[grandville455]

Originally Posted by firechickenman

4000 is what my LM-1 shows on the graph. Have you ran your Caltracs in the lower hole? What difference did you find switching from lower to upper? Calvert suggests that the bar should be close to level with the ground. That's the lower hole on my car. I also would think the lower hole will push up on the car less and not waste as much energy lifting the rear if it's not needed for traction.

I'm 100% sure a lower gear and looser converter would help my 60' but I'd really like to optimize what I have. I think it's realistic to think I can reach my goal of getting my 60' down into the lower 1.50's or upper 1.40's where I think it should be with some tuning. I'm just getting a little short on time for trips to the track for testing different things before Drag Week. My goal for this year is to finish with an average in the 10's. I'm right there now, but the weather will play a big role in whether I can run in the 10's consistently or not.

I ran the lowers last year with other combo, but this new combo I couldnt get it to to hit hard enough to work well, so i started foot braking using my 2 step in my msd digital 6 box, and i went to the uppers to help it hit, it was better, and worked great in BIR on a great track ,but on my track i needed more yet, so i added a nickles gap and went full tight on comp on the shocks and it worked and held to the track, I suggest u use a video cam or something to see exactly where u are flashing and where its dropping on the shifts, only then will u know whats going on and it will be better info for lenny if it needs a adj. If you are flashing to low and its dead hooking now, it may end up being slower then if u were spinning a tad and getting into the power quicker.

[Rob B]

Originally Posted by grandville455

Here's a video of mine last race, I added a small gap on my bars to hit the tires harder, upper hole, as I don't have a trans brake, but I am using my 2 step, and foot braking leaving at 2300. It was hot 84 and 68 dew point that day, with next to no prep, I have my rear shocks full loose on ext, and full tight on comp, tires at 13.psi, 60 was 1.50 ,but it was stuck with the above track conditions, should go low 1.4 in much better weather. Have u seen if new conv is actually flashing to 4000 on leave?
https://youtu.be/Rbjua04ALds

I'll add that when using a small air gap on the cal tracs, be aware that your beating on the threaded bungs on the end of the bars and heim joints and it will damage the threads. At least this is what happened to mine. When I went to try them in the lower holes (to soften the hit on the tires) and readjust the preload (lack of since I ran a neutral/small gap), I couldn't adjust them. I even got to the point of trying to heat the ends to no avail. To be honest, I haven't messed with them in X amount of years since I never had issues. Once I adjusted them awhile back, that was it, they were not rusted or anything like that.
I bought new lower bars and ends from Calvert at a really reasonable price, put them in the lower hole and now run some preload on them. I leave off the brake at 3700 rpms and it settled the car down some. Still pulls the front end but the hit doesn't seem as violent and that also can be seen in videos of the tires.

[grandville455]

Originally Posted by Rob B

I'll add that when using a small air gap on the cal tracs, be aware that your beating on the threaded bungs on the end of the bars and heim joints and it will damage the threads. At least this is what happened to mine. When I went to try them in the lower holes (to soften the hit on the tires) and readjust the preload (lack of since I ran a neutral/small gap), I couldn't adjust them. I even got to the point of trying to heat the ends to no avail. To be honest, I haven't messed with them in X amount of years since I never had issues. Once I adjusted them awhile back, that was it, they were not rusted or anything like that.
I bought new lower bars and ends from Calvert at a really reasonable price, put them in the lower hole and now run some preload on them. I leave off the brake at 3700 rpms and it settled the car down some. Still pulls the front end but the hit doesn't seem as violent and that also can be seen in videos of the tires.

Rob, Did u have the jam nuts tight? I've never heard this before? What was a reasonable price they sold them for?

[Rob B]

Jam nuts were tight. I was able to get one side to free up some but the other side the threads were so galled up that when I tried a last ditch effort of heating the bar (ruining the powder coat), it made it worse. It only happened on the end at the back of the bar that mounts under the spring, both sides. The front heims still moved freely.
It was $59 a bar ($35 for the bar and $12 each for the heims) Plus $18 shipping.

[grandville455]

Good to know Rob! Thanks, And thats cheap as hell! I'm going to try one time trial this week with leaving right from idle again, since i have it hooking and see if the 60 varies from the foot brake and 2 step.

[firechickenman]

Originally Posted by grandville455

Good to know Rob! Thanks, And thats cheap as hell! I'm going to try one time trial this week with leaving right from idle again, since i have it hooking and see if the 60 varies from the foot brake and 2 step.

Let me know how that works for you. I'm going to TNT tonight ant try different launch techniques to see if anything helps. If I have time, I'll pull the distributor and lock the timing for a back to back test on that.

[Rob B]

Originally Posted by grandville455

Good to know Rob! Thanks, And thats cheap as hell! I'm going to try one time trial this week with leaving right from idle again, since i have it hooking and see if the 60 varies from the foot brake and 2 step.

I can footbrake The wife's car or use the transbrake and the 60's are identical. Her car does not have Cal tracs though and only 60's around 1.60's.
I used to be able to do the same with my car and the results were the same when it 60'd in the 1.47 range. I haven't tried it yet since I re-did the car but I'd be willing to say both would be the same even with the car 60'ing mid to high 1.30's.

[grandville455]

I didn't get a chance to try off idle today,
The weather was pretty much identical to last race with the dew point being higher today 69, and maybe a degree or two hotter around 85, 60's were 1.493, 1.498, 1.498, 1.490 1.505, then first round 1.512. 13 psi , left at 2300... car was running 10.40-41 in the heat!!

[firechickenman]

10.40 in the heat....nice! I tried a few different things at TNT Wednesday night. Nothing helped, but leaving from just off idle killed my 60' by .05. It went from 1.58 to 1.63. Leaving from 1800 to 2200 produces pretty consistent 1.58's. I tied mounting my gopro to video my tach, and you can't see it with the glare and the steering wheel in the way. I have not tried locking the timing yet.

[Mikes455Wagon]

You can get the Gopro to work. I mounted mine to the windshield, then inverted the image using my phone (gopro app since mine is Wfi). Got a pretty good idea of what my converter is doing now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDrgBCIUCzk

[68hotbird]

I have made several changes to my car in the quest of lower 60' times also with little to no change. My car is a 70 bird 3200# with driver. 461ci edelbrock 330 cfm heads small street roller. Turbo 400 8" PTC converter that flashes to around 5000 RPM and 3.73 gears. I have changed launch rpm from idle to 3500, I changed from 30" tall slicks to 28" tall slicks, moved timing from 34-40 degrees and locked out distributor and the car 60's 1.45 in good air and high 1.46 to low 1.47 in bad air. idle launches lower the 60' a little but anything off idle to 3500 the 60' times are almost identical. Car runs 6.50's-6.60's in the 1/8 mile and has been 10.39 at 130MPH in the quarter at norwalk in 2014.

[Rob B]

Originally Posted by Mikes455Wagon

You can get the Gopro to work. I mounted mine to the windshield, then inverted the image using my phone (gopro app since mine is Wfi). Got a pretty good idea of what my converter is doing now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDrgBCIUCzk

Pretty cool video, I need to try that with mine.... By the way, you got spanked by the other guy.

[firechickenman]

Originally Posted by Mikes455Wagon

You can get the Gopro to work. I mounted mine to the windshield, then inverted the image using my phone (gopro app since mine is Wfi). Got a pretty good idea of what my converter is doing now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDrgBCIUCzk

Good video! That really shows what your converter is doing. My tach is mounted on the column behind the steering wheel so it's a little harder to video. None of my converters have ever "paused" at the flash rpm like that...more like a slight hesitation at the flash rpm. Looks like it locks up pretty well above the flash. What gear/tire size are you running? Would you mind sharing what your converter is?

[68hotbird]

Here is the video of my converter flash and tach response. I was trying to play around with lauch RPM during test and tune so ignore the rpm variaton at the beginning that was driver induced. LOL The converter is a tight 8" PTC specd by lane at PTC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8IPW5fJRc0

[Rob B]

Originally Posted by 68hotbird

Here is the video of my converter flash and tach response. I was trying to play around with lauch RPM during test and tune so ignore the rpm variaton at the beginning that was driver induced. LOL The converter is a tight 8" PTC specd by lane at PTC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8IPW5fJRc0

Have you two thought about swapping converters to see if either car improves?

[Mikes455Wagon]

Originally Posted by firechickenman

Good video! That really shows what your converter is doing. My tach is mounted on the column behind the steering wheel so it's a little harder to video. None of my converters have ever "paused" at the flash rpm like that...more like a slight hesitation at the flash rpm. Looks like it locks up pretty well above the flash. What gear/tire size are you running? Would you mind sharing what your converter is?

The tire is a 28" Mickey Pro Bracket Radial with 3.70 rear gear. The converter is a 10" PTC also spec'd by Lane. He said it should go 4500 when he sent it to me, I would say he was close.

Rob, yes we have and it may happen at some point.

[grandville455]

I'm Borrowing my friends Gopro for next race for some runs to watch the tach, so we can see what my car is doing too..

[slowbird]

You guys should get a playback tach, they're not that expensive. Then you can put the GoPro under the car to see what's going on with the suspension.
http://youtu.be/zau289X213U

[grandville455]

Got one, lol.... Need to figure out how to use it ... I could wire it into my two step wire ;cause how I have it now it's on a push button , I'll try to get that working again with my new setup.

[Mikes455Wagon]

I had one. It's in the video of 68hotbirds car on his dash, lol.