Hi guys, the drag racing bug has bit me pretty good. Now I want to go a little faster - 12s at least. Im not an engine builder so am considering a crate motor, I know they arent "cool" but Im considering a 502. Is anyone using one??? Not really interested in whether its appropiate or not for the coupe, just real feedback.
What kind of gears are in the car? and other drivetrain setup like Trans? auto or stick? could do it alot cheaper than that crate motor my car runs mid 12's for around $8,000 that crate 502 will cost alot more than that.
Current set up is 302W, C4 and 9" with 2.7 gears ran mid 16s all night using the car in D as with the harness on I couldnt reach the shifter so lots of room there to go faster. Would prefer to go with a bigger less stressed set up that I can dial in as I feel comfortable going faster and faster. In the back of my mind is the want to to go to the salt too.
A stall and gears would help alot and I'm ***uming the Engine is stock what does it run now 12's really shouldn't be too hard also what does the car weigh mine is around 2420 with me in it and a full tank but its a highboy A coupe
the p***enger , i mean drivers side shot of the car is so *****in.....if the car sat like that all around....lol a 502 would get you there.....but the extra weight might present issues.......what about a 347 stroker motor .....or even a small shot of juice... ....and a small stall converter.....brandon
a 502 is big and may or may not fit the present set upof radiator to firewall etc. but with the iron head model 400 + hp and about a 370 gear and a powerglide it should go 11's or you might opt for a crate style 406 small block and a glide for about the same results with less money and more room in the car... good luck .. also check out race car suspensions and see where you are falling short, see shane delaforce in perth if you need some help on that....... sam
I'd like to see you run 12s... but I'd like to see you get the ch***is dialed in first. The car torques over quite a bit with very little power being applied. You are going to start breaking stuff if you dont stiffen things up. Look at tire clearance right now... Also keep this in mind... Consider a 502/502 crate engine... subtract 30% for drivetrain 'slop' and that engine should theoretically put 351 hp to the pavement. In a 'perfect world' (well setup ch***is, proper traction... etc) a 2500# car putting 350 hp down would run 10.80s. That is the long way of saying you can go 12s with way less power. I would think a stout 351w making 350-400hp would be plenty to get you well into the 12s... safely. The 502 would probably only run 12s with your current ch***is... sideways at 135 mph...
I have to agree. You still have alot more performance to get from the car before you need more power. First things first. make sure your brakes will be able to stop you safely after a 100+mph p***. Second get the ch***is to work properly, think weight distribution, shocks. Third Drag tires. Forth weight reduction, every 100 lbs is a tenth of a second. Fifth, gearing, you could probably knock a second off your et by switching to a 3.7 gear without killing drivability on the street. If this were my car, I would make sure the brakes are up to the task, get the suspension to work properly, move as many components to the right rear corner as possible, put some 3.7 gears in it, aluminum heads and intake and run the hell out of it.
I just looked at the picture a second time and realized this is a right hand drive car. Instead of moving weight to the right rear i would move the weight to the left rear. From the picture it looks like you already have pleanty of right side weight.
There's no need to go to a 502 to run 12's; a well-sorted out ch***is with a mildly hotted-up 302 will get you there. Get the car to stick; then ditch the 2.7 gears for a set of 4.11's. If your car weighs in at 2500# and you can get 230 HP to the pavement, you'll run 12's trapping at about 105 - 107 MPH. Most guys who get bit by the bug think a bigger hammer is the way to go - in reality it's all about the nails. Aim for a 1.70 60' and you'll be there. Okay - you did 16's; that's okay 1st time out. What were your 60' times and your trap speeds? Tell us those and we can tell you what the car will do....In any case, less than $1000 in ch***is sorting and gearing will shave at least 2 seconds - maybe even three!
guessing here.....but if it went in the 16's.....and not knowing how the whole climate thing is down there.....i would have to guess probably 2.50's or so on the 60's...probably shifting out of low waaaay early....and probably upper 80's mph....and what was the shift point.....guessing that in drive it probably wasn't too much over 4k....? brandon
forgot to mention ....a good adjustible anti roll bar ....or a air bag on p***enger side....would probably help a bunch as well....even a shock change might not hurt....brandon
What the other guys said. 2.7's aren't helping at all. 3.7 and lower is where you need to be in the diff. A properly set up suspension is worth a huge improvement, looks like you've got a lot of lost power in a sloppy (for racing) ch***is. What is the rear setup? I'm guessing standard 4 -bar and coilovers? Worry about more power when you've got the ch***is to use it. Tex13 here runs low 11's/114 with a 327 in a 3w 32 with a 4-bar suspension both ends so it's possible without all the $$$ you're talking about.
I'll agree - Skip the 502 - Plenty of mustang guys are getting 4** hp out of their N/A 302 (5.0L) small blocks - most are running 331 or 347 strokers, aluminum heads, and a good cam with a set of long tube headers - with that kind of HP and some ch***is tuning you're into the 12's easily. The 302's like to rev - get a 3000-3200 RPM stall converter, a good shift kit, and some 4.10's with those tall tires. Also make sure you're running a posi, locker, or spool in the rear. Make it so the shifter can be manually shifted when you're belted in - or adjust the shift points in the trans to shift a lot later than stock. There's a ton of cheap performance parts out there for the 5.0L croud - take advantage of it and build a nice running ford.... The 5.0L blocks are good to around 500Hp - that's where they start getting sketchy - 550hp and you're probably going to split the block in half PM me if you want more info - I've ran a couple of the late model mustang setups that would work for your car....
what they said...save the big blocks for the big cars that need them.... Gearing/stall/suspension tuning will get you far, and a mildly hotrodded small block ford motor will get you the rest of the way there.
Just another thought...If you're a novice at this, go to one of the more ******** speedhops around town - the ones that cater to racers, not bling shops - they should have a range of publications that will help get your head around the fundamentals of what's required to make a car work on the track ch***is wise.
Actually, if the car is still buggy sprung, a set of bungs welded into the crossmember over the springs front and rear with some Grade 8's threaded thru would allow him to jack the suspension any which way he wanted! cheap, easy - and effective.
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