Finally ....

[martin0660]

Went to a test and tune Saturday night to work on a few things ... I have been fighting transmission issues all season, spent the last week tearing everything down to the flywheel and going through it soup to nuts ... Also went through the transmission in detail. Went there with the idea to shake it down and had a milder tune up in the car ... The car liked everything about that, and ended up running a new best, and finally in the 10.50's ....

For reference, car is a 84 Capri, 2.3 turbo



[UR

L=http://s1192.photobucket.com/user/martin0660pb/media/E2BB9E6A-50A1-4060-B2F6-C59DE5945047_zpsry7mttrr.jpg.html][/URL]

Finally feel like I got in front of the issues I've been chasing.

[n20capri]

NICE Bob! Car is an animal! lol Love it!

[mmb617]

Good to hear you got everything sorted out Bob.

Gotta love 1.4x short times and 128+ trap speeds.

My memory fails me, are you still running the G-Force T5 or did you step up from that? I just wondered because my buddy Dennis upped his game over the winter and found he's now over the limit on the Jerico he was running. He went up to a G-Force, I think it's model # G101, which he says is rated for 1000hp. He says it's a real beast, but the buy-in was a tad high.

So are you back in the states for a while now? Perhaps get some racing in?

Good Luck!

[martin0660]

Hey Mike

It actually went 131 mph the first pass and I backed it off a bit.

I am still on G Forces and have struggled with breakage this year. My primary one is a 3.22 1st gear straight cut dog ring. I broke it in Florida and bought a 2.92 1st gear helical dog ring from a racer there. I have broke 2nd gear, 3rd gear, and most recently actually broke a mainshaft. I've just struggled getting both transmissions together and right.

I lust after the G101a, key is the "a" for 1000 hp. Indeed about $4600 for a clutch assist H pattern, more for vertical or clutc less. It's on my radar for sure. Coyote stock just allowed that trans in the class so I'll get to see how they really hold up with a diaphragm clutch. I'm discussing a slipper set up for mine for next season. I think the G Force can live if I go that direction.

Yes, I am back in the country, and at least this season getting a bit of a pass on travel. I decided to try to step the car up some this year and all heck has broke loose with parts breakage.

[PaceFever79]

Congratulations on 10:50

Time for a Lenco ST1200 or something?

[martin0660]

If I go the upgraded transmission route, it would most likely be the G101A ... Although I have a love hate relationship with G Force, they are beyond good at having parts in stock. For my T5 based stuff I can call and have any part the next day. Most of the other vendors are the extreme opposite of that (usually quoted lead times in weeks).

Who knows right now, performance calculators for 10.55@129 at 2985# weight put this 450-460 rwhp / 500-510 crankshaft HP ... At any rate ,that's starting to push the capabilities of the T5 based stuff. The last time I dyno'd it was on a conservative dyno (Mustang) and this tune up made 420 rwhp. I have another tune up that made 30 more, so assuming it scales well, could be at 550 HP at the transmission if I wanted to. So I can already make even more power, just not much point in trying it turned up if all it's going to do is break another gear set or main shaft.

A slipper clutch likely protects the transmission enough for what I already own to live, and I'm not sure I plan to go a lot faster than this ... The next barrier is 9.99, and that brings with it more safety stuff than I have or desire to add to a street car.

[mmb617]

I'm not sure I plan to go a lot faster than this ... The next barrier is 9.99, and that brings with it more safety stuff than I have or desire to add to a street car.

I've heard lots of guys say that before.

[brianj]

I'm not sure I plan to go a lot faster than this ... The next barrier is 9.99, and that brings with it more safety stuff than I have or desire to add to a street car.

Lol. Sure.

[martin0660]

Lol, really! I. Going to take my shots on the fall to see where it really can go, I don't want to add the rest of the bars and live with that all for something I drive. If I want to go faster, I'll build another lighter car.

[mmb617]

I remember several years ago when my friend Dennis was first knockiing on the door of 11.50 and he said he wasn't going to make the car faster because he didn't want to put a roll bar in it. Not that I blamed him since he has a near show quality first gen Mustang.

But of course he did wind up putting in the roll bar, and each winter he made the car faster for the following season. Now he's on the verge of single digits and saying what you're saying. And I just laugh.

If I want to go faster, I'll build another lighter car.

However, I will give you that if that's in the back of your mind perhaps you will follow through on not caging the Capri.

I know how racers think. It's not logical to anyone but another racer. I put a ton of money into my car in an attempt to win pizzas. Perfectly logical to me, not so much to anyone else. And of course I tried within the limits of my budget to make my car faster even though the wife kept saying "It's brackets, you don't have to be the fastest car to win." All the while I'm thinking "What's your point?"

[PaceFever79]

Racing is a sickness, literally could be classified as a mental illness. You will do all sorts of things to justify your habit, your obsession, to achieve reward. The best thing you can hope for is a sponsorship (co-dependent facilitator) to help save yourself from yourself. If you are lucky, you can be like John Force and always manage to find someone willing to feed your addiction. But most of us end up broke, with some cool pictures, and dusty trophies. Then you get older and no one even cares about your "glory" stories.

[PaceFever79]

Another semi retired old fart racer once said, "Racing is a delightfully selfish thing to do. If you can do it."

[martin0660]

And of course I tried within the limits of my budget to make my car faster

In reality, this is, and will always be, my key ... I stay within the budget I set for myself. That doesn't take away from family or home, yet lets me enough to play and keep my junk together. Big upgrades need to be winter projects that I can save and plan for, unexpected breakage slows me down.

That said, the reality of being able to race a 4 cylinder, 3000# stick shift car is beyond what I feel I can manage within those guidelines. Just the step from low 11's to trying to run mid 10's got out of control fast. It would be a huge step to attempt to run in the 9's.

The best thing you can hope for is a sponsorship (co-dependent facilitator) to help save yourself from yourself.

At our level that is an almost impossible "thing". I get some help with things like dyno time, gear installs, etc. but those are more frequent customer discounts than sponsorship. Even worse is that my chosen platform of an antique isn't exactly product placement friendly. Not a lot out there that the fine folks willing to offer a little money would benefit from ...

[Kerrdogg]

Hi Martin, the Capri is impressive, I have a NMRA Factory stocker (Coyote / C4) and am friends with some of the guys that run Coyote Stock, the clutch is the key to get the trans to live. Some are using spacers, other organic materials that allow some slip, I know Ram is really upping their game lately helping the guys out. If you need some names let me know. Good luck.

[martin0660]

Thanks, I also know a number of the CS racers and have had their input. As I suspect you know, those guys are now switching to the G Force 101a because they really couldn't get them to live long even with those games. Heck, there was 7 broken transmissions at the Columbus race just in CS.

My issues have been at some level self inflicted. I went to Bradenton and broke my 3.22 trans on the second pass. In a panic, I bought a 2.92 1st gear from a FS racer and threw it in, then proceeded to break it too. The issue there was clutch release we later found. That fiasco put me way behind, then I hurt my cylinder head testing after that. I had been struggling with parts and set-up since, hindsight I should of parked it for a while. We put the 2.92 back together and I ran Maple Grove with no issue (beside I couldn't hook to save my life there). Went to Columbus and broke the main shaft in it. The reality is, that transmission likely had many 100's of passes on it, but it caught me. I've since then gone through that transmission in every detail and it's been working very well the last two outings. I now also got my 3.22 straight cut transmission as good as I can get it so I have one working and one spare.

The reality for me is that I'm allowed to run a slipper clutch, and that has to be next on my agenda if I want to stay T5 (or TKO) based. It's another of those crossroads we all hit, do I stay more street car I can race, or move toward more racecar I can occasionally drive. Right now trying to make it through this season and we will see.