rebuilding after the crash

Blower to manifold is very sensitive especially when blower case is a cast &
depending on style /construction of intake, Old Crager , Weiand & other that are not solid rails, (Flex )
Blower studs torque is very low,
Most 6-12 pound torque

 

It's easy to snap the aluminum studs.

 

My self , I have Never used the Aluminum studs, I am Not sure when they came to be in used ,maybe early 90s before bags & burst panels, not pop offs , I have seen & heard in last year afew disqualifications in Pro categories & few others for reasons not covered in rule book, I am in process reaching out to Tech ,who makes decisions .
The rule book is ? able ,
Just in last few years Billet case permitted for Roots but not Screw!
I wonder why in pass Billet Case prohibited , I would think stronger,
But maybe @ time ballistic bags
(pre rule change)Not able to hold bigger mass of force /energy,
Cast case spreading load of energy/force inside bag ?

 

The rules can be confusing. You have class rules and general rules. Aluminum studs are designed to shear in the event of a explosion. Burst panels and studs prevent engine damage. You have a burst panel that should blow out removing the internal pressure. If the explosion is severe the studs break allowing the blower to lift off of the manifold. The restraints keep the blower from flying off the engine. Bad things can happen if the blower flies off of the car. Fuel lines will get cut risking a fire. A blower flew up and hit a ABC camera man killing him during the indy Nats one year. Thecrestraints have a sfi rating and have expiration dates. The ass that's saved may be your own. These are required items to have. The old spring pop off valves are out dated.

 

Top Fuel resembles the style in pic , but different , around 30k
& Now they are Requiring ballistic bags over / around center section of the rears, lately they've had a few ring and pinion gears come out the top of fuel Class, There also been changes to rear wheels in how Rims/Wheels are Secure to axle Not just Wheel studs,,
Axle flange & wheel/Rim have lugs ,
Male & Female , Like tongue and groove To take load off studs .
There are hazards anywhere on the property of a racetrack, & outside of,
It's no different then (my opinion) walking outside ,cutting your grass and something falling from the sky man-made or asteroid from Space ,
I just seen in the last few days that the national space satellite Station living quarters, there is concerns it's going to be losing its orbit

 

Always fixing the weak link.in my opinion that's traditional hot rodding. Constantly making improvements to your ride. Hot rodders never stopped improving their cars when 1965 came around.

 

Its taken me a good few months but I'm now caught up on all 217 pages...

 

There's alot to digest in those pages. I hope you like it so far. It's certainly not the normal hamb thread.

 

Are you Curious & Ready ,
To try Tipping the Can !!
50% plus ( Nitro)

 

What hot rodder doesn't like cool tools? I bought this at pri. It showed up Saturday. Between rounds this will simplify plug readings. Plug readings on a nitro car are a big deal. Alot of tuning decisions are made by plug readings. This is a rack to keep track of the plugs. It's labeled
1-8 cylinders
Q-1- Q-3
E-1- E-3
16 car or 32 car event
Lighted magnifying glass that has a few light settings. Brightness and color.
This is new to the market. It's handles and light weight design make it easy to use.

 

looks like it was 3d printed. Pretty new!

 

I have been busy. I went to Iowa to service the heads. Everything checked out great. The springs have 450 lbs at 1.950 installed height.
The block is out of the mill. The crank is back in the block. Rings are filed. Gear drive is on.
The big news is the new cam. I had a little street cam in the engine. Now I have a full tilt nitro cam in it. The cam is a Bullet. They are the nitro cam grinders now. The timing specs show it will make more cylinder pressure and more bottom end power. The short block will go back in Sunday. I'm just waiting on the converter. I sent it back to pro torque to have it freshened up. I should be able to fire it at the end of the month. Now it's going to get very interesting having a all out nitro engine. New cam card on top. Old on the bottom.

 

It's ready to go back in the chassis.

 

Sweet!

 

Getting ready for Wednesday. It's my scheduled day off so the engine is going in. The car was being stored in the trailer. It's 5 degrees outside so it was fun opening up the shop to move things around. It only going to get colder this week. I plan on cleaning the frame before I put it in.

 

Fascinating stuff. Again, thanks for taking the time to lead us through what you're doing.
I really have no clue, but curious about how that new nitro-spec cam will affect things. Does the chassis setup (and all the other stuff you have to dial in to get a good launch) change to accommodate the power characteristics of the new cam? I would think at the level you're at, each change no matter how minor would mean tweaking some other things in the chain to handle it. Is it a fresh learning curve or does your experience give you a pretty good handle on that?
Maybe I'm over thinking it.
Did I mention this is fascinating stuff??

 

What’s with the Poncho behind the coupe?

 

A warm shop is really something to appreciate on those days looking forward to seeing it go back together.

 

The shop is warm. When I built it i put in a heated floor. That's the way to go around here.
The 67 GTO is a car I'm working on for a guy. It helps pay for the rae car stuff.
Cams are somewhat of a mystery to most car guys. They talk about lift and duration. Rarely do they talk about the timing of the events. When do the valves open and close is critical. The cam card shows the events make more cylinder pressure. The car will rev up faster at the hit. With all that overlap it will be faster on the top end of the track. Nitro cars have event timing in a very narrow windows. It's because of the slow burning fuel.
The chassis should be close. I'm anticipating only minor adjustments. We will see the first weekend in April.

 

"Cams are somewhat of a mystery to most car guys" alright.
Maybe that's why people run those "Thumper" cams?!
Thanks for all your insight. I might've learned something today! And best of luck with the new setup, we'll all be following along.

 

Final update:
Bought two M/T slicks for the FED. One balanced OK, one needed around 28oz.
M/T warrantied that slick, supplied slick #3. It also needed around 28oz.
M/T warrantied that slick, supplied slick #4. It also needed around 28oz.
M/T warrantied that slick, supplied slick #5. It balanced within reason.
Five slicks tried, two balanced, three were waaaaaay out. Definitely a new slick each time. Mebbe a bad batch got sent down under. When these wear out, it will not be getting M/Ts.

Thanks to all who provided advice and helped me understand I was not nuts. Or no more nuts than I usually am.

Cheers,
Harv

 

Slow progress today. I caught a respiratory bug. I got the engine in along with the fuel pump. I found a crunchy bearing in the pump extension. I changed it out. I'm glad I caught it.

 

I had three head studs pull the threads last summer. The block originally had 1/2 inch studs. They were upgraded to 9/16. When they pulled i hand drilled the holes and put in a heli coil. I didnt want to pull the engine out and disassemble it. One turned out perfect 2 were off just a little bit on the angle. That made it hard to remove the head. So what do you do?
I never heard of a twin cert before. It's a heli coil in a helicoil. When the block was in the mill it was drilled with a 45/64 bit. A special tap was used. The mill centered the tap for a perfect tapping. These twin certs are made to correct machining errors. The block was saved. The heads can go on this weekend. Heli coil/ Stanley has a full chart showing the available sizes. You learn something every day. Cool pieces.

 

I use a radio system in the car. I can communicate with my guy on the starting line. If there is something going wrong I can be told. The old ear plugs would get caught on my helmet. It was very uncomfortable. At the pri show I got fitted for custom formed ear pieces. They are flat with my ear. This should work out much better. They are different colors to show right from left.

 

Learned something today. With my ham-fisted ability, I'm always careful when using a Helicoil. I figure if I goober it up, that's the end of the part. Oversized and Twinserts may well save it if I am "out a little bit".
Oversize-Twinsert-HC943-rev4.pdf

Cheers,
Harv

 

I used the twin certs many times when I was a CAT truck engine tech. They will certainly get things back on track and out of a jam.

 

The twin certs worked great. When the project gets to this stage it gets fun.

 

Back where it belongs and looking great!

 

It's timed; lashed; full of oil ready to burn some big nitro. I'm just waiting on the converter now. I should be fogging up the shop with the funky green haze at the end of the month.

 

Very, very cool! Do you still have a thread going on your Chevelle?