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Post by strat-0 on May 4, 2006 20:51:22 GMT -5
...Wow, and that was pretty important for me! Well, 0 out of 134 means I guess I should take that to another forum.
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Post by Fuzznuts on May 5, 2006 6:37:07 GMT -5
That's awesome, strat! Glad to heart The Sleeper's back on her feet again. What year is your Caprice?
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Post by Kensterberg on May 5, 2006 9:10:15 GMT -5
Damn Strat, that's pretty friggin' impressive ... esp. for something with that much weight to move down the road.
Will you have a chance to try it on a 1/4 mile strip? Whadya think it'll do? Under 14 sure seems like a possibility ...
(Sorry I hadn't looked at this thread sooner, or I would've posted something before this).
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Post by Paul on May 5, 2006 9:58:41 GMT -5
Has anyone here driven the new Mustang? Well, I guess it's not so new anymore, but just curious....Those cars really went downhill in the 80's, kinda came back w/ muscle in the 1990's (the 5.0 Cobras), and now have muscle w/ the retro style; I love them, and want one bad!
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Post by strat-0 on May 5, 2006 13:58:07 GMT -5
Yep, the Mustang is back for sure. And priced within reach.
It's a '78 Caprice, Fuzz. Wish I'd remembered the camera. I'd like to have a shot of the launch.
I'm thinking under 14 too, Ken, maybe better when I get everything right. 1/4 mile tracks are scarce around here, at least ones that will let anybody run. I need to look into that. Insurance costs made many convert to 1/8, which sucks. It can still get pretty hairy for the fast cars, though. Last time I went, one car had a door come flying off and another left the track and went weed eating.
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Post by Fuzznuts on May 5, 2006 14:05:40 GMT -5
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Post by phil on May 5, 2006 14:15:50 GMT -5
They don't build 'em like that anymore ...
Thank god ... lol !
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Post by Kensterberg on May 5, 2006 16:52:45 GMT -5
They don't build 'em like that anymore ... Thank god ... lol ! AMEN! Though to be fair, Strat's is a better car today than when it left the factory. You shouldn't start hitting aerodynamic problems until you're up around 120 or so, Strat, so I'm thinkin' that sub-14's, and maybe even lower, would be well within reach in the quarter, esp. with the right tires. How much of a problem do you have getting that power down to pavement? Out of curiousity, what tires do you have, esp. on the rear. I would think that the Sleeper with stock rubber would be damn near undrivable except in a straight line, under veeeeerrrrrrry light throttle. Paul - everything I've heard about the new Mustang is very good. I'm thinking about taking one for a test drive in the relatively near future. I've got a friend who has a 2003 Saleen Mustang and is thinking about trading it in, maybe for one of the new Shelby models, or for something a bit more practical. Depends on what the price of gas does, and what he can convince his wife to do. |
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Post by strat-0 on May 5, 2006 23:16:04 GMT -5
They don't build 'em like that anymore ... Thank god ... lol ! AMEN! Though to be fair, Strat's is a better car today than when it left the factory. You shouldn't start hitting aerodynamic problems until you're up around 120 or so, Strat, so I'm thinkin' that sub-14's, and maybe even lower, would be well within reach in the quarter, esp. with the right tires. How much of a problem do you have getting that power down to pavement? Out of curiousity, what tires do you have, esp. on the rear. I would think that the Sleeper with stock rubber would be damn near undrivable except in a straight line, under veeeeerrrrrrry light throttle. Yeah, other than looking something like the picture Fuzz posted, it's a completely different machine. Especially with the different engine, tranny, rear end, and wheels. What I like about it is the full frame with a real body, rear wheel drive, and inconspicuous looks (hence the 'Sleeper' moniker). Chassis parts are cheap and widely available. I used to have a BIG problem getting the power to the wheels out-of-the-hole, but the posi made a huge difference with that. It spins a little, then hooks up good. It used to just 'blow' the tires. The tires are street - they're currently BF Goodrich TAs, 235-60-15s. I'm not very happy with them. I've got wider, alloy wheels on it (Camaro) which helps. Obviously, it would hook better with slicks - I've still got some old round track cast-offs mounted on some old Craigars that I might try again at the track. I'd really like to put some Z rated tires on it, though. And now, to the burning question: do I feel wracked with guilt for driving such a beast on a daily basis? No. Fortunately, very few people choose to drive classic performance-built cars like that. If everybody wanted to, they would have to be outlawed, I guess. But the number of people who do is so small as to be totally insignificant in the national fleet. And it runs pretty clean now, overall. As long as I can afford to fill it up, I'm runnin' it! It's about equal to a Suburban, I guess, and WAY more fun to drive! I've put these up before, I think, but what the hell.    |
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Post by strat-0 on May 8, 2006 10:40:29 GMT -5
Oops - I sold myself short in that Suburban comparison. EPA mileage for the Suburban is 11 mpg, city, and under the new ratings, 9.4 mpg. I'm estimating about 12 - 16 mpg, city. It's a crying shame that a 383 cid with a 4-bbl carb tuned for performance in a car that size gets better mileage than a modern, computer controlled 6.3L with fuel injection. But the Suburban weighs 4 tons.
I'm still working out my mpg. Five passes at the strip kinda blows your avg mph.
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Post by strat-0 on May 16, 2006 23:10:46 GMT -5
Man, I'm brain-dead. I had to take three more ASE recertification tests tonight. I passed the three I took in November, but was expiring in three other areas (there are eight). Tonight was Engine Repair, Manual Drive Train and Axles, and HVAC. Whew! I think I did OK. I should be good for a few years now. They expire every five years. But, jeez - I hadn't thought about some of those things for a while, especially in manual drive trains. But manual transmissions and clutches and stuff stay with you and don't change all that much. I got done about 9pm, and I know there are still guys working there now (it's 11pm) so I shouldn't complain. Hope I passed.
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Post by Fuzznuts on May 17, 2006 6:37:13 GMT -5
Of course you did.
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Post by strat-0 on May 28, 2006 19:18:45 GMT -5
I've got my shifting issues pretty well straight, now. I installed a TV kit from Bowtie Overdrives (almost all they do is 700R4s) and it's shifting righteous now. I had to change the TV spring in the valve body - minor pain in the ass (means removing the pan and all that associated crap). It's shifting good now - barks 2nd every time under medium to full throttle! They really engineered this kit. You can even adjust a cam on the linkage for shift feel and timing. Haven't been back to the track yet...
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Post by strat-0 on Jun 19, 2006 18:13:21 GMT -5
I did! So, I retain my Master Technician certification status. I haven't worked on a car for money for almost 10 years, but I have to keep up the certs for my position. I finally got rid of the old 400 engine block that came out of the Sleeper. I got $300 for it, so that project thankfully comes to a close! At least for now. Glad to get it off the back of my truck! Just had to find the right market. I placed an online ad at a racing classifieds site and a guy that runs a drag strip near here bought it. He'll build it as a race motor with about 500 hp and sell it for $7,000. In other news, if you want to view pics of the biggest crawdad you ever saw, pop in at "The Place I Live" in this section.  |
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Post by Fuzznuts on Jun 19, 2006 21:45:27 GMT -5
Way to go strat! A buddy of mine down here has Master Tech certs up the butt, but he still works on cars for money. He was ghoing to try for an Emergency Vehicle Tech Certification, but something felll through and now he's back at a stealership.
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