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FE Power Forums => The Road to Drag Week 2016 => Topic started by: jayb on September 16, 2016, 10:11:25 AM

Title: Drag Week 2016, Day 4
Post by: jayb on September 16, 2016, 10:11:25 AM
Our hotel was pretty close to the track, so we took off for Indy at 7:30 on Thursday morning.  Naturally, the directions to the track took us to a closed road, so we had to improvise, but made it into the track by ten to eight or so.  While we were working on getting the car ready to race, I noticed a 69 Torino a few spots away in the pits.  Turned out it was owned by Jim Kitchen and equipped with one of my intake adapters!  Jim has intake adapter #29, and I was delighted to see that he was getting the advantages of the adapter.  He had been dealing with some lifter problems, and was replacing some of the lifters at Indy.  He had the intake off, and the center cover of the adapter off, but did not have to break the water jacket, replace intake gaskets, or pull the distributor to get this done.  It just made my day, maybe my week, to see my product helping out another racer.  Here's a picture of Jim's car apart during the repair:

(http://fepower.net/Photos/Drag Week 2016/DW16ia.jpg)


An hour later, the car was driving around the pits.  No way that car was back together that fast if he had to do the whole FE intake swap, and now the car could stay in the event. 

Once my car was ready to race we drove into the staging lanes, and as luck would have it parked right next to Doug Smith; here's a picture of the two cars:

(http://fepower.net/Photos/Drag Week 2016/DW16day4.jpg)


Again we had some oildowns and a crash at the track while we were waiting in the staging lanes, so we were stuck there for a couple hours, but finally I got to the line.  Again the car went dead straight, but my launch was poor, and my 1.36 60 foot time left me with a 9.12 for the ET, at 149.6 if I recall correctly.  But it was good enough to solidify my hold on second place.  Again, Steve and I were interested in just getting going, so I handed in that time slip and we got the car into street trim.  We were out of the track by 12:30. 

The road trip was the easiest one we'd had to deal with.  It was at least 50% freeway driving, and a lot of other four lane roads as well.  The checkpoints were also easy to find, although the second checkpoint was going to be on a closed road for some kind of a parade, according to an announcement on Hot Rod's web site.  We made it through to that one before the parade started, apparently, because we had no issues.  Here are the checkpoint pictures:

(http://fepower.net/Photos/Drag Week 2016/DW16day4ck1.jpg)

(http://fepower.net/Photos/Drag Week 2016/DW16day4ck2.jpg)

I found out later that our second checkpoint picture was the wrong one; there was a Foy's Halloween store across the street, behind us from the view in that picture, that we were supposed to take the picture of.  Hopefully I won't get disqualified for taking the wrong picture LOL!

We were into the hotel by 8:30.  The car ran well, and the engine sounded great the whole way.  I'm typing this on Friday morning, so all we have to do to finish is get to the track and make a pass.  I may pull the valve covers to check the lash and the cam timing again, just to see if I can find the tenth I lost after the cam change.  Racing doesn't start until 1:30 today, so there's plenty of time.  I'll try to put together the final day blog post either tonight, or sometime on Sunday.  Once again thanks for all the interest from the forum on this event.  It was a tough week, but in the end it has been a lot of fun - Jay
Title: Re: Drag Week 2016, Day 4
Post by: cobracammer on September 16, 2016, 10:22:03 AM
Good luck Jay!!!  I've had it on all week at my desk at work watching live   ;D
Title: Re: Drag Week 2016, Day 4
Post by: Lenz on September 16, 2016, 11:06:39 AM
Good luck Jay!!!  I've had it on all week at my desk at work watching live   ;D

2x on that.  I suspect there's been a slight loss in productivity nation-wide, they may not trace it to drag week but I'll bet they could ::).  Well done Jay-
Title: Re: Drag Week 2016, Day 4
Post by: sixty3 on September 16, 2016, 11:56:40 AM
glad you posted what time race starts today! Here I am looking on youtube for the link and becoming frustrated over lunch break.  Hopefully I will get to see more action today.

Good luck to you and Doug.
Kevin
Title: Re: Drag Week 2016, Day 4
Post by: Dumpling on September 16, 2016, 12:56:33 PM
That top picture screams out for a rev kit to go with the adapter.
Title: Re: Drag Week 2016, Day 4
Post by: WConley on September 16, 2016, 02:14:21 PM
Glad you guys were able to keep the torch lit for the whole week  :)

Getting the chassis dialed in for launch should get you right there with Dyer's Nova, since your mph is identical.  Maybe check the inside rear quarters for an accumulation of Trunk Monkey droppings...

Like everybody else, I've been following the event closely all week.  Great effort!

- Bill
Title: Re: Drag Week 2016, Day 4
Post by: machoneman on September 16, 2016, 02:45:59 PM
Yeah! Great Jay just great!  :)

Early on, some said the car was leaving lots of black smoke at the starting line on launch. Any ideas? Too rich at launch? Or just maybe the headers got carbon'ed up when it was all buttoned up?

Can't see how that can happen with EFI but I'm no guru on that system.
Title: Re: Drag Week 2016, Day 4
Post by: Qikbbstang on September 17, 2016, 09:45:22 AM
 Re: "some said the car was leaving lots of black smoke at the starting line on launch. Any ideas?'


   Like machoneman stated it defies logic having a rich-launch with EFI...............but then I think about Kaase's clear tunnel ram with literally streams of raw fuel   ----- maybe a few puddle's of raw fuel hanging around while staging could make for much smoke?

       You certainly can't synthesize the staging and launch on a dyno can you?
Title: Re: Drag Week 2016, Day 4
Post by: cdmbill2 on December 31, 2016, 04:17:21 PM
There is a bit more to the black 'smoke' at the hit with an EFI drag car than meets the eye. Carbureted drag cars, especially big cubic, naturally aspirated cars have a lot of reversion at low engine speeds and as a result they accumulate lot of fuel on the port walls during the burnout and staging. The remaining accelerator pump shot(s) add to that to get the car moving at the hit. EFI cars have the equivalent of the accelerator pump shots with launch and accel enrichment, but much less wall wetting, so to get the car off the line as well or better requires even more fuel via the accel and launch settings and that results in the black cloud of excess fuel. Another advantage of a carburetor at the launch is the better fuel atomization the accel pumps achieve up in the Venturi vs. the accel enrichment from the typical EFI port injection location much closer to the valve. The net is most well optimized max effort N/A EFI motors will exhibit a bit of the black puff at the hit.