31
Drag Racing / Re: Sportsman License....
« on: June 23, 2018, 07:52:50 PM »
Yes it is Larry. ..I will let him know.
FEDs Forever!
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32
Drag Racing / Sportsman License....
« on: June 20, 2018, 03:37:56 PM »
Well I have been attempting to improve my times every time I go to the strip, my last run a 9.8 in the quarter. The fellas at the strip told me I would have to tone it down due to not having my NHRA license so attempting to get that would seem to be the next logical step. I want to do this the correct way so I got in touch with a NHRA inspector and made an appointment with him on 7/9 to have my FED inspected. Until then I figured I could work on my hole shot in the 1/8th mile, try to improve my reaction times which is really in need of improvement as well as my launch technique. Question- Could I already start on getting my moderate runs, the first 4 runs to be signed off for my license, without having the car inspected yet? I could do the cockpit orientation test and try to get a jump on things. Any guidance on this would be appreciated. I know this is going to take time and patience but if I did a moderate run that fit the bill and could get signed off that would be great.
33
Front Engine Dragsters / Re: Cooling system upgrade...
« on: June 13, 2018, 06:08:24 PM »
Well we hit the strip tonight with the upgraded system and it worked like a charm.....never went above 180* and I am able to cool it down for another run in about 30 minutes. Did 2 passes tonight with the first beating my previous at a 10.1 and the second which is my best at a 9.855@138.68mph. Fella at the track said I would have to slow it down a little since I was only good to 10.0 with no license so I guess a license is the next goal to go with the 9s.
34
Front Engine Dragsters / Re: Cooling system upgrade...
« on: June 01, 2018, 04:21:38 PM »
I went with a Derale tranny cooler....it had decent reviews and seemed like the easiest to mount, supposed to be here on Tuesday. I R&R'd the water pump today and mounted the new rad. If I do have a problem with the water flow too fast I guess I could install a restrictor, although I would rather not. The more I get into this thing the more I see that could have been assembled better. The last time I was at the track I put the FED back in the trailer and forgot to take the wheelie bar off....the top bar bent. Apparently the fella had made it out of mild steel. It was bent when I bought it and I put it in a press and straightened it out once....yeah, I know, I do know better. I dropped it off at a fabrication shop today and the fella is making me a whole new top bar out of moly. That will work till this winter when I can get the entire back end redone. The way the top bar and chute are mounted if I ever deployed the chute it would pull against the upper bar. I ain't no rocket scientist but that seems a bit dangerous. I don't plan to go fast enough this season to use the chute though. Seems my machine has the same characteristic as my boat.....Bring On Another Thousand.
39
Front Engine Dragsters / Cooling system upgrade...
« on: May 31, 2018, 01:52:03 PM »
Ok, I knew I would have to put a bit of coin into my FED so I decided to start with the cooling system since overheating seems to be a problem for me. On the advice of DusterDave I purchased a Meziere 55 gal/min water pump to replace the belt drive Moroso I have now. I figured if I was going to do that I would upgrade the radiator also so I purchased a Champion duel fan radiator also. It only weighs 6lbs more than the old one and mounting both new pieces is no problem. I do need some suggestions on the transmission cooler though. On the old system they just ran bolts threw the old radiator and bolted the tranny cooler against the bottom so the fan would pull air threw both. When I inspected this setup that thing was so loose it was rattling...and I do mean rattling. Also the tranny cooler has a slanted air flow design rather than the straight up threw air flow design on the radiator. I question how much cooling was going on or if it was just blocking the air flow to 25% of the old radiator. I looked it over and could come up with 3 options: 1) I could mount it up to the new radiator in the same fashion the old one was however I am not too keen on putting 4 holes threw my new rad. 2) I could fabricate a bracket under the rad and mount it to that but the question of air flow impediment still remains. Or 3) I could purchase a stand alone tranny cooler with it's own fan and fabricate a bracket mount in front of the new rad. I would have to run longer hose but that is no problem. Although I am not really worried about the cost it would be an extra $200 for a stand alone. My other concern is the connection pipe feeding the rad. As you can see in the pic this thing was home made and at a pretty sharp 90* angle. Is this going to be a big contributor to my overheating problem? All thoughts, comments, or suggestions are appreciated.
40
Front Engine Dragsters / Re: Much Better....
« on: May 30, 2018, 04:30:07 AM »
NICE!!! I would love to come and say hello except that I am stuck at work. I have a job that I work doubles every weekend and take M-F off. Nice schedule but I miss a lot of the weekend action. I wish you the best and would love to see some pics and hear your times. I live about 4 miles from Cecil dragway. I am sure the wife will be hearing the engines roar from the backyard!!!
41
Front Engine Dragsters / Re: Much Better....
« on: May 25, 2018, 03:28:08 AM »
It was heads up...the way I like it. I let the engine cool to about 120 but by the time I got to the traps it was at 160....I think I am going to go with an upgraded water pump and radiator. I have a feeling this machine was home built by someone who did not have a lot of experience. Like I said, as a beginner I think I am off to a great start. One good thing is that it runs straight as an arrow and by getting loose on that one run it gave me a feel for what that is like and how to deal with it, which is a must know.
42
Front Engine Dragsters / Much Better....
« on: May 23, 2018, 06:24:11 PM »
Well hit Cecil Dragway tonight for another try at this and did much better. My first run I did a 10.208@ 136.77mph, my 2nd run I did 10.522 at 131.01mph. On the 2nd run it got a little loose on me at about 300 feet and I had to let up but got back in it as soon as I straightened up. They also put me up against a funny car that did a 8.822 and took me to school, LOL. Well I am happy to have gotten into the low to mid 10s for only my 2nd try racing. My temp stayed down to about 210 on the first run but I overheated slightly on the second....it seems to be overheating on the return...not the run. I have got to figure out a way to keep the temp down on this thing but it is much better than it was. I guess I just got some more work to do on it. Got to give a special shout out to DusterDave who guided me and helped me get this far. One thing I can say is he knows his stuff, everything he told me was on the money.
43
Front Engine Dragsters / Re: First run...
« on: May 10, 2018, 05:20:10 PM »
Roger, you are spot on with what Allied told me when I called them to order the plug. They did not go into as much detail as you but now I understand how the radiator could have air into it. On outboard engines you have to fill the lower gear cases from the bottom up with a pump so as not to get air pockets in the case. I wonder if the same principle could be applied to this system if I slowly filled it threw that plug hole with a hose or gravity fed water tank? Is there a better radiator that I could purchase that would accommodate the needs of this engine better? I purchased this vehicle at a fantastic price knowing that upgrades would probably be needed so if I have to put out a bit of coin to bring it up to speed I am willing to do so.
Dave....YES it does have a crank trigger and I have your number on speed dial, lol. I will give you a call when I get back from the shore. This will give me some time to get my questions in order and again, thank you so much.
This week my wife Sheron put her foot down and said she wanted to go fishing and crabbing so when she says that....I listen. She has been so supportive of all my projects. She and I just finished building a 100x50 mechanics and paint shop (private use only) and when I asked her if I could get money out of the bank and go to Texas to buy this FED, she asked why I was not on the road yet. A better women I could not have. When I crossed that finish line on my first run at 115mph I think she was just as excited as I was. One things is for sure....we liked the feeling, the accomplishment, the challenge. At a 11.9 we figure the only way to go is faster and we are going to stick to the plan.
Dave....YES it does have a crank trigger and I have your number on speed dial, lol. I will give you a call when I get back from the shore. This will give me some time to get my questions in order and again, thank you so much.
This week my wife Sheron put her foot down and said she wanted to go fishing and crabbing so when she says that....I listen. She has been so supportive of all my projects. She and I just finished building a 100x50 mechanics and paint shop (private use only) and when I asked her if I could get money out of the bank and go to Texas to buy this FED, she asked why I was not on the road yet. A better women I could not have. When I crossed that finish line on my first run at 115mph I think she was just as excited as I was. One things is for sure....we liked the feeling, the accomplishment, the challenge. At a 11.9 we figure the only way to go is faster and we are going to stick to the plan.
44
Front Engine Dragsters / Re: First run...
« on: May 10, 2018, 08:32:14 AM »
Dave...you are a god send. I am going to the shore for a week then I will be back on it...I attempted to move the distributer to adjust the timing and as I turned it the timing mark did not move...so it is locked out?...how in the world do you unlock it? As soon as I get back from the beach I will start to work on it again.
45
Front Engine Dragsters / Re: First run...
« on: May 10, 2018, 02:41:55 AM »
Well obviously we still have some work to do. I checked the timing and it was on the mark the previous owner had but that means beans I guess. From the residue I obviously sill have a little antifreeze in it even though I drained it and replaced it with water. I knew this would be a project so I will just take my time. That silver plug on the top still leaks a bit...not bad but I hate leaks. I got to look on the positive side though....the tranny shifted fine and I have no more leaks from it since I replaced the shifter shaft and pan gasket, car ran straight as an arrow. I feel I have joined a good forum and thank all who are giving me advice. This winter I think I will have to dump some $$$ into it to upgrade the systems. The fuel regulator I replaced was a Barry Grant which I was told the company went OOB a while back. For this summer I will just concentrate on getting the bus ironed out. Below are some pics of the water system.