Jan 2004  - This new page is a collection of miscellaneous knowledge, in no particular order, that we have accumulated in the school of hard knocks.  The title of this page is a bit of a lie.....we don't keep secrets.  Since we match race and aren't competing for some world championship, we can share what we know.  Hope this helps...........

Nitrous jets - Serious tuning requires flow-testing the jets for the nitrous and fuel.  The older jets had some problems with accuracy and some of them were off by as much as 4 sizes.  The new NOS stainless jets are within 2% and are much more reliable for tuning.

Vacuum pump - When we exceeded 1000  horsepower, the crankcase would develop enough pressure during a run that oil would leak out of every gasket, regardless of how well they were sealed.  The solution was to install a Moroso 4-vane crankcase vacuum pump.  The pump runs at half engine speed and has completely cured the oil leaks.  Since we use a wet sump oil system, we also had to install a vacuum relief valve at the pump inlet to regulate the vacuum to 6" Hg (a stronger vacuum will cause cavitation in the oil pump).  We also installed a vacuum sensor for our data computer and the crankcase vacuum during the run is the best indicator of whether the pistons and rings are in good condition.

Fuel tank and pump - If you intend to go quicker than the high 8's, the fuel tank and pump need to be in front of the engine. Hard acceleration fights the fuel flow (from the back) and you'll torch pistons during hard acceleration.

Ignition - Making serious power requires the right ignition.  The MSD programmable digital ignition allows for individual cylinder timing (ICT), rpm-based timing retards and step retards to use with the nitrous stages.  These capabilities are essential for eliminating detonation in a nitrous engine.

Driveline - Use the best stuff, period.  We have a Lenco transmission, Hayes dual-disc clutch, 1350-series u-joints, Strange 40-spline axles and Richmond Pro large-pinion gears.  None of these parts has given us any trouble, so the long-term costs get lower every time we go down the track.

Data Computer - This item is essential if you want to push a traditional Pontiac engine hard; because there isn't the volume of tuning information out there that exists for the more common engines.

Seat belts - Spend the extra money to get a cam-lock buckle instead of a latch-lock.  The cam-lock is a big dial that requires about 1/8 of a turn to release.  It's much easier to find and release in an emergency, even if you still have your gloves and helmet on and can't see it.  They're also easier to put on, since each strap gets latched individually, instead of having to accumulate all of them at once.

The end of the track - I got my license from Frank Hawley's school.  He stressed safety and was especially adamant that when you race at an unfamiliar track, you should go to the end of the track and examine the shut-down area.  You need to already know where to go in case of emergency.  I have done this everywhere and believe me, every track is different.  Some have a nicely maintained sand trap and you can just drive straight into it.  Some don't and here's what I've found:    1) One track had the sand trap eroded from rain.  There was exactly (1) car width that had a smooth transition.  Everywhere else had a 3" dropoff.  Hit that at speed and you would impress the Wright brothers.   2) Another track has a river at the end of the track.  There is a small path that curves gently to the left, but on each side of the path, there is a 12" dropoff concealed by tall grass.  3) Another track has the emergency area in a farm field across a public road.  They close off traffic on the road, but you better make it through the gates.  4) Another track has a nice farm field at the end, but there is a small sign in line with the center stripe and a light pole in line with the left edge of the track.  5) Another track has a horseshoe-shaped pile of gravel at the end to prevent racecars from going out onto a public road.  You're only hope here is to make sure your brakes and parachute are in top-notch condition.  Got the idea?  I'm not going to say which tracks have these features....you'll have to look for yourself.  Good luck and be careful.