Chevelle updates

[mockingbird812]

Woohoo!!!

[VintageMusclecar]

Welp...2 steps forward, one step back. Again.

I've been waiting to mention that I've apparently found a little more power in the car recently. I was hoping today's trip to the track would substantiate that suspicion.

It did....sort'a...in a way.

The car's driving through the clutch again pretty badly--which means it definitely picked up power, but (as seems to be the norm for this damned thing) I can't fully quantify it on the timeslips...HOWEVER I CAN say this much...how many 4000+ lb cars do you know of that can pick up <span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">TWENTY SIX</span></span> MPH on the back half with a slipping clutch??? (1st pass--picked up 23+ on the back half on the 2nd run--with the clutch still slipping like hell)

Check out the slips below (left lane # 105 on both runs):




Both passes were with stone cold tires--was paranoid about breaking the 12 bolt again so I didn't want the car to dead-hook. As it turns out, the clutch slipped badly enough that the car did dead-hook, but the 60' times were dismal. (For comparisons sake, the first time to the track last year it ran a 1.76' 60' time on a very soft launch and ran a 7.74 @ 90.2 mph)

I launched the car both times at 2500 rpm and it never even lifted the front end either time. I launched, rolled out a few feet and matted it, caught the shift light and grabbed the gears and the car rode the clutch until the top of 3rd when all of a sudden it grabbed and the front end hiked up. Both times when I grabbed 4th the front end came down but just at the top of the gear the clutch grabbed and the front end hiked up again.

I'll get pics &amp; video uploaded later, but there's really not much to see--just one rather embarrassing 13 second pass and a 12.25 pass.

So, it's smoked another clutch. At least it didn't $hit parts out on the track. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/rolleyes.gif[/img]

Time for clutch #3...or a 400 Turbo (I'm rrrrrreeeeeeaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllyyyyyyy getting tired of dicking with this damned manual trans setup).

More later.

[bbbenny]

Eric, Just my two cents, on your issue. Ninty percent of the cars that run a the strip . Are automatics. Eazyer on the drivetrain and more consistent times. I spend alot a time alot at alot of tracks and I see what guys are using. I run a turbo 400 with a automatic valve body. With a higher shift point, then stock. All I do is put the car in third gear, and put the pedal to the floor. Look what all the new COPO camaros come with from the factory? BBBenny

[earntaz]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: bbbenny</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Eric, Just my two cents, on your issue. Ninty percent of the cars that run a the strip . Are automatics. Eazyer on the drivetrain and more consistent times. I spend alot a time alot at alot of tracks and I see what guys are using. I run a turbo 400 with a automatic valve body. With a higher shift point, then stock. All I do is put the car in third gear, and put the pedal to the floor. Look what all the new COPO camaros come with from the factory? BBBenny</div></div>

Absolutely agree -- I've run turbo 350 and 400s ... and as indicated, much easier on the drivetrain. Or you could run a beefed glide -- two speeds ... fast and faster. TAZ

[VintageMusclecar]

Now that I've had a chance to sleep on this, I've decided I'm going to go ahead and put another clutch in it. If it takes another $hit, the car's getting an automatic for the time being until I put a &quot;mild&quot; engine in it just to drive...or I'm going to sell the car and build something that doesn't weigh two friggin' tons plus.

[earntaz]

Nah -- you've put too much time in this ride ... keep it and get the driveline in it that will survive. There are clutches available to handle your &quot;two-tonner&quot; ... TAZ

[VintageMusclecar]

Lest anyone think I was bullshitting about driving through the clutch or trying to make excuses for the cars performance--or lack thereof so far:



















































Can you say &quot;carnage&quot;? You can <span style="font-style: italic"><span style="text-decoration: underline">literally</span></span> catch your fingernail in the grooves and transferred metal on the flywheel.

The disc measures a full .030&quot; thinner now than when I first installed it--most of that is embedded around the inner circumference of the bellhousing as seen above.

This clutch is supposed to be good for 650+ HP and use with slicks.

I'm so disgusted with this right now it's not funny.

I'll decide what to do early next week.

[luzl78]

Manufacturer should step up and make good on the clutch

[PxTx]

Except it likely is rated for less hp than Eric is currently making. Doesn't appear to be have a manufacturing flaw.

[Ryan1969Chevelle]

What happened to the clutch? Overpowered it?

That is brutal:-(

Ryan