Aug. 31, 2009 – My “Upper Room” reading today was, “Looking for Perfection”. This reminded me of what I have been trying to get with my engine, and it reminded me how much perfection does not matter.
The reading goes: … Perfection is a noble goal but one which is ultimately unattainable. It’s silly to expect perfection in ourselves, and it is damaging to demand perfection from the people we love – our children, our spouses, our friends. It’s better to look for the honest effort, not the perfect job. Jesus knew his followers would make mistakes and even turn against him, yet he never stopped loving them. Like him, we can learn to love imperfect people.
So rather than trying to build the perfect engine, I will seek to build a “good bracket engine”. It will not be as good as Bryon Durham’s, Steve’s, or R-M, which may be close to perfection, but I will still be proud of my engine and I hope it will bring some enjoyment to Barbara and myself without being perfect.
Sept. 4, 2009 (at the end of the day) – Engine Start-Up
The engine started on the first try and ran well. Some leak problems, but nothing that a little “Ultra Gray” or “The Right Stuff” cannot handle. All the seals are holding.
I was really up-tight about starting this engine. I had made so many errors that I thought there was something that I had forgotten. I called Alvin and we discussed a few things before I actually pushed the button. Everything went well and I am really pleased with the way the start-up went.
I put in a different, milder, cam in this engine and you can tell the difference right away. I removed the 4-hole spacer from under the carb and went back to my old open spacer, coupled with my BG 1090 carb. It is nice and crisp and everything sounds good. All the pressures are good.
When I get a good Sunday testing session, I will try the Holley 1150 with 4-hole spacer again and I may put the 4-hole spacer under the BG just to see what difference it will make.
I put a new fuel regulator on because the old one would peg out high sometime. It would come right back down but scare the hell out of me. This happened three times within the last three months, so I ordered another one and it seems to be doing OK today. The old one was a little over 8 years old.
I reset all the valves after the 2nd warm-up. I hope these rings seat as they are suppose to. During the coming week I will do a compression test and leak down, after I warm it up and let it cool down naturally a few more times.
I believe after testing this coming Friday I will be pulling the converter out to get it tighten up for this milder engine. I will be very happy with 9.80’s this time around and it may not be that quick. The converter change should get me back under 9.50.
3/25/2014 – The converter never came out. It worked just fine after we raised the launch RPM from 3600 to 3800 RPM. The best time to date is: 8.93 @ 149 MPH with 14X32 tires and 4.56 gear, 1150 Holley with 4-hole spacer,Best 60ft: 1.258 sec.
Shannun Walker Goes To Semi-Finals!Shannun drove his Firebird to a Semi-Final finish at No Problem Raceway on Saturday, March 22nd at the Jeg’s SportsNationals. He was competing in Super Street (S/ST) class, 10.90 Index.
Here is a in-car camera shot from that race.Photos From No Problem Raceway Jeg’s Sports Nationals – 3/22/2014
What Is Going On With Mr. Skip?
The Answer is, nothing! This has been coming on for a while now, but I have just been reluctant to pull the trigger. It is just a part of the aging process. As you get older, you also get a little slower, you think more about what is going on around you and you also want to do something different. This happens to some of us later in life (me) than others. Some of us start late and finish late, others start very young and get tired early.
Since I put things up for sale, I have had a lot of 2nd thoughts. Barbara has talked to me and said I should think it over (she loves to watch and cheer us on). I have thought about just being an owner and keep on running the car. Just this morning I was thinking about putting in Electronic Fuel Injection and how much it would cost, what parts I would have to change out, what system would I choose, and how much quicker the car would go and be even more consistent.
Many of you know I was born and raised in Daytona Beach, Florida and attended many races when I was a young boy. Speed and racing just come naturally. Mom liked to blast! away from stop lights. Dad loved to “See if it will do what’s on the speedometer”! He once returned a 1949 Mercury because it would not do 120 MPH (It only got up to 108 MPH). Did I mention he was a Deputy Sheriff That’s right, the 1st black Deputy Sheriff in Volusia County, FL. (That’s also how I got “Press Passes” to all the races). He purchased a 1950 Chrysler that would bounce the needle off the peg, past 120 and was still going! I think will always have some, “Need For Speed”!
As I said a few years ago, I am slowing down another notch, getting out of the drivers seat, except on special occasions, and will just do like many would be racers and start it up, listen to it, polish it and let it rest. If someone comes with a fistful of money, I will sell, but I really don’t care if anyone buys it.