VR Ute

[gtrboyy]

Tallest gears I'd put in any commodore now would be 3.7's..l

Got 3.45 now don't really rate them in my baby cam 304 vp ute but got vl wagon diff cheap & never tried 3.45 before also thought if it ever got a vortech those would be correct gears does not help having 27 or 28 inch tall tyre but does silly skids on stock 205/65 25 inch tyre lol.

[brindo]

Hero Drags are on - these are 235/60 15. Jagged another set of SS rims cheap so it looks the part if nothing else.
Next meeting is tomorrow but decent rain predicted so it could all be for nought yet.
If these tyres hook up I recon my next post will be about smoking the clutch.

Hero Drag.jpg

[brindo]

Ended up getting all the qualifying runs in but only one round of racing and the rain called it a day.
I can confirm though that the Hero Drags are a massive improvement. Still a decent amount of wheel spin off the line. Running 22 psi.
Best time of 9.26 at 77 mph and a 2.26 60 foot.
For comparison, the Skyline is running 9.5

Irobark 7.3.26.PNG

[brindo]

Easter is the biggest weekend of the year here and if you’re bored there’s something wrong with you. There is literally something for everyone.
It’s also our biggest drag meet of the year. Usually over 100 cars/bikes entered over 2 solid days of racing so there’s absolutely no way we would be entering.

Then somehow I found myself fitting another diff on the Thursday night before Easter. It’s the original busted diff rebuilt with a set of 2nd hand 3.45 gears, new bearings and the Chinese copy of the Chinese copy True Trac. I machined 0.080” off the end of the pinion and turned up another solid pinion spacer out of stainless, and threw it together with the Yukon super shims I ordered for the last diff that finally turned up. Drove it about 20kms and it was quiet, no whine, so that’s good enough for me.

New diff.PNG

Only prep was a tank of 98 and to fit the Hero Drags. Full exhaust still in place. We skipped Saturday and only got one qualifying run in on the Sunday - she missed 3rd gear but ran a 9.18. So dialed in at 9.0 neat. Trying to launch at 2000 rpm and still getting heaps of wheel spin.

First run was against a veteran who is unbeatable. Ford Courier dual cab running an L67 dialed in at 10.2. So a tough 1.2 second wait on the start line and she actually would have taken him but for 0.06 red light. But we dropped the dial in to 8.90 seconds after that.
Won her next two runs easily, but the one loss meant the day was done.
A sub 9 eludes us but managed a best of 9.028 @ 78.74 mph with a 2.146 60ft. Best 60ft was 2.067 so a sub 9 is definitely possible as it sits. So yes 9 seconds is nothing special, buts its as fast, if not faster than the average mild cammed VT VY LS, albeit in a heavier car.
Anyway another great day, she’s learning a lot. A really great field of racers again with 102 entries, including 10 gassers.

Ironbark 5.4.26.jpg

[gtrboyy]

Have you tried putting little bit of weight in tray up against tailgate?

I know mine feels quicker off the mark & low speeds when full throttle it although can still make it spin if want with loaded tray.

[vlad01]

Could leaving the tailgate down gain a tiny bit towards the end?

[brindo]

Ultimately the issue is me and tyres and not wanting to risk running canvas with radials.
A bit of weight behind the rear wheels would certainly help. Dropping off the rear sway bar in some circumstances can help too but I haven’t tried this yet.
The Hero Drags are good, but nowhere near as good as a dedicated drag slick. I do find on the road they hook up brilliantly, but then on a prepped track they slip.
I also don’t let her spin the tyres any more than necessary after the water. And I’m reluctant to go much lower than 22 psi being tubeless, but if anyone has used these tyres happy to hear what pressure you ran.

I used to run MT ET Drags in a 26.0 x 8.5 on a 15 inch pursuit rim. They fitted inside the VN VS ute guard without issue. A quick buzz in the water, and they hook up hard. They do not slip with our power levels but then the clutch has to be up to the job.
But those MTs allowed me to pull sub 2.00 second 60ft consistently, and I think she will crack the 9 seconds simply with more practice.

At some stage I will replace the cat with a 3” item, and possibly run a tailpipe with no resonator – It’s difficult to hear the engine in the cab with a helmet on and windows up.

[v6bucket]

I haven't used that particular brand of tyre, 15/16psi with 235/60x15 M/T radials(tubeless) worked for me,

[brindo]

The next drags are on in a weeks time, so today thought I would adjust the valves, mainly cause I'm paranoid about wiping a lobe.
Found the TDC mark on the balancer was no where near the valves rocking.
We've all heard of balancers slipping but never actually had one fail myself - couple of keyways though.
This was a brand new Powerbond. The white paint pen mark is TDC.

Anyway it will get a new balancer that I had set aside for another engine rebuild.

Balancer.PNG

[immortality]

Bugger!