Projects 49 Prefect - "Altered" Style Build

The prefect really looks killer


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Meltdown 2014 is in the books and it was epic.

Saturday set a new standard for the event with 6000+ fans in the stands, amazing cars, 200+ in the car show and some awesome balls out racing in the Gasser Shootout, the North / South shootout and the AA/Gas shootout.

The Meltdown / MDA crew are the best. When they present awards they do it as a group with the most sincere appreciation for the effort you have shown to attend their event. These guys and gals work for 12 months to prepare fro each event, they do it without pay and they do it simply for the love of the sport.

We had some smart folks help us with the tune on the Prefects injectors and we found a valve train problem (thanks to Larry Arnold for fixing it for us) We ran into a transmission problem so we only made one pass with it. The little rough body was a huge hit with the racers and fans. Gasser Wars Magazine were a sponsor for the event and they loved the Prefect so much so they shot a photo series for a potential upcoming issue.

 

Still blown away by the reception I got at the Meltdown, those guys are a class act and the nicest people I've ever met. It was great meeting you guys the Prefect looked killer, will post a couple of pics when I get home tomorrow.

 

Isn't this a nice way to end off the season.

Gasser Wars Magazine devoted almost half of the current issue to the Meltdown event. the coverage was awesome.
Bonus - (for us anyway) - is the Scout made the pictures and the Prefect got a 2 page spread with a pretty awesome write up. Not bad for a rusty little suicide machine that only made one pathetic pass. We'll fix that for next year

Thank you Gasser Wars Magazine

 

Got the trans sorted out and - finally - got the ugly beast to the track.
With mixed results

First 2 passes it was way too fat at wide open throttle. Barely turned a tire in the water and then farted and burped down the track, Still went 11.49 / 116. Changed the bypass pill and it made a huge difference. The throttle response was crisp and clean and the burnout was aggressive and effective - then we got shut down for a water leak

The good news is - it's running well. The bad news is we found a lot of contamination in the water. Hoping it's just a head gasket - my gut is telling me it's a lot worse than that. We'll tear it apart and see what it is.

Stay tuned

 

Nice numbers for not making a clean pass.

 

Just catching up on your thread, and yes, you know you've been to the parts store too much when you know who's working which shift before you get there.

 

The good news on the Ugly Beast is - nothing serious was found. No water in the oil, good leak down and compression. What we did find were 2 issues that combined to give us that sick - really expensive - feeling in the pit of your stomach.

We had a small water leak that was misting under pressure. We also have a small oil leak that was coming from that nagging little bolt hole on the front of the block that we didn't seal correctly. It too was misting under pressure. The 2 combined and presto - Baby poop looking stuff on the track and all over the front of the car.

Both issues are fixed, oil changed and were going to try again on the 13th at the inaugural Manitoba Gasser Association (Man Gas) gathering of old school cars at Interlake Dragway (Gimli Manitoba). With the tune up getting closer we could have some decent numbers... (oops - did I just jinx it ??)

 

Progress !!
My brother drilled out one of the small bypass pills to .150 and advanced the timing a few degrees and the ugly beast responded with a 10.98 @ 123. Considering the day was hot and humid with bad air we were pretty stoked it broke into the 10's. There is a lot more left in it so we're drilling out a couple more of the bypass pills we know are too small and we'll see what happens.

Running a mid 10 at Meltdown would be awesome...

 

Better late than never:

Meltdown 6 / 2015 is in the books and the Fuel Injected Suicide Machine (FISM) had a very good outing. The Prefect was running well this year - not yet up to it's potential but it's running far better than the farting and burping fiasco from last year. Ron Leak (track announcer) made the connection between Paul and I (and the Scout) and gave my brother and the ugly beast some serious accolades and talk time.

The heat was oppressive with the temperatures in the high 90's and a ridiculous level of humidity. A racer with a weather station said the corrected altitude was 6800 ft. Having said that, the Prefect ripped off a hand full of 11.50 and 11.0 passes. The big deal was the fact it was unofficially voted the loudest un-blown non-nitro car in attendance. And rightly so with a series of 8000 rpm blasts out of the water box. You gotta love zoomies !! The first time Paul did this a few folks damn near fell off of the wall. Too funny.

This year the Great Lakes Gassers were a bit shorthanded and they asked Paul and the Prefect to represent. Now before y'all call foul on the fact the Prefect is not a gasser, this invite was with the blessing of the GLG and the Nostalgia Gassers Association. My big brother Paul made a good account of himself as the Fuel Injected Suicide Machine won both it's match ups. I on the other hand I kept my record unblemished by a win and once again went 0/2. I'm still convinced all invites for the Scout to run with the GLG are coming from our opponents...

Late Saturday afternoon the brothers Pelissier matched up. That run is definitely one of my favorite moments from the event. We even timed the burnouts so we would come out of the box at the same time. Just to show you how hot the day was, the Scout went 11.12 and the Prefect 11.51. Later in the night racing when the conditions were more favorable - we went 10.81 and 11.03 respectively. Next year we plan on putting on a bit more of a show with a couple of dry hops and maybe a bit of a flame show from the zoomies... Paul promises me a serious staging dual and a burn down of epic proportions. Easy for him to say... he's on alcohol and never saw the high side of 160 even after driving back down the return road.

The driver's goodie bag included the Gasser Wars Magazine that featured the Meltdown coverage from last year as well as the 2 page feature on the Prefect. Nothing like having 400+ copies of the magazine floating around the pits. It was very cool when folks wandered by and made the connection. One young man even came by and had Paul sign the copy.

Next year the Prefect will be back. Hopefully running a little faster and with a few more updates and changes. Maybe even with my 19 yo niece in the driver's seat.




Brother Paul with the best seat in the house

 

Way cool. Looks like you had a fun time.

 

Ha caught him sleeping at the tree.

 

It's been a while since we had an update...so here goes.

We've been fighting the injection set up for 2 seasons now and have the Ugly Beast running decent (10.98 best) but it's falling on it's face at the top end. Today we had a long talk with Mike at Alkydigger (alkydigger.com) and we gave him all the part numbers and relevant engine specs. According to Mike we're running injection nozzles that are for an alcohol engine in the 430 + cu in range with really good heads. Since our bullet is only 358 cu in and the heads are a decent set of Iron Eagles I think it's safe to say - we have a problem.

The solution - Throw more money at it of course - Mike is shipping us the correct nozzles as well as a basic tune for the primary and secondary by-passes. There is a lot of optimism that this should wake up the little rust bucket.

Stand by - first test passes will have to wait until our snow goes away in May time frame...

 

Good luck guys, I really love the look of that ole Prefect.

 

I was in and around the car lately digging up part numbers for the talk with Mike and I found myself starting to dust and clean... After a few minutes on the engine I absent minded started wiping down the body. My brother wandered by and asked my why I was ruining the patina... That's when it hit me... The less we care for the body and overall outside look - the better. It adds to the image and that whole "Barn find" look that makes it popular. Of course I draw the line at letting the shiny stuff under the hood look dirty and dingy... that stuff has to look good.

 

I've been neglecting this thread - sorry folks...

We put in the new injection set up from Alkydigger this past weekend. Our area has seen a lot of rain so not surprising the air was very poor. The first pass was a bust as it coughed and spit to a 13.... something (who cares it was slow). We found there was no primary bypass pill in the setup ?? Our fault - not Alkydigger... Paul put a .070 in it and it responded with a crisp clear 11.30. Upping the pill to .080 and the time slip showed 11.13. We were going to keep making changes as long as the times kept improving but Paul decided to let his daughter make some passes. Megan has a 6.00 competition license and has gone 7.49 @ 181 so she can handle the speed. Her fist pass was tentative as instructed so she could get used to the car. She went 11.20. The next pass was still soft but Megan was looking better. The Car responded with a 10.94. Best time to date. Of course we chalked it up to putting in a driver that was 110 lbs lighter than her dad...

We expected better times so we are a little disappointed with a 10.94 but we are not done sorting it out. So far every change has been an improvement. On the positive side the car is running crisp and pulling in high gear something it did not do before. Paul reported he can actually shift into high during the burnout. The other bonus is it's running well, it's not broken and it's already on the Great Lakes Gasser's list to run with those folks at Meltdown. We won't run the car again before the Meltdown event as Paul and Megan need to sort out Megan's new super comp dragster.

See you there !!

 

Sounds like it's going in the right direction. Keep us posted

 

Glad to see you are getting that ultra cool car sorted out.

If it works out, it would be fun to line up my Crosley wagon against your Prefect.

 

That would be a fun match race.

There are some doubts about getting the Prefect down to the Meltdown event. The last 2 years we borrowed a trailer big enough to haul 2 cars but this year we don't have that option and now find ourselves short a tow vehicle and enough drivers for 2 trucks and trailers. We may show up with just the Scout...

Stay tuned

 

AS long as you remember to post pics I'm happy!
But two is always better then one!

 

No pics from us - we were too busy racing and socializing... we'll plagiarize the ones we find over the next few days.

Meltdown 7 is in the books and I will say with the utmost confidence - This was the best Meltdown event yet. (By far). Considering how good the previous events were - well - you can imagine how good this year's was.

I have been waiting for 3 years to say this ... we FINALLY have the Prefect running up to it's potential...

The weekend started - ok - with the Prefect going 10.94 in decent air. Best et to date but ... meh ! - it's still underachieving in my opinion... The next pass the car sputtered and farted down the track. My brother Paul started to diagnose the problem with some help from a fellow racer when they found an issue with the timing. Once that was sorted out the Prefect responded with a 10.54 and then got faster from there. It rev'd freely to 7200 rpm and sounded very strong. It even smoked the tires hard in the burnout rather than just hazing them. On Sunday with the staging lanes almost empty we hot lapped the ugly beast. Literally stopping only long enough to fuel up and change drivers. This put heat in the engine and it went faster with every pass. Paul started the day with a 10.40 / 129 to set the new "Best time". I got to drive the Prefect for the first time (First time actually sitting in it with the engine running) and I ripped off a 10.35 / 130 to take the ET and speed title from my brother. Then we put my 20 yo niece in the car (Paul's daughter). With a 100 pounds less weight the Prefect went 10.29 / 131. After that pass we loaded up and came home.

I have to say the Prefect may be the most boring car I have ever driven... and that may be a good thing. There is no drama, it launches hard, goes straight and it's exceptionally comfortable to sit in and drive. When I made the 10.35, 130 pass I thought for sure it had gone a mid to high 11 or ??... It's so undramatic that you can actually relax and enjoy the ride - at 130 mph. About 100 ft past the line I hit something slippery and the back end kicked out. It corrected itself almost immediately with just a little help from the steering wheel. I have no idea how a couple of hacks like my brother and I built a car that handles this nice, but we did...

Next year - working head lights so we can hot lap the night racing.

The Scout was running very strong. It did a couple of bumper scraping wheel stands and ripped off a 9.78 / 138 best

This was a very very good weekend !!

 

Yes that sounds like a great weekend. Congrats.

 

lol awesome, I wonder how many dummies have looked at the car and thought "That guy spelled perfect wrong" haha

 

The NHRA hall of fame announcer - Ron leak - called it a "Perfect" and "Perfect Storm" all weekend. But then again he mispronounces Anglia (Pronounces it "Angula"). I won't even get into the various version of our last name he uses (Pelissier) and how often he messed up Winnipeg Manitoba... but we tend to forgive these little issues since he announces with an amazing amount of enthusiasm.

 

We had the Prefect and Scout at Rock Falls Raceway this past weekend for the Meltdown Drag Association, Fall Fall-Out. This was supposed to be a simple MDA gathering as a club so these guys can run their cars without having to run the event. Of course once the word got out 100+ cars showed up. Great for the MDA, Great for the Rock Falls facility... but it did piss off the local bracket racers. Apparently they are upset over too many cars, not enough runs, long line ups at the concession and staging and having to wait for the Club event to make their runs. (Tough nuggies there kids).

Rock Falls raceway is a cool little track nestled in among the tress and surrounded by post card like farm lands. It has seen some serious enhancements since last year and it shows. This is a very good facility !!

The Scout had it's issues but this isn't the Scout thread so we'll ignore the Scout for a second. Paul had the Prefect running like a bracket racer with only a fuel top up required between rounds... oh yah... and one valve cover gasket replacement.

We used the Prefect to tow the Scout to the staging lanes for the first MDA call up. That got a lot of attention and an unofficial award as the "Coolest Tow Vehicle" in attendance - as awarded by the tech official who came over laughing and shaking his head about it.

The first pass was with the Scout and the Prefect put on a show with an aggressive burnout and tons of noise. Then it ripped off a best to date 10.27 / 131. The Prefect lost a valve cover gasket 1/2 way down and seriously smoked in the top end of the track. Luckily all the oil hit the headers and not the track and not under the tires. 5 minute fix and no track clean up required.

The MDA club runs were at the mercy of the event so the next run was at 4 (ish). The Prefect ran a 10.37 and that was it for the day. Sunday's only pass was a 10.43 in the heavy air. For 2 days the rusty little beast drew a ton of attention and seems be a photo favorite. As with the Scout , Paul never hesitates to let the kids and pretty girls sit in it. Even a few "big kids" got that privilege as well. One really big guy in biker style apparel managed to slide into the seat. His huge grin could be seen behind the whiskers. I'm pretty sure we made his day. It was pretty funny to see him standing up through the open roof... almost like a clown car. The Gasser Wars Magazine photographer got a few shots... wonder if it will make the magazine ?

I'll say it again - somehow a couple of hacks like my brother and I have built a cool little vintage / bracket car that needs little or no maintenance between rounds. We haven't even charged the battery in 3 events...

The rest of the event was outstanding. The MDA folks were organized as expected. They treated us to a BBQ dinner as well as some free beer. They even had hand out bags and event stickers ... way cool

We left just before the 12:30 call up on Sunday. The trip home was uneventful - unless you count the disaster that Minneapolis is for traffic and construction.

Fall Fall Out 2017 - is on the agenda for next year. and - next year they promise us a closed track !!

 

Pics from the Fall Fall Out

 

What did the Scout run on the pass together?

 

The Scout went 10.05 / 133 with a very soft launch to test the new wheelie bars (1.65 60 ft). It blew the pan evac canister off at 1000 ft and I shut it down. Paul killed me on the tree but even with the early shut down I drove around him in the lights. Paul is a little miffed I didn't let him "have one". (lol)

 

lol that's awesome. Keep on having fun!