Operation Go Big or Go Home!

I've enjoyed playing with my old LS1 powered, VXII Berlina. From my very first run down the strip (13.546 secs @ 104.97 mph) I knew that I was hooked, destined to suffer the way many others have once hooked on racing and going faster! The obligatory CAI (Duspeed of course!), cam, springs, underdrive balancer, torque converter, shift kit, drag radials and tunes etc. were all incremental improvements that gradually got me down to my current PB of 11.767 secs @ 114.79 mph.

But still, it wasn't enough to satisfy that itch to go faster. In the great tradition of things that snowball and get much bigger than you planned when you started out, I thought about taking the old girl off the road and turning her into a dedicated race car. Thought I might just do a few small upgrades to the motor, including a tiny bit of NOS or some other forced induction...

Well one thing led to another, and the parts have just started to arrive.

Crank:

Attachment 1542

Rods:

Attachment 1541Attachment 1543

Block:

Attachment 1544


Plenty more gear to come, but it sure does feel a little bit like Christmas in September! So good to finally have this long planned build underway.

Meanwhile, I've been gutting the Berlina and reducing it (literally) to a shell of its former self. I've learnt plenty about the car along the way, but still have plenty to learn! Still got to finalize rear suspension, gear box etc... but working it all out is part of the fun for me. I'll throw a few pics of the car up in a couple of days, but the weight reduction exercise is ongoing. I'm really curious to know what running weight others got down to.

Cheers,
Paul

Looks like a nice build underway what are your goals for the 1/4?

Also don't make the mistake of only setting up the rear suspension because there is major gains to be had by playing with the front too.

HTC One XL 2

I'm still looking at exactly what weight I can get the big old girl down to. I have literally taken a couple of trailer loads of bits out of it, but haven't had it on the scales lately. I'm going with a nice Whipple twin-screw blower on it, and although time will tell, am hoping for upwards of 1000HP. The bottom end has been built strong enough to support a a bit of nitrous on top of that. The goal is to have a nice big blown LSX with a touch of NOS mixing it with the old school boys.

Are you going auto?

HTC One XL 2

Probably a 3 speed Lencodrive - i.e. with a converter rather than the clutch packs. Full tub for the back with 4 link suspension, but yet to fully decide what to do with the front suspension setup. At the moment it's stock configuration with 90/10s. The final weight will determine what classes I'll focus on, and the class will determine how much I'll do to the front. Mind you, I'm learning about chassis/suspension on the fly! I'm quite mindful that a good chassis setup helps to keep you off the walls, and that's something I'm probably quite keen on.

What size whipple


iPhone in the middle of Farkin no-where

Yep walls are no fun for sure :banghead: but I'm most curious why you want to go Whipple over turbo since it's dedicated drag car with no restriction on stall speed.

HTC One XL 2

It's a 4.5L Whipple. It was a hard decision to make - turbo or supercharger. I chose the supercharger route because I like the consistency of superchargers in race conditions. I see plenty of awe inspiring turbo cars that splutter and cough on the line once every 3 or 4 runs. That can cost you a lot of races. Having said that, if you want to go Whipple (rather than roots or centrifugal) you rule yourself out of a heap of classes.

As far as chargers go the Whipple is the best by a mile, turbo cars the cough splutter or surge are usually due to incorrect sizing and fuel trim but consistency should be doable.

Either way with your planned setup I can't wait to see the result.

HTC One XL 2

have you looked much Into the Lenco drive? apparently from what i heard there's not many people that build it here and you can only get a few runs before it needs a rebuild. also the turbo is better for your drive line of getting the car off the line as its a smoother hit. you can potentially make more power aswell with the turbos.

My feedback on the Lenco boxes is very different - that they are good for 2000+ hp and have a low maintenance schedule provided you keep the oil right etc. The normal Lenco - i.e. the one with the clutch packs - does require rebuilding / resetting the clutch packs every few runs, and it is for that reason that I'm looking at the Lencodrive. It differs slightly in that while it still has the same gear packs, the interface from flywheel is via a torque converter rather than the clutch packs. Shifts are still manual either by lever, or compressed gas (which I'll probably use as it's a little quicker to effect the change and can be done from the steering wheel). I'm still getting my head around what I need for drive train etc. so if you're experience / info regarding the Lencodrive is different I'm keen to hear it! The last thing I need is more maintenance between meets.

The turbo vs supercharger decision was a difficult one, but in the end I wanted to have something that was good for racing with consistent launches. So many turbo cars that I've seen make great numbers and are unbelievably quick, and yet still suffer from the occasional cough or splutter on the line and this costs them plenty of races. I understand that this can be managed in the tune etc., but I regularly see even the biggest and best turbo units suffering from this problem more often than I'd like.

Perhaps the biggest thing for me though is that I've always loved a big blower! The idea of a big blown LSX sedan running in Supercharged Outlaws really gets my juices flowing. Throw a bit of NOS at it and it would make a great Outlaw 10.5 car in Pro Street or Sport Compact EX.

yeh ok fair enough. I could be wrong, but that is what I have heard from my mate. he was going to get one and my understanding was a few people said it needed at least checking maybe rebuilding after a few passes. that's the same one he was looking at the torque converter type aswell. he funnily enough is running in supercharged outlaws running >2000hp. he just doesn't want that hassle if not many people know what there doing with it.

yeh your right about the charger being always there, as when you watch the turbos they do cough or splutter, but when they get moving holy f*ck do they come down quick, lol. just need the right driveline as the blower has that brutal torque straight away.

What car / engine combo has your mate got in Supercharged Outlaws? I won't have 2000+ HP just running on the blower, but if I can cut the race weight down to < 3000 pounds I'll be in the hunt. The 16th fastest SC/S (Sedan) qualified at 7.7 at the Winternationals, so at the moment that is my target for blower only (no NOS).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MrBerlina

What car / engine combo has your mate got in Supercharged Outlaws? I won't have 2000+ HP just running on the blower, but if I can cut the race weight down to < 3000 pounds I'll be in the hunt. The 16th fastest SC/S (Sedan) qualified at 7.7 at the Winternationals, so at the moment that is my target for blower only (no NOS).

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he doesn't race all that often but we do come down to winter nationals so you might have seen it, it's a black camaro. big block chev with a PSI blower. a few guys have told him it would probably have to be one of the quickest BBC's out there. you'll need some big power at least >1000hp to run some good numbers, a massive reduction in weight would obviously help, you'll need as big tyres as you can go, do away with the IRS of course. but as long as your having fun that's all that matters. for memory I don't think there is many new school cars in SCO class, except an BA? falcon

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bush_basha

you'll need some big power at least >1000hp to run some good numbers

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Suffice to say that my calculations suggest that we should easily jump that 1000HP hurdle! Time will tell of course, and the weight reduction is probably as important, or more important. Making the HP is one thing, but the weight reduction not only helps to go quicker, it also reduces the strain on the drivetrain.