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Check out The SS' timeslips throughout 2002 November 2, 2002: RT: .580 60: 1.53 1/4: 11.41 MPH: 116.85 Raceweight: 3,526# D.A.: +260' This run was made at the Thunder Racing "Thunder Shootout" at No Problem Raceway in Belle Rose, Louisiana. This track is the Houston Raceway Park of Louisiana! I was in the street stock automatic class, and the main rules of the class consisted of DOT tires, stock cylinder heads, and a minimum raceweight of 3,500#. I was running on a set of 28" BFG drag radials, and my best 60' that day was a 1.529! I was amazed at how well this track hooked. This was a fantastic event with a TON of quick, late-model f-bodies. The SS was quick enough that day to take the runner-up spot in street stock automatic. The car ran very well, and I was pleased to see the performance from the 228R camshaft! If 11.40's were possible with stock heads, just imagine what she'll do with a set of TSP stage II heads! May 18, 2002: RT: .500 60': 1.588 1/8: 7.342 MPH: 91.84 1/4: 11.634 MPH: 114.06 Raceweight: 3,515# D.A.: 1,102' The weather could not have been better for a weekend of racing at the Texas Motorplex for the Super Chevy Show. A cold front had moved through earlier in the week, and the temps were in the 70's all weekend. I had the computer retuned by Ed Wright to get my shift points where they should be, as well as to add some more timing. I ended up with 26.5 degrees @ WOT, the 1-2 shift point at 6,550, and the 2-3 shift point at 6,800 RPM. The pass above was the first pass of time trials on Saturday. As soon as I left the line, I knew that it was going to be a great run. It was the hardest that the car has left yet, and it was a flawless run, right down to the reaction time! Eliminations were run on Sunday, and I was able to beat a 9-second 70's Camaro with a .530 RT vs. his .550. I had to wait 6 hours before the next round, but it did not work out. The car spun to a 1.638 60', and I also fell asleep on the line with a .596 RT. I ran an 11.66 on my 65 dial, but the other opponent had a .534 RT and ran a 14.15 on his 13 dial. The car ran 116 MPH on this run! It had plenty of time to cool, and I feel that the car was getting some detonation down the track on the previous runs but did not on this run. I am going to run a few gallons of 104 unleaded the next time I race to see how the MPH looks, and I will see if AutoTap picks up any knock retard. I'm VERY happy with the performance of the car, and I'm especially happy with how well the Yank PT4400 and Comp Cams XE-R 224 pair up together. They work well together, and the PT4400 lets me use the new power all of the way down the track. I am confident that 11.40's @ 117+ MPH will be possible this fall with nice weather and the same raceweight. new mods: refined Ed Wright tuning, less weight from backseat removal (kept bottom cushions) and catback removal via custom flange that allows for removal with three bolts, 5-pt. harness, removable swingout 5th-point added to the rollbar April 27, 2002: RT: .569 60': 1.649 1/8: 7.543 MPH: 90.04 Raceweight: 3,560# D.A.: 3,219' I've been trying to make it to a track to test out the new cam and converter, but Mother Nature has not been cooperating. Today was the first time to test it out. I went to the Texas Motorplex for some 1/4-mile bracket racing, but I never got to run the 1/4. In their infinite wisdom, they decided that the wind was blowing too hard to run the 1/4, so they cut the races down to the 1/8-mile. I was mad considering that I specifically went to the Motorplex for a 1/4-mile timeslip! The conditions were horrible: 88 degrees, 29.78 pressure, and 61% humidity. I only made two passes, and after that I packed it up. It wasn't worth staying since it was so miserable and they were VERY slow to get through time trials. I'm pleased with the new setup considering the horrible weather conditions. I am going to take a little weight out of the car, and I know that 7.40's are easily attainable in hot weather. Is it October yet? new mods: Comp XE-R 224 camshaft, Yank Thruster Pro 4400 torque converter, Wolfe rollbar February 16, 2002: RT: .528 60': 1.682 1/8: 7.65 MPH: 89.16 1/4: 12.050 MPH: 112.07 Raceweight: 3,510# D.A.: ~-200' Sometimes you just can't win for losing. It was another test and tune day at Texas Motorplex, and there were around 1/4 of the cars that were there two weeks ago. That allowed me to get in four runs before calling it a day. My first pass netted a 12.06 @ 112.27 MPH with a 1.712 60' time, and I was more than pumped when I saw my MPH! There's something to be said about free mods. I finished off the free ram air mod by cutting a hole in the plastic cover that sits on the front of the a/c condensor. That, along with the short belt to bypass power steering, netted the 112+ MPH. I was thinking that I'd be able to get the 60' down enough to squeeze the car into the 11's, but that just didn't happen. After my 12.05 pass, it starting getting warm quickly, and that led to two 12.1x passes. After watching the videos of my runs, you can see the front of the car bounce some on the launches. I think that when the front starts bouncing it unloads the suspension, causing some tire spin. I have a set of Hal adjustable front shocks ready to install, so hopefully that will allow for a much smoother transfer of weight. new mods: completed FRA, short belt (power steering bypass) February 2, 2002: RT: .596 60': 1.664 1/8: 7.614 MPH: 88.93 1/4: 12.040 MPH: 111.13 Raceweight: 3,505# D.A.: ~-800' It was the first test and tune session of the season at Texas Motorplex, so I headed out for some passes. Apparently anyone and everyone with a car headed out as well because they handed out over 400 tech cards! The lines were incredibly long, so I only got two passes. The above pass was my first one, and it didn't hook up completely. It hooked for the first 15' or so, spun some, and then hooked back up. My second pass was worthless because I was getting 4+ degrees of knock retard, according to AutoTap, so I ran .1 slower. The fuel station was out of unleaded race gas, so I had to make do with what I had. After running .1 off of my first pass, I was not in a hurry to get back in the staging lanes to wait another two hours for a pass. This was the first time to run with the Convo Pros and Hoosier slicks, and they work very well. I managed to get my weight down over 100# with this setup and a near-empty fuel tank. My next step is front drag springs and Hal shocks on all four corners. This will allow me to tune the suspension at the track, so my 60' times should improve. new mods: Centerline Convo Pro wheels and Hoosier slicks Copy and paste the link below to view the video of my 12.04 run! January 19, 2002: RT: .5213 60': 1.7315 1/8: 7.7653 MPH: 87.85 1/4: 12.2398 MPH: 109.86 Raceweight: 3,650# D.A.: ~-600' I was really hoping for a great day of racing. I was meeting some friends at River City Raceway in Marion, Texas (east of San Antonio), and it's always been very well prepped in the past. This would be my first chance to hook up since the 3.73's were installed, and I had high hopes of squeezing the car into the high 11's. Needless to say, my passes fell short of my expectations. No matter what launch technique I tried, the car just would not hook up on the 26x11.5x16" ET Streets. There was not one launch where the car was not somewhat sideways when leaving the starting line. My 60' times should be somewhere in the 1.60 range with the 3.73's, but the car was far from that. My best pass of the day was the one above, and the car felt REALLY good down the track. It's time for me to step up to a set of REAL tires (i.e. slicks), and I'm also going to get a set of skinnies for the front to shed weight and rolling resistence. I also need to start working more on the suspension so the tires aren't doing all of the work. I'm planning to run again in two weeks, so hopefully the car will make it into the 11's with a stock engine then! New mods: none |
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