Well, my dusty 98 Formula has been staying at Alston Racing up in Antioch, a chassis and fabrication shop with a very strong reputation. Mike and the gang at Alston did the chassiswork on Bob Curran's Corvette as well as on many other notable race cars.

I'm going up there today right after work to check on the progress of the 10 point cage conversion. That should be done now, but I am also having them install some Kirkey drag seats, a window net, and a Spohn anti-roll bar. After all of that work is completed, the car will be very close to being NHRA legal for 9.99 and faster ET's. I have a set of Moser wheel studs to install in the front but other than that it's all there. Yup, even my external battery shutoff actually works. I even have a CSI Supershield stuffed in there!

There are really only two main items keeping us from taking the car to the track, the current 4.11 gear and the FAST + LS1 Edit setup we have been running. Changing the gear in the Moser 9" is pretty straightforward so it's going to get done based on whenever we can get some rack space with one of our buddies. I've got two gears handy, a 3.50 and a 3.70. With the planned 7000 rpm shift points and 28x10.5 ET Drags out back a 3.70 would probably work the best so it's the frontrunner at this point. But rewiring the FAST system is the big piece. Right now the car has a FAST bank to bank system, NO Edist, and a custom crank signal interface. The stock pcm is still in place and we are using LS1 Edit to change the timing with the current setup. We've been waiting for FAST to come out with a crank signal decoder box and it's finally become available. This box converts the factory 24x signal into a 4X signal for the FAST. We will also wire in a FAST Edist box which will tie into all eight coils. Since this is a lot of wiring, I decided to also bite the bullet and buy a set of GM (Melco) truck coils along with a set of MSD truck wires and a full injector harness from a truck. When that is all said and done, all of the engine and fuel management will be done through the FAST. I would have the option to pull out the factory pcm and harness at that point, and we might.

After the gear is done, and rewiring is done, Jim Moran from Speed Inc., who does all of their tuning, will redyno the car and check to make sure that everything is working right. I don't anticipate the car making more power than last time - But then again, I have been dynoing the car on 28" slicks thru a 9" with 4.11's. Is it possible that with a 3.70 gear, and say 26" radials that the car might be able to squeek out some more power? We've been dynoing with VP C12, we could also try 5 gallons of C16 instead and see how much more timing we could add. Might be interesting to try to hit 800rwhp thru an unlocked turbo 400 transmission. I see MM's and Rob's dyno numbers and they are great, but I'm doing 720-746rwhp thru an unlocked T400, on 28" slicks, thru a big gear 9". Hopefully those guys are gracious enough to admit that I am making as much power as they already.

It's been about 18 months since the car has made any quarter mile passes. Since then I have changed the following:

-422ci NA ironblock sold, installed 348ci 9:1 FI motor
-FLP level IV 4L60E sold, installed T400 non/lockup
-New 28x10.5x15 ET Drags, removing thrashed Hooser 28x10.5's
-Removed power steering, installing Madman manual rack soon
-Removed front bumper support
-Removed rear bumper support
-Installed Kirkey drag seats
-Installed 10 pt 'moly cage, it was a 6 pt cage before
-Installed custom Vortech YS Trim blower setup, with custom brackets
-Installed custom prototype Griffin air/air FMIC
-Installed FAST bank/bank system
-Sold TTS 1.75 longtubes, installed Kooks 1.875/2.000 step headers
-Installed Speed Inc. dual exhaust with X pipe
-Installing Spohn anti-roll bar
-Installed Billingsley adjustable PHB to center the rear end finally
-Installed custom Speed Inc. drag gas tank and 1000 hp external fuel system
-Installing Weldon Dialaflow to cut down the voltage to the pump when driving the car on the street

So, the big question is... Will the car be ready to make passes 10 days from today? Time will tell.

 

Getting close Jonny boy

 

That's an aweful lot of work to run 11.0's j/k

Seems like your long road is almost at an end and you are about to begin a new journey. Best wishes for the car and I can hardly wait to hear how she runs Good luck

 

Believe it or not I have actually read the book 'A Pilgrim's Progress'(pretty sure that is the title). Very dry reading. Unlike your story which is exciting and full of suspense(lol). Good luck to you and hopefully you will be hitting the 1320 soon.

Josh

 

i'm gracious enough to admit that everybody is still behind y2khawk.

but the pressure is on you guys with your race cars my milkshake is still betta than ya'lls

 

At my power level I lost 40rwhp going from a M6/10 bolt 3.42/stock radials to aTH350/TP4200/9" 3.70/ET streets so you have to be loosing quite a bit but who cares about the dyno numbers - get your car to use all the HP you have then worry about dynos when racing season is over

If you can get your car to hook and go in a straight line I would think it would easily be one of the quickest (mph doesnt win drag races) LS1 FI cars around.

Once you get the seats in of course

 

Who needs seats, sit on a bucket

 

Trap speeds don't lie. Hope to see some soon!

 

oh my god....it wont be done till 2005.

 

Ryan, I am almost out of boltons so the end is in sight. I could do an electric waterpump or a fancy crankcase evac setup, but I'm not sure either makes sense right now. I'm glad I have to de-gear the car, I was looking for a reason to redo the rearend since the gear was put in back in 2000.

W-bird thanks for busting my chops, though my NA 11.02 is rather close to your turbo'd 10.99 so I sure hope you plan to run faster than that /tough love

I"m really shooting for trap speeds around 145mph. I figure the car will be close to 3400 raceweight.

 

that should certainly be no problem

 

good stuff

I wouldnt dyno on radials unless they are DR's you wont hook at your powerlevel...

I'd probably pass on the EWP as well where the flow isnt as high as stock. If I remember correctly Harlan had one and got rid of it.

Good luck man, looking forward to seeing a high 9 low 10 first time out

 

i hear it took my car (pictured right in sig) those 18*295 bfg drag radials + 6 dyno straps + 2 guys sitting in the back to keep it stuck on the big dyno passes. go for it you dyno crazy man you!

 

Sounds like you're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Hope you get it on the track soon!

 

Yah, well the chassis stuff is about done, hopefully will wire in the extra FAST parts next week and then hit a track.

I would like to try the various dyno tricks there are, so I think I might try to dyno with lighter rims and tires... and less gear.

 

Those radials won't stand the converter flash

 

Why? As long as you have been waiting to race your car, who cares what it does with dyno ho tricks. You've already put down some awsome numbers, just race the thing already.

Bruce

 

Can I get a AMEN BROTHER........
Kurt

 

If I hit 781 i beat Raymer and MMouse with an unlocked T400... that would be cool.

Kurt, by adding the Edist, that is splicing how many more wires, 8 or 16?

 

The e-dist comes with a harness that plugs into your coilpacks. Then it just has power and ground and one white trigger going to box. Send me a fax number where the car is and I will send wiring diagram.
Kurt