MSD 7530 Series Digital 7 Programmable Ignition

A good friend was kind enough to let me use his 7530 Series 7AL Digital Ignition for a couple of races in September (See the chassis tuning article under suspension modifications).

The cool thing about this ignition system is that it is easy to install and if you happen to be using the MSD 8517 Pro Billet Distributor along with 8261 HVCII coil all of the wiring connections are a snap.

Once installed the unit allows for infinite programming of the ignition to accommodate all types of track conditions as well as the ability to program out some of the deficiencies of your chassis via ignition tuning. The ability to save different tune-ups to separate files is also a great benefit. For example if you end up at a track with marginal traction, in 25 seconds you can download your pre-saved tune-up which kills some of the power at launch. From this baseline program and a couple of passes it is possible to adjust the launch retard and duration until you get the most power into the track without spinning.

This unit will also tell you how efficient your chassis is at getting all of the power into the track. If you leave all of the launch retard out at the hit and the car hooks, your 60’ times are consistent and your eighth mile ET’s are consistent with your power level (see chart on this site) you know that your chassis is extremely efficient at converting the available power into forward motion.

If the converse is true meaning you have to retard the launch timing for a long duration then there is more work to be done on the chassis to take advantage of the available power. You are wasting time and money finding more horsepower via engine modifications until you can get all of the power into the track. Chassis modifications are cheap by comparison to engine modifications.

Learning to program the digital 7 can be daunting at first glance so I am including a few simple tips to get you started. You can read the .PDF file on the MSD website (53 pages) for more advanced functions. Once you hook up the digital 7 to your laptop, it will confirm the correct software version, download the current program from the MSD to the computer and open the editor for making changes. Her are the steps for obtaining the latest version of the software and programming your digital 7:

1) Navigate to MSD’s home page at http://www.msdignition.com/ , hit the software radio button and download MSD PRO DATA SOFTWARE.

2) This is 12MB file that takes a bit to download.

3) Install the software and open up on your computer.

4) Open Graphview 3.19

5) Go to the file tab and select open then select your product model number (i.e. 7530)

6) For starters select one of the preinstalled programs (i.e. 7530v01.ign)

7) The editor will open and you will see a gear retard curve, gauges file, data editor file, etc. Where do you start?

8) Select the data editor box or you can press the view button in the upper left hand corner and place a check next to the tree. Here is what it all looks like:



9) Work your way down the tree and set your various rev limiters. This unit is so versatile you can set your burnout rev limit, max rev limit, launch rev limit – basically a two step as a starting point.

10) Decide on where you will set your distributor timing based on atmospheric conditions, tune-up etc. NOTE: with these ignition systems you can only retard timing you cannot advance timing beyond the initial setting.

11) Next move to the timing retard section and select your start retard – for fixed timing distributors this retards the timing at start-up to minimize the chance for a backfire – a good starting point is to retard the start-up timing to 20 degrees. This retard only lasts until the car is started then you go to full timing.

12) Next set your launch retard. A good starting point here is DEG 0 and RAMP 0 for your first pass. If the car spins put in 2-4 degrees for about .5 seconds and make another pass. Keep taking timing out until tire spin goes away.

13) You can also retard timing in each gear plus build custom timing curves based throughout the entire rpm band depending on what you are trying to accomplish – this is where you will need to read up on all of the features in the http://www.msdignition.com/instructions/graphviewdemo.pdf file for advanced functions.

14) Once you are done inputting all of your changes you can save the file to your computer and or download directly to the 7 al unit by hitting the transfer button.

15) Again there are several options here to confirm your changes have been received This unit does self diagnostic checks plus builds in safety features to make sure if a file is corrupted you don’t destroy your engine.

The previous set-up in my car was a 6AL box. Although a great inexpensive ignition I am now hooked on the programmable 7AL unit.

Hopefully this write-up will help you get started. Good Luck!

Helpful Chart for Chassis Tuning

This is very useful guideline if you are trying to determine what your 60' time should be based on your 660' ET.

Again thanks to Dave Morgan of Door Slammers fame for this information sheet.

Chassis and Tuning Tips For Maximum Efficiency

Suspension Maintenance & Tuning Tips
For Maximum Efficiency
by
Tom Rix

EFFICIENCY: When changing the suspension or driveline components, what you are looking for is the LEAST amount of power to move the car the quickest!

AT HOME PREPARATION:

• Get car race ready: Tire pressure, shock settings, air bags, anti-roll bar, etc.
• Bounce car on all 4 corners. Listen and/or feel for any bind.
• Inspect all suspension components; including factory welds.
• Inspect tires, front & back. Rotate rear tires every race! Preserve the sidewalls.
• Measure the distance from the floor to the center of each fender wheel well and write it down. This is your baseline setting for future reference. “VERY IMPORTANT!” Any changes you make to the car will affect this!

THE TOW:

• Inflate rear tires to 25-30#. The tow is harder on the slicks if under inflated relative to actual racing tire pressure! Or you can tow with street tires and put the slicks on at the track.
• Inflate rear air bags to 20-25#.
• If using adjustable shock absorbers set them firmer for the tow. If a longer tow to the track consider changing at least the rear shocks to a firm street set.
• If you have a temperature gun, measure how hot the shocks get after a long tow! If the fluid gets too hot, 180 degrees +, it will lose its viscosity and effectiveness.
• Use 4 tie down straps; 2 at each end and criss-cross.
• Put the car as forward as possible on the trailer so it is supported by the trailer and tow vehicle suspensions.
• If it is too far back, consider additional measures to secure the car’s suspension.

AT THE TRACK:

• Return the car to race ready condition.
• Bounce on all 4 corners. Listen and/or feel for any bind.
(A simple trick once your car is “working” properly is to shut the car off on the return road after a pass and just coast. You will learn to identify the “normal” noises your suspension, transmission and rear end make while moving. Again, this gives you a baseline for future reference. I do this at least once every race day!)
• Measure the distance from the ground to the center of each fender wheel well and compare to your baseline settings.
• Mark white stripes on your front and rear tire sidewalls. This will be easy to see tire movement if you have someone watching or even better, video taping your run.

BURNOUT:

Pull through to the edge of the water box. Heat tires
enough to match the track temperature for maximum adhesion.
Remember the tires will “cool” a little from burnout to launch.
NO DRY HOPS!

STAGE:

Be consistent in your “spot”. I just barely turn on the
second yellow so I have consistent comparisons from run to
run.

Assuming all suspension pieces and tires are correct for your car
then proceed as follows:


STEP 1:

Make a pass. If the car violently wheel stands or bounces in
the gear change, adjust the front shocks first. If there is rear tire
shake, wheel hop, or excessive body separation, adjust the rear
shocks first.

STEP 2:

Adjusting front shocks. The goal here is to obtain a smooth
transition in the front end movement from the launch through
the first gear change. You want to eliminate all jerking and
bouncing movements.

Too loose a shock setting for extension can be diagnosed at the initial launch by a violent chassis separation and the front wheels jerking off the ground. During the gear change, loose shock settings for the extension and compression cause the car to bounce off its front travel limiter, fall down on the suspension and bounce back up again.

Too tight a shock setting for extension will keep the tires from easily lifting off the ground. During a gear change, a stiff shock in compression will cause the chassis to bounce off the tire when the chassis settles down.

To tune the shock, adjust the settings a little for each launch
until you have a smooth transition from launch through the gear
change. Watch your E.T. – if the time gets slower, back off the
shock adjustment a little bit.

STEP 3:

Rear shock adjustment. The goal is to shock the tire as hard
as track conditions will permit. Shocks control how large a force is put on the tire. Too loose a shock in extension causes excessive separation between the tire and body. Too tight a shock in extension or compression will cause high tire shock loads and cause extreme flattening of the tire. To tune the shocks, tighten the adjustment a little per pass.
Again, watch your E.T., then back off the adjustment a little bit.

KEEP RECORDS:


Write down all track and weather conditions, chassis settings,
tire pressure, engine oil and water temperature, and transmission temperature if available. Include carb jetting, timing, transmission shift points, EGT’s orO2 sensor data if available.

On your time slip not only compare 60’,330,660’,1000’ and 1320’, ET and MPH from one run to another, but more importantly compare the difference between these incrementals: i.e. – subtract 60’ time from the 330’ time so you know how long it took between those points.

If you pick up .04 in ET, you need to understand at what point(s) on the track you improved. I pay attention more to the 330’ time when making comparisons from one track to another as 60’ clocks can vary. If racing/testing at the same track, then 60’ is more meaningful. Almost all chassis changes will show up in the first 330’.

HAVE FUN!!!


OTHER TIRE TIPS:


Remember that your 2 rear tires act like an extra “set” of shock
absorbers. Tune with them also. According to Dave Morgan,
most sportsman/bracket cars run with too little air!

Learn to read the pattern on your tires. You are looking for a slight
“grainy” pattern straight across the entire tread.

If you video tape your launch pay close attention to the sidewall of
slick. As you watch the car launch from the driver’s side you
want the “wrinkles” to be from the 9 o’clock position down to
6 o’clock position or slightly past on the tire! This is what
works best for me.

The white stripe on the front tire tells you if you “dead hooked”
(pulled front tires straight up out of the beams) or drove
forward as the car hooked. See how fast the white stripe
rotates in the air to gauge this.

Tire screws, if you use them, make sure they are indexed from side to
side. Absolutely critical!

Check tire circumference with a tape. They need to be within a ¼ “of
each other

Rotate frequently!


I would like to acknowledge Dave Morgan for his Chassis Seminars, Books and Videos. Many of the concepts discussed here come directly from his literature and classes as applied to my race car operation.

I would also like to acknowledge Chris Alston Chassis Works especially regarding shock absorber concepts. http://www.cachassisworks.com/

1970 Buick Stocker Suspension Data

Below are links to my YouTube postings in which I spent the past week trying to make my 3700 lb stocker hook up a 9" radial tire on a marginal track.

The first video was taken 9-13-2008 at Spokane County Motorsports Park (SCMP) in Spokane Washington. A little word about this track before we get started. This is an old AHRA facility in which very little care and almost no upgrades have been done in at least 25 years. It has an asphalt launch pad, grooves in the pavement and is in pretty bad shape.

The county recently purchased the facility and a great group of volunteers - Spokane Pro Gas Racing Association - has been leasing the track and putting on Saturday racing events throughout the month of September. They have been seeing between 200-300 cars show/day for each event. These guys are doing an excellent job with what they have to work with.

Pure nuts and bolts - very little VHT, the burnout box and launch area look like a topographic map of the Rocky Mountains and the last time the rubber was scraped was probably sometime in the 1970's. My goal was to make my 1970 Buick GS 455 Stocker hook on a 9" radial tire at this track, something I had thus far been unable to do the past three seasons.

My thinking was that if you can hook in Spokane, Wa you can hook anywhere in the country.

Please also note the timing system currently in use at SCMP has a correction factor built in that is supposed to correct the runs to sea level - the guy that used to own the facility had a very favorable factor indeed - big numbers on the scoreboard kept the fans coming! So please do not take the run data and try to compare to your track. The data below is only good for SCMP and run to run comparisons at this track only.

Both sets of runs were performed in the same lane 1 week apart.

The first video is a run in which I had a very stiff rear set of springs in the car K= 780 lb/in, antiroll bar, double adjustable shocks up front and single adjustables in the rear. Good Year 9" drag radials on the rear. Front rebound and rear shocks set to "0", Launch RPM on the two step at 2500. SPIN, SPIN, SPIN.

9-13-2008

60ft - 1.8629
1/8th - 7.4262 @ 96.95
1/4 - 11.50 @119.37

Made three other runs that day - the best 60' I had was 1.733 and ran 11.44 @ 109.71 on the brakes in an elimination round.

Air was about 4000 ft
Timing set at 32 deg
Lauch Retard set at 12 degrees for 1 second to kill the launch

Sorry boys no incrementals - timing system doesn't have them!





Set-up for this run was stock soft springs K= 110 lb/in springs in the rear-end. No air in the air bags and anti-roll bar. Hoosier 9x30x15 9" radials. Rear quarters at 27" and fronts at 26". All shock settings set to zero and front end travel limiters set to lowest setting possible - 6" total front end travel. (This set-up was as loose as a goose!)

9-20-2008

60ft - 1.6121
1/8th - 7.14 @ 97.38
1/4 - 11.209 @ 120.3

Made 6 other runs that day - the best 60' I had was 1.5951 and ran 11.195 @ 109.79 again hard on the brakes at 1000' in an elimination round.

Air was about 4000 ft
Timing set at 32 deg
Launch Retard set at 12 degrees for 1 second to kill the launch

Bracket Racing 102 - "The Dial In"

Dialing in your car to win again falls more into the realm of art than science. Requiring only a few simple tools - cheap weather station, a notebook, a pencil and a simple handheld ET predictor (optional) - you will be able to predict what your car should run based on weather conditions. Predicting your car's ET and actually dialing your car for an elimination run are two different things.

The art of the dial-in is having an idea of what your car should run and dialing your car in slightly slower than this number to compensate for errors and changing weather or track conditions. Some folks call this "sandbagging" as conventional wisdom holds that we dial our car .01 to .02 seconds faster than our best guess of "exactly" what our car might run to avoid breaking out. Unfortunately, this conventional wisdom is a losing strategy and here is why:

1) You can never 100% predict exactly what your car will run no matter how many gadgets you buy to help you do so.

2) You have just handed your opponent a .01 to .02 second cushion the minute you dial your car in too fast. Many bracket races are won or lost by thousandths of a second.

3) Should the air density, windspeed or any other weather related factor change more or less than your last calculation you could be either fast or slow and not know exactly what your car will run. Weather shifts can be extreme during night time eliminations thus causing inconsistency.

4) The guy that beats you every week-end at your local track has figured out what you are doing and knows that you have not given yourself multiple options to win the race should you be slightly late at the tree, misjudged the weather, did not get a great burn-out, etc. Further he knows that if he monkeys around during his burnout and staging he can make your engine take on more heat further increasing his advantage. Bracket racing is more like playing Texas hold-em than racing. Dialing in the car is the first step towards mastering the game.

Dialing your car in slower than the predicted ET will require you to develop your skill at judging your car's position relative to your competitor as well as the finish line or "STRIPE"!

THE ULTIMATE GOAL: Get to the finish line first without breaking out but not taking the stripe by too much!

Deciding how much slower to dial your car than the predicted ET is up to you and your skill at judging your position relative to your opponent at the big end of track in relation to the finish line.

Every Stock and Superstock racer out ther stripe races. The third week-end in September I took my Buick stocker to the local track for some testing and raced in the pro ET category. Due to an extremely old timing system and very crappy track prep, it was almost impossible to consistently predict my cars ET. I stipe raced my way into the final six cars out of 50 total and lost fourth round in a double break-out race losing by .01. 3 out of the 4 cars I raced were delay box equipped!

It works try it for yourself!

Bracket Racing 101 - "The Basics"

Bracket racing is a game of both skill and art! "The Basics" is the first of series of bracket racing articles designed to convey knowledge on both the skill and art of bracket racing.

The skill is in being able to predict your cars performance at any time and at any race track regardless of weather and track conditions and consistently performing the burnout, staging, launch and shifting.

The "art", much like the game of poker, relies on your ability to always keep your opponent guessing and having the presence of mind to make the necessary adjustments during a race to improve your chances of winning.

Developing Basic Skills

The very first step in developing your skill starts with a trip to the racetrack with the goal being to gather information about you and your car. At this point all that is required is a notebook and a pencil.

Recommended Steps Day 1

1) If this is your first time at the track my advice is to sign-up for time only runs to practice getting your skills down without the distraction and pressure of competition.

2)Spend some time at the starting and watch a few cars perform their burnouts, stage and launch to get the idea of the basic technique.

3) Pay close attention to where they stop the car in the burnout box and the approximate amount of time they spend heating the tires - simply count 1-1000, 2-1000, 3-1000 etc.

4) If you are running street tires drive around the water box. Dry-hop the car to get the gravel and dirt off the tread but stay out of the water. The tread on a street tire picks-up water deep in the grooves that ends up dripping onto the racing surface when you are staging the car. As soon as the rear tires hit the wet surface your rear wheels spin and you lose consistency.

5) Once you have the basic idea of what you are supposed to do head to the staging lanes to make your first pass. You will be as nervous as a dime store hooker at Sunday mass on your first pass so don't expect too much. Just follow these few basic steps:

a) Pull into the burnout box, set the lineloc or foot brake

b) Put the car in low gear and nail the throttle. Once the wheels begin to spin and the car again comes up on rpm shift into second gear.

c) At the top of your count 1-1000, 2-1000, 3-1000 etc., let off the foot brake or lineloc and carry your burnout up to about 10-15 feet from the starting line by feathering the throttle. The idea is burn a clean path up to the launch area to make sure there is no water, gravel etc under the rear tires.


6) You are now ready to stage the car. There are two staging beams that correspond to the two sets of staging lights on the Christmas tree. The idea here is that once the first beam is tripped and you see the top set of stage bulbs gently ease the car forward until youtrip the second beam so that the bulbs flicker just before coming on.

7)Bring the car up on rpm until it just starts to pull while holding the foot brake. Make a mental note of the rpm.

8) When you see the third yellow bulb, release the foot brake and mash the throttle at the same time. If you wait until you see the green light you will be late. It is necessary to anticipate the green light.

9) Make your run and pick-up your time slip. Once you get back to the pits record all of the information from your time slip into your notebook. For example: launch rpm, reaction time, 60', 330', 660', 1000' and 1320' E.T.

10) Make between 3-5 passes before making any adjustments or changing anything. The idea is to get to know your car. See if you can arrive at some sort of consistency before trying to improve or change things.

11) Compare the data in your notebook between the runs paying particular attention to reaction time and 60' time. We want to see very consistent 60' times to make sure the rear tires are not spinning. If the 60' times are erratic this is the first thing you will need to fix.

12) If the 60' times are consistent then you can start working on tuning your car for reaction time. See the article in this site entitled " A Simple Idea to Help You Win More Drag Races".

13) Once you have mastered the basics of launching your car and tuning for reaction time proceed to "Bracket Racing 102 - The Dial In"

Holley Carburetor Facts

This info is from Tom Vaught courtesy of www.performanceyears.com :

Some Useful Holley Carburetor Facts:

1)Why the Holley Hex Nut above the float bowl has 6 sides (vs say 8 sides)
2)What the actual float moves vs the tip of the needle (away from the seat)
3)Why the fuel level rises in the bowl, (above the Holley Calibration Level), when a higher fuel pressure (vs the Holley fuel pressure spec of 6 psi) is used
4)Why the fuel level rises in the bowl, (above the Holley Calibration Level), when a larger needle and seat is used (vs the Holley .110 needle and seat)
5)Why “Float Drop” is important
6)Why Floats collapse after a Carburetor Fire.
7)What the “Standard” Brass Float should weight vs what the Black Nitrophyl Float
8)Adding Weight to a Black Float
9)Lean Acceleration caused by an improper float level setting
10)Why Bowl Vent Clearance is important
11) “Sight Plugs” Why they are different Front Bowl to Rear Bowl and why some people have carburetor problems when swapping out Holley Bowls for aftermarket fuel bowls
12) How to use a Primary Float Bowl on the Secondary side of a Holley carburetor
13) Float Bowl Screws can be different
14)Never use “Hot Rod” needles and seats parts vs the “Holley Design” needles and seats
15) Differences between Holley needles and seats
16) Viton tipped needles and seats vs steel needles and seats

1) Why the Holley Hex Nut above the the Float Bowl has 6 sides (vs say 8 sides):
The thread used on the needle and seat that screws into the top of the float bowl is a 3/8-32
thread. There are 32 threads per inch cut on the needle and seat where it goes into the bowl.
One full turn of the Hex Nut will move the needle and seat 1.00” divided by 32 or .03125”
or for easy math about .030” upward or downward.

2) What the actual float moves vs the tip of the needle (away from the seat): The float has a 6 to 1 multiplication ratio so you turn the needle and seat hex nut one full turn downward, the float movement will be .03126 X 6 or .1875” lower in the float bowl and the average fuel level in the bowl will be for easy math .180” lower. Two “Flats on the Hex nut works out to about a 1/16” of fuel level change in the float bowl. If you keep accurate records of your float level position you can track the air/fuel ratio change (with an accurate air/fuel meter and get the fuel bowl fuel level vs the mail well fuel level dialed right in for your intake manifold/ carburetor/ engine installation angle dialed right in for best fuel control.


3) Why the fuel level rises in the bowl, (above the Holley Calibration Level), when a higher
fuel pressure (vs the Holley fuel pressure spec of 6 psi) is used:
When the needle and seat (.110” size) is used with a factory float bowl and at the Holley fuel pressure calibration point (6 psi), the average float level height will be close to the “design fuel level” in the bowl and and the carburetor will will meter fuel properly. In some of the old Holley Books they used to show an external gage mounted on the fuel bowl to check fuel level before the “Sight Plug” type bowls were designed. If you add extra fuel pressure to the fuel line going to the bowl the needle and seat will have a higher pressure acting on the tip of the needle and seat. A small change here in force acting on the tip of the needle vs a fixed float buoyancyforce X a 6 to 1 float ratio mentioned above means that the FUEL LEVEL IN THE BOWL WILL RISE TO A NEW AVERAGE LEVEL WITH INCREASED FUEL PRESSURE.

4) Why the fuel level rises in the bowl, (above the Holley Calibration Level), when a larger needle and seat is used (vs the Holley .110 needle and seat).
In the previous paragraph 3), the fuel level went up because the pressure on the float was higher due to the fuel pressure. The other way the level can go up is by using a larger area needle and seat which also imparts more force against the float, (raising the average fuel level.
A Holley 6-504 part Number is Holley's standard .110” Viton Needle and seat assembly
A 6-505 needle and seat will flow about 170-180 lbs of fuel per hour at 7 psi (depending on the
specific gravity of the fuel used). 175 x 2 = 350 lbs of fuel per hour. About 630 horsepower if
assuming a .55 lbs/horsepower/hr. Using the larger needles and seats naturally will move more
fuel BUT flue level changes in the bowl will have to be monitored for each combination vs
expected air/fuel ratio and drivability.

5) Why “Float Drop” is important:
If you have the wrong float drop, the float can “hang” against the needle as it rides on the “hump” on the float level. There are two needle and seat lower needle dimensions. One needle has a 2 cm lower diameter and the other one has a 4 cm diameter. Naturally the 4 cm diameter needle and seat will not “hang” as easily as the “footprint” (diameter) is twice as large. If the float “hangs” you will have open flow into the bowl with no fuel control and flooding, fuel coming out of the vents, and potential “hydra-locking” of the engine. As second issue with the wrong float settings is that the fuel level in the bowl could be too low and uncover the power valve on acceleration. Special power Valves can help eliminate this issue.

6) Why Floats collapse after a Carburetor Fire:
If you have a carburetor backfire, and the carburetor is burning inside the venturis, the main-body gets hot quickly. This heat transfers to the air in the carburetor heating it and the also to the parts around the air. The brass floats have air inside of them when they were made. The air in the float gets hot, expands, and trying to get out of the float. Many times there are very small places where the air can escape but fuel cannot get into the floats. As soon as the engine is restarted, the cold fuel enters the bowl, the float is still hot. The float cools rapidly vs the lost air inside the float. Because the air pressure outside is now higher vs the inside of the float the float collapses (just like it would under boost). Now you have a big problem. The black Nitrophyl floats do not suffer this problem therefore as we know are a better component to use in a boosted carburetor. At least now you can explain to your buddy why his float looks like Chit when he was not running any boost through the carb, LOL!

7) What the “Standard” Brass Float should weight vs what the Black Nitrophyl Float weighs
A Brass float weighs around 15 grams. (An average paper clip weighs 3 grams). The black nitrophyl float weighs about 11 grams. When you cut notches in the black float to allow for jet extensions, (or if you buy a black float with the notches already there), you should check the weight of the float on a gram scale to see if it is close to the right factory weight. You never know how much epoxy the guy used sealing the float, how deep he made the cuts, etc. Some floats for the road race guys and NASCAR guys are heavily modified. If the float is too light, (less than 11 grams stock, or if you want to make the float the same weight as the brass float you can add extra lead shot to get up to the brass float weight of 15 grams.

Cool Adding weight to a black float:
You drill a hole in the black float, add the weight, do a trial measurement on the gram scale, and when you are close you add the light coating of epoxy to seal the whole deal up. I am not a big fan of the making the black float weight the same as the brass float as the black float dimensions are different vs the brass float. The brass float has a longer arm therefore more force on the needle and seat vs the float weight.

9) Lean Acceleration caused by an improper float level setting:
As was mentioned in 5), if the float level drops too low, the “head” that the fuel has to overcome in the main-well gets higher and the engine calibration goes lean. If the fuel level is too high, the “head” that the fuel has to overcome in the main-well, will be much less and the engine runs rich. There is a “sweet spot” that was designed into the carburetor fuel calibration over many years of testing vs the parts used and random “experimenting” will typically cause issues over time. High pressure boosting is adding another level of knowledge to this carburetor database of proper settings.

10) Why Bowl Vent Clearance is important:
The vent whistle at the top of the metering block was added to prevent fuel slosh out of the carburetor bowl vents. A Rivet typically holes it in place. There may be a slight leakage around the vent but typically it is there for fuel control in the bowl. Trimming the vent is commonly done. You do not want the fuel to slam against the back wall of the carburetor under acceleration, climb the back wall, hit the roof of the bowl, move forward, and then enter the vent whistle. A whistle about 1.25' long typically works well. I trim the opening with an exacto knife to allow more area through the vent whistle too.


11) “Sight Plugs” Why they are different Front Bowl to Rear Bowl and why some people have
carburetor problems when swapping out Holley Bowls for after-market fuel bowls:
Few Holley bowls today do not have a “Sight Plug” but the location of the sight plug can be in several different locations. Primary bowls will always have a higher sight plug location vs the secondary bowl location. The number varies all over the map. The average bowl difference will be around .220” difference with some going over .300” difference. Why is this important? Because the sight plug location sets where the “bottom of the threads” location is that everyone sets their fuel level to. As said earlier, you do not want to screw up the Holley Fuel Level Calibration Setting Point if you can help it.

12) “How to use a Primary Float Bowl on the Secondary side of a Holley carburetor:
IF you put a Primary bowl on the secondary side of a carburetor you can typically set the fuel level to the bottom of the threads deal and the LOWER the fuel level 4 FLATS.

13) Float Bowl Screws can be different:
A stock Holley Metering Block type bowl screw is 63mm long from the metal surface the screw gasket seals against to the end of the screw threads. About 2.48” long. The Metering Plate Holley screw is about 48mm long, about 1.89” long. You will notice that neither of the screws is the standard 2” long or 2.5” long hardware store bolts. At one time there were some screws out there that looked the same as the Holley typical parts but they were VERY CLOSE to the 2” and 2.5” length dimensions. You use one of these screws in your carb you are almost guaranteed that you will strip a thread in the main-body as the screw will bottom in the casting, have no where to go, and any additional tightening will pull threads.

14) Never use “Hot Rod” needles and seats parts vs the “Holley Design” needles and seats:
Above in line 13 we had a screw length issues that could cause problems. In this line we have a needle and seat thread issue that needs to be addressed. Holley needles and seats ARE as mentioned above a 3/8-32 thread. Some of the “hot rod” old style needles and seats were a bastard thread then therefore would strip out the threads in the float bowl after installation in the bowl. USE ONLY HOLLEY DESIGN TYPE PARTS.

15) Differences between Holley needles and seats:
Holley used a few needle and seat designs over the years. Initially Holley had steel needles and later offered Viton tipped needles for many applications. Holley offered several orifice sizes, with the .110” needle and seat being the most common. Holley also changed the feed strategy to the needle. The old units used drilled holes in the upper and lower chambers (typically 4 holes). The later generation parts used a “Picture Window” rectangular shaped entry hole for more flow to the carburetor bowls. Today we have the stock type needles and seats and also “Bottom Feed” type racing needles and seats.

16) Viton tipped needles and seats vs steel needles and seats:
Last but not least Viton Tipped needles and seats vs steel needles and seats. The Viton stuff seals very well unless you get metal chips stuck in the viton tip. A steel needle and seat will typically allow the trash if small enough to pass through the needle and seat to the bowl. Steel needles and seats are used on higher performance applications when using exotic fuel blends as the viton tip parts are designed for normal pump fuels and some racing fuels. Most alcohol carbs will use a steel needle and seat for two reasons: Increased orifice diameter required where the viton part is not offered and durability from the corrosive fuel. The increased fuel orifice diameter requirement can be corrected bu the dual needle and seat strategy but the corrosive fuel issue is still there.

Tom Vaught (Former Holley Employee in the 70s.)

Lose 6 Lbs - 1970 Stage1 GS Diet Recipe #3

This is just a quick hit!

East Coast Auto Electric Part Number 2025 - ULTRAMINI Single Wire Alternator is 6 lbs lighter than a production alternator. Unit is slightly larger than a coffee cup.

Cost is a bit hefty at around $250.

The only downside is that you must charge your battery between rounds especially if you are running electric fan, water pump, etc. as this unit only puts out about 55-60amps.

East Coast is excellent to deal with and their products are excellent. The unit I replaced with the Ultramini ended up on my street car and is approximately 10 years old and still working perfectly.

Performance Building Buick Q-Jets

Click on each page of this post to enlarge and print out!

Spark Plug Cross Reference Guide

Courtesy Of Chris Uratchko of Uratchko Racing Engines and Steve Schlater

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Plug Reading For Power

The following is from a piece posted by Tom Rix on www.V8Buick.com 8/15/2006.

This is an article one of the SS racers shared. It's food for thought and I can attest that "most" people run the car too rich for max power! I use this religiously with good quality race gas in my cars. Also do not store race gas in your gas tank, it only "lasts" a matter of hours when vented. Don't mix brands either!

Plugs are best viewed with 10x power illumintated magnifying glass.

Heat range= Ground Strap: the ground strap indicates the heat range of the sparkplug. If the color of the groundstrap "changes" too close to the ground strap's end (which is above the center of the electrode) then the heat range is "too cold", meaning that the strap is losing heat too quickly to the base ring, and is not able to burn off deposits until near its end.

If the "color" of the strap changes near where it attaches to the base ring (last threaded ring), then it means that the plug range is "too hot" because heat is not transfered/cooled from the strap to the base ring quickly enough!! The strap might begin to act like a "glow plug", eventually causing preignition or detonation.

Proper heat range is when the "color" is at the halfway point on the strap, neither too hot or too cold.

(Color = meaning the evidence of heat/or lack of heat by the appearance of dark vs. lightened color of metal)

Jetting= the air/fuel mixture ratio : Shows up on the base ring (last threaded ring that has ground strap welded to it). You want a full turn of light-soot color on the base ring!! If you want to tune for max power, then you you want 3/4 to 7/8ths of a full turn of light soot color to turn up on the base ring. This is on the ragged edge of too lean but makes max power!

If the base ring has a full-turn of color, but there are "spots" of heavy build-up of "dry-soot" on top of color, then jetting is too rich.

Note: If the base ring has a full turn of color with some spots of heavy dry-soot, then jetting is too rich, REGARDLESS, if porcelin may be "BONE-WHITE", jetting is TOO RICH!!! Do not look at the porcelin to read jetting!!!

Porcelin=preignition/detonation: the porcelin will not accurately reveal jetting/airfuel ratios. To look for the first signs of detonation, search the white porcelin for tiny black specs or shiny specks of aluminum that have fused to the porcelin.

When detonation occurs, part of the air fuel mixture explodes instead of burning, the explosion heard as a "metallic knock". This audible knock is the result of a shock wave, this shock wave travels back and forth across the clearance volume "disrupting" the cooler boundary layer gases that cover the entire area, this disruptionallows more "heat" to be transferred into parts especially piston domes!! TROUBLE! with early signs of detonation, the shock wave will also rattle rings causing the tiny black specs. One step beyond the black specs will be tiny specs of aluminum coming off the piston tops. Then the porcelin cracks and etc.

center electrode = the very thin sharply defined porcelin ditch that encircles the center electrode will also show early signs of preignition, detonation or wrong heat range. look for signs of the ditch being filled with melted porcelin, you need a 10X magnifying glass.

The "ground strap" = heat range
The "plug's base ring" = jetting
The "porcelin" = signs of preignition/detonation

Thanks to Meaux Racing-maxRace Software

Tom Rix
Top Stock Buick 5433

A Simple Idea To Help You Win More Drag Races

Most drag racers will agree that races are won and lost at the starting line. In reality "most drag races are won and lost due to inconsistency at the starting line". Here is a simple idea that will improve your consistency at the line:

Tune your car for the reaction time!

In order to due this requires a philosophy shift in launching your drag car:

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CHANGE YOUR NATURAL TENDANCIES. ACCEPT THESE NATURAL TENDANCIES AS GIVEN AND MANIPULATE THE PHYSICAL WORLD AROUND YOU TO WORK WITH YOUR NATURAL TENDANCIES.

Here is a simple example:

Go to this website http://getyourwebsitehere.com/jswb/rttest01.html and follow the instructions for the reaction time tester. When you test your reaction time make sure you are relaxed and just press the button when you see the green light. After about 1 or 2 times through the simulation you will notice that your reaction times are pretty consistent.

So if we consistently react to the green light in this example or the light(s) on a drag racing x-mas tree then the idea is to accept our "natural reaction time tendency" and make changes to the car to make it either react quicker or slower.

Applying this basic philosophy with a little practice will take you from “trying to cut a good light” to “tuning your car to cut a good light”! You will be amazed at how accurately you can predict your reaction time!

In the old days before LED lights were prevalent on the drag racing Christmas trees it was actually possible to judge the bottom bulb on a tree based on it just turning on, full bright or just going out. The problem is that the driver was constantly adjusting their reaction time consistency would be all over the map. With the advent of the LED tree it is no longer possible to judge the bulbs on the tree – the bulb is either on or off!

Here is the recommended process for tuning your car for reaction time:

1) Pick-up a cheap lined notebook and make three columns on the page – Front Tire Pressure, Launch RPM and reaction time.

2) If you are running a bracket class with a staggered tree, strategically place a piece of tape on your windshield such that only the bottom bulb of your side of the tree is visible when you are staring at the tree. If you are running a pro-tree class and there are no blinders, position the tape so that only your side of the tree is visible. (Note: as of 2008 NHRA does not allow this practice)

3) Set your front tire pressure to the medium value recommended by the manufacturer and make sure to record the actual tire pressure just before going up to the line.

4) Perform your burnout and stage the car such that the bottom bulb on the tree just flickers on. (This means your car is as far back as possible in the staging beams with both sets of bulbs being lit)

5) Bring your car up on rpm in preparation for the launch. It is imperative to know the exact rpm at which the car launches. This can be accomplished via a two step, a replay tachometer, throttle-stop or any other creative method you can think up.

6) Now using the tape on the windshield, align you line of sight such that the only thing you can see is the third yellow bulb or the three yellow bulbs if using a pro-tree.

7) When you see the first flash of yellow let off the foot brake or transbrake button! From this point on this is all you are ever going to do at the tree - no more judging bulbs – when you see the yellow light you go!

8) Once you complete the run record the reaction time, the front tire pressure and the launch rpm and compare your reaction time number to a perfect light which is typically .500 seconds for a staggered tree and .400 seconds for a pro-tree.

9) Let’s assume your reaction time is .540 on a staggered tree. On the next run increase your front tire pressure by 5lbs. This will decrease your rollout distance and improve your reaction time.

10) Follow steps 1) – 8) again. If you still find your reaction time too slow, you can add more air pressure to the front tires {within manufacturers limits} or increase the launch rpm by 50-100 rpm increments until you reach the desired reaction time.

11) The same is true only in reverse if you are too close to red or red lighting consistently. Decrease front tire pressure and decrease launch rpm until the desired reaction time is reached.

12) NOTE: Reaction time in the .510 - .520 or .410-.420 on pro tree range will win you a lot of drag races. It is recommended that you tune for reaction times in this range. Also note: once night falls you will be seeing the lights sooner so you will have to adjust your tire pressure and launch rpm to compensate for the changes.

13) After you play with this a few times you will be surprised at how well you get to know your car and how well you can actually tune your car for reaction time.

14) Some higher powered cars will not be affected as much by tire pressure and launch rpm changes. Many of these cars usually have adjustable shocks or preload adjusters on the upper front control arms. Utilize suspension adjustments to slow or speed up the reaction time of the car.

Here are some additional tips and information critical to success at the drag strip:

1) Getting the Hook: A car that will not hook consistently has no chance of winning consistently. All discussions regarding reaction time tuning rely on a consistently hooking drag car. If you car does not hook refocus 100% of all of your energy and resources in resolving the suspension and chassis issues preventing this from happening. Your car needs to be able to hook at the worst of tracks under all circumstances before reaction time tuning can even be attempted.

2) Reading the track: After the track prep and before the racing starts, go down to the finish line and find out where the best groove is located. Avoid a line with bare concrete patches and missing rubber if possible. If not possible try to find a line with the most consistent rubber contact area.

3) Reading your body: Your body at a drag race is a calorie burning machine thanks to repeated blows of adrenaline coursing through your veins. Keeping your blood sugar consistent is as important as your car set-up. Take a personal inventory – are you feeling level, hyper or sluggish? Eating consistently throughout the day is very important in maintaining consistency at the tree. Each time you pull up to the tree your body needs to be consistent – neither hyper nor sluggish.

If you are feeling a little sluggish eat a small piece of candy or candy bar – this will speed your system up a little to get you to level. If you are hyper eat a hot dog or half a hamburger to slow things down a little. You will be surprised at how critical controlling your energy level is to winning races.

4) You must relax: You absolutely need to find a way to relax at the line whether during time trials or eliminations. Just as controlling your blood sugar is important controlling huge blows of adrenaline created by mental stress or excitement are equally important. The idea is not to react slower or faster to the tree - just consistently!

The difference between pro and amateur athletes is the pros are always cool under pressure. Some say they are more relaxed on the field or the court than on the street. You will need to learn some relaxation techniques to become an iceman at the tree. There are a million+ techniques for helping you to relax checkout the web and find one that works for you!

Lose 18 Lbs - 1970 Stage1 GS Diet Recipe #2

Another key area to lose some front-end weight over stock without major modifications is to replace the front drum brake set-up with front drag racing disk brake set-up. My car originally came with factory aluminum front drum brakes. Although the weight difference over after market disks (18 Lbs) is not great the ability to hold the car in the lights and getting it stopped is well worth the dollar spent. Actually I considered the disks cheap insurance.

I decided to go with a Wilwood set-up although any of the other manufacturer's parts would probably work just fine. Here is the parts list and some additional info not included in the disk brake conversion instructions:

1) Contact AutoFab Race Cars, 7443 Washington Blvd., Elkridge, MD 21075, Phone:410-796-8777, Fax 410-796-2006 and order the following part numbers:

140-2285-B - HD Front Kit 62-72 Camero/Chevelle - $651.99
160-7097/8 vented and cross drilled rotor upgrade - $90.00
260-8555 High Volume Tandem M/C Line - $189.99
260-8419 Prop Valve Know adjust Included with 260-8555
Wilwood Brake Fluid - $14.98 (this is for two bottles)

2) Contact Muscle Cars Only and order 1 pair of P/N KT69275 these are brand new spindles that require "0" modifications with the Wilwood Kit. Delivered the spindles cost - $143.50

(You may be tempted to use your stock drum brakes spindles but I do not recommend it as they will need to be modified by a competent machinist to work with the Wilwood kit plus they are already 35+ years old. My recommendations is to start with brand new units that allow you to bolt everything up right out of the box)

3) The last tidbit of information is that you will need to learn how to safety wire bolts. This was not disclosed when I bought the Wilwood kit. The lightweight Wilwood spindles are machined from aluminum utilizing aluminum threads to attach the rotors. Wilwood does not recommend using locktite on any bolts and specifies safety wiring.

4) You can order a killer safety wire kit from Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co., 225 Airport Circle, Corona,CA 92878-4000, Ph:877-477-7823. P/N 12-16650 Model 200 Safety Wire Kit. Kit comes with large and small safety wire pliers plus three different roles of safety wire included. Price was $91.71 for the kit including freight. Seems pricey but I have used this kit for other components on my drag car plus other toys.

The total bill for the disk brake conversion with everything discussed here plus freight = $1212.17 and everything is brand new.

Total unsprung weight savings over stock spindles, front aluminum drums, backing plates, etc = 18lbs

From a performance standpoint the car no longer pushes out of the lights when footbraked against the converter. On the big end when mashing on brake pedal you do not feel that knot in your stomach wondering if your car is going to stop especially at speeds of 120mph and greater. There is no noticeable fade and the car stops perfectly straight.

Lose 34 Lbs - 1970 Stage1 GS Diet Recipe #1

In the pursuit reducing the front-end weight of my 1970 D/SA Stage1 GS I started with cooling system. The stock set-up made use of a factory four row radiator with internal tranmission cooler - although the tranmission cooler was blocked off.

In stock eliminator aluminum radiators are not legal in the earlier muscle cars so a little creativity is in order to reduce the front end weight.

Here are the steps that would make Jenny Craig herself proud:

1) Weigh your car prior to making any modfications - I recommend also recording the weights at all four corners if possible.
2) Drain the entire cooling system.
3) Call "Cool Craft Components", 4423 District Boulevard, Vernon, CA, 90058 and order PN 005330 68-71 GM,&BUICK X-FLO 283/8" - 11/2 SD1 1/2 SPXP12.
4) Make sure that when you order this unit you make sure and tell them to build without the internal transmission cooler. (You could also find a 2-row stock style from a 4-spd 350 car but they are hard, usually worn out and not built with todays technology)
5) Install the new radiator and refill the cooling system with fresh juice.
6) Scale the car again.
7) My car was 34 lbs lighter due to the new radiator being lighter weight and the reduced coolant volume in the cooling system.
8) At the race track I did not notice any cooling probelms whatsoever and speculate the larger more efficient design is probably as good as the ancient stock radiator.
9) Note: I do run a Mezziere electric water pump and electric fan in the car.

455 Buick Rear Main Seal

I found this to be an interesting post from David Powell on the http://www.v8buick.com/ website. I have had exactly the same issue with Ford seal on three of my engines and will soon be going back to the Cadillac version.

Dave Writes:

Remove and inspect the neoprene seal. If the fit isn't correct, they burn up immediately. Once burned, they wouldn't leak too bad at idle, but go out and mash the gas and oil would be coming out of the torque converter inspection cover drain hole when I got back. All it took was for the oil to be forced up against the back of the crankcase during acceleration.I kept burning up those Ford seals that are supposedly a drop in, no matter how well I polished the crank, and no matter what I did to prelube the seal. The Ford seal just hasn't fit well at all in the last two big blocks I assembled. So I went back to the file fit Cadillac 472-500 seal like I always used to use, and have no leaking whatsoever, not even a film of oil. This is on three engines that I have in use currently. And I'm doing a short block with one right now. Won't even waste time trying the Ford seal anymore. For me, the Ford seal was riding the crank with way too much pressure and they came out with the seal lip burnt to a crisp.The Cadillac seal comes a tiny bit big, which allows you to fit it to your block's exact dimensions. That groove was made for a rope seal, so I don't believe that accuracy was a big concern. I leave .010" protrude on all four corners. This loads it hard into the block so that it will not spin, yet leaves just the right amount of pressure on the crank. There is no drop in rear main seal for the Buick 400-455 in my opinion.

David Powell76 LeSabre 2dr 455 13.17@10276 LeSabre 4dr ht 455 14.50@9376 LeSabre 4dr ht 350 -for sale67 Riviera 430 13.96@97 -for sale83 Regal 455 incomplete85 WH1 T-Regal70 Skylark 350 daily ride96 9C1 Caprice69 Camaro 327 4spd78 Monza 32778 K5 Blazer 38377 GM 3/4 Ton 45489 Cutlass (new salt car)etc