I agree with your assessment except that I only see a few (not a lot) of guys cutting him down. Most of us are trying to be friendly and helpful.
while my comment may have been a bit curt, I still stand by it. The guy is no stranger to the drag strip or to cars in general yet almost brags? about running a 14.1 on a motor he tells us isn't right. punish a car - in that condition - repeatedly with full-on WOT 1/4 mile passes ? I should encourage that ?
There is a Hot Rod (Nov 69) magazine Test of a 1970 Stage1 with 3.64 gears, entitled "Mister Muscle of 1970". That car ran mid 14's at 96 MPH at 4000+ lbs in the hot Arizona desert (~100*). I think our guy is doing just fine considering this car is a 1971, and it likely has lower compression. I found this interesting though. He somehow picked up 3 MPH trap speed. Compare this time slip, http://www.v8buick.com/index.php?attachments/20180815_211307-jpg.399759/ with this one, http://www.v8buick.com/index.php?attachments/20180816_004523-jpg.399762/ 60' was about the same. Sometimes you pick up a little trap speed when you spin, it's like having a higher numerical rear to get the car out of the hole, but 3 MPH, that's unusual, no? What was difference on that second run, that's what I want to know. That 13.38 @ 105 car was a stripper wasn't it? Weighed 3800 lbs with manual steering and brakes?
Yes Larry, you're correct, I just got the Jan 70 Motor Trend out and indeed it was what you term a stripper, at 3810 lbs , and also running the lower 3.64 rear. Probably more comp, but Im not about to pull my heads to see. Ill get a comp test done as part of the tune up, and really 'Gigantor' is a bit rich on the secondaries with stock advance curve "punishing a car"?..... And wasnt the initial challenge that I'd "never get your combo up close to 105 MPH or the low 13s" Sure...I said Id like to equal that tests times and speed and you are probably correct, I probably wont. With taller gears and less comp. But it sure as hell wont stop me trying... What was the difference on those two runs? Well on the 14.4 pass I overshifted the columnshift stick into neutral and ran the tach off the dial before slipping it into Drive to shove it out the back door. On the 14.1 it was 9.24pm and as I pulled into the water the announcement came over the P.A. that staging lanes were closing at 9.30 It was to be my last chance to get it right... And it came off pretty good. Id been talking to a guy in the staging lanes who was mechanic on an 8 second hotrod about my Rochester dumping extra fuel through the secondaries and putting out the fire momentarily. I asked him how could I drive around the problem of the small primaries not transitioning to the large secondaries as he put it... 2 choices he said, rely on the torque and short shift into second. Or really smash it and drive through it.....I chose the second option Thanks to those who are behind the Aussie underdog, to the rest the less said the better. Time will tell. Im having fun....are you?
Not what I meant. All your other timeslips, you are at 94 MPH through the traps. That one timeslip is 97 MPH, and 78 MPH in the 1/8th. That's HP you gained, just that one time. Why?, was the timing different between those two runs? The last run of the night, the temperature was lower for sure, but 3 MPH is very significant. 97 MPH gets you into the high 13's, 94 is most likely 14's It isn't that your Q-jet is dumping too much fuel into the secondaries, it is too much air, too soon. The Q-jet uses air valve secondaries. That is what allows the Q-jet to deliver the air the engine demands and no more. Those air valves are supposed to tip in, not flop in. If they flop in, there is too much air when the engine doesn't need it. That might be what's going on. There are two things that control the air valves. The first is the spring wind up on the secondary air valve shaft. If the air valves are flopping in too fast, you might need more spring tension. There is a very small allen lock screw that locks the spring down. To adjust it, you insert a screw driver on the end of the shaft to hold the spring adjustment. Then you loosen the lock screw, turn the shaft against spring tension, and lock it down. The second thing is the primary vacuum break on the front passenger side of the carburetor. There is a long metal link that goes from the vacuum break to the air valve shaft. With the engine running, you should not be able to tip in the air valves with your finger. If the vacuum break is sucking the link in, it should hold the air valves closed. At wide open throttle, vacuum goes to zero and the vacuum break relaxes letting the air valves slowly tip in. Look at the vacuum break with the engine running, see if it is working. Pull the vacuum line off of it and watch the break. It should move out, and then suck in when you reconnect the vacuum line. If it doesn't, you'll need to replace it. https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=39656&cc=1379774&jsn=402 Those two things let the air valves open slower so the engine doesn't bog, which is what you are experiencing.
interesting!....just got the vids up onto youtube so I can post. heres the first run where she bogs flat out in Low gear, you can see the car almost stop then recover andf take off again with a puff of smoke
here an 11 second twin turbo V8 AMG Merc hoses me off (but I do a better burnout!) this is the pass where I shift from second to neutral then back into drive and still record a 14.4 this should give you access to my ladys vids of most of my passes on the night.
Yes, it is bogging. Easy thing to check that primary vacuum break. Make sure vacuum is sucking it in at idle. If it isn't, you'll need to replace that. BTW, that primary break also opens the choke against thermostatic spring tension when starting the engine cold. If that break doesn't do it's job, the engine loads up from too rich a mixture. Look at that vacuum break. Also tip the air valves in with your finger (engine off). They should move easily and smoothly, and then close shut when you remove your finger. A stock converter will need more air valve damping to prevent too much air too soon.
If you fix that bog, and you can run nearly 98 MPH through the traps, that's a 13 second car. Get to work mate.
OK mate, and thanks again...440am here in OZ and I'm up at 8.30 to be ready for a big Victory / Indian ride up over the mountains behind my place...so the Buicks gonna have to wait...I gotta hit the sack before the sun comes up. We got another test n' tune night coming up on the 22nd, If Terry can regraph my dissy by then well Ill probably go out for another crack, otherwise I'll hold off till the cars at its optimum. Then the next month our Muscle Car Club have a private booking of the track for 90 minutes!....Ill really be able to relax and get lots and lots of passes in and realise the true potential of this fantastic machine!
Came out of the "Hole" OK. Sounds like MAYBE it was running out of fuel as soon as it was at the top of 1st. or just shifting into 2nd. I DON'T believe at this point it is a secondary air flap problem as it doesn't do the "Normal" bog coming out of the hole because the secondary air flap is coming in TOO soon. Just my thoughts. Tom T.
Tommy, I think if that was the case, it would nose over at the top end of the track and wouldn't run 90+ MPH, he'd run out of fuel.
It dont flop open like on vid, has some resistance Have to wait tll I do my morning coffee no2 and shower ritual before I open shed door or Ill gas myself and thatll ruin a brand new day
