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Another Ozzie Build

Discussion in 'HA/GR' started by BS!, Mar 13, 2019.

  1. BS!
    Joined: Mar 17, 2010
    Posts: 193

    BS!
    Member

    Will check the calendar. Thanks for that
     
  2. Fingers
    Joined: Feb 23, 2005
    Posts: 118

    Fingers
    Member

    Is that the Western Wheelers doing the 1/8 mile?
     
  3. spanners
    Joined: Feb 24, 2009
    Posts: 2,074

    spanners
    Member

    Yes it is. Not sure exactly when but supposedly March or April. Some of the Tamworth Drag Racing Club are coming down to help set it up.
     
  4. BS!
    Joined: Mar 17, 2010
    Posts: 193

    BS!
    Member

    Merry Xmas Everyone.

    I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable day with their loved ones.

    Looking back on the year and what I have achieved with this car has been something I couldn’t have done without the support of my family and all the encouragement I have received from the other aussies running in the class and guys from overseas showing interest in this build. I appreciate you all.

    I have ended up building a car I never imagined would turn out as nice as it has and all that’s left to do now is continue to learn and get it running to the potential it has.

    After the nostalgias the plan was to try and get a few more test and tunes in to chip away on the tune. Unfortunately, the weather between the nostalgias and track closing down for the Xmas period was not kind with most events that worked with my schedule rained out and canceled.

    An extended off season thanks to the weather has given me time to get a bit of a head start on some improvements I had planned.

    First change planned was to do something with my shifter. My last three runs at the nostalgias my t-bar handle stripped the threads and kept coming loose. A combination of this and driver skill meant all three runs I missed the second to third shift which cost me a good chunk of time each run. To try and eliminate the missed shifts I installed a cube speed short shifter. Bit of a pain to install as it didn’t fit in the floor hole but with a few modifications I got it in and working eventually. No one but myself to blame if I miss the shifts now…. Yikes
     

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    Crosley likes this.
  5. BS!
    Joined: Mar 17, 2010
    Posts: 193

    BS!
    Member

    In the meantime I’d been speaking to Steve, Jeff and a few other guys who suggested getting a wideband and afr gauge into the car to help me learn how to tune it.

    Being slightly OCD I couldn’t just settle for something “off the shelf” so after some discussion with autometer I had them build me an afr guage that would match my existing gauges. It turned out spot on and they turned it around surprisingly quick considering the shortages and shipping issues everyone is going through at present.

    Once the gauge and wideband turned up I figured out where it all needed to sit and had one of the welders from work TIG the bungs in for me. Cheers Matty! After that it was back off to the ceramic coaters to squeeze in before Xmas.

    All going well I’ll get the gauge wired in over the break. Fingers crossed.
     

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  6. BS!
    Joined: Mar 17, 2010
    Posts: 193

    BS!
    Member

    Seems the big fella was kind to me this year. I picked up a set of triple su’s a while back in a package deal with a set of speco grey motor headers I’d been on the hunt for a while back. Initially I had no intentions of using them but the more I looked into Su’s vs strombergs I believe they will be a superior carb for what I am doing.

    The long term plan was I’d eventually pull the speco rocker cover and triple manifold off the hambster along with the speco headers I’d picked up and put all these go fast bits on another warm grey and get it into our 61 FB wagon. A matching set of you like.

    This would then leave me scrounging around the rest of the other bits and pieces I have lying around (including the triple Su’s) to go onto the hambster. Given the manifold and setup of these carbs would never fit under the bonnet off the FB without some firewall modifications the plan was for these to eventually find their way on the hambster where engine bay clearance is not an issue.

    The big man must have foreseen my plans so he had his “elves” work a bit of magic on them for me. There are still a few tweaks I will make to them before getting them on the hambster and a string of other changes that I’ll need to make to the car to get them to work but the wheels are in motion.

    I’ll hit a test and tune in the new year to make some tweaks to the strombergs with the afrs being read with the hope of getting the tune close to sorted for Carralbyn in Feb. after Carralbyn I’ll then be changing over to the SU set up and starting from scratch which is a step backwards but I believe it will be a better setup in the long run. At the end of the day it’s also another carb I’m learning about which is what I have enjoyed the most during this build and development of the car. Learning.
     

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    Crosley likes this.
  7. spanners
    Joined: Feb 24, 2009
    Posts: 2,074

    spanners
    Member

    Making your own manifold shouldn't be hard for a bloke of your talents. The Speco I use with the 1" 3/4s is in my opinion could have longer intake runners. The 1"1/4s have longer runners on a home built manifold. The Specos were built to fit in engine bays with restricted runner length.
    Merry Christmas to you and your family. I bet your young'uns had you up early.
     
  8. BS!
    Joined: Mar 17, 2010
    Posts: 193

    BS!
    Member

    It was a very early start that’s for sure! Same to you Pete!
    Not sure how these carbs will go. They are the older HD6 model and have been modified at some stage (fuel bowls heated and bent to sit horizontal on the grey manifold) so they are a bit crude. However, I had these laying around so figured would see if I can make them work instead of forking out 1000s for what HS6s go for these days.. A few modifications will be needed to make to the car to convert from the strombergs so before I invest to heavily I’ll give it all the once over and go from there. As mentioned will be a longer term conversion post Carralbyn.
     
  9. spanners
    Joined: Feb 24, 2009
    Posts: 2,074

    spanners
    Member

    Stick with the Stromergs for now while you're getting used to the car otherwise you add more variables. If you can sometime , send me some close ups of the carbs so that I can see exactly what you have. Email them if you can as my phone is unable to enlarge. I've got bits and pieces of S.U.s so might be able to help.
     
  10. BS!
    Joined: Mar 17, 2010
    Posts: 193

    BS!
    Member

    Yep that’s the plan for now.
    Appreciate you taking a look. I’ll flick you an email in the next day or so with a bit of a run down on what I can see but you’ll know more of what you are looking at than me. I was going to pick your brain as the time got closer to convert over for a bit of a baseline setup. Once again appreciate your input!
     
  11. spanners
    Joined: Feb 24, 2009
    Posts: 2,074

    spanners
    Member

    Have a yarn to any old speedway blokes if you can as I think one of the favored setups was twin 1"3/4 SUs or maybe 2". Once again probably not too hard to fabricate a manifold out of mandrel bends. I've seen conversions done with twin Stromberg manifolds but they are once again too short in the intake runners in my opinion and would be clumpy looking and heavy.
     
    THE FRENCHTOWN FLYER likes this.
  12. BS!
    Joined: Mar 17, 2010
    Posts: 193

    BS!
    Member

    Got the AFR gauge mounted. Space is at a bit of a premium on the dash. Doesn’t look it from the front side but there is surprisingly not much real estate on the rear side with the dash hoop, steering bracing and mounts, gauges, switches, wiring etc. This meant I was limited as to where I could mount the gauge but surprisingly I have perfect vision straight through the steering wheel to it so it worked out well in the end. Not that I need something else to keep my eye on. Explaining to my “pit crew” consisting of my old man and a few mates how much is actually going on during a 16sec run certainly surprises me. Really busy in the cockpit for the times they run and how “slow” they appear from the stands.

    While I was at it I also mounted and extra toggle switch in case I go an electric fuel pump down the track with the SU’s. Shouldn’t have to modify the dash again now having the extra switches there ready to go.

    Pretty happy with how everything matches. Like I said I could have done it slightly cheaper but I’ve enjoyed trying to build this car as nice as I can with the budget I have (very limited).
     

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  13. BS!
    Joined: Mar 17, 2010
    Posts: 193

    BS!
    Member

    Joint effort with the “team principal” but all back together without successfully burning anything to the ground or letting any of the smoke out. Getting pretty crowded behind the dash now and surprisingly a fair bit of wiring going on. A lot has changed since I first wired the car up and drew up the wiring diagram. I really need to update the drawing for future reference. The wife bought us a label maker for Xmas so while I am at it I’ll get some labels clear heatshrunk onto everything.

    Really happy with the autometer AFR gauge. It’s good being able to take some guess work out of it while I get my head around what’s going on.
     

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    Last edited: Dec 29, 2021
  14. spanners
    Joined: Feb 24, 2009
    Posts: 2,074

    spanners
    Member

    The boys look like they're having fun. The missus, not so much.
     
    Lloyd's paint & glass likes this.
  15. BS!
    Joined: Mar 17, 2010
    Posts: 193

    BS!
    Member

    If you notice she is the only one doing any of the actual work..
     
  16. Brian Handke
    Joined: Aug 13, 2017
    Posts: 75

    Brian Handke
    Member

    Looks like you and the family have been busy this Christmas break.
    Look forward to seeing the Ghost rip again.
     
  17. RacerRoy3
    Joined: Jan 18, 2012
    Posts: 218

    RacerRoy3
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Someone has to play with the boys!
     
    BS! likes this.
  18. THE FRENCHTOWN FLYER
    Joined: Jun 6, 2007
    Posts: 5,367

    THE FRENCHTOWN FLYER
    Member
    from FRENCHTOWN

    Nice job.
    I am interested to see how the SUs work out. I'll be using two Hitachi knock offs of the HS6 (originally from a Datsun 240Z) on a home built intake. Pics show HS4s but wil use the bigger ones.
     

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  19. spanners
    Joined: Feb 24, 2009
    Posts: 2,074

    spanners
    Member

    Nice intake. Way out of my league. The Holden Grey only has 3 intake ports similar to the early (40s-50s ) Chev inlines.
     
  20. Did you get a complete setup with the sensor and all? I wanna run a gauge in my car, but I'm stupid about it. All the wide band jargon is above my education lol. Be nice to be able to buy a complete kit. And I love the pictures, your pilot looks focused and ready for the tree to come down :D
     
  21. BS!
    Joined: Mar 17, 2010
    Posts: 193

    BS!
    Member

    Yeah came with the wideband sensor and gauge.

    This guy makes a heap of good videos which are easy to understand and goes through the process of explaining the whole wide vs narrow band thing. I’ve gone down this route because I’ve had 3 different “carbie specialist tuners” have a go at dyno tuning it and it became apparent that if I’m going to get it running right I’m going to have to learn to do it myself. This will hopefully aid with that learning process.

    And yes the boys love the car. It always turns into a brawl between them with who gets to sit in the seat whenever I’m out there working on it. I’m happy the whole family enjoys the car.
     
    Last edited: Jan 23, 2022
  22. BS!
    Joined: Mar 17, 2010
    Posts: 193

    BS!
    Member

    Another pretty successful run last night at Willowbank Raceway. PB’d again with a 15.729 @ 85.60 and making in roads with the tune after putting the AFR gauge in over the Xmas break. Still a lot left in the tune but moving in the right direction and most importantly no breakages. Had a heap of mates come out and support me with a few bringing their cars for a play (non hamb friendly). A massive shout to Lindsay Wilson and Maxine Wilson for making the trek out to Willowbank. If you look back through my thread Lindsay is who I got the engine from for my car (ex salt lake FX Holden Ute). I was really stoked these guys got to see the car run in the flesh it was pretty special for me. HUGE thanks to my mates who come out and helped me setup, pack up, prep the car and make adjustments. Having these guys there keeps me calm knowing they are all taking care of business (with a friendly ribbing when I stuff something up) Andrew Schmidt Brad Ridgway Dean South and the birthday boy Greg Thornton. Brian Handke for coming out and running his car and keeping us company. As usual his car was a rocket. Finally and most importantly thanks to my wife and the boys for coming out and making it a family affair. I loved having the family there supporting and helping out even though I was running around all night. Can’t wait to do it again albeit a bit more laid back at Carralbyn in a few weeks time.
     

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  23. BS!
    Joined: Mar 17, 2010
    Posts: 193

    BS!
    Member

    A bit of footage from Friday night. Forgive me for the footage quality I’m learning how to operate the GoPro and it’s setting as well as tune and drive the car so the GoPro is low priority during a limited 3hr test and tune…
     
  24. spanners
    Joined: Feb 24, 2009
    Posts: 2,074

    spanners
    Member

    Good video and run report. Car's sounding better. What diff ratio and tyre size are you running? If you get a chance at Carralbyn try retarding the timing a smidge. I did this on one of my dyno runs and picked up some horsepower. Before you do it, mark the position you have it now so you can put it back if it doesn't go any better.
    Those runs feel great don't they?
     
  25. BS!
    Joined: Mar 17, 2010
    Posts: 193

    BS!
    Member

    Toyota W40 gearbox Hilux diff with 4.11s and L78 tyres. running around 30 degrees total advance at present. It certainly feels like I’m going faster than a 15.7 at 85mph but it’s a heap of fun for sure.
     
  26. Brian Handke
    Joined: Aug 13, 2017
    Posts: 75

    Brian Handke
    Member

    Another great night.
    really enjoyed the night, good to see you and The Grey Ghost coming along. Well that's it, bring on Carralbyn
     
    BS! likes this.
  27. bobw
    Joined: Mar 24, 2006
    Posts: 2,376

    bobw
    Member

    Really good performance for your engine size. Nice video. Fun to watch while we are still wrestling with snow and cold.
     
  28. BS!
    Joined: Mar 17, 2010
    Posts: 193

    BS!
    Member

    Thank you.
    I still think it has a bit left in it. The stumble down low and initial launch is a bit frustrating but up I’m pretty happy with how it’s pulling up top. I still think fuel related as in too rich. AFR’S are a bit all over the shop but indicate it’s still pretty fat.

    Small steps while I figure it out and touch wood as long as I’m not breaking anything I’m happy.

    Steve, Brian and Myself are heading to Carralbyn for some 1/8mile airfield drags this weekend. The weather is looking a bit sketchy (hot, wet, humid sub tropical summer weather) but hopefully Mother Nature is kind and we got some runs in. Will remember to pack the go pro for some footage.
     
  29. BS!
    Joined: Mar 17, 2010
    Posts: 193

    BS!
    Member

    Hey everyone. It’s been a while. Not much action over here. We have had some pretty serious weather with a fair bit of flooding happening this year and lots of rain so a heap of events have been cancelled. On top of that the global issues with parts availability, freight etc has caused a few hassles with trying to get the SU’s on so with the nostalgias fast approaching I made the call to get the strombergs back on and persevere with getting my head around them. A few “private road” runs at a mates property out in the sticks and I think it’s as close to running properly as it has ever been.

    Anyway, here is a bit of a video on explaining my current settings and what I’ve done to try make these strombergs work. I’ll try hit the track later in July with Brian and then hopefully catch all the guys at the nostalgias Mid August
     
  30. spanners
    Joined: Feb 24, 2009
    Posts: 2,074

    spanners
    Member

    It won't be long and you'll be one of those influencers on Youtube. Are you running a vacuum advance or did Dave Andrews lock it off like mine?
     
    BS! likes this.

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