So I took the 72 Demon out for its first time on Saturday just for TestnTune. 408 engine, mild ported Eddy's, Bullett 251/256 @ 50 cam SFT cam, 10.5CR, Super Victor w/ 850 DP, Hooker Super Comp's. 8" ATI Treemaster TC (4800 stall), 4.56 axle with a spool (8.75"). Too much axle but that's what the car had in it when I bought it as a roller. Car weight is still a mystery - have to find a scale. It's been 28 years since I was on the track and I just finished putting this latest car together and was anxious to see what we have to work with.
Went to Lapeer Dragway to give it a try. Lapeer does a nice job with the starting line but the track is VERY narrow with barriers up close the length of the track. That shouldn't be a problem as you're supposed to be going straight down the track, right?
Well, this car decided that a hard left turn leaving the lights was the thing to do. So between my newness with the car, the launch and left turn, grabbing the Cheetah shifter at the wrong time....things didn't go so well. I couldn't even tell you what RPM I shifted it at as I was trying to keep from putting red paint on the wall and then when I did correct it, I probably overcorrected it and got the car weaving and simply lifted. I had to do this for every run! Sometimes I even unintentionally grabbed 2nd right after the launch! I just had to laugh at myself how poorly I handled the shifting! (Maybe I should sit in the car in the garage and practice hitting the shifter!!) I did play with tire pressure (went up and down) and even swapped the slicks side to side. Swapping them may have helped a tad on the left turn but not totally sure.
So between the car not doing the right thing and my total incompetence, we didn't have the day we planned! No total passes all day. But let's focus on the things that went right:
1. The car came back in 1 piece!
2. No leaks developed and the cooling system actually kept the engine right around 160F
3. Trans hit about 180F max going down the track but was back to close to 150F by the time I got back to the pits (kept the trans cooler fan running).
4. The 2 best 60' times were 1.57 and 1.58 (unsure if I stayed in these all the way to 60' or if I had pulled the 1-2 shift early). Both were at about 12.5#'s of air in the slicks. Didn't try anything lower but will next time.
5. Car hooked well without spinning. (28/10.5 -15W slicks)
So this car is massively different than the car I raced way back in my past. That was my 69 Charger - full street car with a mild 440 that ran mid-12's and was very consistent. Car left and went where it was pointed, never any violence, just an easy car to drive. I call it the stately grandpa car - just a big and fun and easy bracket car (still sitting in my garage the way it was parked after a class win in 1993). The OPPOSITE of this car! This one is rambunctious, obnoxious, and much louder than the Charger's bigger engine (that one had the old DC 292/509 hyd cam). Of course, I got what I asked for as this car was built to be a 70's retro-looking build and I think it came off as such.
So where do we go from here? Well, we'll be pulling apart the Cal-Trac's this week to be sure they're lubed up and free moving and putting some preload on that left side to try and get it not to pull left. A shift light is also ordered as it's apparent that for this old cowboy, even at this power/launch level, I'll need that light to tell me when to shift rather than trying to watch the tach to hit the shifter. Seems to need the 1-2 shift mighty soon after the launch! Probably better also find a way to get a 4.10 into it as well as if I get it sorted out and can make a full pass, I'll be beyond any RPM where any power is made.
I'd rather be posting some great results but it is what it is. I think this pass posted ran an 11.80 at about 102 as I had lifted.
Went to Lapeer Dragway to give it a try. Lapeer does a nice job with the starting line but the track is VERY narrow with barriers up close the length of the track. That shouldn't be a problem as you're supposed to be going straight down the track, right?
Well, this car decided that a hard left turn leaving the lights was the thing to do. So between my newness with the car, the launch and left turn, grabbing the Cheetah shifter at the wrong time....things didn't go so well. I couldn't even tell you what RPM I shifted it at as I was trying to keep from putting red paint on the wall and then when I did correct it, I probably overcorrected it and got the car weaving and simply lifted. I had to do this for every run! Sometimes I even unintentionally grabbed 2nd right after the launch! I just had to laugh at myself how poorly I handled the shifting! (Maybe I should sit in the car in the garage and practice hitting the shifter!!) I did play with tire pressure (went up and down) and even swapped the slicks side to side. Swapping them may have helped a tad on the left turn but not totally sure.
So between the car not doing the right thing and my total incompetence, we didn't have the day we planned! No total passes all day. But let's focus on the things that went right:
1. The car came back in 1 piece!
2. No leaks developed and the cooling system actually kept the engine right around 160F
3. Trans hit about 180F max going down the track but was back to close to 150F by the time I got back to the pits (kept the trans cooler fan running).
4. The 2 best 60' times were 1.57 and 1.58 (unsure if I stayed in these all the way to 60' or if I had pulled the 1-2 shift early). Both were at about 12.5#'s of air in the slicks. Didn't try anything lower but will next time.
5. Car hooked well without spinning. (28/10.5 -15W slicks)
So this car is massively different than the car I raced way back in my past. That was my 69 Charger - full street car with a mild 440 that ran mid-12's and was very consistent. Car left and went where it was pointed, never any violence, just an easy car to drive. I call it the stately grandpa car - just a big and fun and easy bracket car (still sitting in my garage the way it was parked after a class win in 1993). The OPPOSITE of this car! This one is rambunctious, obnoxious, and much louder than the Charger's bigger engine (that one had the old DC 292/509 hyd cam). Of course, I got what I asked for as this car was built to be a 70's retro-looking build and I think it came off as such.
So where do we go from here? Well, we'll be pulling apart the Cal-Trac's this week to be sure they're lubed up and free moving and putting some preload on that left side to try and get it not to pull left. A shift light is also ordered as it's apparent that for this old cowboy, even at this power/launch level, I'll need that light to tell me when to shift rather than trying to watch the tach to hit the shifter. Seems to need the 1-2 shift mighty soon after the launch! Probably better also find a way to get a 4.10 into it as well as if I get it sorted out and can make a full pass, I'll be beyond any RPM where any power is made.
I'd rather be posting some great results but it is what it is. I think this pass posted ran an 11.80 at about 102 as I had lifted.
Anyways its fun and a learning experience and like said car came home in one peice.
