Engine has moved into its new home... Update 31/7-2010 Page 4...

[Steve P.]

Hey Tom,

You know you are an inspiration to us all. I've just gone through from page 2 where my old computer bit the dust, to now and I damn sure feel your frustration. The big thing is that it isn't just something simple. If it was everyone would know what was wrong and how to fix it. You my friend are the guy who will have the knowledge and experience that will help everyone else going to E-85. It realllly sounds like it's an experiment for everyone at this point. Most would give up quick or never bother with it at all. I applaud you buddy. 

Sometimes a beer, sometimes a case. Sometimes you have to take a few days away to clear your head and fix that leaky gutter. In the end you will figure it out and be very happy you stuck to your guns.... We've got faith in you man.....  When you're done you can write a book on it and make a killing.. Hahaha... Never know...

[Mefirst]

  Steve and -Thank you for the words Buddy..

It has been a struggle, it still is, but a good learning experience. There are more simple ways to go about this, but then again I believe that if one takes the easy way, you wont learn much or any thing. That was my plan al along to take the more difficult route and/to learn stuff along the way, and even though I have done my fair chair of I think it will be worth it in the end..

/Tom

[Steve P.]

Hey Tom, pardon me if you have addressed this question already, but what is the reason for the monster carburetor? The DOM seems HUGE to me and you said that E-85 carries oxygen with the fuel. I would think you have too much CFM...  Also Doms are not very happy as a "street" carb from what I know. I have only ever seen them on strictly track built cars with good results.

You know I've been taking plenty of drugs lately for my back, so forgive me if I'm missing something you have gone over already. I also don't know much of anything about e85, but I would think a Holley 750 HP or so would be a better match.    Don't kill me.. It just feels like too much carb to me...

Oh yeah, don't even give that beer a second thought. You are breaking new ground here. The beers will be on us......    Hahaha....

[Mefirst]

  Steve

First I would want to address the issue about the carb size. I do not think a 1050 Dom is to large for my engine setup, reason is more or less cause I'm running E85. As I have prooven earlier, with the Alky set up, one can feed a huge amount of Ethanol (E85) into an engine and it will burn it al and make a power. Also keep in mind, my engine combo is still rather civilised, a hardcore ,no spending money limit race engine would benefit even more, if running it on E85. Also one must keep in mind that ethanol and fuel pump gasoline are so different, I kinda think many gearheads think gasoline and E85 are more or less the same kind of fuel, but they are not. IF my engine was gasoline friendly, I would/could say that a Dommy carb would be an overkill.

Another aspect is that many hot rod´ed engines seem to benefit from the Dommys flow, hook the engine to a dyno and put a Dominator on it, the Dominator carburated engine will make more power than a 4150 type carb. Then again it is true, that the Dommy is not in any way user friendly and it is a total bitch to get tuned for street use, but once you get it tuned, it will work quite well.

The Dominator carb needs allot of TLC tuning before it will work like you want it to, and the tuning possibilities are almost endless. This is kinda what I think is the reason why many choose not to run it, because it is a complicated carb.

Here are some facts Ive learnt when/if running on E85. Some stuff may sound weird, but remember, Ethanol and Gasoline are worlds appart.

You can feed an unbelievable amount of E85 into an engine and raise the ignition to insane degrees. The combo can be spitting out unburnt fuel from the exhaust and keep on making more and more power and still you can push it even further. Reason I guess is that E85 carries with it oxygen and the alcohol has a cooling effect. This is good if running forced induction or high compression. With pump gasoline detonation will probably occur if comp is close or over to 11:1 (not taking into consideration cam profile, etc.) With E85 you should be able to run close to 16:1 comp and if you run a Turbo or some type of blower, you can run this setup at a higher compression, than you could with normal gasoline, making more power. Reason is the higher octane level and cooling effect of the alcohol.

Hope this makes some sence..

/Tom

[Steve P.]

Hey Tom, Like I said, you are the man with the plan. I don't know jack about e-85. Please don't think I was razzing you in any way. I guess I was thinking on the same terms with gas because you had said the e85 carries oxygen with it, thus meaning to me you shouldn't need as big of a barrel or barrels. 

You said that many people are running e85 injected. Do you know what size throttle bodies they run?? That would be interesting too...


Keep up the good work bro. I love ANYTHING new.... It's all very interesting to me... 

[tan top]

never knew  anything really about E85    thanks for going into detail Tom   ... love anything like this 

[Mefirst]

  Guys..

Over here most people do run E85 with a fuel injection system. Its "easier" to tune the engine, like you just fiddle about with a computer hooked up to the system. Cant really say by the looks of it, that it would be any easier than a carb. At the track, the guys running fuel injection systems always seem to fiddle about with a lap top computer hooked up between the runs and looking a little

A good buddy of mine runs a system from NIRA (www.niramotorsport.com) in his 699cid Ford engine. The NIRA injection system is a Swedish made system, it seems to work really well, also the guys who run the company, also offer excellent tuning help.

I don't know much about the injection systems, I'm just starting to understand the carburetor. My plan is to buy this NIRA setup later on, problem is its not cheap, so it will have to wait a while.. So to answer your question about what size injectors, throttle bodies, etc.. you would need, I have sadly no idea..

..a little more about my thoughts about the carb size.. I know most say that one should not over-carb an engine setup. I do agree with that school of thought.. But for some reason I have also got it into my head, that one can use a big carb and still make it work, its just about how one tunes it to work together with the engine.. -Yes in many cases running a Dominator is silly, but still, one can make it work, if one just takes the time and has a masochistic tendency to fiddle about with jets, airbleeds, needles, etc... it will run great, even though it may be down right stupid to use one...

I also see the carb and fuel system like I look at ex. an engines oiling system. I just cant get into my head, why so many who spend high dollars on their engine setup, don't spend money on ex. an improved oiling system. I think that most/al engine failures (doesn't even have to be a race engine) come because of an insufficient oiling system. I run an Milodon external oilpump system, large oil pan with a baffle and a swinging pic-up.. I could perhaps say that I will rather over do something, than just make it run at the edge of its performance (good example of this is my own cars current fuel system. I knew it was not up to the job, but like I have written before, Im a lazy SOB and did nothing to it, and now it bites me in the butt), if its a little to much, it can always be restricted in one way or another. Its harder to restrict something thats not enough in the first place.. Its true, an external oiling system is not cheap, but it will still be cheaper than rebuilding a granaded engine. Its a good insurance.

Maybe Ron and/or Chrycho and others can jump in and write about how they look at this.. I think it would be a good discussion...

/Tom

[Mefirst]

Little update 20/7 ...

Made som progress on the new fuelsystem.. This is how I planed and built it...

Fuelcell with AN12 outlet/line to fuel pump. The fuelpump is a MagnaFuel pice. There is a size AN8 return line from the pump back to the fuelcell. The line to the carb is size AN10...

This is what the fuelsystem project looks like at the moment.






I am going to put a carpet in the trunk, but right now the important thing is the to get the car running, NOT looks... I have al winter to spend on details...






I have also sent the registration payment and plan to go racing the first weekend in August.. Still remains to see IF my car is at the starting line or not... I have two full weekends to work on my ride and get it to run as its supposed to... -Wish me luck OK guys

/Tom

[Mefirst]

Time for an update 22/8-09...

The fuel system upgrade did nothing to cure the problems.. The thing that woke up the engine happened when I upgraded the ignition system. Problem was that the Digital-6 box and Blaster HVC (#8252) coil just did not have the punch to ignite E85. I put in a MSD AL-7 box and a ProPower HVC (#8251) coil, that really woke up the engine. The hesitation, backfiring and bog disappeared.

I was going to run my first race since 2006 the first weekend in August 1-2/8 . Me and two of my buddies, one driving his 1970 Plymouth Cuda 440 Six-Pack (Runs 11.5sec with a 100Hp hit of Nitrous) and a 1967 Ford Mustang with a 703cid engine (He has also had/has some major issues with the fuel injection system, so he has not been able to run any kind of time for the car, but when he gets it to run right, my bet is that he will run an 8sec time slip N/A...) set off driving our rides to the race track, some 60miles from Stockholm..

Sadly my "racing" day ended before it even began, with a fouled up 727 transmission. The trans just lost all gears, when we pulled in to a gas station to fill up with fuel, some 18miles from the race track... Car came home the same way, as back in 2006, on top of a tow truck...

Ive decided, well more forced by bad luck, to once again take time away from the Charger.. I'm just to bummed out and most of all out of money to do anything with her.. The thought of just giving up and getting rid of her and doing something else has also crossed my mind.. Anyways.. I'm gonna take some time off from the car hobby, for how long, that I haven't decided yet...

/Tom

[Steve P.]

Damn sorry to hear of all the troubles Tom. It sucks, but it's all part of the game. Take some time and regroup. Couple it up with some cash and a well rested mind and body. In the end you will have it all sorted out and one major monster under your right foot. Just don't stay away too long or you'll get shaky and start sweating profusely.  Not to mention a bad case of the hiccups that you won't be able to get rid of. 

We all need a break sometime. 

[firefighter3931]

  Time to take a break Tom and relax. 



Ron

[Mefirst]

Update 30/4 -2010

Think its time to do an update on whats happend with my Charger, it has been some 8 months ago since Ive written anything in this thread and Ive done allot of stuff... Sadly I don't have many pictures to share at this time...

Last season ended in a really sour note with the transmission crapping out on me on the way to the race track.. -Well I have done a compleat rebuild and also found out what killed it. The culprit was that the guy who did the last rebuild for some odd reason used a low and reverse servo spring that was about three times stronger that what is needed I'm shore he had some theory about why using a spring like that would be beneficial, but sadly it ended in catastrophe. This because he did not upgrade the servo piston retainer (looks like a big washer) to a billet one. The spring put so much pressure on the servo piston and retainer that the retainer buckled (stock its just made out of really thin and soft sheet metall) This then led to the following. The spring then put continued pressure on the low and reverse apply linkage, the end of the linkage arm then acted like a lathe and cut the low and reverse drum neatly into two pieces and also more or less grinded the low and reverse band into dust... Weird part is that the trans functioned and held together for so long...

Anyways.. I have rebuilt the transmission. Upgraded to a billet steel front drum, billet steel rear servo components and the right tension spring.
I also had a shop open up the converter and clean it. The oil was full of metal shavings, it took allot of time to clean everything...

I also decided to buy a new cooler with a thermostat controlled fan. Was a bit tricky how to mount everything. I had planed on mounting the trans cooler on the inside of the engine cooler, but it did not work out because there was just not enough room for it. So I mounted the engine cooler fan on the inside and rewired it to be a puller and mounted the trans cooler on the front side..

Pictures are from the mock up stage...





Its real tight...



The cooler is connected to the trans by AN fittings and braided hoses, may be a little overkill, but it looks sweet...

I also bought a Dana 60 rear axle from Dr. Diff. The axle is in place. I have to say that I'm really glad I spent the extra money on rear disc brakes, having rear disc brakes in a old car really changes the appearance, I like it (Eventhough there are Ford logos on the callipers )



At the moment I have list (about an A4 paper length) of smaller things I need to do. I'm also waiting on a new driveshaft. Hopefully I will have the car ready before for the first Dragrace date this season, I have about 3 weeks of time.. Think I should be able to make it, IF Mr. Murphy does not stick his nose into my garage and start to make my life miserable again...

/Tom

[Mefirst]

Little update

Got the engine running again.. sadly the video quality is not the best, but trust me, the engine does sound really nasty,...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D56T9DpPs3A

Someone with a hawkeye might notice the A/F meter numbers, the number are not correct, the A/F gauge is showing erratic numbers, another issue I have to fix..

The thing thats causing me the most headache at this moment, is that what ever I do, I just cant get the damn shifter cable/trans gear lever adjusted Last time I found the sweet spot right away, but this time

There is also some weird issue going on with the charging system I need to figure out...

/Tom

[greenpigs]

doesn't sound to hot...you sure everything is 100%?

[General_01]

I felt like I was under water listening to the video. I am sure it sounded better than the video  implies.

[Mefirst]

The video was taped with my cellphone and the garage is inside a "concrete bunker" so even with a high dollar video cam, the sound would be sh..it, this because the sound is bouncing off the walls.. Ill make another and hopefully a better quality one when I get the car outside...

/Tom  

[Mefirst]

doesn't sound to hot...you sure everything is 100%?

If your refering to the "whining" sound the engine it makes, that comes from the Donovan gear drive..

/Tom

[tan top]

The video was taped with my cellphone and the garage is inside a "concrete bunker" so even with a high dollar video cam, the sound would be sh..it, this because the sound is bouncing off the walls.. Ill make another and hopefully a better quality one when I get the car outside...

/Tom  

looking forward to hearing that mean muther out side 

[greenpigs]

doesn't sound to hot...you sure everything is 100%?

If your refering to the "whining" sound the engine it makes, that comes from the Donovan gear drive..

/Tom

Nope and I know what a gear drive sounds like, its just the quality of the video like you originally posted.

[Mefirst]

Little update...

Charger is running right again after I changed out a busted header gasket, fixed a new generator and worked a little with the electrical wiring..

So to try it out, I took the Charger out for a Cruise (Every last Friday of the month its Cruise night in Stockholm).. I did find out, or well I did know, that my Charger ain't that Cruise friendly.. Had a little problem with heat and also some hesitation with idle.. How ever, its nothing Ill do anything about, my ride isn't a cruiser, actually I thought cruising with "her" would be allot worse than it was..





I have also registered to participate in a Dragracing event the first weekend in August.. Ill write an action report about it afterwards..

/Tom

[firefighter3931]

Right on Tom ! 

The magic numbers are 11.68 & 116 mph....that's what the Black Pig ran on it's best run with the old 446 

Let's see if you can do better   


Ron

[Mefirst]

Right on Tom ! 

The magic numbers are 11.68 & 116 mph....that's what the Black Pig ran on it's best run with the old 446 

Let's see if you can do better   

Ron

Buddy!

Im so looking forward to the race and I do hope Ill be able to give you a run for the beer I also hope I can lay down a number for you to run once you get to run the Pig down the track with that stroker engine

Take care!

/Tom

[tan top]

Little update...

Charger is running right again after I changed out a busted header gasket, fixed a new generator and worked a little with the electrical wiring..

So to try it out, I took the Charger out for a Cruise (Every last Friday of the month its Cruise night in Stockholm).. I did find out, or well I did know, that my Charger ain't that Cruise friendly.. Had a little problem with heat and also some hesitation with idle.. How ever, its nothing Ill do anything about, my ride isn't a cruiser, actually I thought cruising with "her" would be allot worse than it was..





I have also registered to participate in a Dragracing event the first weekend in August.. Ill write an action report about it afterwards..

/Tom

great stuff  , looking forward to seeing what she will run 

[mikepmcs]

 

[greenpigs]

Right on Tom ! 

The magic numbers are 11.68 & 116 mph....that's what the Black Pig ran on it's best run with the old 446 

Let's see if you can do better   


Ron

I hope he doesn't blow it up.

The Charger looks bad ass!