Thanks guys!! John, my local track is Wisconsin International Raceway or "KK" as it's referred to. My second option, (farther away) is Great Lakes. Thanks! Steve
I worked on the car today. It's very close! I did all the modifications to the brake system, but the pedal only feels marginally better. I think it will be ok, but I won't know until later next week when I get my fuel pump back. Then I can take it out in the driveway again and test the brakes, alt, fuel pump, etc, etc.
Took the car to the local track today for it's "virgin" pass. First pass out of the trailer was a 6.14 @ 113.7 mph. I was pleased! Car ran good with no real issues. I was just going to do the burn out and a launch for the first pass, but after I took off I thought, "what the h@*# and just let her go! The converter that I have, (that I received from Cory Ackly...THANKS Cory!!) is a little too tight. My 60's were 1.48 & 1.49. Over the winter I need to order the correct converter! Other than that the car launched and ran straight with no surprises. Looks like BG is a go! I need to do some small stuff to the car before I go, but at least I should be there and the car should be running somewhere in the mid to high 9's. Next year with the right converter I'll be right were I wanted to be, in the low 9's. Steve
Thanks for posting your build, its been fun to watch. Hope to meet you at the Nats. in a few weeks and see the car in person! Very cool ride...
Thanks guys! I'll post the results of the week after the Nat's in BG. I should be running easy mid 9's even with the wrong converter, so I'm going to try for the "Quick 16". I hope the bump spot isn't too low this year that I can't make it in. That would be my luck!! I just hope everything holds together!! :TU: Steve
thought you might like this rendition of your photo. amazing car gotta say!!!! that scoop looks amazing. If you wanna send larger photos to lacey_803@arvig.net, Id love to edit some for you. I'd post the results. Dave Carter
Well, I got back from the Nationals today with the car in one piece! On the way down I stopped in Louisville and had my chassis certified. I then proceeded to BG and ran a few passes on Wednesday. Between Wednesday and Thursday I made all 6 of my test runs to qualify for my Sportsman’s license. At the end of the day on Thursday I noticed the valve train making a lot of noise. I checked the valve lash first thing Friday morning and found that all the push rods were hitting all the rockers at full lift, which in turn broke all 16 adjusters! I also found a few other things that needed attention before I could race again, so I ended up working on the car all day, missing the car show and the first two rounds of Super 16 qualifying. That night we went to Mike Phillips shop (Automotive Machine & Performance) up in Philpot, KY and took the rockers apart, clearanced the ones that we could salvage, replaced the ones we couldn’t and found some push rods to replace the ones that were bad. Saturday morning we got the car put back together and made the first Super 16 qualifying round for the day. The bump was at 9.78 and I wasn’t really sure if I was solidly in or not! After the second round I ended up running a 9.31 @ 142+ mph with a 1.242 sixty foot. I ended up losing to Super Dog as I ran a 9.42 on a 9.30 dial in. I dropped to Bracket 1 and lost first round there because I forgot to turn my CO2 bottle on! :rant: It really didn’t matter because I knew that I wouldn’t stand a good chance to go any rounds with a brand new untested car, but boy was I pleased overall with it’s performance and it’s potential! It carried the front wheels well out past the 60’ and would wipe all of the shoe polish off the wheelie bars every pass! With a few changes and slight mods over the winter it should be knocking on VERY low 9’s for next year. I’d really like to thank Mark Finco, Dan and Aggie Zepnick, Steve Schlater, Mike Phillips, Bobb Mackley, John Massoud and anyone else that I may have forgotten for all their help. Without GREAT Buick people like these I would have NOT made it into the Super 16, which was my main goal for this cars first outing!! I’d also like to thank Doug Hecker, John Massoud and Dallas Jones for helping me get my NHRA Sportsman license at the Nat’s. I’ll send a few pictures when I get them from friends, as I had NO TIME to take any while I was there. Thanks!! Steve
WAY TO GO STEVE! I'm glad you got to run in the mid 9's first time out- Wish I could have been there to see it in person.
