sportsman's advice

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like_A_pike

like_A_pike

that's not factory
Joined
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Let's say I only ever get to go racing once or twice, ever. I have no delusions of getting 1/8 mile time under 7.36 (and won't want a roll bar in my car anyway) Where would you put the first essential $1000 to make an impression or at least not get smoked by a ricky'd out honda?

keep in mind that you might already have a fresh but relatively stock 360, holley 600, 8.75, a 904 that clunks into second (BTW), headers, and for whatever reason, steel beams welded between the subframes??? 275 60 15 steet radials with some life but your willing to run 'em. Your title says you weigh 2900lbs but you think thats probably off a bit. oh and you might have already installed an overflow and spend 5 minutes a day on tree simulators.

I was thinkin' used slicks and a tranny tune up (maybe I could squeez a torque converter in and hide the extra $500 from the wife)... what do ya'll think

thanks
 
a good custom made convertor, along with a prepped 904 is a good way to spend your money.
 
Yeah I think the tranny could use it anyway. I'm getting about 14.5 mpg with current set up and with prices the way they are, I don't want to go backwards there. what rpm converter would be good for the track and still be ok on the road?

the gear ratio: thats a good question. whoever put this rear end in did two things wrong. A) no tag B) old speedometer
all I can tell ya is the odometer reads 1.2 for every mile covered. It idles at 700rpm and does 60(72) at 2700. I thought I could do the math but when ya add in the bigger wheels it gets tough.
 
Not that I am a drag racer but I think a good place to start is to take the car to the track before you do any thing. Get a base line on what you got first then go from there.
 
like_A_pike said:
Yeah I think the tranny could use it anyway. I'm getting about 14.5 mpg with current set up and with prices the way they are, I don't want to go backwards there. what rpm converter would be good for the track and still be ok on the road?

the gear ratio: thats a good question. whoever put this rear end in did two things wrong. A) no tag B) old speedometer
all I can tell ya is the odometer reads 1.2 for every mile covered. It idles at 700rpm and does 60(72) at 2700. I thought I could do the math but when ya add in the bigger wheels it gets tough.
Click to expand...

jack up the rear end. Count how many driveshaft revs per tire revolution.

It helps to mark a reference point on the tire and driveshaft.
 
Taking the car for baseline is the best start. Then I would add drag radials if you have traction problems. Nitrous would be the best bang for your buck small 120HP unit.

Of course both of those would probably finish off your trans. Using drag slicks you'll need to add a driveshaft safety hoop. DOT drag radial no hoop, althought it wouldn't be a bad ideal.
 
I will get that ratio while I'm adjusting the rear brakes! new disks in the front and all new everything in the back but I think they're a little soft for bein' new.

what about gas? I can get "racing fuel" here in town. I was thinking mixing in at least a third with the crummy stuff I get at the pump. Any thing to be aware of?
 
Trans rebuild & a converter before you go out--no sense bustin' stuff up first, then having to repair it. Then I'd go for perhaps a rear gear change, 3:91 or 3:54---no sense going crazy for so races. Assuming the rest of the car is mechanically sound, I'd consider nitrous, but keep in mind that also means some ignition tweaks & better fuel delivery (aka more $$$$) so you may not want to do that.
Other than that, if you can figure out how to remove weight particularly from the front, that's essentaill free horsepower so you shouldn't have any problems.....
 
I think I'm seeing more tranny and less tires. Actually when you consider the word "used" with slicks it gets real difficult finding something that fits or is worth anything! Putting the money in the tranny seems smarter, long term, anyway.

Would you leave the spare and jack in the back for a little traction weight? or go with half a tank and nothing? I'm 150#

thanks
 
the shaft turns just over 3 and a half times to one wheel rotation.

thanks for that little trick!
 
no sense bustin' stuff up first, then having to repair it. Then I'd go for perhaps a rear gear change, 3:91 or 3:54
Click to expand...

assuming you're running 3.5s, then its a stage 2 shift kit and trans reco.

Won't be many Civics out there that can keep up with a mild 360 A Body with 3.5 gears that shifts hard.
 
converter, gears and tires. But if your worried about gas milage just leave it alone cause gears and a converter will kill it.
 
Change the fluids and run it. It's bracket racing, just have fun. The faster you go the more it costs. After all, fast or slow it's still the best seat in the house.
 
Lose the 3.55s (very easy to sell or trade) and get a set of 4.30s. That will eat up most of the grand if you buy a ring and pinion and bearings and have someone set it up. With the money left get some decent tires. Then you can start doing all the "sciencing out" and debugging to see how fast it will go. But with 3.55s you are giving up a lot of torque at the track. So I'd say get the gear, then get the tires. If you need to drive to the track, get a set of 14" wheels and the smallest diameter slicks you can find, and run them at the track. It will look a little stupid but they'll act like 4.10s.
 
I would only be running on an 1/8th (cuz that's all there is in Forks) am I worried about absolute top end speed or just getting good at the first 60'? I guess the question is aimed at that gear ratio. (and what appears to be the importance of a good strong tranny)

Also ya'll, tell me this. If it's getting on in the day when they finally let the sportsman class go. Will the track be "sticky" already from everyone else layin it down? Does that theory go away if it's cloudy and cool? this goes back to running the regular street tires.
 
I would only be running on an 1/8th (cuz that's all there is in Forks) am I worried about absolute top end speed or just getting good at the first 60'? I guess the question is aimed at that gear ratio. (and what appears to be the importance of a good strong tranny)
Click to expand...

About here is where we need to know how much the car gets used and how far you drive it?

.......I think some of us assumed 4.l1s weren't an option because you only race twice a year......
 
quite right also! it's a street rod and thats it. Since I don't drive it to work everyday, I'm willing to go with a slightly less efficient cruising converter and it needs some tranny attention anyway. The real issue is that organized racing locally may end this year and I didn't want to get too far into it if it does. If it continues, I will!
 
Results: well I did only get to race it on two occasions but traffic was light and I got to run it a bunch of times! Jaws you were right it was wicked fun! Most important I learned alot about the car I just picked up last April. The first set was July (about 9 passes!) The only thing I bought was a couple of M/T radials cuz the 255's that were on there had some side wall damage and adjusted the brakes (cudaspaz). My best time was 9.0 and I had a rather consistantly lazy .25 light. (1/8th) No need for the tires cuz I wasn't making the torque and it got pretty warm between runs (I never let it get past 230). I experimented with ported and manifold vacume and played with timing. I used 5 gallons of 110 gas in a half tank of 92 so I got quite a range with the distributor. but stayed in the 9's. So I swapped out the distributor for a better curve and a 9.5 Dynamic TC. (blew the budget a little) missed the August race and skipped out on elk hunting to make it for the last races in September. I had better lights but had the same times! I think if I get another chance I'll start playing with the carb. I think it wants alot more gas! When I changed the TC I found that the tail mount was real loose and the kickdown wasn't adjusted right so I cured the clunk and a vibration that i never mentioned (at 2500rpm it was leaning up against the bottom of the car!!) So thanks all I learned a bunch this summer. Hope West End Thunder will be back next year!!! LAP
 
Glad you had a fun time,it gets addicting.With the race fuel,I believe it will slow you down with haveing just a basic stock engine(race fuel burns slower)Try some of the highest octane your local gas station sells,just might get better results.JMO

P.S I only run 94 in my 525hp sb.(10.5 to 1 comp.)
 
Depending on your internals. . . .slicks and n2o, for once twice a year...

Stock internals, you can go 150, 175 hits safely. . . . Could go more but then other things need attention.
Slicks, n20 and there is your better 60'
 
That fish with a good running 360 and 3.55 gears should be in the mid 8's easily. 255/60-15 street tires should be all you need for traction. No need to run higher than premium gas with the stock motor. My fish ran 7.80s with a 360 / 3.91 gears on 255-14 drag radials back when the PO had it. The 340 he put in slowed it down. My car runs a lot faster now with the stroker even though the holley pump is pushing the fuel through the stock small line - that gets fixed this weekend.

The juice will possibly hurt you as it gets more difficult to launch and control.
 
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