Event Coverage Official 2016 Meltdown Drags Thread - What are you doing to get ready?

Merry Christmas!!

 

I was pondering the max RPM of engines in general. I found a piston speed calculator and the (approx) 4.625" stroke makes for a piston speed of about 30 meters per second at 8,000 rpm. Is there a limit? In theory - with no heads bolted on, whats the limit a rotating****embly can spin to? Just sitting inside while it rains for days and thinking

 

30 METERS per second?Thats 98.425 feet per second!

In the case of the sbf,max rpm with a stock 289/302 is found with the stock rod bolts,then,when rotating****emblies get upgraded to nicer,forged parts,the stock block splits down the middle.[emoji15]

But in the case of a motor with a purpose-built rotating****embly,and a very robust stock block,you pose a really interesting question Tony!

Are you thinking that maybe piston speed and all that weight swinging back and forth while those big beautiful domed pistons make the magic happen,could possibly point to where the weak link is?
It's a good question,as the blocks are proven in high hp top fuel cars,where lots of pressure and rpm are seen,I believe you're running a billet crank,right?So as long as nothing is funky with the metallurgy in that damn fine looking slab of steel,it should be as bulletproof as the block.
Rods should fall into exactly the same category.
Pistons should be equally as indestructible by mortals.I think the only thing those pistons have to fear is a wayward valve,contact with the deck of the head (Hemi chambers shrink fast when the heads get resurfaced![emoji53]),or getting burned up by the motor going super lean or feeding it 99lbs of boost or something.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say your bottom end doesn't really have a weak link that I can see,unless it's all the grinding y'all probably had to do on that '92 block to get that big stroker setup to sit in there and play nice with everything.
I can't remember Tony,did you guys end up putting any concrete in that block?

I just can't see you breaking that Monster doing the kinda stuff we're doing.

You've got splayed caps on that thing,right?

Scott

 

Scott - the stroker is 1/2 filled with hard blok. The 4 bolt caps are on all mains and its running the TR Waters girdle.

I needed the girdle off the 392 that was raced all summer and the end play is good and the bearings look fine. The rotating****embly spins with one hand on the crank flange . Not much friction on that thing.

This new engine has a Bryant billet crank that is 14 lbs lighter than a stock crank. So I was just wondering where the big stress point is - the piston pin maybe? Because its changing direction faster at higher RPMs -but- that is true with a 289 piston too.

 

4500X6 divided by stroke....equals safe piston speed. My engine guy said he doesn't worry too much about it for a drag car. He said they're only at that rpm for a little while.lol

 

Now for CP Pistons, Ric will probably allow you to double that rpm.lol

 

Man,that thing is gonna make some noise Tony!
Hope the chrome on your back bumper is EXTRA thick![emoji41]

Scott

 

Scott, looking forward to you & dad again too! Hopefully it's not*********** HOT AGAIN....! Some 2014 Meltdown weather would be sweet!
I've been leaning to something in an 8.2 deck since I have the parts, but I've had something different bouncing around with all the marbles in my head... Like a Windsor/Cleveland combo... Or maybe a stroked Cleveland too... Jimbo...

 

Cleveland !!! now your talking

 

Yeah them Clevelands have a sound all there own...! But I'm afraid I'd run into friction from the purists that it's not old enough motor to be running in gasser...
Jim how's the 409 stroker idea coming along?

 

Guess I can spill the beans or should I say refried beans.
What the plans are for now is I have access to a 409 with a 427 crank big block chevy rods and (sorry Ric) Ross pistons that I built 7 years ago.
This engine should be finding a home in the 61 that I hope I can knock the pro street job out of.
I plan on taking the heads off the 62 and do a cam change in the stroker engine that is somewhere in the 460 CID.
I have the factory 2X4 and a Mickey Thompson cross ram intakes to play with for now.
Then the 409 in the 62 will get the heads off the stroker so we can still keep this car on the track.
The 61 has this other pedal hanging under the dash ????
Hope to have a four gear in it but that will depend on OPM

 

A 3.550 stroke (current 500" Pro Stock) @ 11,500 rpm is 6803 feet per minute. A current Extreme Pro Mod Nitrous engine, with a 6.00 stroke at 8300 rpm, is 8300 feet per minute!, this one kind of kills that equation Kip, it says 4500 fpm is the safe zone, for a 6.00 stroke. Tony, your new 4.530 crank @ 8000 rpm, is 5663 fpm. Most short blocks with good parts and oiling system, would have no problem with 9000-10,000 rpm, its having the induction & valve train to support those rpm ranges, that becomes the problem. If you have enough cylinder head/induction, to feed your 4.530 to 8000+ rpm, then you also need the valve train to allow it. If the heads/induction won't properly feed that stroke to that rpm, then the valve train only need be stable to the rpm it wants to run at.

Now ponder this Tony, I'm going outside to pick oranges in the sunshine now!

 

Its ok Oh Briny one, I worked at Ross Pistons for 6 years, before moving to CP-Carrillo.

 

Its 76 degrees here now almost Meltdown weather ...... what is up with that?

 

Yeah upper 40s here and flash flood warnings.
This not are normal weather this time of year.
Squirreled away in the basement putting this 9 inch together had to make shims for the pinion sleeve.
Didn't have enough with the Jegs spacer

 

Jim,

It's still old antique Ford parts,and your hood will be closed anyway.
If people don't like it,it's probably because you're showing them tail lights!

A Cleveland with some stroke would be a scary combo!
Talk to the guy running the black Falcon wagon in Quain's group.He is a Cleveland Guru!

I think your car would be an absolute KILLER with one of those!

Scott

 

Yeah Scott that's Jimmy Huff W/Hoopty wagon! He put Gabriel's motor together for the Southern flyer... Seen some videos of them 2 racing & some of Jimmy's engine builds, Clevors, Clevelands & small blocks! They all sound incredible & rev like crazy!
Jimbo...

 

Send some of that this way it's 40s and raining here 3 miles from track!

 

Hey just talk to Bob Glidden

 

I have, even broken bread with him and the Glidden family too.

 

In my book has to be one of the hardest working guys in Pro Stock

 

He was THE hardest working guy, now its his son Billy. I have thrashed a little with Billy in the past, and he is a machine!

 

Jon Kaase is also a very good Cleveland (along with every other engine) guy.

 

I have some of Jon's stuff to play with better look out!!!

 

Salty, do tell...! Boss 429 stuff!?!
Jimbo...

 

I ordered that weather up special for you.

 

Yes its Boss stuff been working on a buddy trying to talk him out of his 2 door 65 Falcon wagon for a home for it.

 

Hey Tony, another bit if info an this rpm capability pondering.., the proper cam/valve opening events have much to bear on this too. If you had the perfect opening & closing valve events on your cam, for your stock stroke (3.906) 392 crank, then increased the stroke to 4.530, the cam timing events are going to be way off. The piston dwell at top, & bottom dead center, along with the acceleration rates, will be much different with the bigger stroke, and will require altered valve opening/closing events to match. Without also changing the cam, the usable rpm range of the new combo will be greatly hampered.

 

Hey wait a minute! I'm tuning up the competition again.! Ya ya , that same old cam, ya, it'll be just fine.., honest!