TSP Level 2A-R (Larry's motor) Complete and Dyno tested.

Well, just got back from Cecil. It was a very enjoyable weekend. Cecil is by far my favorite event of the year. John and Nancy Csordas always make this event one to remember. My hat is off to them, and the other Buick clubs involved. It wasn't typical Cecil mine shaft conditions, but it didn't rain when it mattered, and the whole event went off as planned for the most part. It didn't start raining on Saturday until 5 or 6PM, and everything was done by then. The car show had at least 50 cars I believe, and Saturday was a success as many more MANDRA cars showed up than we thought. It rained overnight, but by 4AM, you could see that full moon in a cloudless sky, and when the sun came out, everything dried out in a big hurry. I left the hotel at about 8AM with the rest of the crew. The 174 mile drive home took me a bit under 3 hours with minimal traffic. I drove both ways with the Q-jet that Jim did for me (my old John Osborne 800-7042240). It idled great, and had great throttle response. I didn't get a chance to check the mileage until I drove home, but I could tell it was better than my dismal 9-10 MPG last year. I drove home at 70 MPH almost the whole way and it got 14 MPG, a big improvement. I left the Q-jet on for my first 3 runs. I knew it would be down on power compared to the AED 1000, I expected that. The last 3 runs were with the AED carburetor. I made a total of 6 passes on Friday. The car hooked solid every time, and ran in the 11's every time. People told me it sounded great going down the track. I don't want any body to think that I am bummed out here. It was a blast, and I had fun. I'm sure there is something wrong with my combination, and I'll find out what it is eventually. Here are my runs.

Run #.........Carburetor..........Tire pressure........Ignition Timing........Leave RPM...........60'...........1/8 mile........................1/4 mile

1.................Q-Jet.................15psi..................33*......................off idle............1.704...........7.583@89.65............11.958@112.81

2.................Q-Jet.................15psi..................35*......................1500...............1.698...........7.532@90.95............11.86@113.53

3.................Q-Jet.................16psi..................35*......................2000...............1.680...........7.499@91.08............11.826@113.66

4.................AED1000.............16psi..................35*......................2000...............1.673...........7.439@91.65............11.74@114.24

5.................AED1000.............16psi..................35*......................2500...............1.659...........7.432@91.53............11.732@114.36

6.................AED1000.............16psi..................35*......................2500...............1.652............7.404@92.22...........11.673@115.02

Runs 3-6 were run without an air cleaner. Last year I had a lot of trouble hooking up. My MT's were pretty near the end of their life. This year I had new ones. I also installed a set of Metco billet aluminum rear lower control arms to replace the stock boxed one I had. I also removed my front sway bar completely. I'm sure all those factors helped. This year, I had a good fuel pressure gauge with the sender right at the carburetor inlet. My fuel pressure sat right at 9 psi at idle. Under power the few times I could look at it, it was right around 6-7, so it didn't drop much. The car did not scare me at any point, but it felt better at the beginning of each run. It still didn't pull as hard at the top end. I didn't think of it at the time, but I should have left the SP in high stall for one entire run. Not sure it would have helped, but I should have tried it. I had a switch pitch timer, and all the runs were with the converter in high stall for 1.6 seconds after launch. The balance of each run was in low stall. The engine still felt a bit flat up top. I think a fixed pitch converter, a small tight one might help a lot. One last thing. Guys, I'm not a racer. I'm completely happy running my car once a year. I drive it all over the place on the street. It runs nice and cool even in the hottest weather, in the worst traffic conditions. It has never gone over 185*. Oil pressure is great. I've never seen it below 24 psi at an 800 RPM in gear idle. Driving down the highway for hours, it sits right at 56 psi. Like I said, I'm not a racer. I could probably use someone more experienced with me to suggest things to me. Maybe in the future sometime. For now, I have a solid 11 second street car that I can truly drive ANYWHERE. For now, that's OK in my book.:grin:

 

Thanks Jim,
I know I need to shift it higher. The stock shifter is just so sloppy I think. I will modify my governor to make it shift at 6000 or as close as I can get to that. I'll have to put the DR's on again, and find a stretch of road where I can re calibrate my governor. Dropping the exhaust is another option. I might run it at Atco if I get the right day. I don't think I'm wanting 4.33 gears though:laugh:

 

Jim,
Right now, I have the stock tachometer back in the dash. I really like the fact that the interior looks bone stock other than my gauges. I had my stock tach fixed, and it works, but it is very inaccurate mid range. I had an Autometer tach installed, that was very accurate, and I will now re install that because that is the only way I am going to be able to correctly get my governor right on. I believe the stock tach is reasonably accurate at the low and high end, but in the middle of it's range, it is off a good 3-400 RPM. When I had the Autometer installed, 70 MPH was about 2450 RPM. Now it reads 2800-3000. I know it is way off, but it looks so good in the dash:laugh:, I have resisted taking it out. The needle bounces a bit also. The one time I did glance at it through the traps, it was around 5300 or so. Next time the car goes down the track, it will have the Autometer installed for sure. This winter, I'll look into having modern guts installed in the stock tach. That will give me the best of both options. I really thought the fuel pump was the problem. Just goes to show you, even handicapped, that pump was doing the job.

---------- Post added at 08:10 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:55 AM ----------

Thanks Mike,
We missed you this year. It was a good time at the track. The car felt great to me, and it hooked every time, unlike last year. I have an SRE oil pan, and I am running 8 quarts of oil. I also have a balance line, and the tap for the gauge is closer to the rear. My oil pressure is perfect all the time. When I start it cold, it goes to 70 psi. After it warms up, it runs at 56 psi at anything over 1500 RPM. At the shift points fully warm, it is somewhere north of 70 psi. Even after 3 hours of highway driving at 70 MPH, it sits right at 56 psi. Idle pressure in gear, at 800 RPM is 24 psi. I have my governor set to shift at 5500 and 5400. I am going to up that to 6000. I also scaled the car at Cecil. It weighed 4010 with me in it, 3845 without me. I had about 3/4 tank of gas, and nothing in the trunk. I recall your car is somewhat lighter. Your car rocks. That video of you beating up on that Mercedes is one of my all time favorites.:TU:

---------- Post added at 08:17 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:10 AM ----------

Thanks Gary,
I had a lot of fun at the track. I was able to try both carburetors at the track. It literally took me 10-15 minutes to change carburetors, very easy to do. It's nice to know the car runs 11's with both carburetors. I know some were expecting more out of my car, but I am really happy with it, and I still have things to try.:grin:

 

Scott did fix my tach. It is reasonably accurate at the low RPM and high end, but in the middle, it is off a lot. I spoke with Scott, and he said he could tweak it some, but I think the best solution is to install modern guts into the tach, and make it super accurate like an Autometer.

 

Thanks again Gary,
Yes I am very happy. I know it will go faster. There are several easy things I will try, maybe before years end. I can try a 26" tire, shift it at 6000 RPM, and I can drop the exhaust. I might just go to a fixed pitch converter next year. We will see. For now, the Q-jet stays on for the street. I wasn't even trying to get good mileage and it did 14 MPG. I think if I really pay attention, it might do even better. Had the car loaded up pretty good also with my luggage, drag radials on heavy Buick wheels, and tools and spare parts.