Re: 180 hp Caddy Motor
 

Duh,the mph doesn't go with the et.

Ed F.

Re: 180 hp Caddy Motor
 

Well, when you have a basic engine like the Olds 350 that has been flogged for YEARS by racers, you (as an NHRA Tech) should be able to look at the factored HP it has accrued over the years, to see what the potential of that engine might be, minus the 4bbl, better compression ratio, and better intake manifold that is absent on the Caddy F.I. version.

Then, you'd have a little better idea of its potential than just "buying" the factory rating to begin with.

NHRA sure didn't waste any time adding horsepower to the "NASCAR Hemi" before ANYBODY ever put one on the strip. They're usually not shy about that sort of thing.

As far as waiting for the AHFS to take care of the problem, sometimes, you're in for a L-O-N-G WAIT...

I still think they could do a better job in cases like this. Do they live in a cave???

Re: 180 hp Caddy Motor
 

Not enough of them have been run over the 40 years to make the index/HP factor get in line with other combos that have been run to death. This is nothing new. The same thing has been going on since the inception of Class Racing. In the old days Guys, as one example Ralph Truppi, Searched the classification guides for the combos that could be the next killer combo. You know what I mean, Killer. Have an advantage that was Perceived or real. I've been told it was like a past time to him, spent many hours reading & searching. At that time it was up to Farmer & his HP committies to stay ahead of the game & keep the HP factors in line. In the old days you could just get a hit "Because" or It looks too soft. Now it is up to the AHFS & the data put in it by real runs. It's all the same game. We Just have computers involved in it now & the human element is deminished. They help in gathering & keeping data. They also provide us with the internet where we can keep track of & complain (or talk) about everything. When this soft Olds/Caddy combo is hammered down the players will move on to something else. I can assure you the guys that are good at this are already looking at the next killer combo. To make that point, a little bird named Bob told me about the Caddy combo @ Ennis almost 3 years ago. So now we can all sit in the shade & let these un adjusted combos bask in the sunlight of glory while we wait for the next one or two to come along. This cycle will continue untill class racing comes to an end.

Oops, This is Adger posting on Bob's sign in....

Re: 180 hp Caddy Motor
 

And there are others just like it out there if you care to dig and aren't too proud to race the body they came in and the class they fall in. Jack Mullins offered to tell me a combination 25 years ago that would be a number one qualifier. But it was an R/SA and I had too much ego to race a car that slow and an automatic to boot. "You pays your money and you makes your choice." Incidentally, that combination is still there and nobody has ever built one that I know of.

Re: 180 hp Caddy Motor
 

Still waiting for an answer............................................ .................................................. ...........

Ed F.

Re: 180 hp Caddy Motor
 

You are correct in a way, however, the way the speed is measured from the ET is done with separate photo cells. This is an excerpt from the NHRA Website section called:"Drag Racing 101 - Drag Racing Made Easy":

"Two Separate performances are monitored for each run: elapsed time and speed. Upon leaving the staging beams, each vehicle activates an elapsed-time clock, which is stopped when that vehicle reaches the finish line. The start-to-finish clocking is the vehicle's elapsed time (e.t.), which serves to measure performance. Speed is measured in a 66-foot "speed trap" that ends at the finish line. Each lane is timed independently."

Since you can scrub MPH at the last moment; the E.T. and the weight of the car at the scales after the pass, should be the real indicator. There are many out there that are running way more than the class minimum; therefore, when they get hit with horsepower, all they do is remove weight to stay at the top.

Re: 180 hp Caddy Motor
 

Thank you. You got ahead of me.That was the next phase.Those two parameters would begin flags waving.But I guess Nat'l tech has other things to do.

Ed F.

Re: 180 hp Caddy Motor
 

Yeah, Ed, they're busy checking the "telltale" needles on the NHRA-supplied BOOST gauges on the many turbocharged cars... That takes, oh... 30 seconds, or so... LOL!

Could NOT resist.... sorry. (I don't know when I'm well-off...) :(

Re: 180 hp Caddy Motor
 

ED,
You posted:
Duh,the mph doesn't go with the et.

Isn't it true that a car that slips off the starting line will have a low ET & high MPH?
Could it be some racers make or buy more hp than their set up will handle?
Or are they running throttle stops? :~)

Re: 180 hp Caddy Motor
 

Adger;
The MPH discreptancy is more that the effect of tire spin.Watch A,B,C cars get alot of air and if it's known
it's a fast day look at the mph.Over bloated weigh ins is another reason.You must be having a senior moment,name me a car in S/SS using a throttle stop.Can't argue about the money part though.There are some guys with more money than brains.

Ed