SpaceFrank wrote:wizard0ne0 wrote:Thanks everyone! This truck was a shock to us all, including me and I built a most of it! At the moment I am thinking about re-building the engine that is already in it and just keep on running it about how it is, maybe add a turbocharger or supercharger, we will see....a possible slant 6 conversion could also be fun. Judge Phil really wants to see a straight 8 but that isn't really in my budget......The brakes and suspension were surprising on the truck, it actually was predictable and stable in the corners, and I feel like with more power it could actually be a reasonably quick vehicle.....maybe get the tires balanced and align the truck and it would do better. Also replace the 20+ year old shocks and add a rear sway bar. Overall I would say I had a FANTASTIC time out on the track over the weekend, especially for a complete rookie driver. Going from a 3:05 minute lap to a 2:40 second lap was pretty decent, even if it was set on a yellow flag......(hey it was the only time I could actually follow the line for an entire lap without getting in peoples way!)
Just my opinion, but I think a junkyard turbo or SC setup on the flathead would be way cooler than any engine swap (aside from a straight 8, of course). And this is from a guy who already races a slant 6. How was the gearing on that thing? I read that you guys just kept it in 4th gear. Is the rear end gearing too short (numerically large), or did you just want to avoid breaking the transmission?
I would think twice before adding a rear swaybar. That's going to add oversteer, and I figure a truck with no weight in the back would already have a tendency to oversteer. Definitely a good idea to refresh whatever's there, though. Shocks, bushings, springs if necessary. But if the car already has oversteer, focus on stiffening up the front end first. Does it already have a front swaybar?
As you add power and speed, you're going to increase the tendency to break stuff that you wouldn't have before. Adding a turbo, for example, may necessitate an upgrade to the cooling system, or maybe an oil cooler. Might be a good idea to refresh the steering system, wheel bearings, etc. if you haven't already. Tire balance and wheel alignment are definitely good ideas to avoid premature tire wear. Balancing the driveshaft is also a good idea if you didn't do that before.
The great thing about racing something like this truck is that you have a lot of room for improvement, and I seriously doubt Judge Phil will care at all if you play fast and loose with the budgetary requirement. Good luck, and congrats again!
The truck actually had a tendency to under steer amazingly. Although if you flogged it hard enough you could get the rear end to step out just a little, yes the truck does have a front sway bar on it which probably helped, another thing that probably helped is the 220 treadwear rear tires and 500 treadwear front tires, meant the rear gripped pretty well. I am planning on saving my nickels and dimes and rebuilding the old flathead instead of an engine swap right now.....unless a straight 8 falls in my lap ofcourse. As fas as gearing is concerned, we got to around 65-70ish mph I think(no speedometer, but on the front straight the top of the cab would catch the pit radar at about 60 at the beginning of the straight) The problem with shifting is it's a non-synchro transmission........and I am not experienced shifting with non synchros..... that and we quickly ran out of rpm in 3rd at 3500rpm and found that it wasn't worth the headache of shifting for another 5 seconds faster per lap.(guestimating) As it was it ran between 1400 and 2700 the whole race. I think the rear end is a 3.27 I am thinking about a possible Jaguar IRS in the future as well. Overall this old truck turns and stops pretty well already, but there is always room for improvement.
