I been chasing my tail with this Big Block Road Runner....

First day out, with it about 5 weeks ago, was rain shortened, only got 2 1/8 mile passes..... went 7.70's @ 92 MPH with 1.80 60' That was with Mancini 10" 3000 stall converter, 3.23 gear.

Next week, same converter, pretty much same engine specs, but swapped to 3.91 gear.... ran 1/4 mile, with 750 4779 Carb out of box, 12.0's @ 116, with 1.80 60', ran Proform 950 out of box, went 11.77 @ 118.3 MPH 1.78 60' On last pass of day I over revved it (~6800) & popped 2 pushrods out.... did'nt think much of it, replaced & drove home.

My goal was really only 11.50 as car has no safety anything for quicker than 11.50 as it is my daily driver, I refuse to put a rollbar etc in it. So I knew I had power to run the #, just needed to work on first 1/8 mile & the ET would come around. So I ordered a custom 9.5" PTC through John Cope... put that in... took car back to track last week.

Hmmm 12.20's @ 110-111 MPH, 60's in the 1.74 range, was deadly consistent, but SLOW..... 1/8 MPH was down in the 87.5-88 range off from consistent 92's both weeks before....It did'nt feel like it was in converter, the motor just felt flat & lazy up top, but I had no way of knowing for sure, as converter was relaly my only change from previous week.... Went 3 rounds with it & drove home (it's 120 mile round trip to track)

So.... I was convinced I'm not happy with these Hydraulic roller lifters, after popping the pushrods out during float, & they have just been a general pain in my butt since day 1, so I ordered a set of Doug Herbert Solid Rollers, & new Manton pushrods. Also swapped springs out for little more seat/open than I had been running on the hydraulics as I did'nt want any possibility of valve float with the solids. As we were swapping springs the other day I noticed #2 cylinder was leaking more air than the rest when I compressed the cylinders to swap springs & sure enough the exhaust valve was leaking a little. That was one of 2 cylinders I had popped P rods out of the previous week..... did leakdown on that cyl & the other one, #2 was 15%, the other one was 6% cold & was fine. So decided to yank head off, pulled valve, refaced it, lapped seat in & good as new. Just alot of extra work.... Got new solid rollers in, everything looked good. I was lost on where to set last with solid rollers on a Hyd roller cam profile.... did some research & decided on .006" hot... Set them yesterday morning, took it out on street, pounded on it, felt good.

Took it to Beaver Springs this afternoon for their Labor day race.... My 950 Proform acted up 1st run & I aborted it. Put my 750 #4779 on it:

1.63 60'
7.32 1/8 @ 94.28
11.48 @ 119.14 MPH

DA was around 2400 feet that pass.

For 3rd time trial, put OOB 950HP on it:

1.61 60'
7.25 1/8 @ 94.92
11.38 @ 119.90 MPH

DA was around 2200

Tried an air pan for 1st round on the 950HP & motor did'nt like it, did go best 60 ever, with a 1.59, but only ran 11.51 @ 118.2 This was third time I've tried the air pan & every time it does'nt like it, so I'll be tossing it on shelf. Humidity was also @ around 91% for 1st round pass, dunno how much that affected it as well.

But overall I'm happy all the changes I've made have finally worked out, & it's finally capable of running the # I wanted. It's not fastest thing in world, but I'm not sure how many cars running tonight were there without a trailer that were quicker.... It's proven to be a great very reliable daily driver, that's a blast to run around with, relaible to make the 120 mile round trip to track, be beat upon & driven home. MPG is around 9 if you keep your foot out if it, slightly more on highway. runs on 87 octane every day & does'nt rattle with 38 degrees in it. It's turned out to be real nice driver....Just been frustrating couple weeks wondering where my ET/MPH suddenly went & why I could'nt get a decent 60'

Oh somewhere along lines I ended up putting set of Hooiser Drag radials on it & they made all difference in world in handling, car drives perfectly up to the stripe now.... after the stripe.....it gets a little hairy on decel/braking but it's ok.

Engine specs are:

440, .040" over
Stock steel 3.75" crank
6.76" K1 H beams
Probe Dish pistons
9.7:1
Bullet Hyd Roller with Doug Herbert Solid on it, 242/246 @ .050", .588"/.588" 108 LSA +4
INDY EZ-1's, with bowl blend/chambers done
INDY 2D dual plane intake
1 3/4" Heddman headers with 3.0 collector & full 3" exhaust out the back, Dynomax race Ovals.

Shift @ 6500

4400 Stall PTC 9.5"
8 3/4 W 3.91 SG
275/60/15 Hoosier Drag Radials
3700# race weight, 3540 W/out me on Penn State's Digital agricultural scales.

I'm going to take it back for Test & Tune next weekend to work on the 60' & try to tune the 750 for best power, play with some timing finally & maybe some carb spacer stuff, now that I've finally got a solid combo baseline to start tuning off of.

It sounds like you may have a fuel delivery problem, maybe not. Usually in a car that runs close to yours once you pick the ET up a .10 you get one or maybe a little more MPH per tenth The MPH is good for the ET so maybe I'm all wet due to that very high humidity. Being a west coast(dry coast ) racer where it never gets above 85 % humidity, unless it is actually raining there may have my outlook all wet BTW, I agree with your thoughts on the results, very good, especially for driving it there and back multiple times Keep at it, it will get fatser when the humidity drys up with no other changes

what was open pressure on the first springs?


congrats on new best

Sounds like all in all you had a great time, congratulations. Thanks for sharing the details - its a good read and informative.

FWIW - My combo with the 2D liked an open spacer. Let us know what you find out with yours.

congrats Ryan it's not eaasy to make a big B Body street car run that quick

Congrats ryan....

congrats on your new best

Nice, very nice. That car does not look like a mid to loww 11 sec car. That's fast as far as I am concerned, but a lot of work pulling the head and all, but it looks like it paid off.

Something is being left on the table Ryan. We have a '71 Demon with a 440 with TRW 8.8:1 pistons. Mopar .509 hyrdaulic cam. Stock rods and crank. TURBO ACTION convertor. 906 UNPORTED heads with 2.14 valves. Old Mopar M1. Runs 6.99 ALL day long on 93 octane pump gas... Car is 3000lbs without driver. Engine is a junkyard 440.

Ryan, you didnt do any jet changes with the carb pan
did you... should have jetted up..... but one thing
with the pan on a street car... it holds heat in on
after the shut down

That's a good running B body. I have nothing else to compare it to other than my own....it should be a touch more streetable than mine but it runs close ets as it sits.

Headers seem a little small? ...that could be part of the reason it feels flat on top.....I wonder if larger headers wouldn't help enhance the midrange torque the solid lifters gave you, and that might work better with the new converter as well?

At any rate, whichever way you go that's cool, good job with it.

Thats a cool street car you have there and shes running pretty darn good! Its cool that you knew what you wanted, set your goal and you got it. Only problem with the gear-head mentality is, now what?? don't let it get the best of you, (leave it alone)you have a sweet combo as is. Im a little suprised to hear you have a big block powered ride, but even a small block expert knows its easier to go fast with a big block!!

Now pull that tranny and try that other conveter while your at it

Glad you are headding the right direction

Oh and by the way that is really a nice reliable fast street car.

No, I did'nt get to spend day pulling MY trans.......... the 727 in buddies Challenger is broke however & I did get to pull IT today & it's in trunk of my RR right now & will pull it apart tomorrow & see what exactly is broke. Input shaft has about .200" end play & is flopping all around. See I knew I was going to have to pull a trans today I just did'nt know which one.