What a cool MG! I'm glad I caught your update since I didn't see your car before. Good luck with your goal to run 9's.
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What a cool MG! I'm glad I caught your update since I didn't see your car before. Good luck with your goal to run 9's.
Thanks Mark!
You try and save a dollar here and there where you can eh? then something comes along and bites you in the behind :)
I had a great day today as my Fathers day present from my Son. I wasnt expecting to go racing again until July. My Son was working at Santapod Yesterday at a lifestyle event for scooters and bikes. But in the whole day only about 15 bikers signed on to race. I was at Silverstone race track dispalying the car for an MG gig. My Son called to tell me that the track was dead. While I was on the phone to him I got him to talk to one of the managers who knows me and she said bring the MG over. So this morning we hauled the old girl over and had the track to ourselves?? Santapod Raceway with only 1 car signed on, and that was me :) So we had a real easy day with no hassles about trying to do work on the car in between queueing to race. Only about 5 bikes signed on and half a dozen junior drags. Long story short... I got 3 shakedown runs in of 10.9 - 10.6 and 10.4 seconds. Then we reactivated the old nitrous system and tickled a 100 shot into the old Rover V8 on the contoller with a soft setting of 50hp off the line and the other 50hp over 1.5 seconds. I have fitted the Dominator carb which means my old throttle micro switch didnt fit. So I hauled the nitrous purge button out of the panel and we hooked it up on a fly lead so I could hold it in my left hand as well as holding the B&M shifter. I got in stage and launched. As I left the line I pushed the button and she lit up really well on just a 100 shot ?? As the nitrous hit the car went up on 3 wheels and I had to correct the steering with one hand, but I let the button go and could see the front of the car drop for a second until I realised what had happened. So I shifted to 2nd and pushed the button again. This time I kept the button firmly pressed right to the end of the track. I reeled in an easy 10.23 with a fluffed launch :) Old PB was 10.29 so its not a big improvement. But I'm still down on boost by 3psi and nitrous by a 50 shot and the engine sounded like it was just being taken for a sunday drive? So I'm happy with today as it means I have a baseline for my next day out where I'm going to keep the power where it is but next time I'll have a proper throttle switch fitted and I'm going to haul the gear shift rpm up by at least 1000rpm as the cam and solid lifter setup i have means I should be pushing harder into the high rpm range. This will also allow me to get more boost as the blower is built to make 16psi at 6000rpm. Then I'll be on track to have a crack at the 9.99 second timing ticket :)
To end the day I got home to presents from the 3 other kids and a lovely raost dinner. Now I'm just trying to figure out how to download the vids and pics from today from my new video camera. When I do i'll post up some links.
Regards to all
Perry
Wow, that drive sounds exciting to say the lest, what an awesome opportunity to have Santapod almost to yourself to have a play. You will get that baby into the 9's so soon you will be asking yourself, well........ wonder if the 8's can be had.....;)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Whiplash23T
8's???
I can only dream of that I think. The car is 2500lbs and still runs a stock back axle from 1975. Its welded but does have copy shafts made by Moser.
My old TH350 has been hammered since 2006 and is in need of a freshen up I think?
I do keep the internal and external filters clean and regulary drop the oil to check it. I aslo have a trans temp gauge and a cooler fan fitted to a remote oil cooler.
A 9.99 would be my real goal. Could I shave another whole second off my ET with this build? That would be a big ask from the old girl I think. Hell! if I can run a 10.00 that would be awsome...
regards
Perry
But Perry, it is the addiction for speed that is the hurdle and as the saying goes , it is only money and I can't take it with you when you go , so lets play. Oh wait , I am single and I forgot that you may have a hand brake called a wife.......LOL ........ so I will take it all back so she doesn't hit me over the head with her umbrella.....
AHA!!
My friends wife got a vid on her phone....
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v...type=2&theater
Brilliant! Love the accents!!! Thanx for sharing!
It's as if the "B" was always intended to be "MG Blown"
Hahaha!Quote:
Originally Posted by 34_40
That reminded me...the last time we were in the States a woman said to us: "Ay jes' lurve yer aksence!"
She Who Must Be Obeyed and I looked at each other. . . "Do you have an accent?"
"No . . . neither do you!"
Turned back to the woman and said: "Neither of us have an accent . . . you do!"
:LOL: :LOL:
But I do agree with the sentiment; thanks for sharing Perry . . . bloody gorgeous!
Handbrake !!
Thats funny Mark :)
Luckily my good lady supports everything I do with the car. The only thing she stays away from is the track. Mainly because the last 2 times she came I blew the engine on the first pass :) But we are going to break that taboo this season. She will be coming for a few hours on 7th July to see the show. She will be with some girlfriends so they can stop in for lunch and a look see them move off again to go shopping or something?
The real handbrake is still having 3 of my 4 grown up kids at home with partners who live in most of the time. But they do make excellent free pit bitches for when I need them. Next week I'll leave instructions on a list so when I get home from work on Friday night the MG will be fully prepped and on the trailer waiting for me to hook up. All I do is stop for fuel on the way to the track... Then when we get there I let them unload for me while I catch up with race buddies.
I like this way of going racing as I'm getting older. :)
Hey Perry, now you are teasing us......... we want photo's of your pit girls please..... pretty please....... do they rear a lack of clothing like Jungle Jim's back up girl did ????:HMMM:
Aha!!
I figured out my new cam and got some real time vids uploaded to facetube :)
First shakedown pass of the day. No gas / 11psi boost / soft launch - YouTube
Nitrous dropped out and then back on again ! - YouTube
Perry stephenson New PB june 2013 - YouTube
Thanks for sharing the videos! That was cool to watch. Maybe you need a taller bugcatcher? ROFL......
Quote:
Originally Posted by 34_40
Ha Ha!!
I really do need to work on shortening the adaptors I made and bought for the Dominator huh? :)
Nah, the air is colder the higher one goes, that would be my excuse and I would keep to it...LOL..
Thanks for having a sense of humor! I was curious how much wind resistance you encounter with that TOWER?:eek::LOL::3dSMILE:**):rolleyes::HMMM::)Quote:
Originally Posted by pel
Cool videos and nice times
Thanks for the support guys!
I took the car out today to test the new engine tune and she did me proud :)
I ran a new PB and then backed it up in a good way..
No point in rambling. Here are the vids
Regards to all
Perry
Perry Stephenson MGB new PB 29th june 2013 - YouTube
Perry Stephenson New PB 29 june 2013 back up pass - YouTube
WOW! Talk about consistency, and on a PB run at that!! Congratulations, Perry! Nicely done! Nicely done indeed!!Quote:
Originally Posted by pel
Thanks Roger!
I'm so happy tonight.
Its 11.35pm here and I'm still buzzing :)
I'm going to leave the tune as it is now for next weekend so my Son can run the car while I work on our friends Methanol Slingshot at the track on Saturday when i hope to run the slingshot myself. Then on Sunday I will be running the MGB myself at the Retro Cars Show at Santapod where i hope to run some more good numbers. I never dreamed that I would back up a new PB with identical numbers? :LOL:
Some nice passes Perry, Consistency is the name of the game!!!!
Congrats on great times, getting under 10 seconds is quite the achievement. That's one nice MG you've built!
Thankyou Steve.
All the little tweaks over the last several years have finally come together. :)
WooHoo!! 9.96 and you did it! Congrats!! And thanks for sharing your accomplishments with us too.... are you're feet back on solid ground yet? rofl..
Well done and congratulations Perry on all accounts, PB and a great build. Now I will freely admit here that I have never been really into drag racing my car as I am a bit afraid of all the things that can go wrong when one starts pushing a car you lovely build to the extreme limits but watching your videos has me thinking I would like to try that now. I watched how you get the car away cleanly and straight and think , maybe I am a big sulk , and I'm see to much into it.
Hey Mark!
I hear that so many time from my MGB buddies. But eventually I get them to have a go after a good talking to.
A lot of folk are worried that there car isnt going to be quick, and most of the time they arent, but they are consistent which is why I pair up similar MGB's for racing. This way we have some good heads up fun on the track and I cheer my buddies on as they race. We often bet for a round of coffee's from the site cafe.
A lot of the guys have realised that its no different than going out for a cruise on a Sunday afternoon and not being able to resist that quiet stretch of road where they can gun it flat out for a short while. Maybe 20 seconds max, but thats all you need for a run on the 1/4 mile.
I do give them lots of tips about how to stage the car and launch it. The most important one being "just do it how you do it on the road" Dont go giving it huge rpm and then dump the clutch? Just get it rolling and then pile on the power. The first few times most of them stall it off the line and always miss a gear on track because they are trying to do something different from how they nomally gun the car on the road. Thers no need for big smoky burnouts on your road tyres, just drive around the water patch to keep the tyres dry and get to the line for a run. :)
I've done bracket racing in my tow truck and have done very well because the thing is consistent.
You should try bracket racing. Its such a lot of fun even with a 20 second car. But its not as easy as it looks because you have to hone your driving skill to be very consistent and not quick. Thats the art of bracket racing. I won the final on my first bracket race event with my 19 second truck against an 11 second sprint car?
When I first started I just went with a bunch of friends and we stuck together to race and had great fun.
You should give it a try one day Mark..
Hey Mark!
I hear that so many time from my MGB buddies. But eventually I get them to have a go after a good talking to.
A lot of folk are worried that there car isnt going to be quick, and most of the time they arent, but they are consistent which is why I pair up similar MGB's for racing. This way we have some good heads up fun on the track and I cheer my buddies on as they race. We often bet for a round of coffee's from the site cafe.
A lot of the guys have realised that its no different than going out for a cruise on a Sunday afternoon and not being able to resist that quiet stretch of road where they can gun it flat out for a short while. Maybe 20 seconds max, but thats all you need for a run on the 1/4 mile.
I do give them lots of tips about how to stage the car and launch it. The most important one being "just do it how you do it on the road" Dont go giving it huge rpm and then dump the clutch? Just get it rolling and then pile on the power. The first few times most of them stall it off the line and always miss a gear on track because they are trying to do something different from how they nomally gun the car on the road. Thers no need for big smoky burnouts on your road tyres, just drive around the water patch to keep the tyres dry and get to the line for a run. :)
I've done bracket racing in my tow truck and have done very well because the thing is consistent.
You should try bracket racing. Its such a lot of fun even with a 20 second car. But its not as easy as it looks because you have to hone your driving skill to be very consistent and not quick. Thats the art of bracket racing. I won the final on my first bracket race event with my 19 second truck against an 11 second sprint car?
When I first started I just went with a bunch of friends and we stuck together to race and had great fun.
You should give it a try one day Mark..
Thanks Perry and yes, drag strip time is on my " bucket list " in the bucket and yes, the burn out etc was one of the major hurdles in my head but you have given me some good advice thanks. I honestly don't know how quick the T would be and it is something that I will try. I run aTH400 trans with a normal converter so would you recommend manual shifting the thing or just leave it in say 2nd and give it death ? Yes, I told you that I'm a dumb used to be blond gone grey person .:HMMM::rolleyes:;):o
That is one bada$$ MG, Perry.
I'm a Triumph man myself. Owned several TR4-4As and a TR7 that I dropped a Buick V6 in.
However, I have owned a couple MGBs over the years. Had a neighbor, who grew up in the UK, who regaled me with stories about his former MG. He said it would run on almost anything. After running out of petrol in the countryside he once sat on the fender pouring lighter fluid directly into the carburetor while his buddy drove them 5 miles to a station. They were afraid that if they pour it in the tank, the lighter fluid would dissolve the rubber gas lines.
Gotta love British ingenuity...
It gets better :)
9.81 @ 138mph
Perry Stephenson New PB for the MGB at Retro Show 2013 Santa Pod - YouTube
And you're camera crew is improving also! Hee Hee Hee.... That's an awesome ride you have there!
Wow way to go! your really improving your times!
I had a word with my camera crew tonight (Son in law) and told him to keep the camera rolling for at least 5 seconds after the finish or to wait until the other guy had crossed the line. I'm going to buy pole for him to make sure he rests it on the ground to stop his shaky stuff :)
Last weekend was a real blast. We did a few shakedown runs at 10.0 and then 9.90 and then 9.95 @138mph.
I was happy with the slight PB of 9.95 @ 138mph but my Son told me that we still had another hour to go and the pairing lane was empty. I refused to move until I had a cup of tea and a sit down with my buddies. So my Son prepped the car and showed me the timing tickets. My 60 foot times were slow at 1.6's. So I increased the nitrous start power from 30hp to 50hp and reduced the ramp time from 1.8 seconds to 1.2 seconds. I was thinking that if the track was still ok that this should surely get me the 9.89 that I wanted. As I drove back to my pit area my friends were waiting, and as I saw them clapping me i guessed I had done ok. But when they told me I had run a 9.81 I fell out of the car :)
This means that there may be a 9.7 on the cards by the end of the year ??
The camera crew has improved 100% over that first video! LOL..Quote:
Originally Posted by pel
So now it's 9.7's "we're" chasing??? HAH!! Seems like only yesterday a 9.99 was the goal.. it's like an addiction isn't it!?!?! ROFLMAO..
Quote:
Originally Posted by 34_40
Its funny how we can get addicted to spending hours and hours tinkering and adjusting to see if we can make our cars go just a few 100th's of a second quicker isnt it ?
With a 9.81 under my belt I feel that a 9.79 should be doable!
Possibly just by a change in the weather on the next day out? Or maybe just adding a few more hp to the launch settings from the nos controller? We are only talking 2/100ths of a second here!! That could even be had from a day when there is no head wind at Santapod.
My race buddies and I have been talking about what the car has been doing for the last two years. And what it has done since I rolled out the new engine several weeks ago. Suggestions have been flowing along with beer and BBQ. And the conclusion is that for 2014 we may be able to squeeze a 9.5 out of the car.
This will involve fitting some fibreglass doors and tailgate + lexan windows to drop about 60lbs off the car. Fitting solid engine mounts and fitting stronger rear springs + maybe a home made Caltrac style anti tramp setup. Remove the exhausts and fit 2" Zoomies straight up from the hood either side of the blower. And fit Lambda bungs on each Zoomie so i can swap the probes around for more data logging.
Find some skinny front wheels or have some narrowed to fit proper front tyres as I'm above the speed rating for the ones I have fitted at the moment.. The list of suggestions gets longer each day.
But for the time being I'm happy to leave it just as it its so i can have some fun this summer. I will only make adjustments to the nitrous contoller to see if I can get better 60 foot times. If these adjustments improve things I'll be very happy. if they dont, I'll spend the rest of this season still running 9's and being very happy.
Then as winter draws in i will look at the wish list and see what I can afford :) I'm thinking the weight saving mods should be first. And my friends also suggest that i could help by reducing my bulk down from the 230lbs i weigh now. That means Beer and BBQ to be replaced by mineral water and salads. Yeah right !! :)
I'm thinking too far ahead now eh?
I should be concentrating on next weekend for the Dragstalgia event. Its a fantastic weekend out where I get to do RWYB at a proper race event featuring some cool cars running in competition.
Santa Pod Raceway - Dragstalgia
2 things jumped out at me in you're reply.. first is you're passion, the list became quite extensive and yet we were only discussing a couple'a hundreths of a second....
Second was your dedication to Beer and Bar-B-Que! :eek::eek: For that I salute you!:LOL: Glad to hear you've got you're priorities squared away! **):LOL::3dSMILE:
Ha Ha!!Quote:
Originally Posted by 34_40
You got me there my friend... Who can resist a hot day / evening in the garden or the pits with an ice cold Corona (with slice of lime stuck in the neck) and fat rare steak or home made burger from the BBQ. Followed by a JD and Coke with ice to wash it down as we chill in the (very rare) UK summer warmth :)
My Wife does of course make sure that I have a bowl of chopped salad to go with it which I quite like sprinkled with Thai Sweet Chilli sauce :) But she aint there in the pits when we race so i just substitute the salad for shallow fried potato slices.
You should see the BBQ stuff we do in the pits at Retro weekend. 25 of us rock up for the weekend and we all bring our cooking gear. Saturday night when racing is done we sit a 20" TV on top of my mates minivan and set up the chairs cinema style to watch Urban Hillbilly drag race DVD's from the USA. All you can hear in the dark hours is us cheering and shouting as we watch the mayhem :)
Normally after 20 mins or so we have another 20-30 folk gathered round to join in the outdoor cinema as they have heard the noise and seen the glow from the TV. We just invite them in and let them help themselves to the cool boxes if they havent brought there own drinks.
The racing is fantastic at these events. But the social side in the evening makes it all worthwhile as we join in with the fun and frolics that ensues. Last saturday we had a bunch of folk watching the TV and another bunch in my marquee listening to music and dancing under my battery powered mirror ball display :)
Sadly fireworks and chinese lanterns are banned at Santapod for obvious safety reasons.
So we use the mirror ball to light up the roof of the marquee as a beacon to the fun zone...
The important thing is that we enjoy our racing and the social gathering. We dont take oursleves too seriously. We all help each other out where we can and we share spares and parts as needed. We all pitch in to work on each others cars during the event.... But when we get to the Tree, all friendships end for about 10 seconds or so :)
Thats why I like Drag Racing !!
And that is one reason why the sport of Drag Racing has grown over the years I believe Pel. The after match function is always a excellent time for the beers and burgers.
You got me there!! Who could resist?:LOL::LOL::LOL:Quote:
Originally Posted by pel
"Back in the day", to go racing, I could scratch together enough cash to afford Spam or Bologna on hand!!! If I had a happy customer who tossed me a good tip, I could afford some day old rolls or a loaf of bread! :eek::LOL:
But I wouldn't change any of those memories for anything in the world! Some lifelong friends were made also! I trust you'll find the same! :):):)
Well!!
We did some minor work on the rear end. Played with tyre pressures. Fitted a different spray bar plate and tightend up the nitrous ramp settings. All minor mods but they paid off big time todayt at the track. We ran a new PB of 9.78 and then backed it up with a better runs of 9.69 seconds. Two pics from today tell the whole story :)
My cheeks are aching from the Grin that just wont go away :)
Regards to all Pel
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/b...ps7487abf3.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/b...psbd9cbbb6.jpg