Grey Motor Drag Car Build

Includes fuel system, cooling system and exhaust.

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BS
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Re: Grey Motor Drag Car Build

Post by BS »

I have been chipping away on the tune and doing a bit of prep for our Nostalgia meet coming up in August when I noticed the car had developed a bit of a knock. My mate Brian Handke Was in the area and gave me a kick up the bum and volunteered to give me a hand to start pulling it apart and investigating what was going on. Thankfully early in the process we discovered the problem. Flywheel bolts had backed themselves out and luckily an easy fix and caught early. A bit of back and fourth discussion with my mate Harv who also kindly pointed out there are locktabs on these from the factory (which I forgot to fit and vaguely remember from doing the clutch in the FB). Crisis averted for now and another reason why I love this class and the guys on this forum who are always happy to help and share their knowledge with an upstart like myself... Brian is also a fellow competitor in the class who runs a quick falcon powered hambster so I appreciated him giving up his Saturday to lend a hand and keep me motivated.
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Blacky
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Re: Grey Motor Drag Car Build

Post by Blacky »

Whoa - who wired your shed ??????? :wtf: :wtf:

That was lucky , could have ended up a right mess if that knock was ignored ....
When you're faced with an unpleasant task that you really don't want to do, sometimes you just have to dig deep down inside and somehow find the patience to wait for someone else to do it for you.


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BS
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Re: Grey Motor Drag Car Build

Post by BS »

Blacky wrote:Whoa - who wired your shed ??????? :wtf: :wtf:

That was lucky , could have ended up a right mess if that knock was ignored ....
Some winner. Would have been fun pulling cable through that conduit…


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Harv
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Re: Grey Motor Drag Car Build

Post by Harv »

Blacky wrote: Sun Jul 24, 2022 9:37 am That was lucky , could have ended up a right mess if that knock was ignored ....
The HAMBster rules require a stamped steel bellhousing or 1/4" scattershield, but even with those it would be 'orrible.


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Harv
327 Chev EK wagon, original EK ute for Number 1 Daughter, an FB sedan meth monster project and a BB/MD grey motored FED.
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FireKraka
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Re: Grey Motor Drag Car Build

Post by FireKraka »

That could have been nasty BS especially with the family jewels sitting so close, even though you have to have the guard as Harv says I don’t think I would like to try it out 😂😂😂
Member of WA FB/EK Car Club
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BS
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Re: Grey Motor Drag Car Build

Post by BS »

I couldn’t help myself. I spent Saturday pulling everything back apart with the help of number one son and the father in law. To my suprise my 7yo didn’t get bored in the first 5 mins and actually helped me get the box out from start to finish.. Proud dad moment there. We threw the factory bolts in the bin (although they were in there pretty good this time though so probably would have survived the weekend), tidied up the carnage (I had a few dags/damage as well) and installed ARP hardware throughout which wasn’t without its issues but I’m happy and confident with the end result. While the father in law was giving me a hand he also took great pleasure point out that I had installed the spigot bush backwards (explaining why it was always a dog to get the gearbox in) so I rectified that while I was at it meaning the gearbox pretty much fell in this time and got the rest of my prep list taken care of. Weather forecast for the nostalgias this Saturday is not looking good but putting out positive vibes in the hope Mother Nature is kind

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Harv
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Re: Grey Motor Drag Car Build

Post by Harv »

BS wrote: Mon Aug 08, 2022 4:24 pm and installed ARP hardware throughout which wasn’t without its issues but I’m happy and confident with the end result.
Did you use the fancy-headed ARP bolts for the flywheel (206-2802) or normal hex-headed ones with lock tabs? I've got the fancy ones, but am not looking forward to drilling them for lockwire... reckon they will be only marginally softer than a snapped-off-Eazyout :lol:

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Harv
327 Chev EK wagon, original EK ute for Number 1 Daughter, an FB sedan meth monster project and a BB/MD grey motored FED.
BS
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Grey Motor Drag Car Build

Post by BS »

Yep used the fancy ones and followed the installation instructions to a tee using the recommended threadlocker and assembly lube under the head. 55ft/lb of torque compared to the 35ft/lb of the standard bolts. Also measured them up and the shoulder of the bolt was .2mm thicker than the 60yo factory bolts I had originally used. This made them an extremely snug fit in the flywheel bolt holes but after a bit of mucking around I got it all in and torqued up with eyes closed and teeth clenched. If one of them snapped I think I would have just set fire to it. This is the combo Peter Grant uses in his car now after he had a flywheel come loose on two previous occasions. His has not come loose since moving to this combo but he has added a flywheel check to his post and pre meeting checklist.


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BS
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Re: Grey Motor Drag Car Build

Post by BS »

Well almost 12 months since I had the car out. Mixed results. Figured out how to cut a good light in it and I seem to have tuned the flat spot/stumble out of it but it was down on mph and et and the incrementals didn’t show any improvement despite the car feeling better out of the hole. Last run it ended the run like a dog barely making it back to the pits. I’ve always had concerns with oil to the top end on this car. Healthy oil pressure but just doesn’t seem to get to the top end/rockers?? Will need to pull it apart and have a look at what’s going on. Afrs still super fat? If you look at the gauge second from the right it’s the wideband/afr gauge. 12.5:1 is abound the 12 o’clock mark. So it’s sitting at approx 10/11:1 at WOT in the deep end. Oil pressure is the gauge on the far right, sitting at around 28/30psi at idle and 38/40 the rest of the time… last run was against my favourite car of the night. Of all things it was a Subaru brumby (my first car) which ran a 7.8… weapon!!

https://youtu.be/3FwZNLKajM8


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BS
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Re: Grey Motor Drag Car Build

Post by BS »

Also caught up with Drew and Charlie today up in qld on holidays. Pair of legends!!


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FbSTDwagon
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Re: Grey Motor Drag Car Build

Post by FbSTDwagon »

BS wrote: Sun Jan 22, 2023 7:48 pm Also caught up with Drew and Charlie today up in qld on holidays. Pair of legends!!


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Thanks for having us mate, was cool to talk all things Grey 😜
Great to meet your little pit crew at home, you have a lovely family mate and a really cool workshop and projects!
Drew
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Harv
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Re: Grey Motor Drag Car Build

Post by Harv »

Very cool 8) Looked awesome at night.

Not sure if that is cam damage. Seemed to go from running fairly well to hairy-goat real quick, more like fuel or ignition. Unusual to have rapid catastrophic cam damage. Leakdown test, measure a few rockers with a dial gauge or tear down?

Interesting to watch the AFR swing madly at idle. Standard greys do that too (or at least my FB did via a CO gauge).

Is that still the landspeed cam, or something with less duration? Sounds pretty sharp off the line if it's still the landspeed cam.

Cheers,
Harv
327 Chev EK wagon, original EK ute for Number 1 Daughter, an FB sedan meth monster project and a BB/MD grey motored FED.
BS
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Re: Grey Motor Drag Car Build

Post by BS »

Hey Harv,

I’m hoping it’s not a cam problem and I’m just being paranoid. It’s always concerned me the time it take to get oil to the rockers in this engine but I’ll do some homework and see what the go is.

The cam is still the big whopper landspeed cam I have sent you the specs on previously. I’ve found it responded well by leaning out the power valves but keeping the mains slightly richer. Seat of the pants it felt better but the timeslips say it hasn’t improved.

All runs except the last were running a 72 powervalve and mains were either all 50s, 50s in the front and rear with a 48 in the middle.

After seeing the afrs still super fat at WOT the last run I put in 70 powervalves and 46 mains. It didn’t really make any difference to the AFRs as you can see but by the time I got to the return road it wasn’t happy.


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Harv
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Re: Grey Motor Drag Car Build

Post by Harv »

Might be worth a leakdown test if you have access to a tester. Shouldn't have crispied a valve/cylinder top (as the change was only slightly leaner and AFR looked OK) but might be it.

Cheers,
Harv
327 Chev EK wagon, original EK ute for Number 1 Daughter, an FB sedan meth monster project and a BB/MD grey motored FED.
BS
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Re: Grey Motor Drag Car Build

Post by BS »

Yes worth a check I’ll try get hold of one make sure I have

Sorry I had my numbers around the wrong way.

Run 1 was 72 powervalves 50 mains all round 28 degrees total advance at 4000RPM
Run 2 was 72 powervalves 48 mains in front and rear and 50 in the middle 28 degrees total advance at 4000RPM
Run 3 no change to main jets or powervalves tried 32 degrees total advance at 4000RPM
Run 4 70 powervalves 46 mains all round. 32 degrees total advance at 4000RPM

But yeah as you say will run a leak down test and make sure nothings burnt and go from there.


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