Tricks of the Trade...

Whats some of the tricks for getting the last little bit of mph, e.t. out of your car. I am going to be shooting for the smallblock record in F.A.S.T. this weekend at MIR. I am going to need every little trick I can find. You always hear people say they have there car " Set on Kill", what the heck does that mean? I run the car out everytime. Should I be thinking of thinner oil, etc. etc. Does changing where the car goes into staging beams make a difference on et.? Any help or ideas would be appreciated.

Car is 71 Duster, 402cu in stroker smallblock, factory heads, intake, exhaust manifold, thermoquad. All worked.

Stage as shallow as possible. Put as much air as possible in the front tires. Synthetic lube in everything. The stock guys run less oil in the engine. I might skip that mod. Loosen up the accessory belt so it will slip at higher rpm.

904 trans if legal. 8 1/4 rear?

Switch on alt to turn off during run.

0w20 synthetic oil, bring a big fan to cool the engine between rounds, synthetic light weight gear oil as thin as you dare, pack ice bags with shaved ice all around the intake and carb between rounds, drop the t-bars till it is almost sitting on the bump stops (weight transfer in the 60ft and aero dynamics at the fast end), have the alighnment double checked, you want the wheels to end up with zero toe while rolling down the road, I like to spread the front of the wheels while setting the alighnment and set the toe to zero, thay seem to roll a lot easier when setting them this way, if you run the carb a tad lean to keep the plugs clean then richen it up to run it's fastest. Remove floor mats, glove box, contents, jack, spare tire, trunk mat all excess fuel (don't fill it for ballast, sloshing ballest does almost no good, if you need ballast bolt it in the trunk as close to the bumper and high as possible, if you can bolt it to the roof of the rea edge of the trunk even better), set rear drums for no drag, WD-40 on all the front end rubber bushings to loosen them up a little, make sure you leaf spring clamps are good and tight...

If I think of any more I will post em up

Several years ago I was going to build a 71-72 TQ 340 based 904 backed Duster for F.A.S.T. but about that time they asked me to be their Tech guy so I got side-tracked and sold the car. It was a 72 Twister /6 car in really nice shape I sold to B body Bob. I was planning a 4.1 x 4.1" 433 motor using light 2.05" thin stem intake valves and my own cam specs.

Take full advantage of the Duster's long rear overhang, just 10 more static pounds added behind the bumper (like adding the 13 pound 1973 reinforcing plate) can have the same dynamic effect as putting a 40 pound battery 1 foot behind the rear axle centerline. Duster's and Chevy II wagons are the best "natural hook" cars I've ever played with.

Have the allignment shop physically jack the front end of the car approx 1-1/2" inches BEFORE setting the allignment....this will simulate the car under acceleration and decreases the rolling resistance down the track. Dynamat in floor of the spare tire well adds a few strategic pounds in just the right place as well.

Amsoil gear lube is typically worth at least ~.03 on most cars I've ever back to back tested...I like to get some heat in the rear axle by idling the drivetrain on stands in the pits for a few minutes.

If you're serious about it dyno-tune the car on a chassis dyno before the race documenting every 'cause and effect' jetting and timing change.

Check this out...

http://www.dvorakmachine.com/tech_LastMinuteHeroics.shtml

Get all the oils hot and thin, and the water and intake as cold as possible.

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Check this out...

http://www.dvorakmachine.com/tech_LastMinuteHeroics.shtml

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"Add another 1/2 quart of oil Dan". LMAO