First time at track, poor ETs

[davs5.0]

You're pretty much wasting that 3000 stall with the car set up as it is. You should really get some tires. The old saying is for every .1 you can take off your 60' time, you take .2 off your 1/4. So if you can get that 60' down to a 1.9 or 2.0, you're into the 14's already.

With a mildly tuned 5.0, you can get away with a valvebody. Not up on the TCI but Lentech does have a nice one. 1=1, D=2, OD=3 and OD is activated by an electric switch.

You're also going to lose some time with the lockup converter. Switching it to non lock up would allow the motor to pull all the way thru 3rd but not really worth it by the sounds of your car's main usuage. If you kept an eye on the tach during your runs, you were probably way down in the rpm's when you went thru the traps.

So basically, sticky tires, more launch rpms, valvebody and gears. You can go up to a 3.73 or 3.90 and still not effect you MPG too much with the lockup converter.

 

[rd]

Thats about as good as I could get from my 79 Capri, 302 carbed, C4, 2200 converter. It ran 15.40s with both 3.08 and 4.10 gears.

One thing to try, since you have a converter, is stage at idle, don't footbrake it, just nail the gas when you start to leave on the last yellow, and let off the brake when you want to leave. Instead of loading the engine down against the converter, this will allow the engine to rev and flash the converter, giving you a quicker launch and the engine should get into its power range sooner. I use this launch with the engine from the 79 in the 82, and run high 12's.

 

[z9_87]

**** i have close to the same mods - heads. but more bolt ons and im running 13.0 on street tires at full psi. im also t5 and lighter. but you should be running faster then that. i would say its not running right. thats just me

That's what I'm thinking. Although for driving purposes it runs great. Anyone know of anything that can rob power like that? Especially after a rebuild? Like I said I'm going to get a dyno but there has to be something wrong.

You're pretty much wasting that 3000 stall with the car set up as it is. You should really get some tires. The old saying is for every .1 you can take off your 60' time, you take .2 off your 1/4. So if you can get that 60' down to a 1.9 or 2.0, you're into the 14's already.

Tires are the next thing I'm going to buy, although I'm leaning more tword shift kit as I don't have 400+ to through at a valve body right now, or gears for that matter so those will have to wait.

 

[ramjetlx]

Assuming you have a stock engine in the car (nothing to change high rev power) and the stock-height tires, the best combo to optimize your drivetrain would be a Lentech AOD and a set of 4.10 gears. But be advised, 4.10s will make her a bit squirrley with 225 wide tires. You may want to opt for a 17"x8" wheel with high quality, factory-height 245/45/17 tires.

Even with an upgraded wheel and tire size of 245, it will fishtail. The converter is a bit high for the setup. The best thing to do is throw on some drag radials and a shift kit.

 

[z9_87]

I checked on the dyno prices today. It's $75 for one pull and $10 every one after. Seems steep to me? Tuning it is $595, wow. I think I'd buy myself a tweecer before I'd do that.

Besides that, I need to find out what the hell is robbing all of my horses. I was puttering today, looking for vaccum leaks, fluid leaks, and anything that didn't look normal. I can't find anything. The computer pull no codes at all. What do I need to check next?