The Vinyl66 runs new best!!

Today was opening day at Atlanta Dragway. It was a Test-n-Tune day.

The track surface has been totally redone over the winter. From the burnout box through the 1/4. The tractor has been putting rubber onto the track for the last few days in preparation for today. We were the very first cars to try out the new track. They said it was a lot smoother and should grip better.
Atlanta Dragway has never been known as a fast dragstrip so I guess they are trying to change that.

My previous best of 11.80 @ 115 was in October of last year. Since then I swapped the Comp hydraulic XE cam to a solid flat cam. I also finally got around to trying out the Demon 750 carb I have had on a shelf in place of the 650 I had been using. Instead of running 16-18 psi in my MT drag radials I went with 24psi.

My launch was the same as usual. Rev it to about 1300 or so and flash the converter (maybe 3/4 throttle) but not totally stab the throttle as this usually leads to tire spin for my little 235 drag radials. As I took off I noticed there was no tire spin so I got on the throttle the rest of the way and it hooked.

My first and only run of the day looked like this:

RT... 0.198
60'... 1.697
330'...4.737
1/8...7.304
MPH...95.70
1000...9.551
1/4... 11.470
MPH... 116.84

I was told not to run that fast again without the proper safety equipment.
It didn't matter. I was happy to have a new best!!

I do wonder what is left in it because that was my first pass with the current cam and carb. I also wonder how much better it could have been if I had nailed the throttle instead of tried to ease into it.

So now I have to decide if I want to put a 6 pt. bar and 5 pt. harness in it or just lower my shift points and run 11.5's. It is great having people come up to me and tell me my car looks like it should run 13's! At the same time I do not like slowing down.

Overall, it was a beautiful day with some cool cars and I had a blast.........

Wow that's awesome!...A healthy increase to be sure...What was the air temp like?..I'm thinking the heat of summer might help to slow you down a little but like you said I'm sure there is a little more left in it with all the changes you've made....Man I can only dream about drag racing as I shovel the snow out of the driveway.

Thanks frdnut! I do pity you for having to shovel snow while we are basking in the 60 degree sun.

Air temp was about 60 degrees with a pretty strong headwind. In all of my years of going to Atlanta dragway, I have noticed a tailwind 1 time. Of course that was a day when I wasn't racing I was just watching. Besides the headwind the weather was very good today.

You really got that 347 moving now! Great job!

A 2 MPH gain is about a 40hp gain. Frdnut was right, when that Georgia heat sets in you will slow down, probably in the order of a couple of tenths.

Our track in Pa opens at the end of March, but with my parts scattered between 2 garages and increased work commitments, I won't quite be ready then. Sigh. . . . .

Thanks Dennis! This little engine has really surprised me.

Are you doing the clutch swap now? Also, I just noticed you have a set of AFR205's. Nice! Are they already bolted up or is that an ongoing project as well?

Originally Posted by Vinyl66

Thanks Dennis! This little engine has really surprised me.

Are you doing the clutch swap now? Also, I just noticed you have a set of AFR205's. Nice! Are they already bolted up or is that an ongoing project as well?

A well built 347 can be a formidable racer! You definitely have a nice strip/street Stang.

My 2 major modifications changes for 2008 WERE the addition of the AFR 205's and the clutch swap to a Ram adjustable Sintered disk setup.

I decided that it would be easiest to pull the motor to do both these mods. Once pulled, the project snowballed. Decided to freshen up the bearings and determined that the crank needed turned. Then I decided to bore the block to match a set of .030 pistons I had collected. This required re-balancing.

Currently the rotating assembly is back from being balanced, but the block stilled needs bored and the used AFR's need the seats touched up and reassembled with the correct springs. Both are in que in my neighbor's machine shop and might get done this week.

Other dragstrip casualties from last year were the new 1330 yoke that was included with my aluminum driveshaft (twisted splines--billet replacement being ordered) and a LH motor mount that got bent that last night of racing. Not sure what I am going to do there yet.

I've also added a pair of the "new on the market" Calvert 90/10 front drag shocks. Hoping to get a better 60'er (1.60 best.) I did have plans to put on lighter rims, but figure I'll already be knocking on the same 11.5 second limit that you have already shattered.

If all goes as planned, I should see some action in mid-April. Keep us updated should you go back so those of us in the snow belt can race vicariously through you.

Nice!
Thats a HUGE improvement... good for you.

You guys realize that evertime one of us makes a new best time... it makes everyone elses wallet come out!!! LOL

Originally Posted by dennis111

My 2 major modifications changes for 2008 WERE the addition of the AFR 205's and the clutch swap to a Ram adjustable Sintered disk setup.

WERE
Oh, I know how projects can snowball! That reminds me of when I had a cam lobe go flat a few years ago because I was using the wrong valve springs. Instead of just replacing the cam and springs I decided to go to the 347 which led to different heads which led to a different intake etc......

The 205's and the new disk setup should be a killer combination on your setup. My 185's were one of the best purchases I have made.
Better you than me rowing through the gears. It definitely takes more talent running a fast stick car down the quarter. That's why this no talent ass clown will continue to use the C4 slushbox.

Speaking of driveshafts, today I saw a couple of driveshafts laying on the track due to broken u joints. They broke on the line and the cars didn't even move. I guess there was some truth to the new track hooking up because I have rarely seen that in the past. I also saw a motorcycle chain brake on the line. I have never seen that happen before.

It wont be long and you will be crashing through the 11.49 barrier too. Remember I predicted that a few of us on here would be meeting our "current" goals in '08. It just didn't occur to me that I would do it in the first race of the year.

Wow-new best on the first pass.Congrats!
I dont know how close you are to Augusta but there's atrack just inside SC where they will "let ya slide" on the bar as long as you're not all over the place going down the track.

That's quite an improvement going from 11.80's to 11.47. Way to go. Now to figure out how to slow it down or add a roll bar. Good to hear the latest improvements made the car quicker.