OK!! What are you guys using for clutches on you in line 6s..I was thinking about using a RAM steel flywheel. with a 300 series disk and a McLeod pressure plate..I've heard some of you say that you had clutch problems and I sure don't want any..Any suggestions...
I have another question as well.... The front end I bought was from a 48 Ford. I have split the bones. The spring shackles were shot. I bought new ones. Getting the bushings out was a *****. I took the thing to every machine shop and speed shot in the area and no one had a clue how to press the bushing out because of the nature of the beasts. Then I remembered the grind down a bolt head to match the diameter trick. My question is... How the hell do you get the new one in? I screwed one of them up trying to do the home-made press thing with sockets and clamps. It started in nice and east. It got 3/4ths of the way in and the bushing bulged out from the force needed to move it. I cleaned the hole up very nicely. It looked and felt smooth. No burrs or other obstructions. I lightly beveled the edges to make sure there was no problem from the extraction. I used a penetrating oil to keep the thing lubed. Is this shoddy replacement parts (They came from Mac's - made in India) or did I do something wrong? Ideas?
The tool you needed was a remove & install shackle driver tool. The driver screwed on to the shackle pin untill tight against the shackles outer sleeve, then driven out with a big beater. The driver had shackle perch bore clearance. For installation, there was a thick outer steel sleeve that slipped over the full length of the shackle outer sleeve to prevent bulging when driven in. Not always succesfull with a tight fit bore/ shackle combo. The old time mechanics would grind a little off the shackle OD and then drive it home. And this was with new Ford factory shackles. If the shackle outer sleeve is frozen in the perch bore and can not be driven out, knock all the guts out of the shackle and/or collapse the sleeve or cut a groove its full length. They made a special chisel to cut this groove in the outer sleeve. Mac1
I havent dynoed either GMC ( i drive one every day in a model A), my driver is a tbi injected 322 as well. I have driven this one for five years in the A, quick change and four speed. Our flatty in our salt truck makes 185 hp. We have a bigger newer hilborn injected motor on the engine stand ready to dyno now. I figure we need 200 plus to run the truck ( 1949) on the record. The record is 101 and we have ran 97 mph 5-6 runs. The air density kills ya out there. www.gasolinealleyshops.org
I have a Zoom 3000lb. compe***ion clutch and a organic disk. DO NOT USE AN ORGANIC DISK!!!!!!!!!! that thing slipped badly. Use a ceramic or a sinthered iron disk. The iron disc is what slipper clutches use and they can take the abuse of second gear starts. I have fought this clutch problem and I have a ceramic disk in it now and we will find out if it is the answer on the 11th. I have a powerglide and I'm putting it in after the 23rd of August. Roy
Roy, I think the P'Glide is a good move from a cost standpoint, less breakage and the spectators could care less. I'm not trying to start any ****, just my opinion. Ron
Ok......what i know aboout older front ends you can put in a thimble and still have room for an elephant herd. We bent the spring perches on the bones so that they are almost parrallel to the bones. in the mockup (I'll have pics later today or tomorrow) it seems we went too far. They are close, and I think that the the shackles can be installed, but it looks like they will bind. How critical is the match betwween the perch and the spring ends? Do they have to be perfectly parrallel? Is doing a second bend worth doing? Is there a risk to the bones bending them again? You guys ARE the best for sharing what ya know. THANKS! Glenn
Are powerglides going to be within the rules of this cl***? I've been away too long, catching up is a *****.
HA/GR is a manual transmission cl***. We feel it evens the score, no matter what you do to the engine. This makes HA/GR a game of driving skill. There are a nice bunch of guys in Tulsa that allow an auto trans, but they have developed a separate cl***.
Thanks Rand Man. I've just talked to one of the guys from Tulsa. I'm a bit overly excited. The trans situation haunts me in street driven, not abused (too much), Hudsons already. When I read the PG stuff, I nearly jumped out of my seat. I need to get busy. Hud
just keep in mind these cars are susposed to be from the late 40s /50s so your not go tohave a long wheel base. if you use a 10 ft stick of 118 wall tubeing ,put a ft end and rear end on it you will be just right
Even the Barn Job tops out at 138", and that's only 'til we get around to shortening the gearbox's tail shaft. That'll bring'er to our target of 122"-124", or roughly 10'.
I was thinking on the short end of the limit. I want to go fast, not carry around 4 extra feet of nose. If it don't serve a purpose, I don't need it. There's no way 170 cubes swilling pump gas will have any problem with the nose coming up.
I have a HA/GR I started in 2004 and then the rules were either or stick or auto. I put a power gulide in it. It is way safer than a cast iron fly wheel and stock steel rivited together clutches. I have seen clutches and flywheels come apart. I am 65 yrs. old and I have been dragracing for 50yrs. I have seen a bunch of clutch-flywheels come apart. And I have seen people get hurt even with ****ter schields in place. The track owners and spectators both want to see a car run down the track, not blow a set of cluster gears off the line and shutting down the race for everybody. NHRA or IHRA will not let you race running stock junk. I believe that most of the flack about auto ******s is coming from people who don't even own a HA/GR and never will. And the ones *****ing about who do own onr are a minority. Lets take a vote. Or run 2 cl***es. and the winner of each cl*** run for top dog.
Rand Man how come you quit comin to Tulsa to race with us? We let you win once. Thinkin if we let you win you would come back.
it's got less to do with lifting the front wheels, and more to do with control of the car... ask anyone whos raced a fiat how squirly they get above 75-80mph, and even the least fast of the HA/GR cars is goin north of that number
IF you can lift the front wheels on one of these cars on 6 " tires, you've got some serious rearward center of gravity. Are you running a " V " drive with the motor over the rear axle? LOL. But if you can, more power to you. Bring it to Tulsa.
Buick, I'm 67 and have been at this for way too many years. Like you, I've seen the end result of a blown clutch and flywheel. When I was about 17 I ran around with a buddy that had a new 270 HP,57 Vette, and I saw the tach above 7000 RPM lots of times. The pressure plate finally blew up when it was at about 3000 RPM. It still took out the throttle pedal, ******, starter, clutch and everything in that area. Several of the guys have blown their ****** more than once. I think Roy Merritt holds the record with 5 blown ******s. He changed to a powerglide recently. I agree with your statement 100%, but have decided to keep my mouth shut, play by the rules, and stop rocking the boat. As I've stated before, if I have any clutch/flywheel/****** problems I'll switch to a powerglide in a heartbeat. I agree there needs to be another cl*** for the automatics....and feel that's where it will evolve to. The manual, low HP cl*** can be for the guys that don't really care if they race, they just want to go down the strip and have fun. I'm all for that also. However, I came to race. Ron
Running old clutch parts on anything that you race is not a safe practice, you must remember other people are present. A friend of mine died when a clutch blew up at Great Lakes dragway and he was in the stands. I will stay with a stand trans, but can see where it is easier for some to run an auto trans, I did go through a time that cost some parts, before present setup, which is working. This is racing and I also came to race. 2B
Nothing stopping any of us from building the way we want. Auto or standard. There was nothing stopping anyone 50 years ago either. HAGR/A? Why not. Suspension. i have 1/4 eliptic front suspension. light easy and works well. I built mine 96 inch wheelbase so i wouldnt need a trailer but could carry in in my pickup, which i do. I dont think i could see the front wheels now it they were say 130 away. Heck, i cant even read the tach! It ran straight as an arrow. video on Dropshots. It seemed light on the rear at speed. Was skating a bit in the lights but not enough t scare one. Just enough to feel it. front end was tracking true though. Don
Has anyone snuck a set of pie crust (or current style) slicks on their car and compared 60' times? Just wondering...
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