A 30 year journey, and a 2nd chance.

[Cglrcng]

I was right, but I needed that 10 mins help for sure, and the next day it was finally under index on that first pass, and I was actually short shifting 1/2 for a reason and running out 2/3 (sometimes right up against the rev limit feature of the ECM to make sure it was consistent in it's application, mainly because the engine is still pulling hard when it comes up to that set ECM programming I can only turn on/off it cannot be changed higher or lower at this point (the ECM is locked, are only tables you can view, and flags are 0/1 (off or set on) (Class Racing in 2 days).

The timing really needed to go 3 degrees total higher I believe, but it was beyond drivable and later showed pretty good consistency (as long as it was driven consistently, and small changes netted small gains, and there was still some speed never shown (so I left it alone), & do not underestimate my Slow Ride...I'm just taking it Easy! ~</;-)~

For Now!

(This is on a rebuilt engine that never saw 5,700 RPM throughout the first almost 93K miles in any gear but 3rd 6,200 at the lights, and after balancing, etc. is running hard up to 7,300 RPM and still pulling hard. But, I will not run it without that rev limit feature on...A Holley ECU and custom harness to my sensors will allow resetting it higher...1 of this Winters projects ahead. LODRS 71 at Las Vegas in November first!)

In the end...60' 2.85, down to 2.35 (exactly 1/2 second). so, the cam choice was not just a lot better at this point in time...It was dead necessary!

Winter will see the Transaxle dropped, fully freshened (those clutches etc. are factory 1984), and the Converter loosened along with those other changes mentioned earlier.

John & Jon, sorry as I know you were getting worried for me, but I was methodically working through undoing changes, checking everything 1 by 1, leaving what was working, and deleting/reversing what wasn't, while making big Timing swings just seeing which direction the new cam liked (and we found it together in 10 mins with your help). It is why I purchased that extra test day.

It often sounds great sitting still, but under a 2,800 + lb load pulling (a low 99 HP powerplant can act very differently when you step on it), The cam once timed correctly, and an injector back into the Rich/Lean sweet spot, cleaned the plugs right up, brought the bottom end back, and the top end was quite sufficient also, and restored my power brakes to holding 3,800 RPM foot braking consistently. (Power Assist Brake Booster was even holding between starts w/ no losses of vacuum). And it never failed to start, though it cranks hard w/ that much initial and total timing, it has a 90 Amp Alt. on it and a new battery and a live LED minder gauge w/ 2 USB Phone/Tablet charging ports. So, I can see from inside the car or out, the charge state of my battery at a quick glance at any time!

Like I said earlier. I will tone down the novel now, and just pretty much cover build changes to the car from here on out, and good news results if those arrive, but I wanted to go into a lot of details on the Re-debut that I will not later. Thank's for reading. (Floods to LED Tree is a biiiig change folks!)

Older guys know what I mean for sure.

Mark YAC....I am not yet where you are my brother, but I will be by Spring! I will get you those 2 pcs this week, my old Power Brake Booster, and Old Master Cyl, as soon as I find out for sure that my intended replacement Master bolt centers are exactly the same or not. I will know by end of next week I hope.

[MR DERBY CITY]

Dude, I have tried to follow along with your journey . Are you an author / write books ?? And who is McConnell ?? You have known him / raced with him forever but I can’t find his name on any Q sheets ?? You are killin me . LOL.

[Cglrcng]

(Oh man, really sorry I cannot believe I did that not just once, but like over 4 times, I am lousy with names, but that is usually people I have only met a couple of times in life, not people I have known for decades! I just corrected each post, my apologies to both Bill and others reading the thread, a very good reason you could not find him on the sheets...crap, what an old fool I am.) I typed Mr. O'Connor and somehow that transposed or corrected to McConnell. (I really need to use the preview more before clicking post!)

No author here, except for my racing Novel's here (I may not remember names well, but details of events that happened in my lifetime...every detail is unforgettable, like it was imbedded on a memory chip). Bill O'Connor has a Dark Brown boxy 83 Dodge Omni "Slo Roller" is on the side now in large letters (and the announcers know him well, since our billboards are on track the longest of any at the events), w/ that carbed low HP VW or Mitsubishi I think 87 HP engine, weighs in at like 2,223 pounds or so (my Daytona 2.2L/135 99HP currently has a 6 HP factor on it to 105- that is an extra 150 lbs @ 25.0 lbs/HP, and my min. wt is 2,795 lbs). I think he said his minimum was (a 500 lb difference, but beam scales were junk, and I was carrying in actuality 550 lbs more). Check down near the bottom of the Bakersfield Famoso Div. 7 Double (or the Div. 7 NHRATV Live Stream Replay on YouTube), held at the beginning of October, and again at Phoenix early in the Spring of 23'. He just ran 16.95 then 16.85 on Thursday, then a 16.95 in our Class race (my ET w/ the win was 17.204).

He has been racing that car in Div. 7, and mainly West Coast National events since the early to mid 1990's. I have raced him in Class races back in the mid to late 90's in GF/S and mine was a GF/SA, he is now in EF/S as am I (since they did away w/ FF and GF classes and combined all slower into EF/S), same 17.45 Index, same 25 lbs/per HP (same 500 lb plus wt difference too though). Friends w/ a slow roller rivalry. (Only I sat out the last 26 yrs.). The prior last class race together was The Atsco Phoenix Nationals in Feb. 1997, he got to the finish line an inch before me...not this time. But, if anyone gives me 4/10th's at the tree I will get there first (not to say I could not have competed well if it had been even lights). I just have no time slips that show a 16 sec. E.T.....yet. I just finished the car, barely got the rings seated before Bakersfield. Just changed the oil after the event from Breakin to real oil.

[David Lee]

Originally Posted by Cglrcng

No author here, except for ny racing Novel's here. Dark Brown 83 Dodge Omni w/ that carbed low HP VW or Mitsubishi I think 87 HP engine, weighs in at like 2223 pounds or so I think he said his minimum was. Check down near the bottom of the Bakersfield Famoso Div. 7 Double held at the beginning of October, and Phoenix. early in the Spring of 23'. He just ran 16.95 then 16.85 on Thursday, then a 16.95 in our Class race (my ET w/ the win was 17.204). He has been racing that car in Div. 7 and mainly West Coast National events since the 1990's. I have raced him in Class races back in the mid to late 90's in GF/S and mine was a GF/SA, he is now in EF/S as am I, same Index (same 500 lb plus wt difference). Friends w/ a slow roller rivalry. (Only I sat out 26 yrs.). The prior last class race together was The Atco Phoenix Nationals in Feb. 1997, he got to the finish line an inch before me...not this time.

are you running the stock transmission?

[Cglrcng]

Originally Posted by David Lee

are you running the stock transmission?

Yes and no, the same stock OEM A413 Auto Transaxle that came with the car from the factory yes, w/ some major gearing changes internally, side case gears, 1st and 2nd, some valve body changes (still forward patterned, but the D.C. Valve Body shift kit / plate, along w/ some custom drilling, gov. wk, etc. that I performed in 1994). And the 20" tall M.T./E.T. Slicks X 6" on the heavy 14" Stock Alum. wheels further helps improve lower gearing, and it still has the un-equal length half shafts it came with stock (though I do have a broken equal length set someone gave me in 1995...carrier bearing is loose/out plus 1 cross on the right axle has 2 damaged caps & boots), that I have yet to repair or install., (I have only broken 1 short axle ever, and did the repair myself along w/ rebooting), and A custom built in 1994 Turbo Action Converter (needs loosening up a lot to use that other cam I talked about earlier, along w/ a manual brake conv.). I will be freshening it this Winter season while the converter gets reworked, since it has to be dropped out. (it still has the 1984 factory bands and clutches in it).

[David Lee]

Originally Posted by Cglrcng

Yes and no, the same stock OEM A413 Auto Transaxle that came with the car from the factory yes, w/ some major gearing changes internally, side case gears, 1st and 2nd, some valve body changes (still forward patterned, but the D.C. Valve Body shift kit / plate, along w/ some custom drilling, gov. wk, etc. that I performed in 1994). And the 20" tall M.T./E.T. Slicks X 6" on the heavy 14" Stock Alum. wheels further helps improve lower gearing, and it still has the un-equal length half shafts it came with stock (though I do have a broken equal length set someone gave me in 1995...carrier bearing is loose/out plus 1 cross on the right axle has 2 damaged caps & boots), that I have yet to repair or install., (I have only broken 1 short axle ever, and did the repair myself along w/ rebooting), and A custom built in 1994 Turbo Action Converter (needs loosening up a lot to use that other cam I talked about earlier, along w/ a manual brake conv.). I will be freshening it this Winter season while the converter gets reworked, since it has to be dropped out. (it still has the 1984 factory bands and clutches in it).

if i remember right getting gears for that transmission is amost impossible these days. is that true

[Cglrcng]

Yes if looking in salvage yards, but there are direct ways to find the gears that are hidden away by some that love the vehicles, and have parts rat holed away, if you know where to look, and today almost any gear can be cut if the right person you know has a mill, and you have deep pockets. The service manuals the dealers used list all the gears made, and installed in different year cars and vans..

I now own a set of those service manuals, and the info is nearly priceless if running a manual or auto for the 80's or 90's efi/carbed Mopar's to get the lowest gearing for the combo's.

[Cglrcng]

I won't go round by round but just back from the last LODRS Div 7 race, found out in the lanes during Q2 that there has been an issue w/ the new shifter cable I had installed just back in April 23', (I am now sure it happened in the Lanes during the Test and Tune evening of Sept 8th when the plastic lockout lever on the stock shifter T-handle broke internally locking the shifter and the transaxle in Park, many together attempted to help Rock The Car (because I originally thought it was transaxle related, when in reality it was locked in park at the shifter), and I was almost at the same exact spot in the lanes this last Friday morning lined up for Q2, and as everyone in front of me was pulling forward, sure enough as I went from Neutral to drive the cable let go of the grommet at the shifter and went freewheeling no longer even connected within and below the stock shifter console. Ohhhhh, Nooooo!

There I was again just 2 months later almost to the day, waving all those behind me to go around please (a few nice gentlemen offered after our lanes were empty and I had missed Q2 completely to help push the car back and beyond on the other side of the staging lanes barrier (a hearty THANK YOU ALL!!! to those very kind people, and then of course I called my great friends The Irving's (both John and Jon), and they came with pit vehicle and a tow rope, and towed my 2,845 lb slow sled back to their pit, where I had a brand new spare cable amongst all the hundreds of lbs. I take to the track within that packed hatchback, and a couple of hrs. later it was not only fixed correctly, but it was ready to run under index the following morning in Q3 (and it did).

The Indicator is now out (removed completely), as is the old shifter stick boot slide, so I may just look down now and see within the console and not only monitor the condition of that cable end, but reach it with fingers and or tools for the short period of time left before I receive the backordered aftermarket B& M ratchet shifter and the Tunnel Mount shifter stand I ordered last month (due to arrive this week).

The repair cable was smooth and straight...and shifts like a dream now. I cannot believe how badly the other 1 was bent up (see the 2 pics below).

The car from Q3 on was working like a dream, still short shifting it a lot 1-2, and a bit 2-3 (and still under once that repair was done)...The Q1 1-2 shift flat did not happen properly (now known why, but at the time hidden & unseen below the console so the first pass did not have a minus in front of it for the first time in 3 events, I was on the Q-sheet, but below where I needed to be....I would rather screw up 2 Q passes than 1 or more Elim. runs! (As long as the issues I find are fixed! And the overall car combo is improved).

Lots of changes/improves still to go this Winter off season.

Thank You GTX John Irving and The NV Missle Jon Irving...Without you guys and your deep hearts and compassion, friendship, and your never ending hospitality, we would never be this far along, in this mission of the 2nd chance in life return to class racing at this point My Brothers!

Our gratitude is endless, but thank you's can never be said enough times.

To the Emmon's Family of brothers and a few others, I had not seen in ages, have missed for so long, and have had a precious few minutes to visit with this week after almost 3 decades...It was fun to visit and allow me to invade your space, Gary, you found out exactly how stubborn this old man really is...You have been the only one that actually asked me "How I could possibly keep that car and not sell it for a quarter of a century?"

My answer was truthful...No mechanical entity is going to beat me, not a desktop or laptop computer (I am a 30 yr. IT Tech), and certainly not a vehicle, unless I get it fixed, or fix it myself...it will not go to another human being for their use, and this car will eventually be used by some younger person in the future than I.

But, it will go to them only after It is performing the best I can get it to do so. And it was plenty of time to educate myself to solve the issues that dinosaur of a rudimentary computerized one off oddball class car. It is getting there, slowly....A decade plus of Mentoring High School Robotics Teams (via the F.I.R.S.T. ROBOTICS PROGRAM), from 2011 (when our youngest of 3 sons was a High School Freshman), forward to the present day actually taught this old dog a few new tricks (by being surrounded by every imaginable Type of Engineer, Master Machinist, Mechanic, Teacher, Professor, Marketer, you name it by the bushel basket full at team shops, Meets, and Events all over the country (and those were Engineers from all over the WORLD, from NASA to what seemed like beyond The Moon to Mars and back), all very open to any decent human or mechanical discussion, but especially those not robot related, each more than willing to have dinner and talk race cars instead...I learned EVERY PROBLEM HAS A SOLUTION, you just must think "outside the box"...or build a new box...or reshape the box, and never be afraid to fail and try, try, try again, and again.

[Cglrcng]

Research avenues have increased highly since 1995, just mouse clicks and taps away there is boundless knowledge at your fingertips, technology has skyrocketed over the years, and solutions are endless today that did not even exist then...It was the perfect time to restart the never forgotten project parked just 14 feet away from where I sit and work in my own garage.

Is it an Oddball Stock Elim. Car....Why yes it certainly is, and I like that it is, and yes, as an older gentleman w/ ownership of a high dollar Alcohol Car Operation who actually took the time recently at Famoso asked me "So..., when I see a unique class car running in Stock or Super Stock, I am sure to always visit w/ the owner or driver and ask, as there usually is the same type of answer in common across the board"... "Is there a family link w/ that car? Has it been in the family since it was new?" (Yes, and I was with my late Mother the day she picked it up in Feb. 1995 from the dealership I told him). "And, I am sure there is an interesting back story involved too?!"...(There is, and he took the time to ask, and he certainly got the full story in parts and pieces over the next few days), and almost every time I ran, I would look up and he left his big dollar car operation after I left for a lane call, and he walked all the way down to the stands by the tower to watch that slow oddball car. It made me smile.

Ohhhh, and at least when the car was stuck this time in the lanes....It was not stuck in Park, it was in Neutral! (a whole lot easier to just push off w/ friendly help...)....and so thankful it was not on the track, or worse yet right in front of the water box where I pull around and back up. Always look at the bright side.


New, but Not straight anymore.

New and straight again.

Stuck with heroes coming to tow me back and I cannot thank the Irving's enough...again!



That is not FOG.

[David Lee]

Originally Posted by Cglrcng

Research avenues have increased highly since 1995, just mouse clicks and taps away there is boundless knowledge at your fingertips, technology has skyrocketed over the years, and solutions are endless today that did not even exist then...It was the perfect time to restart the never forgotten project parked just 14 feet away from where I sit and work in my own garage.

Is it an Oddball Stock Elim. Car....Why yes it certainly is, and I like that it is, and yes, as an older gentleman w/ ownership of a high dollar Alcohol Car Operation who actually took the time recently at Famoso asked me "So..., when I see a unique class car running in Stock or Super Stock, I am sure to always visit w/ the owner or driver and ask, as there usually is the same type of answer in common across the board"... "Is there a family link w/ that car? Has it been in the family since it was new?" (Yes, and I was with my late Mother the day she picked it up in Feb. 1995 from the dealership I told him). "And, I am sure there is an interesting back story involved too?!"...(There is, and he took the time to ask, and he certainly got the full story in parts and pieces over the next few days), and almost every time I ran, I would look up and he left his big dollar car operation after I left for a lane call, and he walked all the way down to the stands by the tower to watch that slow oddball car. It made me smile.

Ohhhh, and at least when the car was stuck this time in the lanes....It was not stuck in Park, it was in Neutral! (a whole lot easier to just push off w/ friendly help...)....and so thankful it was not on the track, or worse yet right in front of the water box where I pull around and back up. Always look at the bright side.


Attachment 68962 New, but Not straight anymore.

Attachment 68963 New and straight again.

Attachment 68964 Stuck with heroes coming to tow me back and I cannot thank the Irving's enough...again!



Attachment 68965 That is not FOG.

I am going to report you for having too much fun!!!