This has been a long, and winding, road (five-plus years,) and has taken so long to bring to fruition partially, because of health problems, but, FINALLY, I have some "news" that a few of you might find interesting.

I took the car to the strip for some test-n-tune, this past Saturday.

The boost controller was set on 15 pounds.

The drag strip was 1/8th-mile.

Made two runs; the first one was aborted, due to excessive wheelspin (down the track,) which necessitated lifting the throttle to keep the car off the guard-rail. I have never experienced anything like that, before. The car was well-into 2nd gear (2.76:1 final drive ratio; the slicks were 9"-wide, 26"-tall Hoosier, bias-ply, that had only about 5 runs on then.)

The next (and, last,) run was better, with a still-pitiful 1.91-second 60-foot time, and once again, the driver had to lift twice, to keep from getting too sideways, but he stayed in it all the way to the 1/8th-mile finish-line.

On that run, it managed a 7.70 at 91.5 mph.


I was moderately happy with those times, with the boost-controller set at 15-pounds.

Those times, extrapolated to 1/4-mile times, equate to about 12-flat at 112mph.

That's fast enough to put the hurts on a well-tuned, but stock, 340.

Once home, I ran a compression-check to see whether my cobbled-up. copper. O-Rings had held. Compression ran from a low of 165 pounds to a high of 175 pounds, so, I guess they're okay.

I have to get this traction problem fixed... It is killing me!

I have 9" wide Hoosier slicks, 50-50 shocks on the back, 90-10's up front, 6-cylinder torsion bars, CalTracs, no front bumper, the battery in the trunk, a lightweight, fiberglass hood, a spool, and it STILL breaks the tires loose in 2nd gear... I dunno...

Anyway, if I can get those traction-problems ironed-out, the net trip down the strip will use 20, instead of 15=pounds of boost, and it should go faster/quicker.... but, I don't know.... The 60-foot time is killing it.

Maybe more stall-speed? It's at 3,000-rpm, now...

Bill, in central Arkansas

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1964 Valiant 4-door sedan, 225 turbo/904

How smart is the boost controller?


Can you limit boost in 1st so that the tires stay hooked up?

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Ed
64 Valiant 225 / 904 / 42:1 manual steering / 9" drum brakes

My boost controller works only as a pressure-limiting device that interrupts the flow of presssure to the waste gate; it has no ability to do this as regards what gear you are in. I guess, The simple answer is "no."

However, it seems that the amount if traction available at the starting line exceeds the amount of available torque,since I put the 2.76:1 ring and pinion into the housing, along with the spool. Put a different way, it has NO wheelspin, for the first 20 or 30 feet, and maybe more. The traction problem I have, and this is foreign to my thinking and experience, is that it starts spinning the wheels in 2nd gear at 55-75 mph... creating havoc as regards keeping the car "straight."

IF I hadn't been riding "shotgun," I would never have believed it.... never had a car that did anything like that.... ever. It's just not that powerful....

I gotta get that fixed!

I want to explore 2o-25 pounds of boost with this thing, but I can't do it with it trying to run into the guard rail....

Thanks for your interest/comment....

Bill, in Conway, Arkansas

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1964 Valiant 4-door sedan, 225 turbo/904

Way to go Bill!!

It's good to see your hard work paying off.

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Rob

I’m Mater
The Kentucky Poser

Nice results, Bill. Sounds like the turbo is quite large and boost is not really hitting hard until further down the track. Same as in my 68 Dart, but sounds even more exaggerated.

What is the car racewt?

Best,

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

Lou,

The curb weight of the car (no driver) is 2,680. On the runs with tire-spin present, ithad, onboard, two people and their total weight was about 320 pounds, so the car, with 2 aboard, weighed approximately 3,000 pounds.

The turbo is a 66mm Turbonetics, plain-bearing (non-roller) unit. The friend who gave it to me (still new, in the box,) has a Buick GN and has an identical unit on his 3.8-liter V-6 and it runs high tens, so, I think its sizing os okay.

I got to pricing the components to change my wheel-tire combination over to a 10.5" tire, and it is gonna cost me about $1,000.00, by the time I pay for tires ($400.00,) wheels ($320.00,) and move the springs inboard 3" ($200 for the spring-relocation kit,) so, I may delay this little operation for a bit; I don't have $1,000.00 burning a hole in my pocket, right now...

Thanks for your interest!

Bill, in mid-Arkansas

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1964 Valiant 4-door sedan, 225 turbo/904

Thanks, Rob!!! Just an old guy, (76) havin' fun....

Bill

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1964 Valiant 4-door sedan, 225 turbo/904

It appears you are making about 50-70 more HP than my 68 Dart, but with 450-500 lbs less wt and a less lazy launch than me (2300 stall here). Seems like 9" slicks ought to hold OK down the track so maybe something is amiss with the suspension, or tire pressure is not right? I have 235/60-15 drag radials and totally solid traction.

I am using a Turbonetics T60-1, so a smaller wheel. I really need about 3000 stall to get it off the line hard.

This makes me want to put my engine into a lighter car. Maybe my 2500lb Valiant next season...

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

Bill,

What's the ride height at the front and rear of the rocker panels? Is there any video from outside the car with it going down the track? I ask as my initial guess is that the back of the car is too high.

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Joshua

I don't know, but, I will measure that, today, and get back to you.

Thanks for the interest/comments!

Bill

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1964 Valiant 4-door sedan, 225 turbo/904

Bigger tires aren't necessarily a cure all for this type of problem. Guzzi runs 10s on 9" wide slicks. So does everybody in stock eliminator. Perhaps the lazy leave never generates enough g's to transfer weight to the rear or there might be a binding problem with the Cal-Tracs. Did you use the mono leaf springs they recommend? Ryan uses a bar similar to Cal-Tracs but with a sliding joint that seems to work for him in a car quite similar to yours.

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If you didn't drive it there, it's not a street car.

IIRC, Ryan Peterson is running mid-high 10s at 129 MPH on 9" slicks. Turbo 225.

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

Nice run,,what tire pressure did you run?

My steel rule says: distance, measured just behind the front-wheel opening: 8," rocker panel to ground

Just in front of the rear wheel opening, rocker panel to ground: 9 3/4"

Somewhat of a "rake," dictated by the fact that the slicks will hit the inside of the fender, if the rear end is not that high. These generation II A-bodies don't have a lot of lateral clearance at that point.

The front suspension seems to be adjusted so that the distance between the jounce bumpers and the other rubber bumpers is about equal.

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1964 Valiant 4-door sedan, 225 turbo/904

All good info. I built this car as closely as reasonably-possible, as a clone of Ryan's car; the engine is as close as I could make it. What I have, should work, but apparently, it doesn't, but having more power available may change things.

I can only hope.... LOL!

Bill

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1964 Valiant 4-door sedan, 225 turbo/904