metaruss

SDAC-10 = the best time I have ever had with cars in my entire life.  I finally got to put faces to some of the names that I have known for years now.  The Chicagoland folks were probably the rowdiest bunch there.

The highlight was definitely the performance driving school.  It was done at Michigan Speedway (NASCAR).  The road course included almost a full mile of track oval, allowing me to achieve speeds of over 120 MPH!  My 3rd session was in the pouring rain, which resulted in a spin-out on one lap and some hydroplaning through the cones on turn 1 on the lap after.  Not long after I flew through the cones, someone smashed their nice 1987 Shelby GLHS into the wall on turn 1 due to hydroplaning as well.  Big bummer.

My first trip to the drag strip went fairly well.  My time slips are below.  The only things I did to the car were empty the trunk and remove the muffler.  I drove very consistent low-15s most for the day.  The ND Computer was only giving me 13-14psi of boost (should be 16), so I borrowed a G-valve.  Unfortunately, the ball was not seating and I only got 3-4psi and ran high 16s.  I fixed the G-valve and set my boost to 18psi.  The engine would break-up real bad above 4700 RPM.  The 8th light on the A/F gauge was flashing at those speeds, so I raised the fuel pressure.  I also gapped the plug down a bit.  From then on, I couldn’t get traction (see my 60-foot times).  I finally got a run in the 14s with 20psi of boost: 14.918 sec @ 94.68 mph.  I KNOW the car can do deep 14s if I could just hook it up.  The treads on my tires were full of track rubber because I couldn’t find a clean spot.  All in all, I had a great time.

I certainly got a lot of runs, as the track was not busy at all.  I wish the track stayed open after the SDAC events for more runs.  Many of the other drag racers were having car troubles and everyone seemed to have trouble with traction.  Anyway, it was a blast.  I’ll definitely try to bring the car to more local events to work on my launch techniques.

After dealing with all kinds of problems with paint on that fender, I finally got the car ready.  The doors are back together and everything is installed.  One of the power door lock motors was frozen, so I will have to find another.  I even had time to paint the upper door trim and the mirrors to match the new lower trim pieces a bit better.  I also resealed the valve cover and got the A/C working (just this evening).  All I need to do is wash the car tomorrow and take off!

The car has been sitting for a very long time.  I started working on the rust on the left, front fender a few weeks ago.  The Shelby Dodge Automobile Convention 10 is coming up in July 8, so I am starting a campaign to get the car ready.  I need to get the power window and door lock motors installed, as well as the power mirrors (the doors are already taken apart).  I also need to replace the weather stripping along the bottom of the door windows.  Mechanically, the car is sound.  I would like to have air conditioning for the trip as well, so I will pull the A/C heater unit to flush the crud out of the evaporator coil (the compressor was rusting, internally).  I will replace the plugged heater core while it is out.

I’ve signed-up for all the events, which includes a performance driving school and drag racing.  I won’t bother with the car shows.  🙂  The car is going to take a beating, so hopefully it will be able to make the trip there and back.

I installed the Conquest intercooler into the Shadow with some clever plumbing to keep the BOV.  I upped to boost to 14psi and the car makes lots of power now.  Performance-wise, the car is right where I want it.

I also dumped the disintegrating 1988 shifter and replaced it with the ’87 unit from the CSX (which has an A568 now).  I also moved the pivot point up on the shifter arm for the cable.  This shortened the throw of the shifter considerably.  I made new end boots for the cables out of bicycle tire tubes and flushed the cables with 100% silicone lubricant.  I also tightened all the nuts on the shifter itself.  All of this has made the most solid shifter I have ever felt.  It actually feels like a rod shifter.  I adjusted the cables to bring the shifter planes as close to the driver as possible.  If this tranny didn’t shift like a truck tranny, the whole setup would be awesome.  Now the A568 feels more sloppy than the A520.  🙂

I picked-up a used hood from MoparChad to replace the bent one.  I also got some power window and door lock motors off of the same car.  The parts car was pretty rough, otherwise.  The Shadow looks a lot better now, though the “new” hood needs quite a bit of work…at least it’s straight.