The Official Hot Rod Thread - Part 4: Burnouts for Distance

[Leo]

So modern performance is very different than yesteryear in some ways.

You send files over the internet to a tuner that tweeks the tune.

The aftermarket response is counted in weeks when a new model hits the market.

The modern cars have far exceeded the legendary cars of the 60’s. Bone stock the top dog’s are running in the mid 10’s that was S/S class in the 60’s.

One thing didn’t change you need $$$ to go fast.

I kind of saw both sides. The rear end, springs and shocks in my '66 came out of a Chevy station wagon ambulance a fire department wrecked. The 396 was out of a rust bucket I bought from a neighbor. The THD 400/475 transmission came out of a 14' aluminum body step. Heavy duty radiator was stock out of a Buick. Bucket seats were out of a Tempest. Exhaust was whatever pieces you could clamp to an adapter flange bolted to a set of Hookers. Two matching Thrush glass packs was something to be proud of. Things like cams were purchased from Ed Iskenderian, but a lot was found by combing the junkyard. Sandblasting and spray paint converted the parts to "official" hot rod parts. Not a lot of that with hot rodding modern cars.

Even relatively low priced parts were really expensive when you had a wife, kids and a mortgage and jimmy carter was in office.

The neighbor has been tuning his Mustang GT with a laptop. He has a hot Subaru also.
(warning, old guy story coming)
I had a tackle box with dozens of pairs of main jets for tuning. Take your buddy in the car with a stopwatch. Make a test hit, guess which way to adjust. Take the carb apart, twist in a different set of jets, test again. No data records to print out. We could not have imagined real time onboard air/fuel mixture data, or a computer that could overlay the A/F ratio chart over an rpm chart. Back then a laptop in the garage was a girlfriend that really liked you.

 

[femurphy77]

I kind of saw both sides. The rear end, springs an Gd shocks in my '66 came out of a Chevy station wagon ambulance a fire department wrecked. The 396 was out of a rust bucket I bought from a neighbor. The THD 400/475 transmission came out of a 14' aluminum body step. Heavy duty radiator was stock out of a Buick. Bucket seats were out of a Tempest. Exhaust was whatever pieces you could clamp to an adapter flange bolted to a set of Hookers. Two matching Thrush glass packs was something to be proud of. Things like cams were purchased from Ed Iskenderian, but a lot was found by combing the junkyard. Sandblasting and spray paint converted the parts to "official" hot rod parts. Not a lot of that with hot rodding modern cars.

Even relatively low priced parts were really expensive when you had a wife, kids and a mortgage and jimmy carter was in office.

The neighbor has been tuning his Mustang GT with a laptop. He has a hot Subaru also.
(warning, old guy story coming)
I had a tackle box with dozens of pairs of main jets for tuning. Take your buddy in the car with a stopwatch. Make a test hit, guess which way to adjust. Take the carb apart, twist in a different set of jets, test again. No data records to print out. We could not have imagined real time onboard air/fuel mixture data, or a computer that could overlay the A/F ratio chart over an rpm chart. Back then a laptop in the garage was a girlfriend that really liked you.

I have a Summit Jet Board with about 30 or 40 different jet sets on it that I've accumulated thru the years. I was in need of a set that I didn't have recently, $16/set now! Glad I had the foresight to save them all over the years, during the zombie apocalypse they might make a good trade commodity.

 

[femurphy77]

Oh and personally I think tuning for horsepower by computer is cheating. Sort of like using a pellet grill to smoke meat. Takes all of the fun out of it.

I understand the attraction but that don't make it right.

 

[thunderchicken]

Well not a good showing for us today at the track. After getting everything put back together and working like dogs all week to get everything done our data recorder wasn't working right. So had to check wiring and in the process managed to disconnect the delay box. My process to keep from sitting on the trans brake too long building heat, I was going to try let off the button on the top bulb and mat it to the floor on the 2nd bulb. Well I let off the button and it started to roll as the 2nd bulb came on so I stomped that loud pedal and was rolling. Still managed to run a 5.52 @ 131.59 mph with a 1.410 60' time.
Sat out the 2nd time run trying to fix the data recorder.
Went up for eliminations and I stomped the pedal on the burnout and as I came to a stop I noticed the throttle pedal was stuck on the floor. I could see the linkage on the back carb was closed and had to be pushed off the line as it wouldn't re fire without being able to give it some gas. Guess I stomped that loud pedal just a little too hard lol. Once out of the way, with the hood off was able to get it started to drive it back to the trailer.
Oh and looks like the starter/generator crapped the bed on the golf cart.
Starting to think someone has a Voodoo doll

 

[thunderchicken]

Oh and personally I think tuning for horsepower by computer is cheating. Sort of like using a pellet grill to smoke meat. Takes all of the fun out of it.

I understand the attraction but that don't make it right.

define tuning with a laptop

We use one to download data but everything else is old school to set up the tune. No A/F ratio crap just pull the plugs and read them.

 

[femurphy77]

define tuning with a laptop

We use one to download data but everything else is old school to set up the tune. No A/F ratio crap just pull the plugs and read them.

You're not tweaking, you're downloading. I'm actually trying to figure out how to integrate some kind of electronic device to maintain my race records as well. But I am considering a data logger for lap information.

In putting the car back together I pulled the pumpkin off the shelf and something didn't look right so I counted teeth. 3.89 gear ratio, I would have bet money that I had 4.56 gears in it so I pulled out my oversize notebook and started digging and found where I'd swapped to 3.89 gears at one point and the result was positive so I kept it in place. Got me to thinking, should I digitize? Probably not for me.

 

[Jaybird1980]

You're not tweaking, you're downloading. I'm actually trying to figure out how to integrate some kind of electronic device to maintain my race records as well. But I am considering a data logger for lap information.

In putting the car back together I pulled the pumpkin off the shelf and something didn't look right so I counted teeth. 3.89 gear ratio, I would have bet money that I had 4.56 gears in it so I pulled out my oversize notebook and started digging and found where I'd swapped to 3.89 gears at one point and the result was positive so I kept it in place. Got me to thinking, should I digitize? Probably not for me.

Ok.

Now about that pellet smoker crack.

 

[ChristianPatriot]

Now that’s a story right there. Racing the 500 while smuggling weed. Wild times lol

 

[thunderchicken]

You're not tweaking, you're downloading. I'm actually trying to figure out how to integrate some kind of electronic device to maintain my race records as well. But I am considering a data logger for lap information.

In putting the car back together I pulled the pumpkin off the shelf and something didn't look right so I counted teeth. 3.89 gear ratio, I would have bet money that I had 4.56 gears in it so I pulled out my oversize notebook and started digging and found where I'd swapped to 3.89 gears at one point and the result was positive so I kept it in place. Got me to thinking, should I digitize? Probably not for me.

Digitize? You're not the only one who keeps a paper trail of info. I keep everything written down in spiral notebooks

 

[Hardscrable]

 

[churchmouse]

I don't know if others feel the same, but I feel that true hot-rodding is dying out to manufactured rodding. Anybody can go order a parts kit and assemble stuff. It's true hot-rodding to build the parts yourself, or make the modifications yourself. However, I personally think too many guys will shame others for doing it on their own. "Well you're not a pro, you're just gonna break stuff. Spend the money and do it right."
Obviously know your limits, just seems that a lot of guys out there shame others for doing it their own way, which is a bummer.

To a point yes. I got a lot of that.
Until they had a clear memory of me out on them just enough at the finish line. Bracket racing is like that.
But, the catalog supplied customs/race cars has let a lot more average guys into the sport/passion.

 

[Hardscrable]

View attachment 216401

I’m pretty active on Corvetteforum. Eddie is also a member. Never met him in person but my knowledge of him is that he is just a great all around person in addition to his accomplishments on the track, etc. He is 80-some years old and still in the sport and still a great, competitive driver/racer.

 

[Bigtanker]

I found a ToterHome for one of you racers!!

 

[femurphy77]

I found a ToterHome for one of you racers!!

View attachment 216551

Damn that's ugly.



I LOVE IT!

 

[Bigtanker]

That's about a 70 Toronado?

 

[Jaybird1980]

That's about a 70 Toronado?

69 I think, 70 front didn't come back along the fender

 

[Bigtanker]

I spotted this today in Union, MI. There seems to be a poster of some sort in the windshield. It was probably 40 yards back off of the road. I just pulled over and to a picture from in my truck.

 

[thunderchicken]

I found a ToterHome for one of you racers!!

View attachment 216551

It begs the question... Why?

 

[thunderchicken]

Folks may have heard by now, a driver was killed in a crash/fire during the taping of SO's Fastest in America on Sunday. Ryan Fellows gold 240z rolled right at the finish line and burst into flames while upside down. Unfortunately, they weren't able to get him out in time.
Never met the guy, but for many of us involved in the hot rod and racing hobbies that's probably most of our biggest fears.
May he RIP

 

[churchmouse]

Folks may have heard by now, a driver was killed in a crash/fire during the taping of SO's Fastest in America on Sunday. Ryan Fellows gold 240z rolled right at the finish line and burst into flames while upside down. Unfortunately, they weren't able to get him out in time.
Never met the guy, but for many of us involved in the hot rod and racing hobbies that's probably most of our biggest fears.
May he RIP

Damn it. But this was inevitable as they pushed the boundaries out beyond reality.
JJ and Spouse near bought it. And after watching the 1st hour of his end game special it’s a wonder it’s not happened until now. Stone knives and axes. Literally. After listening to him run his mouth for an hour I was cross eyed.
But he did go back to his roots.

RIP Ryan. God spread to you.