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Dodging the Storms With Project 4-Link

6/7/04

irst thing … I want to apologize to Jeff for getting this update to him so late. Not many of you know what I do for a regular job 8 to 5 everyday. I am an auto damage appraiser and this month in Iowa could easily be called “Hell-Month”! We have had several severe hail-storms and currently lead the nation in tornado sightings. NOT A GOOD THING but especially ugly if you appraise damaged cars. Some of the hailstones were 3” in diameter! We are swamped and trying to get that done and two cars prepared is more than a full-time deal. With Andy’s help on the cars and Barb taking care of getting the motor home and supplies in place we have raced every weekend this month. Here is a picture of the inside of our 28’ trailer. YES, it is crowded and it takes us about 30 minutes to get both cars loaded and secured.

This is what fills our “spare time”. The dragster is winched up, supported in the middle with a metal frame and the Vega gets the basic tie down treatment. So far it hasn’t moved in our travels.

The last time I wrote a column we were headed for the NHRA National Open in Earlville, IA for a Top Comp race. We qualified in the top 10 and made it to the quarter-finals. We qualified at 7.57 at 175 mph. The “Project 4-Link” performed great and is performing consistently.

Then we headed for the first local Summit Series race at Cedar Falls Raceway in Cedar Falls, IA. Andy did an excellent job of driving and has a great start on defending his point title as he made it to the finals only to roll through the stage beam when the button messed us up.

One other item that keeps oil from ending under your tires at speed is transmission fluid. The BTE transmission overflow can fit great and is a requirement in Top Dragster.

The next week we headed for our first IHRA Top Dragster race at the Mr. Gasket Pro-Am event at Cordova Raceway Park. We had some updates to get done to “Project 4-Link” and RCI and BTE came through for us in the nick of time. RCI finally got caught up on engine diapers, required for IHRA Top Dragster, and BTE provided us a trick little overflow catch can for the transmission, another required item in Top Dragster. With those two items we rolled through IHRA tech with no problems and got ready for the first of three qualifying rounds. Our first run was our best ever, a 7.535 at 175.80 mph. Our 60’ was 1.076, another best, and we backed it up with a 7.540 a couple of hours later. Then we passed on the third qualifier as we entered the Quarter-Max Top Dragster Shoot-out. This is the type of thing I really like about IHRA races; you get to do more racing! Andy drove really well and we were the fastest Mopar qualifier again. We got to the final five cars and Andy lost a close race to Jeff Ledford with a .006 breakout. I didn’t notice the breakout because all I saw was the “Project 4-Link” disappear into the darkness in a huge cloud of smoke. I thought it was definitely an engine eating itself up, but since I was still in the No Box race with the “Back-2-Basics” Vega, Barb had to go get him with the golf cart.

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This is the RCI engine diaper after the run when the oil filter failed. It contained all of the oil that would have sprayed under the rear tires. If you race a fast car I recommend you get one of these. The cost is minimal especially if you oil the rear tires at any speed over 150.

This is how we mounted the 55 amp alternator to our chassis and then ran a Moroso pulley off the BG belt drive fuel pump spindle.

When I got back to the pit area the car was sitting there with oil dripping from everywhere. The first time we used the RCI engine diaper we needed it. The oil filter had shaken loose and the o-ring was pushed out. No engine damage, thank goodness, and no oil under the rear tires at 175 mph thanks to RCI, but it was a slimy mess. We spent until 2:30 a.m. cleaning it up (sort of) so we could run the IHRA Top Dragster race on Sunday. We ended up going out in the second round with a foul start, but if you aren’t trying on the tree then you aren’t winning. I was happy to get out of there with Andy and the engine in one piece.

Our next race is the Memorial Day weekend bracket race at Byron Dragway. It is our first event where we might have to make 10 runs in an eight hour day. The best part is if we do there is a $5,000 winner’s check waiting!

A few things we did to enhance our chances in races like this was to run an alternator and make a “rock guard” for the carburetors. We currently have an on-board battery charger. The alternator is shown in the photo mainly because I am always asked, “Where did I get a “kit” to mount one for a Mopar?” I didn’t, we made a bracket on the chassis and used a Moroso pulley on the BG crank spindle. The _” screen we used to protect the engine from larger debris was simply folded over an aluminum frame that fits under the scoop and fastened with wire ties. The on-board battery charger weighs only 14 ounces and if we get in a pinch for time between rounds all we have to do is locate a 120-volt power source. With all the generators running we should be able to mooch an outlet from someone. If you race at a place that does not permit returning to your pit area this might be something you should look into.

This is our first attempt at keeping any debris out of the engine and not affect the air flow we need for the two 1090 King Demons. I am working with #1 Stops to put together a custom K&N filter. Hopefully it will be ready for testing soon. We run on tracks that have a lot of gravel on the return roads and I wanted something ... just in case!!

Thanks for reading the “Project 4-Link” column this month; I hope it gives you a little insight into what we are doing. We aren’t world champions and we have a definite and small budget to work with. We just love the sport and the competition and the friends we have made doing this.

Good luck to my youngest son, Ryan, as he begins a new career with the U.S. Coast Guard. We will miss his great sense of humor and calming presence.

Race safe and have some fun!!