|
Street Legal Stocker Blog
This blog is detailing my quest to build a street legal NHRA/IHRA
stock eliminator car. I want to drive it to the track, race it,
and drive it home. If
you want read more specific history about my car check it out here.
December 2010: Winter updates
 Little
work has been done to the car so far this winter other than some
basic maintenance and planning. I'm eagerly awaiting June 2011 as
I will be racing at the IHRA Rocky Mountain Nationals in stock eliminator.
Since IHRA has a special sub group of the "Stock" class
for "pure stock" vehicles my car is legal and well under
the index - yahoo! In IHRA pure stock you are essentially not allowed
to make any motor changes (no problem) or aftermarked upgrades to
your drivetrain other than gears, converter, shift kits, and bolt
on traction devices. You are also allowed to use aftermarket wheels
but otherwise the car is essentially "stock". From what
I have been told this was very much like the NHRA rules for stock
eliminator in the 1970's and early 1980's. The only changes my car
requires would be the addition of the factory cooling fan and race
gas. I will gain .08 of ET for the fan but should offset that by
running skinny front tires and light weight rims next season.
In order to run in "G" class of pure stock my car will
have to weigh 3320 pounds and run under the index of 14.05 (sea
level) or approx. 14.25 in Edmonton, AB. Currently my car has run
a best of 13.79 in great air at race weight or 13.97 in crappy air.
So, assuming no major problems I am a solid 2 tenths under the G
index.
September 2010: Season end updates
 Today
marks the official end of my drag racing season this year. The season
end is always bittersweet - it is great to get a break from racing
(ie. save instead of spend money) and start planning for next season.
However, there is some sadness knowing you won't see some familiar
race faces for another 8 or 9 months until the track opens again.
Although I'll write a few articles over the winter here is a quick
"hits" and "misses" list for racing this past
summer.
Hits: Personal best ET/mph of 13.79 @ 97.7mph, discovering my car
is a legal "Pure Stock" IHRA car running 4 to 5 tenths
under the index, starting to figure out how the wind affects my
car, and limping my transmission through another season.
Misses: Making the same mistake 4 times this season by dialling
too soft, listening to bad advice, losing focus at the lights, and
not racing enough!
July 2010: Happiness is low et's
Phew, I finally made it! I'm happy to report Project Stocker finally
broke the 13 second time barrier last weekend. Best ET of weekend
was a 13.98 @ 97.2 mph. All other runs were between 13.99 and 14.02
with the exception of an odd run where the car slowed to 14.08.
These new lower ET's were accomplished with the use of a short belt
to bypass the power steering and a new exhaust system (mufflers
still hooked up). Otherwise the car is untouched from last year.
Despite a few transmission troubles earlier in the year I'm optimistic
with some good air and a few more tricks that a 13.80 may just be
in reach this season. Also, I know now from my mph that I'm only
20 horsepower away from making my goal of hitting the N/SA index.
However, before I'll be able to do that the car drastically needs
to improve the 60 foot times as they are stuck around 1.90 to 1.95.
In reality, they need to be 1.70 to 1.75. More gear, more converter,
and an improved suspension should take care of that problem.
FYI: The title of this blog post is a quote my dad had posted inside
his 1969 Dodge Car Swinger 340. Anyhow, If you don't know the story
about his car read
about it here.
January 2010: Why bother?
Project Stocker has taken a major setback as of mid December due
to an NHRA decision to revisit the class indexes. For the 2010 year
all stock eliminator and super stock classes have their class index
reduced by 3 tenths. This means that the N/SA index went from 13.30
to 13.00. Even when adjusted for altitude at my local track the
index would be 13.25 which is what I believe will be the maximum
et potential my current combination can handle. Mix in some poor
weather and I will just never get under the index.
For a well established class racer who has been at this game for
a while and has a strong running car the index change mostly is
an irritation. However, for the low buck crowd or those racers trying
to get started in class racing the index decision is like having
a door slammed in your face. The internet and work benches everywhere
are stuffed with theories about why the indexes changed. Some accuse
the NHRA or selling out to corporate interests while others argue
the fault is with racers themselves for sandbagging quick cars.
Regardless, the decision to reduce the indexes has a big impact
on racers as it means they will need to spend a lot more money to
be competitive. The scary part (IMHO) is that it starts to create
a kind of country-club mentality in what is supposed to be a sportsman
oriented class. The roots of local drag tracks everywhere can be
traced back to the the "racing of the family sedan". The
early stock and super stock cars helped form the backbone of bracket
racing everywhere and have remained a staple of NHRA drag racing
for 50 years. In fact, it is last class of racing in which a hard
working and creative racer has an honest chance of building and
racing at a National Event without breaking the bank. In the "big
picture" of racing it just doesn't seem to make a lot of sense.
Also, given the reality that car counts in stock and super stock
are dropping in many divisions, how will lowering the indexes further
help encourage more potential racers and index chasers to come out
and race? Instead, many people might start asking themselves the
question I'm wrestling with...why bother?
August 2009: I love this motor!
 "I
love this motor" was a parting comment to a good friend during
eliminations on the weekend. The racing weather on Sunday was consistent
and so was the motor. Regardless of the water temperature and mild
winds the car was running within 3 hundredths on each pass. That
kind of consistency and a lot of luck combined for a win in the
Sportsman category. What followed were run-offs between classes
to determine the "King of the Track" who would receive
a special Wally. I was fortunate enough to squeak out a couple of
more wins and take home the very special trophy. Truthfully, I'm
still in a state of shock that I actually won it...
As for the car performance this weekend it was very consistent
running between 14.22 and 14.25 @ 95mph all day. Somewhat disappointing
was the lack of et drop from the National Open. Despite a corrected
altitude of nearly 2000ft less than Medicine Hat the car didn't
pick up any mph or drop et. As in the last race the car seems to
pull very hard in 1st and 2nd gear but seems to "level-off"
around 4000 rpm in 3rd gear. The 302 EFI motor is designed for torque
so it is not surprising that it runs of out steam early in the powerband.
I need to find out what bottleneck is keeping the power back. The
next investment will be some good quality headers and an adjustable
fuel regulator. A custom cam with some more cylinder filling duration
is also on the wish list. Oh yeah, any advice on finding more horsepower
is appreciated!
I'm fortunate to have a few sponsors who support my racing each
year. Their support is a big help to making racing more affordable.
I am very grateful for their continued support!
FordF150.Net This is one
of the largest Ford truck enthusiast web sites on the internet.
It has evolved from humble beginnings in 1999 to a major Ford resource
centre with over 100,000 members. It truly is the premier Ford truck
site for anyone interested in discussing, researching, viewing,
or reviewing all Ford truck products.
OBD-Codes.com: Ever have
the check engine light come on in your car? If you are a do-it-yourself
kind of person and want to eliminate the $80+ per hour shop rate
then this is a site you want to visit. All OBD2 codes are listed
including detailed troubleshooting tips, tricks, and possible solutions.
If you still aren't able to solve your problem you can try posting
in the forums. Another nice feature on the site is a store where
technician quality OBD-II scanners can be purchased. It really is
a one stop resource site for OBD-II diagnostics.
August 2009: National Open
 I
finally got a chance to make some passes last weekend at the Medicine
Hat National Open. It really felt great to hit a few lights and
feel the excitement of a busy drag strip again. I had hoped for
13.90's but had to settle for 14.20's all weekend long. Between
the extreme air (5000 feet +) and some valve body problems finding
more power was not going to happen. Best pass this weekend was a
14.22 @ 91.6 mph on a 1.96 60 foot. The mph would have been 95mph
(and et 14.17) but I was scrubbing some speed as I had the win.
This run was done with a hot motor in the worst air of the weekend.
This tells me that my motor likely wants to be running with less
fuel.
There was a large turnout of stock /super stock cars last weekend
which made for some exciting racing. There was a large variety of
cars ranging from a GT/AA car through to a V/SA car. It made for
very diverse racing for certain. To my surprise there was also a
P/SA 1989 Mustang GT convertible stocker from Washington. It was
really exciting to meet someone running a combo I'm trying to build.
The owner was really helpful and has offered to help point me in
the right direction with my own project. Blair from Nitroimage snapped
quite a few pics of the action which some can be viewed here.
Next race will be an SIR points meet. I'll be playing with the
valve body, timing advance, and my launch technique to see if I
can manage some 14.0's.
July 2009: It Runs!!
 After
three weeks of thrashing "Project Street Legal Stocker"
is finally running! This Sunday it will make its first pass with
the new mill (fingers crossed). Unfortunately, I ran over my budget
which meant I had to cut back on a few key items (ie. exhaust and
fuel regulator). This will cut 2-3 tenths of ET as the factory exhaust
and fuel settings are conservative. I can cheat the fuel system
into enriching the fuel mixture with a resistor in place of the
coolant temperature setting. However, you can't find a way for the
motor to breath through the factory exhaust. Oh well, I'll keep
buying those 6/49 tickets just in case :) Regardless, my goal of
running class this year will have to wait.
When taking apart the old motor I was shocked to find out how much
timing chain stretch was present. I had replaced the timing chain
in the old motor with a high performance chain from a local dealer
less than 20,000km ago. Anyhow, that chain stretched enough to create
3/4's of an inch of play in the chain. When I set the distributor
in the new motor with the identical timing settings as used in the
past it had moved from 10 advanced to 12 degrees retarded - that
is 22 degrees of cam timing and a pile of torque that could never
have been found before. My next post will be after the SIR race
on Sunday July 26th. I'm hoping for 13.90's.
July 2009: Out with the old and ...
Four hours of unbolting things and a few helpers resulted in the
old motor being plucked from the car last night. Good thing as the
delivery company dropped off my new converter this morning. It feels
like Christmas in July:)
June 2009: Motor updates
Since the yard project has nearly finished I've finally found some
time to work in the garage. I wish it was all leisure work ....
but, my daily driver 1.9L Ford Escort decided to suck a valve last
week. However, I'm hopeful a used head and a handful of gaskets
should get me back and running.
However, as for the Stocker Project I'm happy to report that the
short block is officially together! The next step is to pull the
old motor and begin stripping some parts. I've now collected a total
of four upper and lower intake combinations to flow test. One source
of power in the stock 5.0 is finding a good lower intake as they
are a big flow inhibitor for stock heads. A ported stock lower will
provided 15-25hp and tq in an otherwise stock motor. Since porting
is not an option, I need the best "as cast" intake I can
find. Every little bit helps.
Lastly, I was going to wait on ordering a new converter until next
winter. However, I was impulsive and called Andre at Edge
Racing Converters. Edge as well established as a leader in Ford
AOD converters. Anyhow, they are building a custom 9.5 converter
to match the new motor and gearing combination. If the parts work
as they should and I get a little luck from the tuning Gods I might
just get my stocker under the index this year.
May 2009: Rather be racing....
 I'm
long overdue for a post. I'd love to be writing a post about how
strong the new motor is running or all the progress I've made over
the winter. However, between work and family priorities, I've had
no time to work on the car. Any extra time recently found has been
spent landscaping our yard. So, today while cars thundered down
the track at SIR (okay..not true the season opener was rained out)
I stood trying to figure out how to best plumb my underground sprinkler
valves. Fortunately, it was a lot simpler than the line lock install
I did last year :)
Anyhow, the heads are done awaiting pick-up from Ken and the rest
of the long block is ready to bolt together. If the yard schedule
holds the car should be ready for mid July. More to come...
December 2008: Stocker meets winter
 Winter
has arrived! As you can see, project street legal stocker sits waiting
for its turn in my garage. For now, two cars, two kids, 4 bicycles,
and far too much gardening equipment are getting in the way. However,
my bench and cabinet are ready for the short block buildup. If all
goes as scheduled the new mill should be running by July.
This years racing season ended without issue or excitement. As a
Fathers Day present I handed the keys over to my father for the
funny car feature at my local track (SIR).
He ran in the street legal class and made it to the semi finals.
This was a great success considering he hadn't raced in over 30
years! It just goes to show that "old guys" can get it
done :) My final race of the season ended abruptly with a first
round loss. I was late and my opponent was not. However, on a positive
note, given over the 200 hard runs on the motor it was still pulling
consistent et's and mph. Next update will be pics of the shortblock
as the machine shop called to say my pieces are ready to go.
August 2008: Racing updates
Well, the last month has been a busy one around home. I've had
little time for racing and car work. However, I did manage to finally
install my Hurst Roll Control. Without this device doing a proper
and consistent burnout was always a bit of a challenge. I'm pretty
sure my 60 foot inconsistency was due to the fact I was not able
to get enough heat into the tires. Last weekends racing at the Medicine
Hat National Open confirmed my theory.
My 60 foot were within 1/100 all weekend long and the ET's didn't
vary more than 2/100's over the course of 2 days. Too bad the drivers
reaction time didn't do the same :) I averaged .030 lights until
the 3rd round on Saturday when I "lost the tree" and got
distracted when it really counted. Like my mentor says - sometimes
you need to make every mistake possible more than once in order
to get better.
The good news is that I'm only 7 tenths off the N/SA index. Considering
that my car is virtually a pure stock high mileage car I'm feeling
confident I can get well under with my new motor and planned tranny
combo. Also, it was just amazing to see so many stock/super stock
racers in one place. They really are a professional and truly sportsman
oriented group of people who love racing. I can't wait to go back
next year.
July 2008: A great phone call...
Yahoo! - the machinist called and the block, heads, rods, and pistons
all measured out well within factory tolerances! This means some
significant cost savings and more cash for go fast parts and clever
machining. Another "check mark" for Ford in building the
5.0 HO with good TRW forged slugs and super hard blocks. Next step
is to start accumulating some of the required hardware.
Since I'll be driving this car on the street and in varying temperatures
and conditions I need to be pretty conservative on the ring package.
I moly coated cast ring is likely the step I'll proceed in unless
I come across a better idea (which happens alot). I'll also begin
by using the factory cam which will cut down on my efi expenses.
I could easily find 20+ hp in a purpose built cam. However, to run
this economically and safely on the street I would need a custom
chip burned and never draw much vacuum for my brakes and sensors
(not to mention idling around 1500rpm). I'm pretty confident I can
put down 260hp at the rear wheels based on my current pure stock
combination. The key is freeing up the power that is already present
through parasitics inside and outside the motor. More to come.
July 2008: Motor build has begun...
I dropped off a good core motor at a local machine shop yesterday.
I know quite a few people who have had work done at this particular
shop so he comes recommended. As a purist, I'm not interested in
tweaking each NHRA rule to the extreme. However, I need to make
some decent power. I expect the block to check out okay as it showed
little scuffing and still had cross hatch visible in every cylinder.
You have love efi 5.0 blocks - they are so hard that most of the
beating is on the piston. Provided after the tanking everything
specs okay I plan to re-use as much as possible. Am I naive - no.
Cheap - yes :)
Next post will be shop updates.
June 2008: My blog is Born
I used this blogspot for a few years as a teaching resource site
for computer science. I always told my students I'd buy lunch for
the first student who could explain the significance of my url handle
"60foot". Eventually a student did in fact make the connection
between my hobby (ie. drag racing addiction) and the label. I believe
in starting things right. To me, the tree and the first 60 feet
of the racetrack are where most races begin...and end.
Anyhow, this blog is just a fun place for me to log my progress
towards building a NHRA legal stock eliminator car that is driven
to the track and hopefully consistent enough to go a few rounds.
I'm building a M/SA or N/SA 1989 Ford Mustang LX which will require
low 13 second ET's. Stop by anytime!
Recommended Links:
| 