[nrowles]

This is something I have never done with any vehicle. I think I would like to have a little fun and take my 65 to the drags. I had it to the shop and they checked it out well for safety as far as that goes. I know not to get my hopes up too well but I want to do it for the heck of it. My car has a 351W that has a rated 400 crank hp kit and bored .60 over. The guy I bought the car from said he did 9.5 in an 1/8 and that was with ancient tires that were so hard they wouldn't even lay rubber down on the road when I'd spin them.

With new 235/60's on the rear, should I be somewhere in the 13's? A 9.5 1/8 roughly equates to a 14.5 1/4 per an online calculator. What setup do you guys have and what are you running?

What is test and tune? I assume it is simply running the strip and tuning the carb. Anything else to it? I also assume I have to do the tune part all on my own unless I know someone.

With a 4 speed manual, should the car sit at the line without rolling? What is the trick to get off the line without spinning? What is the traction like compared to the roadway?

What should I expect? Tips, suggestions, etc.?

This may be a harder question, but with an Eddy Performer RPM top end kit/cam in this 351W, what is a safe rpm redline? 5500?

 

[patrickstapler]

Be sure to post videos and results here.

http://forums.vintage-mustang.com/track/1088154-member-event-videos-results.html

 

[zray]

Do you have any type traction aid installed at the rear ? If not, at least spring for a set TractionMaster bars. They are very inexpensive, and although there are more sophisticated systems out there, the TM bars are a great bang for the buck.

If you have enough HP they will bend, but a length of 3/16" plate about 1/2" wide, running the length of them does a pretty good job of stiffening.

Traction Master Company

Z.

 

[nrowles]

ok I will post results.

Yes, the rear does have a set of traction bars.

 

[app01]

First thing is having fun and do not worry about getting things perfect.

Test and tune is basically seeing how the car is running and making adjustments accordingly. Could be a number of things, such as suspension, carb adjustments, how you launch, etc. Many people just use it as an opportunity to just get familiar with racing and not make any changes. I would not worry about making adjustments at this point, but rather get a feel for racing, as well as the car and the track.

In regards to sitting on the line and not rolling, correct that you do not roll. You basically move the car forward until the top Yellow bulb is on, then slowly creep forward until the 2nd one is on and stay there still. The 4 amber lights will count down to the green.

As far as not spinning, there are lots of variables, so not one easy answer. Remember the harder you launch, the chance of breaking something goes up.

Have fun!

 

[nrowles]

Be sure to post videos and results here.

http://forums.vintage-mustang.com/track/1088154-member-event-videos-results.html

First thing is having fun and do not worry about getting things perfect.

Test and tune is basically seeing how the car is running and making adjustments accordingly. Could be a number of things, such as suspension, carb adjustments, how you launch, etc. Many people just use it as an opportunity to just get familiar with racing and not make any changes. I would not worry about making adjustments at this point, but rather get a feel for racing, as well as the car and the track.

In regards to sitting on the line and not rolling, correct that you do not roll. You basically move the car forward until the top Yellow bulb is on, then slowly creep forward until the 2nd one is on and stay there still. The 4 amber lights will count down to the green.

As far as not spinning, there are lots of variables, so not one easy answer. Remember the harder you launch, the chance of breaking something goes up.

Have fun!

Thanks for the info. My question regarding rolling is related more to once I'm in position. My buddy was telling me that I would have to hold my right foot on both the brake and the gas pedals before launch because my car may want to roll and disqualify me. I would have thought the track would be level enough my car wouldn't want to roll on its own. ??? It doesn't move in my garage when not in gear.

 

[Brian Conway]

You'll get some good advice here but until you actually take off at green light it won't mean much. Regardless head on down to the track it's great fun no matter what your times are. I run my 69 CJ at the local 1/8 mile and get the same times as your previous owner. For me 9.5 ET means 78 mph and I don't even shift into third. Traction is the biggest problem so don't be afraid to let some air out of the tires and maybe crank the timing up ? Have fun Brian

 

[GT350HR]

nrowles,

the tricky part with street tires is getting them to stop spinning once they start spinning ( and they WILL spin). Some "slip the clutch" , which I don't recommend, and others "ease up" on the gas a little until the tires bite and then "roll back" into full throttle. It IS possible the tires will break loose again , especially with the torque that a 351W can produce over the original 289. The good thing about a test and tune day is you can "test" the rpm you use on the starting line , shift points , etc. You can compare time slips to see differences as well. Let's say one run has good MPH but another has a faster ET or 60' time. What you are trying to get is a combination of the lowest 60' , ET and best MPH by your driving "skills" . Smoking the tires all the way down the track is a waste and dangerous. In a case like that guardrails become magnetic and like to pull cars into them , even the pros on TV. BE SAFE so you can come back and try again. I've only crashed once in the 50 years i've been racing , and I walked away ( thankfully). I have no interest in doing it again. Someone posted a video of one of my runs on you tube from several years ago. If you are interested it's something like Randy Gillis GT350 at Fontana or something like that. I have an automatic so it may be a little boring to look at. LOL
Randy

 

[zray]

Have fun.

Z

 

[Huntingky]

As someone who never raced on a track but had a fair amount of experience on street tires, I will add to what several others said about spinning. As noted, a good grip means something else might give (break) and it also means you might bog down. A little tire spin can actually help by keeping your RPMs up as long as you don't smoke them down the track.

 

[app01]

. A little tire spin can actually help by keeping your RPMs up as long as you don't smoke them down the track.

Very good point.. For a stick car you usually try to get about 3 spins off the line to get some wheel speed versus dead hooking. That can be a bit tricky with street tires. Since your street tires are radials, once they start to spin, it is hard to get them to hook, plus, on a sticky track, they can be very hard on the hit before they spin shocking the driveline..

In my case I run a clutch that I can adjust how much it slips so it is softer off the line, as well as adjust the shocks and other stuff to control how hard I hit the tires on a launch.

 

[DrStang]

Also, you launch on the last yellow, don't wait for the green. That will slow down your reaction time number.

 

[Jims68GTCS]

Before being allowed on the track you (and the car) will have to pass tech inspection. Based on the 2 tracks I occasionally attend here are the minimum tech requirements for cars running 11.5 and slower. You need a fire extinguisher within reach within in the car. You will need an approved helmet and appropriate shoes and clothes (tank tops, shorts and flip-flops are not allowed while racing). You must have a working seat belt. Your radiator must have a sealed catch can. If your car has hubcaps remove them. You must have all lugs and lug nuts on all wheel. Your car cannot leak any fluids (gas, oil, etc). There are additional requirements if you run faster than 11.5. Check the track (or sanctioning body's) website for minimum requirements so you don't make a trip to the track for nothing. Tell the inspector you are a track newbie, they are happy to help you and will answer your questions.

As someone else said you go on the last yellow.

The time to get off the throttle is the moment the rear end starts to feel squirrely. Remember when you back off the throttle the wheels will grab and the car will go in whatever direction the front wheels are pointing which could be a wall.

Obey the track staff instructions and signs. They will throw you out for such things as speeding in the pits or spilling anything on the track.

Have fun but remember to be safe! (And welcome to drag racing)

 

[gwstang]

"You will need an approved helmet and appropriate shoes and clothes (tank tops, shorts and flip-flops are not allowed while racing). You must have a working seat belt"

Beat me to it. I was just fixing to mention this stuff. I can't remember but is a full motorcycle helmet approved?

 

[sportsroof69]

You're not going to be running fast enough to require any safety equipment, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't wear it.


You're going to have to feather the clutch, especially with a 235/60 street tire.

 

[Brian Conway]

Most of these tracks have a web-site where the rules and regs. are usually posted. In San Diego the Helmets are full face and must have the 2015 SNELL approved label. Brian

 

[C7Z]

It Depends

You're not going to be running fast enough to require any safety equipment, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't wear it.

Some tracks require you to wear a helmet no matter how slow your car is. You should find out for certain before going but as mentioned it's never a bad idea to wear it.

 

[Jims68GTCS]

You're not going to be running fast enough to require any safety equipment

The items I listed are required by the two local tracks I go to for cars running slower then 11.5. They will not let you on the track without that stuff even if your car is running in the high 16s.

 

[nrowles]

The track website says I need pants, t-shirt and shoes. Snell 2010 or newer helmet. Nothing else mentioned as far as requirements.

What air pressure should I go down to with these BF's? This is all new to me so I was going to stay conservative at 28?

Are you guys saying to launch on last yellow because until my reaction has me launch it will already be green?

 

[dennis111]

Are you guys saying to launch on last yellow because until my reaction has me launch it will already be green?

YES! YES! YES! The difference in the flashing lights will normally be .500 seconds. Unless you are The Flash, it will take about that long for you to react before the car actually moves forward.

When the light turns green, the reaction time clock starts, therefore the reaction time you will see on the resultant time slip will be computed from that moment..