I have to compliment you on your cool to the bone game face. I can't pop a wheelie on anything without smiling.

 

No kidding. I'd be cackling like a hyena!

 

Thanks guys! You get used to it and get a lot more focus on other things that are happening. Looks like in the photo I am intently focused on watching the tach. I remember the first run after installing the drag shocks and soft springs. Came back all excited and told my wife "that felt (expletive) dangerous". She said "now what?" I told her "Go again!"

What's really scary and difficult to get used to is that the front end stays up against the upper suspension stops throughout the entire run and then (somewhat slowly, over a couple of seconds) comes down about 6" when you let off (at above 115 mph). I've talked to others, and this is typical for these springs/shocks - its how they work. Also why you have the alignment done with suspension in the upper part of the travel. If you are cruising steady at 60 mph and hit the throttle, the front end will still come up against the stops. Also front end will come up against the stops if you power brake it enough when fully stopped (now that feels weird). Gotta pay the big bucks for double-adjustable coilovers if you want anything else. My setup does work for good weight transfer, and I never seem to have a problem with spinning the slicks - at least on a prepped track. The springs are super-long and small diameter wire - very difficult to install without having them professionally compressed and banded (another scary time doing this with a floor jack and lower control arm loose from the frame!).

 

Just saw this thread. That. Is. Cool... 😜

 

Well, thanks!!

 

What did you have to do to the front steering in order for it to be controllable on the track?

No issues with so much travel and toe-in / toe-out?

 

You get all the caster that you can while keeping both sides even. I got 5° in mine. Any changes in toe in I'm seeing doesn't seem to negatively affect how it drives. Yeah, probably tire life is reduced, but I'm not driving it any distance.

 

Been working on the S10 over the Winter. Had it on a chassis dyno three times. Got 60 more hp to the rear wheels out of it in the end. Started at 345hp peak to the rear wheels. Put on electric water pump and electric fan. Up 20 hp. Went from 1.5 to 1.6 ratio roller rockers. Indexed and side-gapped spark plugs. Combo was up another 15 hp at peak and picked up a bunch on the bottom end. Went from Performer RPM Air Gap to CNC port matched Victor Jr. intake and rejetted carb. Up another 25 hp. Ended at 405hp to rear wheels at 6000 rpm on a Dynojet Dyno. Power is up at least 30hp over the entire rpm range from 4000-6250. They say there is around a 20% loss in the driveline.... So now is supposedly around 507 hp max at the crank. I think not too bad for a 383 on Sunoco 93 octane pump gas with an inexpensive bottom end, AFR heads, and a mild (230/240 @ 0.050) hydraulic flat tappet cam (XE274H). Hopefully this will put me solidly in the 10 second bracket at the track.

Dynos rock for tuning! AFR gauge was not as useful for full throttle so far and still really don't know if reading correctly with open headers. Could see the need for rejetting in the torque curves after putting the Vic Jr intake on. Torque fell off as soon as the accelerator pumps stopped adding fuel and mix went leaner. Looks like I may have been as high as 16:1 from the power loss observed. Just increased fuel until I got a nice torque curve above the accelerator pump feed rpm and was seeing little further increase. As far as seat of the pants feel on the dyno - I couldn't really tell any difference in the various pulls while re-jetting.

Need to install my new Coan TH350 trans with trans brake that is sitting in a box in my garage, and I should be good to go racing. Rusted out brake line on the Blazer kept me away last weekend.

 

78/86, 0.067 = 78 primary jets, 86 secondary jets, 0.067 power valve channel restrictors

 

Street N Strip is the place for track videos. Fixed it for you.