Went racing again Friday night. I wasn't going to post any details, but enough people emailed me to ask how I did so I guess people really do read my long winded racing adventure.
First run was kind of slow, as is normal for this car. I had a trusted spotter who said that the car ran out good but seemed to slip a little going into 4th (I had the clutch set to 1100lbs, which I thought would be safe.) So I crawled under the car between runs and gave the clutch one more full turn--now 1220lbs.
I also got my right arm in a "Chinese handcuff" position between the hot header and the floorboard while aligning the allen head socket and doing the adjustment. I ended up yanking my arm out and loosing/burning a 1"x3" section of outer skin off the inside of my wrist. I continued racing and the clutch held up though out the night. I kept a bag of ice on it between rounds and it really didn't affect my times. The wrist is now covered with Silvadene and bandaged--this shifting arm is expected to survive
. Time to get some protective sleeves!
No new speeds to add to my resume', but I was running a fairly consistent 11.70 all night with a 1.66 60'er. My best run was a 11.62 on a 1.61 60'er. I dropped tire pressure down to 12 lbs after the first run and the car still felt good on the track. I also used a different setting on the Rancho shocks. 1 turn on the left, 3 turns on the right (was 3/3.) Looking at the tires after the race, the outer inch of both sides of the tire where hardly pealed during the burnouts (10" tires on 8" rims.) I may need to drop the pressure even further (or dare I try lower?) My burnouts were a couple of seconds long, just enough for the RPM's to drop. I then powered out of the burnout.
I am still spinning at the line according to my observers--but once it stops spinning it goes like a rocket. Pulled the wheels in 2nd gear once. It is never consistent enough at doing this. I used a 4100rpm launch all night.
During the first round of eliminations I whooped another new 6.0 GTO. He dialed 12.12 to my 11.77. I had a very good light and I left while he waited for his to become more green.
The next round I dialed an 11.77 and lined up against my nemesis SS Furious, the class champion who dialed in a sandbagging 12.0. We have comparable running cars (he has a 440BB) and he normally dials in the 11.8 range. He hole shot me with his .027 R/T against my sleeping .321. I ran it out crossed the line before him by a nose. Unfortunately he ran a 12.05 to my 11.72 (on the 11.77 dial.) It was a fun and exciting race chasing him and crossing the line before him! SS Furious eventually won the Stick class that night.
Next race (hopefully) will be this Friday. Weather looks very poor, but the car (and I) are ready for another round of fun. If we don't get to race then, I won't get back to the track until the end of June, due to weekend work commitments. The bright side is that I will have time to get the pressure plate updated.
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Dennis
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65' STANG (3330 lbs), 393W NA, Toploader 4 Spd, 4:11 TrueTrac, AFR 205's, Vic Jr. Intake, CI Custom SFT, 750dp, 11.0 CR
11.52@121.29mph
