nitrous oxide

[Tommy-T]

I have nothing constructive to add but I have had a ton of fun with the squeeeze on various cars.
Like most who street raced out here in the San Fernando Valley we all had plate units by the late '70's. My first was a 125hp 10,000RPM (brand name) unit with black cloth braided lines.
I put it on my 390 Mustang with just a "T" in the fuel line and off to Terminal Island drag strip I drove. I made the first 12 second run that car ever ran on the first pass but the car would barely run on the return road. Pulled the plugs and the electrodes were burned off. Put some plugs in and drove home, nothing hurt.

Lesson learned, I drilled a hole in the stock fuel sending unit and JB Welded a 3/8" steel fuel line next to the stock fuel line. Added a blue Holley pump and plumbed a fuel line to the front for the nitrous system only. Regulated it to 10lbs. Then I "upgraded" to an ICE 125 plate unit. I never found a need to pull out timing with the small units once I had a dedicated fuel system. I didn't want to pull timing because if I had a "hoods up" (meaning nitrous unhooked) street race I'd have to retime.

I eventually bought a 200hp ICE unit and an MSD timing computer that I had hooked to the activation button on my shifter. Push the button, nitrous working and 6 degrees timing pulled out.
I don't believe I ever made a full pass with that system without some kind of drama.

Most notably, I took my Mustang to the Fun Ford Nationals at Carlsbad Raceway in San diego in 1987. I had the unit on the car but wasn't planning on using it. The car had a Hi Riser and 11.5x29.5 slicks. The car was dialed in the low 11's and running pretty good.
Unfortunately, I lit the red bulb in the first round. I decided that I'd hook up the squeeze and see if I could get a solid 10 second pass. They were having time only runs between rounds.
Staged the car and hit the unit right off the line. The car hooked hard and took off. It was running harder than ever and I was having fun. Once in high gear I was sure I was on a 10 second pass...then at a little past 3/4 track...boom...flames shot out of my Boss 429 hood scoop and wrapped around it. It was pretty cool but my run was over. I coasted to the return road and lifted the hood to check out the damage.
The boosters from my Holley were melted into my hood scoop.
Took the car home and pulled the heads. Nothing appeared damaged but the carb. I tried using my "big unit" a few more times but didn't care for it. The "small unit" always worked well for me.

Hope you have fun with your squeeze. I've won a number of "hoods down" street races when competitors lost traction when they hit their unit and I never even had to hit mine.

[C8OZ]

I like a button AND wot switch as mentioned above, and yes, hold the button through shifts and just lift the throttle a little.

100 hp also brings a lot of torque. I don't remember what brand of long-style pressure plate I was using with my first kit, but 125hp hit would slip the clutch if the rpms were too low. It's a lot of fun to hit it in the mid-range on the street, but make sure the clutch is up to the extra work.

[fryedaddy]

100 hp also brings a lot of torque. I don't remember what brand of long-style pressure plate I was using with my first kit, but 125hp hit would slip the clutch if the rpms were too low. It's a lot of fun to hit it in the mid-range on the street, but make sure the clutch is up to the extra work.
[/quote]i got over a grand in my clutch system,it should hold 100 shot

[JC-427Stroker]

Make sure you have a spare shortblock.

Is that your way of saying " There are two kinds of nitrous users - Those who have blown up sh*t and those who will"  ... lol

[Posi67]

I've never run the stuff but there is an old saying that "Using Nitrous is like going out with a girl who has a STD (sexually transmitted disease) You want to hit it but are afraid of the consequences" 

[brettco]

Make sure you have a spare shortblock.

not looking for s.a. comments like this.do you say the same thing to the big dogs shooting for 900-1000 hp? no,i have noticed you are polite to them. i may not be a big dog,im low buck,but i take my FEs seriously.i have been running them for 40+ years. i plan on staying small with the nitrous but i know what the possibility's are. thanks for the other replies.i will remember to check the plugs,they should look close to new after a pass is what i heard

It is easy to understand you are offended by the shortblock comment, but maybe....just maybe, you were getting good advice, even if you don't want to hear this advice.

The learning curve is pretty high when it comes to NO2. I have lost count at the number of blown engines at the drag strip, or on the street, by those who were CERTAIN they had all their ducks in a row, only to find out they did not.

There are signs to look for, and sounds to listen for, but it seems many want the set up to be right based more on what they have been told, rather than verifying it is right based on what their tune is telling them....and often comes the boom...at which point the extra shortblock is required.

Timing alterations under spray are critical...get them right and verify they are working properly.
Fuel management is critical under spray....get it right and verify.
When you are at the track attempting to make your run...pay effing attention and stop when it does not sound right.

We have all heard the new NO2 guy in the burnout box with the popping, sputtering, fire out the pipe engine that is screaming "No, it's not right yet, check a few things"
Followed by the starting line sputtering rev and loading of the converter.
Followed by the green light full throttle launch that lasts about 18" with the big underhood fire and subsequent BANG.....and now it is lunch time because the starting line needs to be cleaned and prepped again.

My favorite comment. And good advice

[fryedaddy]

its only a 100 shot.most people with negative comments are afraid to take chances.what about the dreaded flat tappet cam going flat at break in.or too much boost on a blower or turbo.im serious about every thing i do.anyone who knows me can tell you.im sure if something happens those same guys will say,i told you so.and maybe one or two might would wish it.i looked back at all the nitrous posts and the same people left simular comments on every post.some of these newly developed hi-po parts maybe should just be used on aftermarket blocks,too much bang for a stock block..wait,that sounds like a negitive comment,forget i said that.just a comparison.

[Rory428]

I had ran Nitrous on 3 different FEs, one with great results, one with so-so results, and cost me an engine, transmission, and almost, a car. The great was my numbers matching 69 R code automatic Mach 1, totally stock except for a Comp 268H cam, and F427 intake. Stock 735 carb, exhaust manifolds, torque convertor, single point ignition, 3.50 gears. "Off the bottle", the 69 ran a best of 13.38ET at 102mph, on 235/60R14 street radials, with a 100HP NOS Cheater plate setup, it ran 12.30s at 113 mph on the street tires, 11.92 on a pair of 81/2x26 MT slicks.
My 70 R code 4 speed Mach 1, a few years earlier, with a few bolts ons, ran a best of 12.52 at 111 MPH, on slicks with open headers, I then added the same NOS kit that I later put on the 69. Even with a McLeod 11 1/2" clutch and 4.30 gears, the 2.32 1rst gear would slip if I tried to launch it on the nitrous, so I ended up just using the nitrous in 3rd and 4th gear, which picked up 4 mph, but less than a tenth in the 1/4 mile. With the 69, I found that if I just ran the nitrous in 1rst and 2nd gear, it made much more improvement using the nitrous in the 1rst part of the run, than just using it for the 2nd 1/2.
The bad deal, was with my Fairmont, which in 1988 and 89, had a decent 390, with a C6. With no nitrous, the 390 ran a best on 11.42 at 117mph. I decided to take the NOS kit from my 69, and stick it on the Fairmont. With the 100HP jets, it was great, ran 10.50s at 126 MPH, launching at WOT with the nitrous on. However, like many bottle squeezers, I got hooked on the "easy" HP, so I switched to the 175HP jets. Another big improvement, went a best of 10.28 at 132 mph, until a few months later. I was at a race in Bremerton, and just before the finish line, there was a loud boom, flames out of the scoop, and I was sliding around in water at 130ish MPH. Luckily, I kept it off the guardrail, could have been a lot worse. When I took the engine apart, I found all the main webbing between the cam and main bearing bores was ripped out, the crank was in 5 sections. The rear section of crankshaft was flopping around enough that the flexplate teeth sliced a groove thru the C6s bellhousing, broke off the front pump stater support, snapped off the starter nose, and when the rear webbing broke, it tore open the rear water jackets, which is why I had the water under the slicks. When I built this engine a few years earlier, I installed brand new 427 LeMans rods, with SPS bolts, all of the rods were bent or twisted, but none broke.A few valves got bent, and one piston hit the head deck surface. That was over 30 years ago, and I have not touched the stuff since, nor do I ever plan to.

[Stangman]

I know some guys that have great success and some with little to no success. One guy I know his car is called champagne express like a 87 Grand Prix small block Chevy , I believe he’s running a 500 horse kit not all at once. I can find out but I think he leaves on a 250 then 2nd and 3rd are an additional 125 each. He’s running 8.20s pretty  consistent. He just had a tranny go on him a turbo 350. He just put a turbo 400 in.

[cjshaker]

its only a 100 shot.most people with negative comments are afraid to take chances.

Only a 100 shot..lol
My comment hardly means that I'm afraid of taking chances, but believe whatever you want. My comment was intending that if you use stuff like that, you should have spare parts. Since I like to race my R code, with an all factory iron 427, I have spare parts. Why? Because if you're going to race, you can't be surprised or upset if something goes wrong, so you better be willing to pay the price. If you're going to use nitrous, your chances just increased.
But....I guess I'm just afraid to use the stuff.

[fryedaddy]

just for the record,my garage is packed with fe stuff just like the rest of the lifelong FE lovers. i have owned this car for 40 years and this is the 4th fe i have put in it.not offended just dont care for negative comments when im trying to do something the right way.you made the same comment to all the members who brought up the subject.i dont see anyone telling Jay,Blair,Brent,etc.that they better have a spare mule ready for their testing.or members with radical over the top engines. its always,nice engine ,good job,etc.i bet if someone had a 1500-2000 hp nitrous FE with success,they would get a that a boy,instead of asking if he had a spare. since i dont thrash my car weekly at the track,if no bad luck a 10 pound bottle will last me at least 2 years.it will never be used for more than 4 or 5 seconds at a time at the most.just a few times a summer.im not turning into mr hyde and going wild with it.

[1968galaxie]

I have read through this thread several times.
I do not see any negative comments from anyone on this thread.
Many positive thoughtful comments.
We all love the FE platform.

Not everyone agrees - that doesn't make a comment "negative" or the responder an a smart-a__
Don't ask questions if you only want answers that you agree with.

[Blueoval77]

Oh boy this went south...So in the late 80s I found there was a ton more money in building race cars than there was racing them so thats what consumed my time while mine sat Dormant.  I have one old friend from that era and he too was hooked on the sauce and still is today. I did a 7.50 cert SN95 for him in the early 2000s . The first car I did for him was an early Fox and if any of you have raced at the Beach in the way back you remember the wires coming out to the tree over head.. Well they yelled at him numerous times because they thought he was going to hit the wires when the old fox left on the back bumper (It kinda did look like it but was a long way from hitting it). Mike , is the guys name for reference... Well Mike did transmissions and was good at it ,very good . He is meticulous...Which is why I mention him.
Both of us have seen NUMEROUS N2O failures over the years in peoples cars .Nearly every single time it was either because they were stupid or they had some very suspect wiring or Fuel delivery or switches or all of the above (IE stupid). Ive seen a couple I guess that just didnt have the parts to handle the shot . I have seen too many to count that suffered broken transmissions , broken rears , broken welds on shoddy additions . Detonated Clutches and bell housings . the list goes on and on .

Neither Mike , Nor I , ever had such failures  .We didnt because we knew what we had to do in order to use it and we respected that . I recall once when we ran the timing up on his Brothers car higher than we should have because we were trying to get the 302 in the 9s , we sacrificed a few electrodes and it was our fault that it happened . This was a little bit of nothing car that they had done the engine in and I had done the cage and chassis . Car ran in the 10.17 to 10.20 range all day long... Try that with an FE that you have literally no money to build WITHOUT N2O.

I said this at the onset of this thread. Most of the time if you have an engine that can handle the increase and you have a well setup system , the failure is going to be another thing in the car that was fine with lets say 450 HP and would run that way till the cows come home , but wasnt so fine with that shock of 1 ,2 ,3 , or 500 HP being thrown at it like right now.

This isnt the N2Os fault people  . Parts all have a threshold of what they can deal with . Its no different without the bottle on the car. You have a engine that is pumping out lets say 300 hp and you get those Heads from Jay and a solid roller and a big ole carb and giant REF headers and take her for a pass and those rod bolts that WERE perfectly fine decide that this addition wasnt in their contract so they quit. Its exactly the same thing.
Properly installed and tuned N2O systems do not inherently burn engines down . Its simply not true.. And no , when you are talking Nitrous , 100HP is nothing . Yeah , it might be to those stock connecting rods that were borderline to begin with but again, Not anything that can be blamed on the N2O . You simply over powered the parts you have installed.

The statement about having a spare short block around can be applied to anyone thats going to beat on the cars. It damn sure can be applied to me . I have no mercy with or without the kit on it. If it cant do what I need it to do then it should throw parts out . I have no one to blame but me and knowing that about myself  , yeah , I have more than one spare engine around.

I have a Fogger kit here that WILL be going on one of these that I am doing now with a  controller... N2O simply cannot be beat dollar for dollar.... It cant be done..

[fryedaddy]

i was wanting to get my heads CNC worked and a solid roller but i didn't want to tear a almost new engine partially down and cost right now before Christmas. my receipt at the machine shop was over 3 feet long and the last thing the machinist said as i was going out the door was[boy,that would make a nice nitrous motor]i believe i will take my chances. so it will either take the extra hp or it wont

[fryedaddy]

Not everyone agrees - that doesn't make a comment "negative" or the responder an a smart-a__
Don't ask questions if you only want answers that you agree with.

i ask questions because i want to learn what i can,unless i get kicked off the forum i will continue to ask questions,some might be dumb.but i dont have to agree will all the answers.