Still no 10s, but how about 11.02?
For now, it's close enough for me

It was a 45 minute drive in the GTX to Lapeer from my new place. I liked that alot compared to the 90 minute drive I used to have to Milan (which is now worse than before, at 110 minutes). I still don't have a trailer but decided no tire changing at the track....too hot out...so I just drove there easy on the QTPs and front runners I put on last night.

Ran from 11 to 2 o clock, got four runs in.

As far as conditions...Temp was 85 degrees, Mike said D/A was 2200 feet. Humidity was decent at 50%. Too hot for my blood, but other than that a great day to be out. If it wasn't for Mike's awning and SPF 60, I'd look like a cherry frosted donut though.

First run after a 4 year hiatus was supposed to be an easy check out pass, but once I got in the water box, I kinda said "screw it". Not knowing the lay of the land too well, though, I lifted after the et beams to learn the shutdown area a bit.

As it turned out I was racing a neighbor of mine who lives less than 1/2 mile away, in a 9 second camaro, although I wasn't sure who he was at the time. He redlighted.
I think it was his first pass of the day too....

r/t .842 (rusty)
60' 1.603 (decent, not where it needs to be, but...)
594ft 6.629
1/8ET 7.067
1/8MPH 98.36
1/4ET 11.02
1/4MPH 118.59 (result of lifting)

Cooled off for quite awhile and shot the breeze with the Moparts guys. Next run dropped tire pressure, and decided to run it out the back door...I knew the return roads, didn't like the 118mph and decided to fix that. Tire pressure, as it turns out, didn't make much difference but I wasn't super worried about it, and decided to just relax and drive the car for whatever it'd give me.

r/t .617
60' 1.654
594ft 6.701
1/8ET 7.159
1/8MPH 98.25
1/4ET 11.08
1/4MPH 4.02 (equipment error I guess)

I wasn't happy with that pass and was shaking my head at the end of it...I felt like I reacted to the last yellow worse than the first run, thought I missed my shift points a little, and so forth. On the return road I decided to hot lap it to see how the other lane felt...so 3 minutes later:

r/t .578 (finally, something...anything in the 5's)
60' 1.669 (meh...)
594ft 6.732
1/8ET 7.188
1/8MPH 98.61
1/4ET 11.103
1/4MPH 123.39 (That's more like it...Zippy likey )

Then it was time to eat lunch. Hot dogs all the way around...thanks again Mike for the use of your grill and everything...really appreciate that. Long cooldown, more bench racin' and kickin' back, and watching the sweat/salt stains grow on my T shirt.

After lunch Randy and I both wanted to go again, so we lined 'em up for the photo op which was fun.

Dropped the tire pressure again, but truthfully I didn't expect much of anything from that. I felt more comfortable in spite of being drenched with sweat...maybe the tiny bit of pressure from having a fellow Moparts member in the other lane helped a little bit? I got the same lane as the prior run.

r/t .510 ("I still got it!" It just took awhile to find it)
60' 1.637
594ft 6.713
1/8ET 7.17
1/8MPH 98.46
1/4ET 11.09
1/4MPH 123.15 (ZIPPY LIKEY)

I think this pass was best overall for the day although it wasn't the quickest. I reacted the way I wanted, hit my shift points the way I wanted...I drove it the best. Last night I changed the shift light from 6400 to 6200, thinking maybe I'd react to it slower, which turned out to be correct...so that little change helped me get the hang of it again sooner.

I'd probably lost a quart of perspiration by then, and had enough, so I quit while I was ahead. Watched/helped Randy change a carburetor and make a solo pass, loaded tools/safety stuff/etc back into the GTX and drove it back home.

I'm really pleased I finally got the car out again, and don't have a problem with 11.0 at 123 under those conditions....especially driven to the track, and driven back home afterward.

Like always, there's more in it!

Good times ahead for sure

Thanks for reading...

Nice! Sounds like you had fun. What's the combo(engine,gear, converter, and weight)?

was a good time today... hot... yes but at
least the wind was blowing some..... oh... congrats on
your new best

Good going and that 10 is there..............

Your really zippin!!That 10 sec pass will occur this year

congrats Zippy, got yourself a 10 second car for sure.

Sounds like you had a good day ! Congrats on the new best! You should be solidly in the 10's when you get some good air and probably before that if you can get it to hook.

It got up to about 90* with a DA of 3300' humidity
stayed at 50% most of the day

Good to see your back out and had a successful day at the track,,10's for sure

Sounds like 10's the next time out!

Rich..I'm glad your X ran so well! I was happy with my 11.20's and 30's,also! Especially under those weather conditions! With the xtra torque of the dominator,I need some new slicks out back!!! IT WAS FUN!!

That is great Zippy!!!
It will hit 10's for sure!!!

So will you Randy with that Dominator!!!

Keith...you might be right! I won't find out until I get some new "skins"! Mine are pretty much gone!!! Must be those "John Force burnouts" Raffy just LOVES those!

Hello Zippy,

You are doing what I want to some day accomplish. My drive is only 30 minutes but it's cool to roll off the freeway and onto the track laying down some fun times. I'm looking for 10's also. Hey you need to update your signature!

Damon

Side track............. I found out why the AC didnt
want to play(well almost found out... still testing)
but its either the start/run capacitor or the compressor
decided to take a DUMP... of course on the hottest day
Ok.... back to the normal biz

Now THAT's what I'm talking about! 45 min of drive time, 11.0's @ 123 and drove it back home!

SWEEEET!!!

What's the combo, Zippy??

Congrats on your new best!
Driving to the track ready to race and then a new best, it doesn't get much better than that.
Your 10 second pass is coming very soon!

Congrats,Zippy!! She has a 10 in it for sure!!

video of Zippy's 11.08 pass, HOPEFULLY!!!

Man thats great Zippy. I am happy for you as thats 10 second mph. Congrats. Ron

GTX69(no name posted!?)I'm running 9"x30" GoodYear Radial slicks,and gear is 4:56. Crosses 1/4 stripe @ 6500rpm. RandyB BTW...Sorry about the video!...I have no idea how to compress it! Maybe someone could help me on that??? RandyB

Congrats Rich,
Good seeing you guys,,,,
I took several pics with Randy's camera,,hopefully he can post them...took some of the kids,,,yourself,,,Pbody,,,Randy,,,etc,,,

GTX is running great,,,love that car,,the ultimate "Road Warrior"

10 second run is knocking on the door with some better air.

Any way to convince you to come to Norwalk this year with the car ?
Would be a great time....

good seeing ya'll...

DOUG..

Way to go Rich! You're leaving me in the dust! Guess I better start blowing the cob webs out of my carbs and doing some tuning to catch up with you
Rick

Glad to hear you guys had a good time! Hopefully next time the Dart will be running and I can play with you guys! Congrats on th new best and hurry up and get the new skins Randy so you can get yours!

Randy

Yay I finally got pics to work!

The patina of neglect is showing more than ever....
The cheapest primer available + years of (formerly) outdoor storage has taken it's toll.

It isn't much to look at anymore, but was it ever?

All the money went into functional stuff.

First 10s, then cosmetics.

On my way to making the first pass. I had to laugh at myself for putting my helmet on early in that heat...I know better but was antsy to get 'er done.

Notice how the car looks better, now that the camera is further away and the car is moving

I like the looks of this wheel/tire combo on the car, it looks alot meaner than the smaller centerlines and radials I usually drive on.

And in this shot, by golly it looks like a show quality classic!!!

If it were only raining at the same time, man would she look CLEAN

Luv Dem '69 X's!!!

Running and working right has always been at the top of my list...I kinda blew off everything else...you just have to have a sense of humor to drive a car like mine

Quote:

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Now THAT's what I'm talking about! 45 min of drive time, 11.0's @ 123 and drove it back home!

SWEEEET!!!

What's the combo, Zippy??

---

Thank you!

4.10 Dana, OEM housing, power lock (no spool)

727, 9" 4500-ish stall (actually a super tight J), Cheetah valve body

451ci B block, 4.375x3.75, 10.75:1, E heads with backcut intake valves and blended cnc ridges (no porting otherwise, still using Edelbrock's valve job), 77-78cc, 262-266 @.050 .631 gross lift solid roller, Victor manifold, 1000cfm Race Demon (Mr P Body endorsement pending...inside joke), 2" x 3.5 Hooker super comps, 3.5" X pipe, Ultraflow mufflers...machined by www.lsm.eng ,built at home by me in Dad's borrowed garage....and that's a great big run-on sentence there.

The rest of it is 3800lb super stock springs, shock extensions, stock torsion bars in front, QA1 shocks in front set full loose which I'm not sure helped all that much, but I tried. Rear tires are 29x11.50 Hoosier cheater slicks.

There are milder combinations out there running faster, with better/more money into the heads and (often) a more drag race oriented suspension, but I wanted to see if a simpler (in my opinion) more streetable/easier to drive combination would do it.

How much does that battleship weigh Zipper?

P.S.

All these posts have made me step back and think about a couple things:

If anyone can remember back a few years to when I first built this motor and tried it out, I made a few "It won't go straight anymore, I can't figure it out and feel like an idiot...or am I just a big chicken?" posts.

I'm glad to say that I finally figured it out. Some of it was in the front end, but I fixed that in '06 and the problem was still there...just less noticeable.

It was the #%#Q@#% FRONT TIRES!

I used to leave radials on the front and swap the cheater slicks on the back after arriving at the track....and after yesterday I'm never going to do that again. The car has never gone straighter and has never felt more stable than it did yesterday on that bumpy track. Lesson learned!

PPS
The car has a belt driven water pump and a ridiculously tight/RV spec fan clutch, so...there's the tenth if I want it that bad. That would either involve a trailer, or some kind of "quick change" setup....but I'll probably just leave it alone. Maybe

Here are a few more pics from yesterday's outing at Lapeer International! Sounds highfalootin' doesn't it? Still need help with posting the video of Zipster's 11.08 ride! ANYONE???

Nice run Rich I wish the owners of Lapeer would make a small attempt at making that track a little better.

The well-behaved little "Angels"!!! Rich,I think the boys had some fun,and got a couple of questions about my car answered! Good kids!

#3 The 2 X's lined up,ready to burn some rubber!

#4 Zippy and LabRat,before grudge match!

You know Randy... I never gave it a thought about
taking a pic of that.... glad you did

Hey Randy I might be able to post the video to photobucket and then link it here? Can it be emailed or is it too big?

#5 Labrat and McGyver(Mike)puttin' on the BIG carb!

#6 GTX hood scoop. Thanks Doug!(69ChargerMD)

#7 Last one!Labrat stuffin' his face,and Mr. Zippy "chillin' out"!

Sounds like a fun event...

So, how much was the Dominator worth compared to the 4150 on Randy's car?

Rich has definitely got the MPH for 10s, but that 60-ft. ain't gonna cut it. Was it spinning, or does the combination just not launch hard?

Brad,actually lost mph,and ran .2 slower,on 2 runs,compared to the 850! But...off the line,it roasted the slicks for 50-60'...according to Mr. P.! A LOT more torque off the line! Didn't really make any changes to the 84 squared jetting! TOO HOT! Doesn't help with slicks pretty much done!

Congrats to both Randy & Rich ; excellent numbers considering the heat. I'm sure both cars will pick up in the cool september air @ Norwalk


Ron

Man, I'm sorry I missed a good day at the track. My sister/brother-in-law 'surprised' me by bringing the neices(3) over for the day...we went to the beach. We will have to meet up with all the gang sometime soon.

Good for you Rich! Looks like you all had fun.

Rich,we can thank Doug Boyce(69ChargerMD)for all the pics and videos! THANKS DOUG! Glad we got a chance to line em' up! I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again this season! Take care! RandyB

No problem,,,,
I was trying to "document" the afternoon,,,,glad they turned out ok,,,,
see ya'll soon.
be sure to look up to the sky to see your signal,,,LOL

Where the HE** did ya get that??? Always wanted to be a Super Hero! Sorta in the mold of Mr. P-Body! BTW...isn't it suppose to be a RAT?...not a BAT?..or is it a "winged rat"???

Doug that is hilarious

Mr. Zipmeister,any luck with the vids???

68% complete

Will start a new thread for 'em I guess?

congrats!! i bet you were kicking yourself for lifting that first pass when picked up the slip

Only a little, 'cause I knew it was only going to get hotter outside and I doubted it would pick up from there. But after a 4 year hiatus and thinking about that bumpy shutdown area...it was an instinct thing.

The main thing I've been thinking about is how solid the car felt in terms of stability...and how I totally forgot how weird it used to feel with radial tires in front until much later. It's so much easier to drive now than before it's amazing.

Quote:

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The well-behaved little "Angels"!!! Rich,I think the boys had some fun,and got a couple of questions about my car answered! Good kids!

---

I forgot to say thank you, that means alot...they may not be mine biologically but I love 'em. The middle kid is Evan (actually a friend), the one on the far end is Alex (who likes his cars and bikes, but more of a thought process...he wants to know how things work, but doesn't want to get his hands dirty), and the biggest and youngest one is Sam who is the gearhead of the bunch. He can't leave my tools alone and always wants to help.

I fully expect to see Sam with a motor apart putting it back together, or soaked in transmission fluid from head to toe by age 19 or earlier.

We caught Sam chewing Doug's ear off, and a few other people, and I can imagine Sam fitting right in with the racers someday. With his attitude, he's already halfway there.