57 Ford Class at Y-Block Shootout

[JPotter57]

The Expo and Y-Block shootout is the best Ford event in the country as far as I'm concerned.  I cant wait until Labor Day Weekend...I plan to be there.

[JimNolan]

Guys,
   Can't wait. I did go up to Osceola and run the car a couple times just to see what it would do. Are you guys sure I need a helmet. They let me run in a straw hat at Osceola.
   At Osceola when I pulled up to the line and started to stage the guy standing there kept looking at me real funny. Since everyone around me had brought missiles to run and I had brought a B-B gun I figured he just wondered why I was there. Instead he walked over to the drivers side of the car, leaned in and said, " Sir, you need to put your arm inside the car and roll your window up". Nice young man.
   I hate to go buy a helmet if I don't need one. My car's not that fast at all. In fact after my first run down the track a little kid on a Cushman Eagle wanted to run me heads up for five bucks. During the second run my car literally ran out of gas on the top end. I paid the kid his five bucks and went home and ordered a 110 gph fuel pump.
   Let me know for sure. Do I really need a helmet that has a new date code. Jim

[wildhog]

Jim, You do not need a helmet, All you need is a seat belt and over flow tank on radiator. You will run  with the 57 Ford class,Just look me up and I will help you out. We run right behind the y-block cars,but not against them. I run with an out dated helmet, that one of my racer friends gave me. an outdated helmet is better than a base ball cap. Tom

[JimNolan]

Thanks Tom,
   I'll need all the help I can get. If I get one event under my belt I think I'll be good to go. I've got water in the radiator, two throttle springs, metal fuel line, overflow tank, seat belts and I even took the tri-bar spinners off the rims. I've got the traction masters being sent out tomorrow so I'll have them to weld on but other than that I'm ready to go. Going to Osceola helped as far as the inspection process goes. I'll set up my canopy Thursday evening or Friday Morning.
   When do you guys usually get there? Jim

[wv 57s forever]

what times did you run?

[JimNolan]

I knew someone was going to ask me that. I will tell you no matter if it does humiliate me.
I've got a stock D4TE motor with 4V. About 270 hp on a good day. 3.50 Tru-track and with Tremec TKO. Tires are 215R70X15 W/32 lbs air. Now the excuses.
First pass after having to drive thru the water box because they didn't leave room enough to drive around it. 
Reaction Time = .475 sec
60 Ft.= 2.92 ( Spun tires ALL the way thru first gear)
1/8 mile ET=11.5 sec
1/4 mile ET= 17.5 sec @ 79.95 mph
Second pass, same water box.
Reaction time=.3199 sec
60 Ft.= 2.6 sec (tires spun a little at first then seemed to catch.
1/8 mile ET.= 10.88 sec
1/4 mile ET.= 17.72 sec @ 64.7 mph ( motor shut off when I shifted to 4th gear. and coasted to line without engine running. We think it ran out of fuel pump, ordered bigger pump.)
I know I need tires but plan on going down to 28lbs air and using a little less foot on launch. I've not got a power house to begin with and plan to have tires and motor for Bryan meet and Columbus next year. This year I'm bound and determined to just have fun with absolutely no predetermined expectations. JIM

[JPotter57]

Did you get my PM the other day about checking the fuel line and pickup?  I would do as Ron said and upgrade to 3/8 line and fuel pickup.I would bet that the fuel pump is ok, but the line couldnt carry enough volume for that 390 with all the carb wide open, just my thoughts..

[JimNolan]

James,
   When they restored the car they put a new fuel line on. It's just 5/16" though. If it happens again I'll change the line for sure. When I bought the new Edelbrock fuel pump I had them send the one with 3/8" fittings just in case it was the fuel line. It's too late to do anything about it now but it looks like it wouldn't be that hard to replace especially since it was done two years ago. They replaced all the brake lines at the same time. I'm just going to install the new fuel pump and weld the traction masters on it when they come. It had never ran out of fuel before.
   I'm open for suggestions as to what might have happened to the car during that run. When I shifted into 4th gear the engine just quit. No backfire, no shudder, it just died. The first thing I thought was Oh s_ _ _, now I've broken my car. After a few seconds I lifted my foot off the gas and when I was about 1/2 way up off the gas pedal it started running again as if nothing had happened. No backfire, no shudder, nothing. I just let it coast to the turnoff and drove it back to the pits. It didn't act as if anything at all was wrong. It runs very smoothly. If it had been electrical or something with the distributor I'd have thought the cylinders would have loaded up with gas and backfired when it started running again. That' why I thought it ran out of gas. Anyone's opinion  or anyone's experience with a simular situation. Jim
   
   

[Hoosier Hurricane]

Jim:

How much fuel did you have in the tank?  A full tank would make the fuel pump's job a little easier, and the weight would be good for traction.  An electric pump near the tank is a common item on drag cars to help fuel delivery.  With the perfomance level of your car, a stock type pump should be adequate.  Your times are very close, that's good.  Consistency is the name of the game in bracket racing.  Also, you will not need a helmet.  If you show up with an outdated helmet for your own protection, don't let the tech guy see it.  If you have a helmet, it must be current.  No one but the tech guy would check it, so wear it when racing and no one will know.

John

[wv 57s forever]

 

it doesnt matter 17, 10, or 25, seconds at the shoot out its all for the fun.

[F570RD]

Like WV say's...its a good time no matter what time.I installed a small electric pump back in the early 80's just  to deal with vapor lock.I would pursue this directly.If your driving the car to Columbus,forget about hook'n up (traction) as you'll hurt stuff.Wish I could be there but I'm heading to Brainered for the Muscle car meet.If you do break,WV will remind you that you do need your car for the shootout.LOL,he was kind enough to point that out to me last year after I broke.

[JimNolan]

WV 57,
  You are absolutely right. It may end up being the slowest car out there but I'll guarranty it's the most enjoyed car out there. Spinning tires means the u-joint is holding. As far as the gas situation is concerned, a full tank of gas my be the best idea. When I went to Osceola I only had about 5 gallon of gas in it. And, with the slapper bars the car handled entirely different. I was used to the front end of the car coming up on launch and staying there until I went into second gear. With the slapper bars the car seemed to raise up off the ground in a level attitude. It was really weard. I'd never had that happen. Felt good though, felt real good. Jim

[Zapato]

JIM, Do a search for a guy named Don Terrill he puts out a racing newsletter, lots of different contributors. Plenty of good advise and tips on every facet of the sport, from mental preparation to suspension set-ups. and everything in-between.

one thing I learned years ago when we were road racing was to not make too many changes between races, the more you made the harder it was to figure out which had a positive effect. Not all "improvements" were truly beneficial.

Sounds like you're having a great time and that's what its all about.

Noticed something really interesting at Bonneville Speed Week years ago. Guys in the same classes helping each other and even lending parts taken off their cars so the other guys could make their run. But even more incredible was that they overall weren't racing against each other but against records, either their own or the class record. A much healthier attitude and approach o'all. Sure there are some long established rivalries but its the only place in motorsports that I've seen rival teams on friendly basis and assist each other.

Zap-

[shopratwoody]

Funny thing about fuel lines size. Years ago (70's) the ol Ranchero was running 12:70's with a 390.
Good engine but mild. It had the orig 5/16 line half smashed against the frame from a previous
wreck. It would act up right after the finish line. Went to 3/8's fixed that. Later had 3/4" EMT.
It was overkill, but I knew it was big enough. All this was with 2X4's. Honestly, I look back
and wonder if any of that was necessary. Covered all the bases though. We ran fuel pressure
guages always also.
Ron

[JPotter57]

Oh, if thats the case, when you were accelerating hard, the pickup may have been uncovered momentarily, so when you let off, or it shut off for a minute, the gas moved back forward in the tank.    Something else to think about.