427Hotrod

I mentioned here a while back that I've signed up for one of those 1/2 mile events where you get to run WOT on a runway. I figure this is a good place to shake down the car and ensure it's happy going WOT on a track with some sort of traction....THEN I can work on dialing in the drag strip launches.

I've been posting in a sort of "blog" with Andy Bolig (think editor of Vette magazine, Corvette Enthusiast, Auto Enthusiast and general all around car guy).

I figured it might be fun for some of you to follow along as I get this thing ready to rumble!!


http://bench-racer.com/forum/project...tte-go-airborn



JIM

Pop Chevy

I would suggest that you NEED to have a front air dam of some sort to keep air out from under the car (keep down lift) and take off the 90/10 shocks. You again will want to keep the nose down. You may want some kind of rear spoiler to keep the tail down also. You must keep the car planted to keep it from getting squirrely . Bad things happen then. I've done a lot of thinking on this , cause I want to run the Ohio Mile w/ my 64. I am looking at Hoosier road race tires, they are made to handle the speed. Keep us posted on progress please.

427Hotrod

Will do. I've got a front spoiler from Eckler's...haven't tried to install it yet.
I looked at some NASCAR tires also...but it made sense to go with these.


JIM

jb78L-82

If you are running 15 inch rims, you will need probably the tire mentioned above. If you have 17/18 rims, any Z rated ultra high performance tire will more than suffice...W or Y sub rating ...168 mph and 186 MPH....You do need to add more pressure for extended high speed runs...40+PSI, depending on the tire

jnb5101

Right about the time your life insurance kicks in.

427Hotrod

Gee thanks.......

JIM

gkull

1/2 mile is short. One mile is more typical AJ has posted his over 200 mph runs on a bike. I've done the one mile events with my smaller motor and got to 167....


The people who had over 1000 Hp always seemed to be skating around for the full mile. I think that straight line stability is more of a problem than air born. All you need is body rake and a front air dam old vettes with hard top run way over 200 mph at Bonneville

Nascar slicks are good tires when you get some heat in them. Hosier R1S.

gkull

I thought about this some more. My neighbor is into drag racing. they 200 mph NHRA certified caged a 69 Malibu to compete in the "Good Guys" drag racing events. They installed a TT 540 and strapped on a pair of parachutes and went racing.

They are using goodyear slicks, wrinkle wall. I went to the track this spring and that car was doing about 178 through the lights without much of any thought as to aerodynamics. Probably a little exciting in a boat of a car.

Jebbysan

I can tell you that my 66' would get light up front at about 125......
I have also heard the taillight panel act like a scoop........hence the holes that were drilled on the Gran Sports......
Good Luck!

Jebby

7t9l82

Might want to Google the sundowner corvette. I think Gale Banks built the engines for it. I think they got in the 280 range at Bonneville some years ago. I think gkull is right on a bit of rake and front and rear spoilers . I know about 110 ish my car is vastly better handling since I lowered the front end.you will no doubt pass that number. That's on a straight section of highway.

0Willcox Corvette

If the car is a mid year as pictured, I'd get on the C1-2 section and talk to Jim Lockwood.. that's his user name here too... To me without any body mods the mid year will start to lift around 125-130 which in a 1/2 mile wasn't any issue. Me and my best friend used to drag race a 65 with a 383 stroker, AFR heads and other goodies.. The weight of a big block will add to this, and Jim vintage races and he'd be more likely to know this.

Willcox

gkull

Jim has with bost mega power above 1200. I was with teams that did 300 mph at Bonneville I have done over 200 in my 79 vette it just comes down to prior proper planning

American Heritage

Building a 454ci LS7 for an 81' C3 we have at the shop.
So used to the newer Z06's never gave much thought to "required body mods" with that much added power and speed.

http://www.americanheritageperformance.com/

mikem350

Check around on the C2 forum for high speed mods. There is lots of good info. Especially for spoilers and the rear underbody panels.

More stability = more safety

427Hotrod

Added a couple of updates lately.

So far we've installed the new upper control arms from Vette Brakes to improve caster, picked out the tires and got them balanced.

Today I've added in the installation of the Viking Performance coil over shock/spring assemblies on the front.


http://bench-racer.com/forum/project...tte-go-airborn



JIM

Richard454

I've been to several of the ½Mile Wannagofast events in north Georgia as a spectator. Enjoy the heck out of the events.

Here's a C2 from Finland that finally broke 200MPH in the standing mile- running a "small" block and t56.

Body (albiet a coupe) 'looks" stock- but I'm sure the bottom is a different story.

He also did "Drag Week" here in the states-but broke a lot of stuff.

http://www.hotrod.com/articles/from-...eek-with-love/

Might want to contact him- from what I heard he's the kind of guy that would be glad to help out.

Good Luck!!!

mikem350

From Hot Rod Mag, regarding the '65 from Finland:

One of the unique aspects of Kimmo’s hot rod is that he changed the alignment on his trailing arms so there’s not as much rear squat on launch as with normal IRS Corvettes. This Corvette has run 200.1 mph in the standing mile, partially due to a unique 20-piece aerodynamic belly pan Kimmo brought with him for his Texas Mile runs. Having some assistance from two aerodynamicists and Kimmo’s fab time helped push it through the air to more than 200 mph.

The under body panels serve to get the air out from under the car, also reducing rear lift. If you see modern supercars, they have similar ducting at the rear.

gkull

I read your whole other forum post. I'm not sure if later c3 had better adjustments. Stock. I always had my caster at. 3.76. Jim it is folly to run more caster on one side for road crown. Old wives tail. You want equal settings so your car turns left and right the same

My qa1 dual adjustable coil over shocks like your vikings came with wimpy 450 pound springs. Because that is what their techs said was the highest level that would work on a light front end. I didn't believe them because I had 550 for years

So any way it was a waste of time installing them. Way too much front end dive when braking and roll in a turn. They are better than your 350 pound if you want me to ship them right now I use 650 pound from speed direct

427Hotrod

Thanks George. Been doing alignments for years....the guy I was chatting with has too. He was talking about normal stock stuff primarily. I agree it's best to have them as close to the same as possible, but IF there is going to be any difference at all...I'd skew it the way discussed. Different parts of the country have different crown issues. Most aren't a big deal...but some will get you.

The reason I've done them myself is that I don't trust alignment shops. They are designed to do 10 a day or whatever and they like to "put them in spec"...which means nothing if the car still doesn't go straight. I've worked in the 18 wheeler area for my whole life and the quickest way a shop will cheat on one is to throw a caster shim under one side to correct for laziness in setting up the rear tandem alignments. If they don't have a little "stagger"...they'll drift to the ditch and throwing caster at them makes them pull the other way. Still eats up tires, fuel and power with the rear end out of whack...but it drives straight...right up until your tires are all chewed up and then you're told you must have hit something and knocked it out of alignment.

Also fun to have one on a machine and then have them take it off and drive it around the block. Put it back on machine and see if the results are even close. Often they aren't.

Alignment equipment is only as good as the person using it.

The 350's certainly aren't going to help me in hard cornering...but at this stage I'm running the cool looking "big-N-little" look with skinny front tires. So not a lot of hard cornering going to happen. Now brakes are a little different. Of course I've become accustomed to the drag front end set up....so from my initial driving impressions it's a gazillion times stiffer in the front than it's been.

Let me take it on some high speed runs this weekend when I get back home and see how it does. I appreciate the offer to loan your springs...I just might take you up on it!!

Thanks,

JIM

v2racing

Typically speed run vehicles run very stiff suspensions. I would take George up on the 450 springs, if not order siffer yet. You don't want a lot of suspension movement at high speeds. Sounds like the rear is pretty stiff already.

I would definitely do whatever you can to control the air under the car. I would have liked to see what Kimmo did under his coupe in the Hot rod article, but just enclosing the whole underside with the rake you run already would help immensely. I see a small chin spoiler on Kimmo's car also. Without the advanced aero work under your car that Kimmo has, I would run a larger chin spoiler as close to the ground as possible. The stiffer springs would help you get away with this too.

Mike