For everyone that has been following along with the SlowpokeMalib saga, I finally broke into the 9's in the 1/8th mile! That means this should be a solid 15 second car, but I won't claim that til I actually run it in the quarter.

For those of you not familiar with my combo, here's a link to a good breakdown of it: Combo (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/Slowpoke70/combo.txt)
Let me know if it doesn't show up. I'll paste it here.

Previous best:
(January 7th)
RT: .621
60: 2.396
330:6.614
1/8:10.008
MPH:72.5x
(Shifted@4500)

Changes before today's run:

All I did was buy an adjustable throttle linkage/cable bracket because I found out the one that the car has had since I got it was not allowing the front barrels to poen all the way. So I adjusted it to open WOT and drove to the track. No other tuning changes.

I also added about 10 pounds worth of speakers (two heavy 6x9's) in the packadge tray. Aside from that, the car is exactly as it was during the other run as far as tune and weight go.

Today's runs:

First Run:
RT: .875
60: 2.433
330:6.644
1/8:10.045
MPH:72.72 New Personal Best
(Shifted@5000)

Second Run:
RT: .708
60: 2.346 New Best!!
330:6.536 New Best!!
1/8:9.925 New Best!!
MPH:72.60
(Shifted@4700ish)

http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/Slowpoke70/9secondslip.jpg

Third Run(spun tires at launch BAD,missed shift, smoked alternator, flipped fan/alt belt inside out :eek: :mad: )


60: 3.090
330:7.552
1/8:11.177
MPH:66.14 (Shifted til near 6000,let off the gas when I heard the belt noises).

I decided to go home after that, which turned out to be a good idea since my alternator was only putting out 11volts as opposed to it's normal 13.

The transmission (unrebuilt TH350) has been shifting funky lately. During the last few outings, after a few runs, it won't make a crisp, quick shift into 2nd. It lags and the engine revvs up way farther than I want it to. :(

Times this slow may not be impressive to you all, I don't know. But since last June I've made this thing more than a half second quiker. It was running 10.60s when I first got to try it out last June. During the summer I got it down to 10.40s with just playing with my burnout, launch and shift points.

I got it down to inconsistant 10.20-30s with some secondary spring tuning.

Then I finally changed my burnt Accel 8.8mms, stock coil for a set of Autolite 8mms, Blaster2 . That made the car run somewhat consistant 10.15-10.20.

Then I changed out the Qjet intake for the 300-36 and did some more secondary spring tuning that got me down to the 10.008 run.

Tonight I think the the throttle bracket change and a little help from the man up stairs (maybe better air? Have no way to measure really.) got me to my eluding goal, a 9 second slip!

Due to the tranny issues, the fact that it keeps eating belts and my not wanting to do any more peg-legged burnouts, the SlowpokeMalibu is going to be taking a long break from Irwindale's "Thursday Night Thunder". I need to get the trans issues sorted out, upgrade my rear end and maybe get some stickier tires before I get back out. So unless my buddy needs a not very reliable "control" car to measure his own tuning against, this will be the last chapter of the SlowpokeMalibu 1/8th Mile Saga until I get stuff sorted out.

Thanks to those of you that have followed along and pushed me to push this slug to better timeslips!

-Enrique.

Enrique,nice job.
Its takes time and patience to tune a half second off of your ET
Do you have stock torque convertor?

Congrats Enrique!!! graemlins/hurray.gif graemlins/beers.gif graemlins/waving.gif

I was going to go last night, but I was working on my 'Burban, changing the water pump, then ate dinner at my grandma's house, then before I knew it, it was already 10pm. Well congrats once again, and maybe, hopefully soon, I'll get to see you run, and maybe make a pass or two myself...till then.... graemlins/beers.gif

Congrats Enrique, I have been following your posts with great interest. Now you better work quickly so the saga can go on! :D

Thumbs up man!

Olli

Thanks everyone for the kind comments.

Chris, yes, it is the stock converter as far as I know. The majority of this car was still what GM built in 1970 from the trans back and all the suspension when my dad and brother first bought it. We've rebuilt the suspension all around but the drivetrain is GM stock stuff except for the engine.

With the kickdown cable disconnected, if I stomp on the throttle at a 30MPH roll the converter will "flash" to 2000RPM give or take 200RPM because its not all that consistent.


Alex, thanks man.

Olli, its not that I need to work quickly, its that I need to get a job soon!! I'm doing all of this on a college student's lunch money so far! Only the intake and the Blaster2 were bought with money I made working. The track entrances and little stuff has all been either gifts from my brother or money my parents gave me for lunch but I didn't eat. God bless my family.

I'll get on it as soon as possible, I'll tell you that.

It has taken a bit of work and LOTS of patience to do the timing, fiddle with the carb and learn how this thing likes to launch and shift. Only to find out that the carb was almost dead on from the factory and the timing was fine where I run it on the street, lol. Not to mention the times it has scared me real good by tossing the belt or other odd belt-related mishaps.

Thanks everyone!

congrats man, I'm hoping to shave the extra 3-4 tenths from my time next time I go. Last time I just drove the car in and let her rip, couldn't get a decent burnout due to wheel hop...

Next time I plan to adjust the traction bars in the pits till they damn near touch the frame, play with the carb, and by then I'll have a tach so I can be more consistent with shifting.

If that don't work I might empty about 150-200 lbs worth of crap out of the car.

Hope you get it ready to run again soon!

Yeah, I think I might be getting some wheel hop during the burn out. It seems to launch okay though except if it loses traction, then it feels like the rear end is going to fall out!

I think I may upgrade the axles when I get the rear done or I might just have my stock ones drilled for bigger wheel studs because I know wheel hop can do some nasty things to studs.

I really don't have the money to do much to the suspension. I just have stock rebuilt rubber in the front. The sway bar is a big 1.25" TransAm bar and all the bushings that go with it are poly. I know that's not great for drag racing but this is a street car first. It also has Monroe Sensatrac shocks all around.

The rear end has all poly which I don't exactly care for but my brother gave them to me and I needed to get the rear suspension re-done after I crashed the car so poly bushings it was. A bit rougher ride than the stock rubber but it didn't affect the car at the track at all as far as I could tell.

I want to get the Dick Miller suspension book and then find out what my pinion angle is and see if I could find some junkyard parts that might adjust it to where it should be. Crude, but cheap, lol.

Yeah, I would upgrade the axles, you can get them cheap on ebay. Can use press in or skrew in studs too. Axles are cheaper than bodywork.

Wheel hop is very bad for everything...even used to shake my dash enough I was afraid it would crack.

I bought $100 traction bars (lakewood rip offs) and they stopped it on the street, but when it tries to grip on the track it hops, it will prolly stop if I adjust the bumpers to nearly touch the frame, I just have them loose so it doesn't ride so wavy on the street.

Originally posted by Slowpoke70:
With the kickdown cable disconnected, if I stomp on the throttle at a 30MPH roll the converter will "flash" to 2000RPM give or take 200RPM because its not all that consistent. How do you know/how can you tell when and where the converter is "flashing?" I know there's a difference between what rpms the stall is and what rpms it "flashes", but I never did quite understand what the difference between the two is. I have the B&M Holeshot 2000, but I have no idea where it's suppose to "flash."

Hey Enrique, maybe one of these days, when my car is finally ready to go to the track, you could go with me and check out my launches. From the one and only time I went, I have no idea if I was having any wheel hop, I just vaguely remember hearing the tires chirping, then hooking. I know it's one thing to "feel" the car from the inside, but a totally different thing to see yourself from the outside. My buddies that I go race with are really great guys, but they don't know too much about launching techniques and what to look for/avoid. I could really use your "expertise" the next time I go...........but as for when, it's still quite a long ways off, but hopefully soon! ;) graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Great job Enrique graemlins/thumbsup.gif . Looks like your having fun. graemlins/hurray.gif

David

debreese,
Yep, having a great time. The only thing that isn't fun is hearing the belt fly off or grind on the pulleys!! Not fun. Also, I think I might have floated the valves for the first time when I didn't get the tranny to shift until 6000rpm, don't think my engine was ever meant to be up there!

Alex, as far as I know this is how the "flash" thing was explained in one of the archived posts here on TC.

1. Unhook your kickdown cable from your carb.
2. Go cruise until you get into 3rd gear (TH350/400) and get up to a cruise speed where you know you won't spin the tires if you go WOT.
3. Hopefully your cruise speed is below 2000rpm or this may not work.
4. Stab the throttle quickly to WOT or close to it while looking at your tach. This may take a few tries. The "flash" is the RPM where your Tach jumps to initially.

Say you're cruising at 1500rpm and you stab the throttle and the Tach needle goes straight to 2400rpm without the car having sped up very much. Your flash would be 2400rpm or so.

Hard to explain but if you go ahead and try it out you'll see what your tach is doing after a couple of times and you'll know what your "flash" point is.

At least that's how it was explained to me in an earlier post.

As far as having me watch your launch, I don't have "expertise" but I'm not too shabby, lol. Sure thing, just tell me a couple days before you're planning to go and I'll go even if I'm not racing. No problem for me, the track is near enough and I love being out there!