. I tore the sh8t out of it last year, but made it to the end. Gonna try to finish with a little better average this year. Ran slicks last year, got radials working this year. Madman met me and gave me a little drag radial 101, so we hope to continue the progress. Looks like my intercooler water tank puts me in a really fast class. I know of two 7 second cars coming. I will be in super street where they put all the stock suspension power adder cars together that don't fit in with small block or big block power adder class due to roll cage or intercoolers. New rule this year. Sucks but, I am going just to have fun and try and get an 8 sec average. My set up is dart 400, F2 procharger, stock style suspension, madman parts, turbo 400+gearvendors, single mufflex 4" exhaust, racecraft 9" 3.25 gears. Wish me luck running with these big boys. If you recognize the car, come up and say hi. Racing is easy, the drive is what is gonna be gruelling. 1260 last year, I bet you it will be close to 1500 in a week, this year.

jbenge

iTrader: (2)

Good Luck! I wish drag week came through the Indy area this year, I would be there for sure.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

this is awesome! please keep us updated with pics if you can man! i want to do this so badly!

gcpoland

iTrader: (18)

Good luck and have fun.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

i remember your thread from last year too. what are you dragging with the car? do you have any pics of the hitch setup?

Edwardgp

You will be having some fun.

UnstableAviator

Next year...next year. I've been talking about doing this for a while. Updates please!

Maria8

I'm trying something different this year. No trailer behind my car. Jeff Lutz with the 57 borrowed it and will take it instead. It worked great last year, but gonna try and make faster time in between tracks. We are guessing the trips between tracks may hit 1500 miles.
I can post pics once I get back.

Maria8

Yes, its a blast. Just so damn far from my house to start. We are guessing that all the tracks will be prepped killer this year.

Maria8

Well already having issues. Leaving in 6 hours. Car loaded is rubbing rear right tire . Tried adjusting rear coil springs then
trimming fender. No luck. Gonna put it back down and try pan hard bar to scoot it over. If all else will pull tire and lift it way high for drive. Running 295/55/15 Dr with 5.5 back s. Rear is cut 1 " both sides . 10.27 wide weld rts wheels. My 28x10 slicks never rubbed.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

are you trying for the "fastest without a trailer" award?

Maria8

No. Larry Larson has that won every year. My goals are just to finish and bring home a running car.

Maria8

WELL first update. Were here. Tomorrow we get tech

86iroc2try

Good luck!!! Thats a lotta hard driving for the car!!

Maria8

day 1 update. Ran the car three times today. I turned in my best one and hit the road. First day official time was 9.04 at 160mph yes 160. I destroyed a belt, I pulled a bunch of power out with power grid, got it to launch then it spun on top of first gear...damn. Last pass I left it alone and short shifted 2nd. Hit the road. It was 400 miles to my damn hotel. Took 8 hours of brutal roads. First half was back road hills and curves second half was on freeway and interstate. I ran 70-80 on open roads. Had a cop turn on his lights to let me know to slow down (way cool) Then a second pulled me over 10 min from hotel for chute tail covering plate. Let me go as well. Texans are damn nice! Gonna try to get more sorted out tomorrow and a better time. My car is a knife compared to the guns that are here, but it is still a blast. I am meeting and hanging out with all the people I see in the magazines, Way cool.

Maria8

At a gas stop resting after ANOTHER brutal leg in the drive. Had to stop for a tire rub and give some of my stuff to another racer that stopped to lighten load in car. Cranked up rear coil spring and off we went, until one of my fuel pumps went out. Got that fixed. Gotta change the oil in hotel parking tonight. Turned in an 8.76 yesterday. Today I spun bad on top of first and then track got hot, so turned in first pass of 8.92 or 8.91. Tough class and worse drives. But still fun.

sailtexas186548

iTrader: (2)

Awesome! I would like to do DW one day.

Are you the guy that needed the a1000 fuel pump in Louisiana at a gas station? saw the thread on YB

Maria8

Just got to hotel. MF! We left at 2:30 from Louisiana. No, wasn't me. I had parts with me. This drive beat beat beat and beat the car some more. I wouldn't want to walk on the roads we had to take. I can't believe nothing fell off or broke in half. Carnage galore on the way to Memphis. The racing is the EASY part for sure!! Hard to make more then one hit for the money and get on the road. The drives are beating the competitors down. Hats off to ANYONE that made that brutal and a lot of times dangerous drives in the NARROW construction zones. Route took us from Louisiana to Arkansas and now in Tennesee. Left track at 2:30 and just got in. Taking a shower and getting up at 5:30 to do it again.

Shagwell

Crazy, but gotta be an awesome experience at the same time! - Good luck!

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

Man, I can't wait to do this! Are you using a cog drive or 12 rib setup on the blower? Do you take the belt and charge pipe off for the drive?

86iroc2try

Thats quite a trip...sounds like fun though!!

Maria8

I'm taking the blower belt off during the drives to save everything on the car as much as possible including my ears.
I never take it off at home so it's kind of strange when I pass someone.
It's a cog.

Maria8

Taday's update. Fuel Pump no longer pumps correctly. I knew it was suffering so I short shifted every gear just to get a timeslip and I knew the drive would be really long again. I logged only 45 fuel psi at end of run...damn that could have gone real bad. I ordered a new Weldon 2345a and had it next day am to hotel so I can put it on in morning and at least get a decent run tomorrow afternoon. Made one run today 9.31 @ 150 ....or close to it, turned in timeslip. We have a 450 mile drive to back to memphis. 20 miles on highway, buddies car broke a rocker arm on his 7 second car. Not gonna leave him till another race, who had a spare, brings him one. So I am sitting in some abandoned gas station burning time....another long night and It looks like rain. SUM BIACH!!
Gonna plug away at it and try to hit a decent 8 sec pass.

86iroc2try

You gotta put some pics up of this mayhem!!

Maria8

Just got to hotel from HALF the drive. We were taking our time, driving slow to keep the fuel pump from completely burning up and not making drive. While filling up car and lettting pump cool a little more, we saw my buddy who is currently leading in my class. Rick with the 7 second nova wagon. We went over accross the street and agreed to roll together. Got back on I 40. His co-polot was driving so he could get some rest. It started raining HARD, 10 minutes later they were spun around WITH A TRAILER BEHIND THE WAGON. Flipped the trailer with all their tools, extra tranny, torque converters, etc. Im thinking HOLY SH8T that didn't just happen. Three cars stopped to help get the car turned around and the trailer upright and pick up all the carnage. Drove it the the first exit. Bent wheel. We sat there an hour in the rain beating the rim enough to actually drive the car. We still have 200 miles left of this drive. I gave in and got a room. Gonna let them run my wheels and radials after I make my pass. THEY KEPT DRIVING. They are nuts and so is this event. Looks like we are gonna get rained out tomorrow, but we still need to make drive to actually finish and not be a DNF. Regardless, I am leaving at 6:30, grab my pump, get car ready and be ready in case we actually race. My goal is to finish, and make a respectable pass with the new pass, if not, to get home with a running car......

sailtexas186548

iTrader: (2)

holy crap that is some intense stuff ya'll are doing!

best of luck to you and everyone at DW, BE SAFE and FAST tomorrow!

Maria8

100 miles to go and cant get through the rain on the required route. Drag radials aren't cutting it and the semi's are letting me know who is boss, so I stopped at some gas station in Oaklahoma to wait out the rain a bit. I can't beleive the rain may cause a DNF if we don't make the cut off time today. Good thing it is in afternoon. I need to make it even if we don't race, let alone putting on that fuel pump that I don't have in my hands. We left about 4 cars back at the hotel that were gonna wait it out there. Wish I would have waited there as well.

Shagwell

Would suck to get a DNF, especially this late in the event, but taking a DNF & taking you & the car home in one piece is FAR more important. - Good luck either way!

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

just get there man....slow and steady. do you have a heater/defrost in the car to keep the window clean? good luck my friend!!!!

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

Updates?

1BADRZ28

iTrader: (2)

I went to Tulsa Friday and he finished the event. They delayed the Friday passes until Sat because of the weather.

Maria8

On the way home now. We made it on time on Friday. When we couldn't make it through the rain, I decided to find some tires. I found a tire shop, bought some 275/60/15's had them mounted and plowed through the last 100 miles to the track. We made room in my car by giving away stuff that I could live without so i could fit my drag radials in the car.Once at the track I got my fuel pump, while I was installing it, we asked a spectator that we saw drive a truck in, if he would take my buddy and all my tires to a tire shop and change the tires around again. The new fuel pump didn't fix the problem....DAMN. We had a rain delay, so I checked out everything again, voltage, regulator, changed the filters. Thought the event was gonna be ove, then they said we are racing SAT. Went out to dinner for first time. While talking it over decided it has to be regulator. One of my buddies was leaving event early and had same regulator. We took it off his car that was loaded up for home. Sat morning put it on. FIXED! Made a few easy runs to confirm safe fuel pressure and try to re tune car. Last pass ran 8.82 @ 157 (1.31 60FT) to give me an 8 sec average for week.
Im happy I finished, my car is still together and I hit my personal goals. DRAG WEEK IS A KILLER. Lots of pain, lots of stories but lots of FUN!

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

Man that's outstanding! I can't wait to try this

sailtexas186548

iTrader: (2)

me too ^ I'm graduating in may so i'll have an income and vacations days next sept, I'm gonna try to make DW 2013

Shagwell

Very cool, glad you made it through!

Maria8

Well my last update with the car for this year. I took it to a street car shootout at my local strip last Friday. Track was unprepped. Got it to run 8.97 and 8.95 by pulling out power with my power grid, but then blew off tires and lost next round. Saturday took it to Brenspeed dyno shootout and open house in North Webster, IN. Got 2nd in GM class and 2nd overall as well. Stripped out my distributor gear on first pull. Made 890 rwhp @ 5600 rpm and shut off. Called a buddy to get ahold of another buddy that had keys to a shop that had a gear. Bribed them to bring it to me an hour away. Put it in and got it back in line. Was last car to run and made a hit, 1012 rwhp. I felt like I was still on drag week. But thats it for this year. Cleaned it up, took it to a car show on Sunday and its still running. 3500 street miles this year, 72 drag strip hits, best et 8.74 best 60' 1.30 best mph 160. I have more work to do for next year, but I'm happy for this year. I will post some pics and video once I get it around next couple weeks.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

wow, sounds like a very successful year my friend! congrats on your accomplishments!