Quote:
Originally Posted by Marty Knox
Robert, I don't know how much time and money I will invest in the Grand Am. I was frustrated not getting my V/Stock El Camino on the track for Stanton, so I bought the GA a week before. I was thinking Stanton had a test and tune Weds night, but they didn't. My only pass, Saturday at the points meet, the low coolant light came on just as they called me to stage. Instead of being smart and shutting down, I made the pass anyway. Missed the tree by quite a bit, ran a 19.1 and puked antifreeze on the track - far from a stellar performance! To top it off I flunked gas and was 15 lbs light. I was able to get gas to check okay and put enough stuff back in to scale 25 lbs over, but couldn't get the cooling system light to go out, so I never qualified.
Now my wife says to put plates on it and use it as a beater.
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Marty,
I can give you some perspective on this based on my own experience. Your index, E/FS is 17.45 (1/4 mile). You went 19.1, your 1.65 off the index. My first pass with my Achieva was 11.8 (1/8 mile). My index was 9.85, I was 1.95 off. Now nothing really major was done to the car, other than hacking off the exhaust, putting in fresh coil packs and plugs, I did add a set of drag radials and stiffened the rear springs. I've only had the car on a 1/4 mile track once, it went 16.88@80mph, on a 15.90 index, .98 off (1 second). In the 1/8, it has gone 10.69@66mph, .84 off.
Yes, I'm a ton off. The car has improved. You just have to approach it from a Stock Class mentality. These slow cars will react to things you do to them. You have to search for time in places other than the engine. One thing I did was have the car weighed. To make the class minimum, I need to weigh 3020lbs. With a half tanki of gas and me in it, it weighed 3080lbs. That was after I put it on a diet. I've removed a few more things, estimate I've reduced the weight another 25lbs or so. Anything you remove, you weigh. Of course anything you put back, you factor that back in, too.
BTW, the "add coolant lite" comes on on my Achieva too. I have a temp gage on mine, it doesn't get that hot. It will run 180-190 degrees. I keep water in it, don't really get excited about it. As well, these cars are more sensitive to weather than a car with HP. On a real warm, muggy day, my Achieva will slow down 2-3 tenths. I think you could shove it off a cliff and it wouldn't hit the ground.
Another point to ponder. How much blood, sweat and tears (time & money) you want to invest in a combo. I probably have $14-1500 wrapped up in mine to this point. It has diverted a small amount of funds away from other cars. I often kid my partner, "this one runs"! I can occasionally take it to the track. Sometimes a car just isn't worth messing with. If YOU don't think the car can run, the best time to move on is before you have a lot invested in a project.
My car, with what little has been done to it, so far. Has been a pleasant surprise. Thus far every prediction I've made, ends up being wrong, the car reponds. Wherever it lands after this last slew of changes is where it will be. After these changes, I will need to decide if I want to do serious work to the car.
If your other car is what's most important to you. I would concentrate on finishing it. You could do as your wife says, make it a daily driver/beater. Or use as a bracket car to let off some steam from time to time. The local track a few miles from my house, those guys hated it when we brought the Achieva out. I can't cut a decent lite at all but they hated it worse, chasing the little ba$^@rd down.