Hot Rods The Belly Button Bucket Build Thread

Only if NYS DMV requires fenders. Actually the front brake brackets are forged steel, so I’m good with that. And yes they are heavy.

 

Short clip demonstrating the tri power tuning paid off, hitting it from a roll in 2nd and getting through most of 3rd. I think this is about as good as I can do, might look at the video on a larger screen later to see how the AFR is looking at the top of 3rd, but overall I’m very pleased.

 

Awesome! Okay, I’m sending you some carburetors and a manifold. Just set it all up same as that…

 

Sounds killer on a phone so I bet that’s really great in person!

 

Short update. I bought a Dragy awhile back, and I haven’t had a chance to try it. To explain the thought process, I want to establish some repeatable performance metrics so I can test different intake manifolds and carburetor setups. I’ve been working on a lot of these and not showing them off. Perhaps I will soon. But the intent of the Dragy is to collect data to compare these different setups, because dyno time would bankrupt me and I doubt PIR would let me run the 1/8 on Wednesdays during the summer cruise-ins… but I’m still gonna ask. Anyway, I will need to find a spot of acceleration where the tires are not spinning, and where the speed doesn’t get too excessive. So, that’s the why.

I have some things that will likely require me to remove the body to fix. That means it would be nice if I had a close to empty fuel tank. So… kill two birds with one stone and try out the Dragy. On a closed course, of course. What I learned:

1. I need to spend significant time learning how to launch the car. First attempt was … sketchy…. might as well have been on ice… Below is second attempt, where I just walked it off the line and was 3/4 throttle 1st and half of 2nd… felt it kick sideways when I went full throttle lol… sigh… I’m probably letting off a little early for 1/8 mile time because my brain is saying that’s fast enough.

2. Microphone inside trailer hitch tube is actually decent.

3. Dragy is very humbling.

4. Best I can tell off the mph, I’m probably shifting about 5,000rpm. I’ve tried staying in it longer and you can feel it nose over - maybe that’s not the right way to say it, but it stops pulling. I believe a different intake will yield better results. I believe this cam should carry to 6,000 (with a different intake), and now I have the means to collect that data.

5. I need to put the dash back in so I can see important stuff.

That being said, here it is:

 

Yeah fees like you could wring it out a little more for sure. But I get that the seat of the pants O meter says “hey this is a bad idea” sometimes and ya gotta reel it in haha

 

"If it was easy, everyone could do it".
The one time I took my stick shift car to the strip after driving it for almost a year, it also wasn't the expected numbers and it had a lot to do with the nut behind the wheel.
There is a reason why there were hired guns for magazine testing of cars and especially bikes.
I will repeat something you have heard and know to be fact. Make one change at a time.
BTW, congrats on the testing. It should give you incentive during those long sanding sessions.

 

I need to learn to not do T bucket things before bed. My adrenaline was going late into the night thinking about it lol. Anyway, I looked at the video and watched the mph at shift points. Then, looking at gear ratio chart for trans gears, rear gear, tire diameter, I concluded I would m***ively benefit from a tach.

So best guess based on mph: 1st gear shifted at 4,800. 2nd at 5,400. 3rd I backed out at 5,000. So that right there shows the inconsistency just in shifting. Once I get the dash in with gauges, and figure out how to launch it, I think it will be pretty good. I really didn’t get on it until 2 seconds in.

Gonna scheme least invasive method to fix rear suspension bottoming, in-tank fuel pump wiring/plumbing, fuel gauge wiring, dash install, gauges. Portland Transmission is May 9th, so I wanna make sure the car is together for that.

 

Pair up dragy with a GoPro or something similar, looking forward and getting the gauges as well. That will give you a bigger picture of what is happening.

Funny you mention this today. I came across something that I made for Jim years ago to monitor suspension action. And it used video to be the data recorder. Looking forward with this device and the gauges, his hands on the steering wheel and seeing the track was very helpful. BTW electronic data recorder systems were not allowed, but in-car cameras were. So we got creative…

 

I'm amazed Dave didn't mention Mini rubber suspension for the rear bottoming issue.
https://www.minispares.com/steering-suspension-brakes/30/3014/

Judging from this pic, if you like the ride height, the only real answer is a stiffer spring. Unless you redo things, there isn't much space for coilovers or add-on stuff. Is it hitting the frame at the axle tubes or the spring?

 

That will take more than a minute to come from across the pond.
Tim, I have these short urethane bumpers from Energy Suspension on my three projects.
Summit, Jegs, etc have them, they can be mounted directly to the lower face of the kickup or on the side with an angle bracket, for the ch***is' thin wall tubing fine thread bolts can be used without scarring up exhisting paint from welding, and a couple drops of Loc***e for added insurance.

Lots of styles
Here:
https://www.google.com/search?clien...HR0zGqwQtKgLegQIHxAB&biw=1280&bih=800&dpr=1.5

 

If he's got the room, I'd prefer a rising rate rubber over urethane. But this thread shows Tim is resourceful and competent.

 

I thought I was bottoming out with the top of housing hitting floor of pickup bed, but I have 2.5+” there with car fully loaded, a mock up driver, and every intake manifold/carb setup I could stack in/on the car. I also have adequate clearance between axle tubes and frame rails. What I don’t have, is adequate clearance between the driver side frame rail and ladder bar bracket. In my haste to ***emble the ch***is, I believe the rear axle is in the frame crooked. I did zero measuring this time of the rear suspension, and it’s obvious in this picture, although it appears exaggerated from reality. I just need to square up the rear end and that should solve the problem.

 

Yee hah! Better than rework.
Strange but good it launches well. Time to measure things. That will kick the driveshaft over a little, too. Check clearance thru travel.

 

Does tire to body tell the same tale?
The ch***is pic looks like only an inch?

 

The difference side to side at the frame is about 1/4”, hard to measure under there. The tires are roughly the same, hard to measure that too since the body is not the same side to side. During mock up, I’ve had everything taped out to zero difference left to right in cross measurements, and zero difference from front centerline of ch***is to both right and left rear axle, rear centerline of ch***is to both right and left front axle. All of those were the same side to side. And the tires fit the body fine etc. I just was in a hurry and probably put the left ladder bar on the right side of the car, or something like that. It’s probably a difference of two turns or less on the bar adjustments. I had the rear axle out at some point, I don’t remember why. But that’s likely when it happened.