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Common failures out on the road?

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  • #16
    I'm not a fan of drving on front runners and super skinny front wheels. i've seen this bite people as a decent pot hole and the roads we end up are often not perfect, can crush a tiny tire and the rim. I know that a number of folks have made the whole trip on them but its crap shoot. A lot of guys run skinny but real streetable tires as a substitute.

    I'm changing all four tires this year as we had intended last year. But of course the overheating took us out before we got to Great Bend so what do I know.
    Drag Week 2006 & 2012 - Winner Street Race Big Block Naturally Aspirated - R/U 2007 Broke DW '05 and Drag Weekend '15 Coincidence?

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    • #17
      If the plan is to change wheels and tires often, it's a really good idea to not only have a spare lug nut or 5 on hand, but also a few studs and any special tools required to pull rotors / axles to get the studs changed out.
      There's always something new to learn.

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      • #18
        Yes it is.........Allen Crump, the guy who won SB/NA last year, messed up a couple wheel studs last year.
        Team Clueless
        1st Place SB/NA DW12
        2nd Place SB/NA DW11
        sigpic

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        • #19
          If you want to make sure your car will make the trip, take it on Power Tour in June
          My fabulous web page

          "If it don't go, chrome it!" --Stroker McGurk

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          • #20
            I do carry extra lug nuts and wheel studs. Gave the lug nuts to Walt Reynolds last year when he had an issue.

            I have anti-seize on the wheel studs and I always hand start before using the cordless impact we call Big Bertha
            Drag Week 2006 & 2012 - Winner Street Race Big Block Naturally Aspirated - R/U 2007 Broke DW '05 and Drag Weekend '15 Coincidence?

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            • #21
              I didn't bring a spare alternator last year because the MSD had been bullet proof for five years including two previous Drag Weeks. Unfortunatly it uses non-standard mounts.

              Therefore You know what died right?
              Drag Week 2006 & 2012 - Winner Street Race Big Block Naturally Aspirated - R/U 2007 Broke DW '05 and Drag Weekend '15 Coincidence?

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              • #22
                Doc s car ate alts like cookies we changed it to a 1 wire a small alt shop makes out of std parts just so it can be fixed on the road
                2007 SBN/A Drag Week Winner & First only SBN/A Car in the 9's Till 2012
                First to run in the .90s .80s and .70's in SBN/A
                2012 SSBN/A Drag Week Winner First in the 9.60's/ 9.67 @ 139 1.42 60'
                2013 SSBN/A Drag Week, Lets quit sand bagging, and let it rip!

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                • #23
                  I fried an alternator too, after lots of miles and a couple years on it. My car does okay with a standard GM 63amp alternator, but it's noticeable difference from the 105 amp GM unit I normally have in there. Only about 1 in 5 parts stores stock the 105 amp unit I'm using. For some reason the new alternator I got after Drag Week won't energize until like 1700+rpm, then it's just fine at idle and such. My old one had no problem energizing around 1200rpm. It's kinda annoying.
                  Last edited by TheSilverBuick; March 27, 2012, 01:03 PM.
                  Escaped on a technicality.

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                  • #24
                    I've brought a spare fuel pump (A1000) every year since '06 which is a lot of money sitting in a box, and of course I haven't needed it, but cobbling something together with different inlest/outlets and over all size would be painful too.

                    Some stuff you can just bypass, like the fancy fan controller I had in '06, it got water logged so I used a relay and SPST switch form a auto parts store along the road near Indy which is still on the car.

                    After Jeff's deal, I soemtimes think I should have a spare coil and injector as mine are not over the counter stuff but I haven't need them so far. Knock wood. I also have belts, a rad hose, lots of valve train stuff and spares of the hard to find gaskets.

                    And foldy chiars which I never get to use. But one thing that was really useful we bougt in '06 was a chaepie pop-up tent from Wal-Mart. I didn't use a trailer in '06 and '07 and the tent was a great place to put everything that had to come out of the car, which was everything inlcuding duffel bags etc. We ended up with a lot of other folks stuff in the tent from time to time due to rain and worry about some stuff growing legs
                    Drag Week 2006 & 2012 - Winner Street Race Big Block Naturally Aspirated - R/U 2007 Broke DW '05 and Drag Weekend '15 Coincidence?

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                    • #25
                      I didn't use my pop up tent after day one =/ It wasn't any trouble packing it so I may bring it again. I brought a spare fuel pump (a junkyard sourced one I had on the car for a couple years prior, still good), a head gasket set, a 4-pin HEI distributor and a set of injectors. The injectors I swapped out the first day, they were bigger injectors that showed up in the mail the day before I left for Drag Week, so the smaller injectors became spares =P The 4-pin HEI was in case I had a complete EFI meltdown (like hooking the battery up backwards kind of thing), I'd be able to drop the 4-pin HEI in, borrow or buy a square bore carb and be on the road again. I'll bring it with me again.
                      Escaped on a technicality.

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                      • #26
                        Originally posted by TheSilverBuick View Post
                        ...For some reason the new alternator I got after Drag Week won't energize until like 1700+rpm, then it's just fine at idle and such... It's kinda annoying.
                        1700 rpm? can a Buick do that? Sorry, I couldn't resist.

                        I know a one wire alternator is supposed to be self exiting, but some of them, like yours, need to be revved to energize. So on a cold morning, your oil is like molasses, and you have an unpleasant choice to make: rev the motor right away, picturing in your mind all those expensive valve train parts rubbing against each other with no oil on them. Or let the motor idle on battery power till it warms up, but if you turn on the heater and wipers, the amp guage goes way negative and the lights dim.

                        But there is a fix! If your alternator has the little #1 and #2 terminals (most GM's do) you can just hook up a wire from the charging system warning light on the dash to the #1 terminal on the alternator. If your car doesn't have a charge warning light, run a wire from a 12v+ source (that is only on when the ignition is on), thru a small bulb, and to the #1 terminal on the alternator. That little shot of battery supplied electricity wakes that alternator up instantly!

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                        • #27
                          Originally posted by Hemi Joel View Post
                          1700 rpm? can a Buick do that? Sorry, I couldn't resist.

                          I know a one wire alternator is supposed to be self exiting, but some of them, like yours, need to be revved to energize. So on a cold morning, your oil is like molasses, and you have an unpleasant choice to make: rev the motor right away, picturing in your mind all those expensive valve train parts rubbing against each other with no oil on them. Or let the motor idle on battery power till it warms up, but if you turn on the heater and wipers, the amp guage goes way negative and the lights dim.

                          But there is a fix! If your alternator has the little #1 and #2 terminals (most GM's do) you can just hook up a wire from the charging system warning light on the dash to the #1 terminal on the alternator. If your car doesn't have a charge warning light, run a wire from a 12v+ source (that is only on when the ignition is on), thru a small bulb, and to the #1 terminal on the alternator. That little shot of battery supplied electricity wakes that alternator up instantly!
                          Ha! and Hmm. Are you talking about the internally regulated alternators? It doesn't have a GEN light (replaced by volt meter), so if I kick 12v to the #1 terminal it'll energize up? I have an unused 12v FIdle output relay, I can use to kick it on. Is the use of the bulb for resistance?

                          **Quick check on the TunerStudio, I can set the parameters such that if the voltage is below 12.5v, that it'll kick closed the relay that supplies battery voltage. I'll have to try it out.
                          Last edited by TheSilverBuick; March 28, 2012, 01:46 PM.
                          Escaped on a technicality.

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                          • #28
                            yes, yes but you need a bulb or a resitor, yes.

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                            • #29
                              I have a 194 bulb and socket I'll try out with it. Thanks!
                              Escaped on a technicality.

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                              • #30
                                Hey Joel, it worked like a champ! I couldn't use the Fidle output I intended because I didn't install the jumper to activate it as +12v on the relay board, but hooked it up to a +12v source on the relay board and the light lights up when I turn the key and goes out when the voltage goes up. Which it does in short order. Thanks!
                                Escaped on a technicality.

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