C3+LS7 454+???=10 second pass?
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 166
Likes: 9
From: Baytown TX
This car might never make it to the track..... I adjusted the power steering control valve and got the steering fixed. I figured I'd change the oil and the belts were a little cracked before I took it out. We'll sure enough Thursday and Friday I get strung out at work the 2 days I wanted to get off to get it all put back together. So I get it all put back together about 9 last night and start to head to the track when the belts start squealing like crazy above 1500 rpms.... so the power steering pump looks like it angles a little when I tighten it down so hopefully some shims will fix it. Then when I get it home I turned it off. Went in side decided to move it so i can start working on it and the car won't crank...... The starter isn't even clicking..... so I decided to try and see if I jumped across the solenoid it would crank hit the key one more time and it fired right up..... I think outs just playing with me now to see how irritated it can make me.....
Hopefully next Friday I'll get to make some passes......
Hopefully next Friday I'll get to make some passes......
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 5,086
Likes: 786
From: Lebanon Township New Jersey
Regarding your power steering - there is a stud on the back of the pump that fits in a slot and it moves as you adjust the belt tension. Make sure there is a nut on that stud. When you tighten it that should keep the pump from twisting.
Let us know how you do at the track. (Still snowing here.)
Let us know how you do at the track. (Still snowing here.)
Race Director
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 11,096
Likes: 990
From: Sierra Foothills CA
Regarding your power steering - there is a stud on the back of the pump that fits in a slot and it moves as you adjust the belt tension. Make sure there is a nut on that stud. When you tighten it that should keep the pump from twisting.
Let us know how you do at the track. (Still snowing here.)
Let us know how you do at the track. (Still snowing here.)
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 166
Likes: 9
From: Baytown TX
Man I got no clue.... that's probably the problem I went to the corvette show and the guys at lone star caliper were showing me how it all goes together so now I have a better idea how it's all supposed to be on there. He didn't tell me about a nut though. He did say on the front side there is supposed to be a raised spot that some rebuilt pumps have machined flat that can make it twist like that to if they don't have a spacer to take up the slack.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 5,086
Likes: 786
From: Lebanon Township New Jersey
Les - I'm looking for snow tires with drag radial rubber compound.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 166
Likes: 9
From: Baytown TX
Do they make drag radial tracks? Just throw some of them on and call it good.
Man will it never end with this thing..... I found the problem with the ps pump.... the bolt in the front looks like it wasn't ever put in so the stud on the back finally broke probably from flexing and it cracked the bracket.... so I got a new pump. Welded the bracket up and put it all together lines up perfect! But now my alternator doesn't line up..... it just has a regular pulley on it so I'm gonna order the correct thicker pulley and just put some spacers and longer bolts through the alternator till it gets here.
It's supposed to rain this Friday so hopefully it holds off so I can make it. I ended up not going last week and it sounds like a good thing. The other 2 guys I was gonna go with blew both their cars up... guess Friday the 13th is a real thing.....
Man will it never end with this thing..... I found the problem with the ps pump.... the bolt in the front looks like it wasn't ever put in so the stud on the back finally broke probably from flexing and it cracked the bracket.... so I got a new pump. Welded the bracket up and put it all together lines up perfect! But now my alternator doesn't line up..... it just has a regular pulley on it so I'm gonna order the correct thicker pulley and just put some spacers and longer bolts through the alternator till it gets here.
It's supposed to rain this Friday so hopefully it holds off so I can make it. I ended up not going last week and it sounds like a good thing. The other 2 guys I was gonna go with blew both their cars up... guess Friday the 13th is a real thing.....
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Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 9,993
Likes: 1,136
From: League City Tx
Yeah the PS bracket/pump is a pain in the a$$ on these things. Getting the alignment right and keeping the proper belt tension is important to keep the belt from squealing...
Supposed to rain Friday so I doubt you make it to RPR.
Keep me posted on your progress..
I'm another local c3 racer..
Supposed to rain Friday so I doubt you make it to RPR.
Keep me posted on your progress..
I'm another local c3 racer..
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 166
Likes: 9
From: Baytown TX
Yea I've watched about all of your youtube videos I don't know how many times..... if I can get my car to do what yours does I'd be pretty happy. I don't think that'll happen though. Man I'd like to go to the nostalgia drags this year. Do you go every year?
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 9,993
Likes: 1,136
From: League City Tx
I've been 3 years, I didn't get to go in 2014. I am going this year though, already have my vacation in. I'll probably start tuning the car up next month.
Racing C3s is a blast but, they are definitely different then racing anything else. They will break some freakin parts...(although I think they are tougher then C5s).
If you need a hand on setting things up, lemme know.
The stick trans will be the killer for you. Its really hard to get them to ET well with the stick unless everything is built and setup real well..
I'm just glad to see another C3 actually being built to run and not just sit in car shows.
Amen to that.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 166
Likes: 9
From: Baytown TX
All my other cars have been autos but I do have a soft spot for the classic 4 speed.... even thought I'm gonna end up with a tko600. I have done the texas mile a few times before so I think the .82 gear is what I need if I do it again. My gto had the 4l60e and it just ran out of gear before I could get to the end.... I plan to take it easy on the car for a while so I don't break to much. I hope if i ease it off the line without to much wheel hop i can hammer on it after that. It'd be nice to get some tips if you wanna go to the track sometime.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 9,993
Likes: 1,136
From: League City Tx
All my other cars have been autos but I do have a soft spot for the classic 4 speed.... even thought I'm gonna end up with a tko600. I have done the texas mile a few times before so I think the .82 gear is what I need if I do it again. My gto had the 4l60e and it just ran out of gear before I could get to the end.... I plan to take it easy on the car for a while so I don't break to much. I hope if i ease it off the line without to much wheel hop i can hammer on it after that. It'd be nice to get some tips if you wanna go to the track sometime.
The Muncie will shift 10x better then a TKO500 or 600..no doubt about that.. I've broken several T56s in my Z06 drag racing them, and even built with the best stuff, they don't shift for crap.
I think the 4+1 trans or GForce 5 speed like Jim's will be the ticket for you. Keep the 3.36 gear so you can still cruise highways and have the low 1st gear for the track... The only problem is if you have to shift to 5th in the 1/4, that's 4 shifts, that will suck for ET...
You must have had a pretty loose/inefficient converter in the Goat to top out 3rd on the 60e...that or you had 3.90s in the diff.... I can run 160 mph in 3rd at 7200 rpms with my 60e with 3.42/28"s, with a converter slipping 11.5%.
I'd like to check your car out sometime. Maybe bring it to the local cruise night at Kemah on sat nights.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 166
Likes: 9
From: Baytown TX
I did some research I like the tko 600 because I don't want to have to do any cutting on the car but I am gonna get the carbon fiber synchro that are supposed to help alot with the shifting. And the math I did on the 3.36 gears with the tko are perfect for what I want. It'd give me a 9.6 first gear final ratio and I'd be able to cruise 65mph @ 2200. 3rd gear should take me to 120 mph do I only have to shift to 3rd to be in the tens.
Man I can't remember the gear ratio on the goat but I did have a pretty good sized stall in it. Once it shifted it just didn't pull any more 4th was a huge dropoff. It did 172 in the mile.
Yea I've been meaning to go out there. It's 80% chance of rain Friday and Saturday but if it doesn't rain I'll for sure be at the track and try and get out to kemah.
Man I can't remember the gear ratio on the goat but I did have a pretty good sized stall in it. Once it shifted it just didn't pull any more 4th was a huge dropoff. It did 172 in the mile.
Yea I've been meaning to go out there. It's 80% chance of rain Friday and Saturday but if it doesn't rain I'll for sure be at the track and try and get out to kemah.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 9,993
Likes: 1,136
From: League City Tx
Damn 172mph in the Mile out of a GTO is bad ***.. Especially if it's all motor. Yeah the 4l60 isn't good for top end runs, I've never let mine shift to 4th at wot, I know it wouldn't hold it for long, if at all.
I can give you some tips for getting the most out of your Vette. It gets pricey to say the least but... Your exhaust system needs to be 3" with as few bends as possible, preferbly mandrel bent and free flowing muffs. Your carb/air cleaner/hood clearance relationship needs to be looked at.. If you have a clutch fan on it, lose it.. That's 15 rwhp. Lots of little stuff will add up when chasing ET..
Post up some pics of the car and under the hood and lets see what we can figure out. If the car will go atleast 121-122 mph, it will go 10.90s. IF you can leave on it and shift it.
I can give you some tips for getting the most out of your Vette. It gets pricey to say the least but... Your exhaust system needs to be 3" with as few bends as possible, preferbly mandrel bent and free flowing muffs. Your carb/air cleaner/hood clearance relationship needs to be looked at.. If you have a clutch fan on it, lose it.. That's 15 rwhp. Lots of little stuff will add up when chasing ET..
Post up some pics of the car and under the hood and lets see what we can figure out. If the car will go atleast 121-122 mph, it will go 10.90s. IF you can leave on it and shift it.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 166
Likes: 9
From: Baytown TX
Took it to the track last night and I was fairly disappointed..... I was really hoping to be in or right at the 12s but I stayed in the 13.5 range all night.... my best pass overall was a 60'-2.338 1/8-8.969 1/4-13.429 @111.48. That was my very first pass ever in the car so it was even more disappointing to not improve on it.... my best 60' of the night was a 2.309 and my highest mph was 114.62.
I couldn't get the tires to stick to save my life.... which may have been a good thing since I didn't break anything so I'm not gonna complain to much. I drove it 40 miles each way to the track and back home so it would have been an expensive tow. I tried launching everywhere from idle to 3k rpms and it seemed like 1000-1500 rpms produced the best 60'. Anything above that and the tires just spin and the car gets sideways. I am running a nitto 555 275/40 r 18 so I'm sure the lack of sidewall and abundance of tread didn't help at all. This thing comes alive on the big end though. I reeled just about everybody in after the 1/8 mile. I can say I was pretty impressed with my reaction times as well. The more I launched it I got where I could read the tree fairly well and had a couple 1 tenth RTs.
I couldn't get the tires to stick to save my life.... which may have been a good thing since I didn't break anything so I'm not gonna complain to much. I drove it 40 miles each way to the track and back home so it would have been an expensive tow. I tried launching everywhere from idle to 3k rpms and it seemed like 1000-1500 rpms produced the best 60'. Anything above that and the tires just spin and the car gets sideways. I am running a nitto 555 275/40 r 18 so I'm sure the lack of sidewall and abundance of tread didn't help at all. This thing comes alive on the big end though. I reeled just about everybody in after the 1/8 mile. I can say I was pretty impressed with my reaction times as well. The more I launched it I got where I could read the tree fairly well and had a couple 1 tenth RTs.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 6,936
Likes: 848
From: melbourne florida
2023 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
a real LS-7 was a 454 built very much like an L-88 with 12.5-1 compression. if someone put a different cam in it they maybe changed the pistons too which would effect power to a large degree. what it started as may not be what it is. that said an LS-6 is certainly able to do tens if set up properly. the carb should be an 850 double pumper. 
