Opinion from some of you long time Mopar racers

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I agree with roccodart. Get it on scales ASAP and then on a wheel dyno.

Then you'll have some numbers to work with. You are now (according to your numbers) 384 CID. To get 600 HP is only 1.56 HP/CID which isn't really hard to do.

You have some damn good equipment. I LOVE Norris rockers. Looks like you have a good header on it. Ignition is quality. Carb may be small...well it is. It needs a Dominator but that's not killing you. Intake manifold probably has been ported if the hands have much work on them.

The only thing I really don't like is the rear shocks. You need something double adjustable because single adjustable is useless at the level you want to run.

I think when you get it on the dyno you may be surprised to find it needs to be shifted at 7500. You didn't post your at .050 duration but I'd suspect that cam is at least 275 degrees.

Just spitballing here. Great car.
 
Awesome car ! The motor sounds like it has a lot good stuff in it but it’s not making the steam. Should be going 130+ at 500hp and close to 140 mph at 600. Not trying to be a smart azz but did you check if it’s getting full throttle ?
 
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First thing is to fix the 60 ft time. That car should do way better then 1.52-5 and 5:13 gears even with a 4,000 converter.

A hundredth in 60ft equals approx. a tenth on big end. So the car is there. IMHO
 
Consistent set it and forget it me says leave the trans in the car..... OTHER ME says get rid of the dump truck 727 and put a 904 in it!!
 
yellow rose said:
I agree with roccodart. Get it on scales ASAP and then on a wheel dyno.

Then you'll have some numbers to work with. You are now (according to your numbers) 384 CID. To get 600 HP is only 1.56 HP/CID which isn't really hard to do.

You have some damn good equipment. I LOVE Norris rockers. Looks like you have a good header on it. Ignition is quality. Carb may be small...well it is. It needs a Dominator but that's not killing you. Intake manifold probably has been ported if the hands have much work on them.

The only thing I really don't like is the rear shocks. You need something double adjustable because single adjustable is useless at the level you want to run.

I think when you get it on the dyno you may be surprised to find it needs to be shifted at 7500. You didn't post your at .050 duration but I'd suspect that cam is at least 275 degrees.

Just spitballing here. Great car.
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383Scampman said:
Talk to Joe Damon in South Paris . Races a Duster @ Poland Springs . Good guy !
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604B1duster said:
Awesome car ! The motor sounds like it has a lot good stuff in it but it’s not making the steam. Should be going 130+ at 500hp and close to 140 mph at 600. Not trying to be a smart azz but did you check if it’s getting full throttle ?
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it has a 1050 Dominator. I'm going to experiment with the jetting this weekend at NED. I know it's probably jetted a bit fat based on the plug color.
I'm going to review the cam card because the guy who built the engine says valve lash should be .022 but they were set at .024 by the guy I bought the car from. Something doesn't add up there.
The W2 heads are supposed to be good. they are the race heads, not the econo heads.

The torque converter issue got confirmed last weekend. The guy I bought the car from runs the same trans and converter that I have in his current Duster. He just had his converter reworked by a shop in Conneticut ( this guy apparently use to work for Frank Lupo, but opened his own shop in Conneticut when Lupo moved to Delaware). He ran a 10.37 @ 127 at LVD this past Sunday. He was running High 10.50s prior.

I'm heading to NED this Saturday to do some test runs. I'm going to jet down the Dominator, install a different carb spacer that I got from Steve Clukey, and set my ladder bars down one hole. As for the rear shocks, like I said earlier, they're older Competition Engineering models and I can't find any info on them anywhere, not even on CEs website. So I have no idea what the do with them as far as changing any settings. They only have one knob at the bottom of each shock but there's no labeling so I don't know which direction loosens them or which direction tightens them up. Right now the knobs on each are set full counterclockwise.
 
Les Gibson said:
it has a 1050 Dominator. I'm going to experiment with the jetting this weekend at NED. I know it's probably jetted a bit fat based on the plug color.
I'm going to review the cam card because the guy who built the engine says valve lash should be .022 but they were set at .024 by the guy I bought the car from. Something doesn't add up there.
The W2 heads are supposed to be good. they are the race heads, not the econo heads.

The torque converter issue got confirmed last weekend. The guy I bought the car from runs the same trans and converter that I have in his current Duster. He just had his converter reworked by a shop in Conneticut ( this guy apparently use to work for Frank Lupo, but opened his own shop in Conneticut when Lupo moved to Delaware). He ran a 10.37 @ 127 at LVD this past Sunday. He was running High 10.50s prior.

I'm heading to NED this Saturday to do some test runs. I'm going to jet down the Dominator, install a different carb spacer that I got from Steve Clukey, and set my ladder bars down one hole. As for the rear shocks, like I said earlier, they're older Competition Engineering models and I can't find any info on them anywhere, not even on CEs website. So I have no idea what the do with them as far as changing any settings. They only have one knob at the bottom of each shock but there's no labeling so I don't know which direction loosens them or which direction tightens them up. Right now the knobs on each are set full counterclockwise.
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Hopefully I'll be able to weigh the car there as well as I'm curious to know what it's actual weight is.
 
Les Gibson said:
it has a 1050 Dominator. I'm going to experiment with the jetting this weekend at NED. I know it's probably jetted a bit fat based on the plug color.
I'm going to review the cam card because the guy who built the engine says valve lash should be .022 but they were set at .024 by the guy I bought the car from. Something doesn't add up there.
The W2 heads are supposed to be good. they are the race heads, not the econo heads.

The torque converter issue got confirmed last weekend. The guy I bought the car from runs the same trans and converter that I have in his current Duster. He just had his converter reworked by a shop in Conneticut ( this guy apparently use to work for Frank Lupo, but opened his own shop in Conneticut when Lupo moved to Delaware). He ran a 10.37 @ 127 at LVD this past Sunday. He was running High 10.50s prior.

I'm heading to NED this Saturday to do some test runs. I'm going to jet down the Dominator, install a different carb spacer that I got from Steve Clukey, and set my ladder bars down one hole. As for the rear shocks, like I said earlier, they're older Competition Engineering models and I can't find any info on them anywhere, not even on CEs website. So I have no idea what the do with them as far as changing any settings. They only have one knob at the bottom of each shock but there's no labeling so I don't know which direction loosens them or which direction tightens them up. Right now the knobs on each are set full counterclockwise.
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Don't make a bunch of changes at one time. Best way to end up in the weeds. Id sort out the engine tune up before I made any chassis changes.

Spend some time on the web looking at GOOD articles and videos on plug reading. There should be NO COLOR on the plug except the fuel ring down at the base of the porcelain. Don Terrell has an exellent video on YouTube. Search for that one.
 
Les Gibson said:
No idea, but I'll try to find out from the previous owner.
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Cool ....

Sounds like an older build and my curiosity is more of a historical nature. Interesting to hear about performance shops of yester year.
 
It's not going to go faster with a 950, but getting that 1050 dialed in is step one. Easy to do on a dyno with an AFR gauge.

Run it, set the lash to .022 and run it again. If you are really concerned about it, run it at .024, then check the hot lash. That will let you know what you have to play with. You'll know right away if it likes the tighter lash. Easy to do on a dyno. '
 
roccodart440 said:
It's not going to go faster with a 950, but getting that 1050 dialed in is step one. Easy to do on a dyno with an AFR gauge.

Run it, set the lash to .022 and run it again. If you are really concerned about it, run it at .024, then check the hot lash. That will let you know what you have to play with. You'll know right away if it likes the tighter lash. Easy to do on a dyno. '
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Unfortunately I don't have access to a dyno, so have to do it the old fashioned way by making test runs at the track.
 
There is no chassis dyno near you? That's hard to believe.

Test runs will work if the chassis remains consistant. I'd still recommend an AFR and get the car scaled
 
roccodart440 said:
There is no chassis dyno near you? That's hard to believe.

Test runs will work if the chassis remains consistant. I'd still recommend an AFR and get the car scaled
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I live in rural Maine, I would like to think there's a dyno around somewhere. I'll check with some of the local racers I've gotten to know over the last couple of months and see what they know. I'm hoping to weigh the car at New England Dragway this Saturday.
 
Unsure where you are located in Maine but a quick Google search of "chassis dyno maine" yielded a lot of chassis dynos in the state of Maine.
 
He said “Rural Maine.” Which, =‘s the Middle of nowhere...
:rofl:
Rocco has a good idea though. I’m betting it’ll have to be trailered at the distance one is.
 
roccodart440 said:
Unsure where you are located in Maine but a quick Google search of "chassis dyno maine" yielded a lot of chassis dynos in the state of Maine.
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Don't know why I didn't think of doing that, CRS or old timers disease or something! Turns out there is one near me!
 
Especially if you are footbraking, see if you can borrow a proven 750 some time when planning a test & tune. Maybe a 2" 4-hole spacer too. If the set-up (jets/squirters/pump cams) is off, it can affect how the converter flashes as well. Check for proper closed & open valve spring pressures.

I had a very similar combo in a home built (bought from a friend) 2x3 frame 2800-2850 lb Challenger in the '80's & 90's. All time bests were 10.22 @ 130-131 and 1.37 60'. But it was a std. stroke 360+.040(?) (cut down DC 355 pistons) with 750 DP, .585" flat tappet cam, Harland Sharp 1.5 rockers & a little less compression. Heads were ported with the Direct Connection porting templates, same tire, gear, trans & converter. Converter was a Turbo Action 4200 and had JW simply freshen it over the years. I don't recall the actual flash. I tried shifting at 7100, but found it ran the same @ 6800! Suspension was ladder bar/coil overs all around, but nothing fancy. Geometry never seemed right, but it ran faster the lower I made the car and more consistent when I added 50-70 lbs to it later in its life.

I always tried to stay conservative. I guess I had the combo figured out, but its long gone. Hope all the suggestion help you with yours.
 
Locomotion said:
Especially if you are footbraking, see if you can borrow a proven 750 some time when planning a test & tune. Maybe a 2" 4-hole spacer too. If the set-up (jets/squirters/pump cams) is off, it can affect how the converter flashes as well. Check for proper closed & open valve spring pressures.

I had a very similar combo in a home built (bought from a friend) 2x3 frame 2800-2850 lb Challenger in the '80's & 90's. All time bests were 10.22 @ 130-131 and 1.37 60'. But it was a std. stroke 360+.040(?) (cut down DC 355 pistons) with 750 DP, .585" flat tappet cam, Harland Sharp 1.5 rockers & a little less compression. Heads were ported with the Direct Connection porting templates, same tire, gear, trans & converter. Converter was a Turbo Action 4200 and had JW simply freshen it over the years. I don't recall the actual flash. I tried shifting at 7100, but found it ran the same @ 6800! Suspension was ladder bar/coil overs all around, but nothing fancy. Geometry never seemed right, but it ran faster the lower I made the car and more consistent when I added 50-70 lbs to it later in its life.

I always tried to stay conservative. I guess I had the combo figured out, but its long gone. Hope all the suggestion help you with yours.
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How much ET did you loose with the added weight? Many times I've added weight and gone faster. Certainly it's easy to see how you also found some consistency.
 
yellow rose said:
How much ET did you loose with the added weight? Many times I've added weight and gone faster. Certainly it's easy to see how you also found some consistency.
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I don't recall. I have most of my ET records but don't remember when I added the weight. I slowed the car down to various degrees over the years so it wouldn't be on "kill" and hopefully prolong its life. Also slowed it to run low 11's when I decided to get away from the "box" cars in Super Pro. But I had a milder, unported engine by then. A 3310 750 and 4777 650 were .10 slower than a 4779 on my car. But the 3310 slowed about 1/2 second when the secondaries were kept shut.

The rear suspension was never quite right. But the weight was a band-aid fix under marginal track conditions.
 
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