There was a legend about 15-20 yrs ago, happened during a magazine shoot about a Woodward Ave cruise and reported in the mag, Hot Rod I think, I have it somewhere, about a certain gentleman from Michigan with a Cammer in his '61 Starliner getting what was referred to as the "ticket of the century"- got written up for "excessive horsepower" while idling at a stoplight- supposed to be true story. When we were still running the 410 Shaver engine in the sprint car, we had it up on the fast half-mile at Calistoga in a World of Outlaws race, which of course meant we were chasin' their dust like most of the "locals". So our driver decides a quicker throttle is gonna make all the difference and rocket him right to the front- we were pitted between Sammy Swindell and Brent Kaeding, and he thought Swindell's linkage looked shorter (when in fact his balls were just a lot bigger LOL) So we quickee made one up that was only 1/8" shorter and stuck it on. Off went HotDog, and immediately looped in in 3-4. They pushed him off again, and he looped it again in 1-2 and bicycled for a bit reeeel close to the wall. OK, says Dog, put it back like it was... Absolute best example of too much power- those of you too young to have been around when Bill Cosby was doing stand-up, welcome to a new world <iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3-JQksYxgM0?rel=0" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="420"></iframe>
The funny thing about that Cosby video. It was true. He gave it back to Shelby right after the first drive.
No disrespect to the Cos, but Shelby isn't getting this one back Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
I can vouch for this. This car is a true example of "too much motor" or "not enough traction". That ol' fucker Oj took me for a ride in that widowmaker, while I was tryin' to hold on for dear life, that guy was just laughin' his ass off. Every time I ride in that thing, I look back on my short 19 years of life and try to come to terms with it. Luckily Oj's a good driver, because I mighta had my first heart attack. Also driving around without the seat bolted in, are you crazy?
This is a local Ozzie car that looks like a restoration until you hear it run and see under the hood. Has a 900hp BBC under the hood. It would definitely fry the hides of those razor blades currently on it.
When are you finishing it? I'd like to see a Prius gasser: lose the front-end plastic, solid axle, blown Hemi with headers exiting through the front wheel wells ...
Swallow pride, take a race car driving class. There are roundy-round tracks that offer a Skip Barber, or something similar, class. Probably costs $2000 or so, but well worth the expertise. They should also have a wet-down track where you learn to oversteer in the rain, etc. Or you can get the straight line class, Frank Hawley I think the name is. the money is worth saving your project from wrapping around a tree. Like the others said, hang up the phone, don't drink while at the car show, take out the car radio, look down the road when you drive to see problems and plan how to avoid them before rolling right up on them (Not ironically, life should be lived the same way--look into the near future for potential problems, plan solution before they arrive. with practice, doesn't distract from enjoying the present.)
Put a 1" longer throttle arm on the carb. Drill a series of holes in it to attach the linkage to. Start with the furthest hole out. When you get bored, move linkage down one hole. Repeat as necessary. End of problem.
I have an old article somewhere, Car & Driver I think, from when the Bondurant school was still at Sears Point, and it was about a corporate limo driver taking the "security" course, anti-kidnapping- like you saw in "The Bodyguard" but on steroids. Driver was an ex-cop and pretty well-trained in martial arts and all that, and your basic cop driving. So they have him rent a new Caddy limo when he flies into Frisco, and they start him on the wet & dry skid pads, basics, J-turns, bootleg turns, does pretty good, then the defensive driving. This was in the late '80's, and the instructor had a prepped Mustang 5.0 for a chase vehicle. They play for a couple days with the instructor chasing him around the road course in different situations while he tries to get away in the limo. On final exam day, the limo driver is sent out on the road course with a head start, and the instructor chases him down for a "kidnapping". So when he catches up to the limo, the driver does a pretty good bootleg going over a crest, so the instructor follows suit- as he looks over his shoulder, he sees the 6,000lb limo coming right straight back at him about 30 ft. away- the instructor had to bail off the course to keep from getting rammed, and the limo driver hauls a$$ back to the garage- instant PASS
Gotta love those big cars & big motors... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10i1y2ZFFT4&NR=1&feature=endscreen
The key is to use the power only in a safe place and not show off. Getting on it in the wrong place can get hairy in a hurry. Be safe and live to brag about it.
No such thing as too much motor, just not enough driver. Adjust the pedal ratio if it helps and practice a light touch on the throttle.
The better question is "how far can I drive and how big is your fuel cell?" I'm currently experimenting with the streetability of my ride. I'm finding the mechanical Hilborn is streetable - that's not the problem. Its' throttle has the feel of a dual carb set up. My idle is about 1300. I'm going to attempt to get it to 800-900. Problem: It's extremely inefficient. I only get a few miles to the gallon. I can't go far without a refuel. (I run 110 oct) You would need a 20 gallon fuel cell to make the truck streetable. You could go about 60 miles then. When the tank gets low you'll always have the fear of running your pump dry. You have a gorgeous one-of-a-kind truck (seen the recent pic in the SOHC thread). I would be proud to park by you at a show any day - and parking is what you and I will do well. I found this thread after reading your "Running a Hilborn on the Street" from about a year ago. From that thread I've found some good ideas for air cleaners Having one of these in the support truck will help!
Thats what it said on my grade ten report card... Seems to be a LOT of high school guidance counsellers on this thread.
Ok, here's a little update. I've had the car Inspected, licensed, insurend and on the street for about a month now. The Seats, Seatbelts and interior are all bolted in (still working on little details like weatherstripping). I have finally decided to add a second set of glass packs ahead of the "mufflers" since there was no evidence that they were actually muffling anything. Most of my neighbors are cool with it now (only get nasty looks from women with dogs in their purses). I made some small adjustments to the throttle linkage, float level (maybe the most important change) and clutch engagement point. The verdict...this thing is really fun to drive. It is not a daily driver and never will be, I have to resign myself to that fact. If the traffic is really heavy this thing needs to stay home in the cage. It is reallllly unhappy inching along. Anything much under a steady 25mph is challenging. Otherwise, it is alot of fun. I've done some tweaking to the four link set up (more to come) and the traction has gotten better. Mostly, I think I've learned to drive it, adapted to the car's personality. I know what it can and can't do and avoid situations that spell trouble. On a positive note, small foreign cars with huge stainless mufflers will go to crazy lengths to avoid pulling up next to me at a stoplight. So as many of you predicted, my initial concerns were more a product of too little paitence (seat not bolted in, throttle not sorted out) than too much motor. I'm sure youv'e all been there. Took 41/2 years to build, couldn't wait one more week to drive it (dumbass).
Yeah, I hear ya. I put a 22 gal cel in my P'up which is about what my ass can handle without a rest anyhow. I've got the .64 OD Tremec in mine, so actually the Hwy MPG shouldn't be that bad (mine's also EFI) Love to see what you've decided on for filtration. I'm thinking a three step approach depending on how I'm using the truck, (booties, individual K&Ns and two oval filters, one for each bank for long hauls.
I like the Bill B product your other thread showed me. Their individual velocity stack filter. I'll be doing limited driving so that should work for me. I've emailed them but didn't get a response. Their web site is dated. http://www.bills-b-racing.com/about.html I've found a plastic lid from a grocery store peanut can works great to keep foriegn objects out when parked. Gives a clean look too.
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