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First Time out, disapointed in quarter mile times

FROSTBITE

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Went to Bandimere for my first time drag racing ever, driving my 66 383 4 speed charger. Only could manage a 16.4, by 3rd gear seems like it was running out of steam on the top end
 
Ok. What exactly is your set up? So we know if you are close to what it should run or you are way off. What are yoy expecting to run?
 
Any idea what gear you have in the rear? Also, what were your 60 foot times? Engine tune can be a big factor. Do you still have the 66 heads on the car?
 
Isn't that track at a pretty high elevation? Keep in mind that the rule of thumb is that for every 1,000 feet you go up in density altitude, you slow down by about a tenth of a second compared to someone racing at sea level.

Many of the ETs you see people posting online are from tracks back east or in the midwest that are closer to sea level.

The 1/8 mile track I go to is at 1700 feet and with the heat the density altitude is usually something like 3,000-4,000 feet. A "good air" day there will be around 1700-2000 feet density altitude where a "good air" day back east might be more like minus 300 to zero or so density altitude.
 
First time out - no worries. You also have a 4 speed. A car that really has to be driven as opposed to stab it automatics. Watch a Ronnie Sox (Mr 4 speed) video launch for inspiration. My challenge is finding third in the TKO. Need pics too.
 
Yeah i noticed cars dont didnt seem to run as fast as what one would think they would run. Why i was disappointed was the last race before i got eliminated i was up against a bone stock 440 3.23 68 charger that was dialed in the mid 14s.

Relativity fresh 383 .030 KB 10.5 pistons
headers 3" exhaust
3.91 suregrip
MSD atomic EFI
MSD 6 box and dizzy
906 heads stock
Edlebrock Performer 383 Intake
Comp Extreme .488/.491 Cam
Electric Water Pump and Fans

My 0-60 feet was 2.3
Ohhh and i weighed in at 4200lbs
My last run was the best i left the line at 3500 rpm didnt bog down with a small amount of tire sequel
 
OOOF, you need to work on your 60 foot times. Definitely some traction issues there. Are you running street tires, if so, what air pressure? Motor seems stout enough to run some good times. Is the fuel pump in good shape?
Lots of possibilities here.
 
I feel your pain. My first times were in the 16 - 17 sec range. Car actually ran pretty good street and strip but it was not quick by any means. It took me a few years but I got it to mid/low 13's before switching to a 440. It is more difficult to et with a stick unless you are pretty good. I will be the first to admit I am not good enough with one to drag race it.
 
OOOF, you need to work on your 60 foot times. Definitely some traction issues there. Are you running street tires, if so, what air pressure? Motor seems stout enough to run some good times. Is the fuel pump in good shape?
Lots of possibilities here.


Tire Pressure??? That didnt even accrue to me to check it, what kinda pressure does one want to run? The rears are Mickey Thompson Sportsman s/t 255/70R15
 
My first run last year was a 14.2 . Pretty disappointing. Just by learning how to tune and drive with no real work to speak of on the car, I got it down to 12.9. That was a year later. Now, with a torque converter and Mickey Thompson et streets, I took off another full second. Down to 11.9. It takes time.
 
Well, believe it or not, I ran generic street radials, 255-60R15 in size on 15x8 rims. I would pump them up to about 45 psi. I have found that street tires et better when pumped up (stiff side walls) while slicks and drag tires do better at lower pressures (soft sidewalls).
My best 60 foot time was about 1.8 give or take a tenth (have to find my time slips). Not to say that is great, just not too bad with street tires.
 
When I was younger I could shift the 4speed fast but my wrists can't do it anymore. The secret is to not think about it and it happens with practice... I never raced but beat a bunch of people on the street because I was good at cutting the lights and slapping it into gear.... a833 with a short stick and ball no pistol grip
Going from 2-3-4 there's no time for a clutch?????
 
I hope I am not out of line posting this due to the fact I'm not racing my 69 charger but I am trying to get it moving:headbang: I have the 383 with similar numbers as your setup. I noticed that your running the Edelbrock performer. From what I understand it's a good intake but listed as a "stock replacement" I upgraded to a single plane tm6 and it made a considerable difference across the board. It is a single plane though. I am considering trying the performer rpm which is dual plane but not for that stock setup and has pretty good reviews. Just a thought for you...

I'm sure the above suggestions are right on too as they know a ton more about it than me.

Good luck!!
 
It's weird that single plane manifolds are not recommended for street use. I understand the science of it but I have seen, in actual use, just the opposite. I put the TM-7 (same as TM-6 but for 440) on my daily driver and it ran awesome.
Anyway, back to the OP, it will take time but keep tuning and fooling around with your setup and you'll get faster and quicker.
My very first pass down the quarter mile was not something to brag about. Car ran great on the street, I line up at the track, nail it on the light and car lunges forward then goes POP and stalls. I coasted to the side of the track, took what seems like hours to restart and then stumbles down the edge of the track to the finish line. Incredibly humbled, I went back to the line only to run mid 16's. Very frustrating but it makes it that much more satisfying when you start bringing the ETs down and the MPH up.
 
Yeah i noticed cars dont didnt seem to run as fast as what one would think they would run. Why i was disappointed was the last race before i got eliminated i was up against a bone stock 440 3.23 68 charger that was dialed in the mid 14s.

Relativity fresh 383 .030 KB 10.5 pistons
headers 3" exhaust
3.91 suregrip
MSD atomic EFI
MSD 6 box and dizzy
906 heads stock
Edlebrock Performer 383 Intake
Comp Extreme .488/.491 Cam
Electric Water Pump and Fans

My 0-60 feet was 2.3
Ohhh and i weighed in at 4200lbs
My last run was the best i left the line at 3500 rpm didnt bog down with a small amount of tire sequel

Hmmm. I bet you had more tire spin than you think. Drop the clutch at 3500 and it didnt bog?If you had a sticky tire on it you would have fallen flat on your face.
 
you need more fuel....(they love it)....jets?, bigger carb?, fuel pump???
without being there it is hard to say...it should turn a 14 flat....
BTW do you have headers?....air, fuel, bite, & quick pull on that handle..

one thing it was fun!....wasn't it?:icon_eyes:
 
Def work on 60 foot. Under 2 at least, 1.6 is a good goal.

With 3.91 that should be easier. I got there with 3.23s in a mild 360 Duster.

Car ran 9.2 in the 1/8 at 90 MPH, which is about a 14.4 1/4 mile

I've had the opposite experience with tires, and have run better on BFG T/A and Eagle RSA even as low as 20 psi.
 
Wow thats alot of interesting info, i got another question. Clutch? its got a pretty basic autozone one in it, am i shooting myself in the foot trying to race with it?
 
Don't be too discouraged,

You have allot of factors against you, 5800 ft above sea level/track "with good air", a little cloud cover, a decent prepped track surface, with out any corrected air density/altitude, it could have been more like 7000 ft when you ran, especially if it was in direct sunlight, in the heat of the day, with out much cloud cover...

You have a heavy 4200lb car on street tires, with "maybe" 375-400hp @ sea level not 5800 ft...

You have stock 906 cylinder heads, they are good for a stockish engine {Mopar Wedge heads are notorious for being the limiting factor, in making as much power as possible}, but they are a choke point for making better power levels, a good multi-angle performance valve job & some pocket porting would really help to wake up the 383 with 906 casting heads...

The Edelbrock Performer Intake is a smidgen better than a stock heavy cast iron 4bbl manifold, not really intended fro making higher RPM power, good to about 5500 rpm... not really intended on being a racing manifold... just an upgrade to the heavy stock cast iron manifold...

Your camshaft with stock heads, isn't able to work to it's full benefit, with out some head work/proper type valve job & the proper valve springs to match your camshaft, proper retainers & locks {lighter preferably} & along with the proper length push rods {often overlooked}, especially if you don't have adjustable rocker, to help you get the proper lifter preload....

The EFI might be helping some if it working correctly, keeping your mixture lean enough or rich @ those altitudes/conditions...

At higher altitudes you can "usually" run a little more initial & over all advanced timing, altitude likes compression & timing advance, your engine is choking trying to breath...

You have a manual transmission & a clutch, if your not proficient with your launch & shifts @ the proper specific RPM's, that can & will kill ET, very quickly & drastically, there's a reason why most people run Autos with a higher stall speed converter & a manual valve body drag racing, because it takes allot of the drivers mistakes out of the equations, for quicker & especially more consistent ET's...

Your clutch "could be limiting you some", if it's slipping, the more power you make & more traction you get the better clutch application you'll need, with a better tire, you would/should run a better clutch/with more application pressures, along with lighter forged or billet flywheel, for quicker RPM's & better throttle responses...

Steeper gears like a 4.10, 4.30, 4.56:1 would help some too for track use, smaller engines like more gearing to get over the fact your trying to move a heavy car out of the hole quickly, Steeper gears aid in the torque multiplications to get the car moving easier/quicker...
The 3.91:1 gears are a good compromise gear, so it can still be street driven with out too high of RPM @ highway speeds, sucking up fuel, but with a larger/more powerful, that engine that gear ratio would be more ideal...

At higher altitude all these factor, have to be as close as possible to perfect, to help you get the most out of your engine @ sea level there's a little more room for error...

Good luck in the future, practice & tuning, will get your #'s better,
I hope you still had fun,
I see many people that get discouraged the 1st time out, most usually have an unrealistic high expectation of how fast their car will be...
 
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