A very Happy New Year to all my friends, and Drag Pak #24 followers out there!
As for something to think about, as you all know, I lost my son Christopher this past year. And his mother and I agreed to split his ashes to each do with them as we saw fit.
I won't tell you what I did with my half of the ashes, because it might not be legal, ...but.....
At the finish line for all the races we completed after he was gone, Maple Grove in PA, Thunder Valley in OK, Las Vegas Speedway, and Pomona, as you pass the stripe, and see a small swirl of "dust" spiralling up into the air in celebration of your success, think of Chris!
He would have wanted it that way!
God Bless, and a most Blessed and Happy New Year!
David
Friday, December 31, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
A new look for the Mega Maniac
Yes, and no...
The current wrap on the Mega Maniac was primarily the work of Rod and the crew at Gator Wraps in California. My son, Chris managed the project, and his decisions along with the fine work of Gator Wraps, won us Best Appearing Car at the Denver Nationals. And for those who didn't see the video of it, the car was actually wrapped in the DIYAutotune garage in Atlanta. Gator wrap can find a local shop to do the actually application if you aren't located close to their facility in California. Our sponsor at the time was DIYAutoTune.com and they had a video online of the wrap being done, in stop action. It was awesome. I think it may still be available as link from their website. Take a look at it if you wonder how they apply a wrap. My continued thanks to Jerry and the DIY team, they are good friends, and were a terrific partner, and the car Proudly wore their name all of this year.
In Las Vegas, as some of you know, we lost our hood, which was severely damaged, and the wrap was torn all over the hood. We compensated for the tears showing the white car underneath, by applying black duct tape to cover the white, and it actually wasn't too bad from a little distance. Don't you just love the many uses of duct tape in drag racing?
But the hood was severely damaged and needs to be replaced, and as I pursue the new hood, the idea of a new wrap has become all the more consuming.
So, I called Rod at Gator Wraps today. And I shared with him a thought I have been harboring about a new wrap for the Mega Maniac.
This one won't be easy, as most wraps for most cars are pretty abstract, and somewhat arbitrary, but this is one is quite transforming and extremely specific, bringing "life" to the car. One of my criteria is to keep the same basic color scheme. So Rod and I discussed the idea for a little while.
So using the same basic color scheme is the "yes" part of "yes, and no" which I said at the beginning. The "no" part of "yes and no", is that while the car will look at first glance, and from a bit of a distance, to be similar to the current design, up close it is a whole different and pretty radically different design.
One of the things I really like about Rod and Gator Wraps is that they are visionaries. You describe what you want, and they hear you, and can interpret and carry it out. So I am pretty sure that he "Got It!" And the ball is back in my court.
As I leave him to think further about the new design, I must get some close up pictures of the car as is, showing where a couple of dimensions were just a little bit off. And we want to provide the exact dimensions so this wrap, and the wraps for any other Challengers who decide as we did, that a wrap is a better alternative to a complex design than a paint job would be, is right on.
I won't tell you about the new "theme" for the Mega Maniac. That will have to wait until we (the collective "we" who currently includes me, and Rod) decide if it will actually be able to be done in the way I envision it. I think it will. And I am extremely excited about it. So for now, let's just say that it is pretty darned aggressive.
I don't see any races on the schedule that make sense for us until somewhere in April, unless we find a sponsor or two. And I guess it would be a good idea to get sponsors before the new wrap goes on. But we have a kick butt car, and if we can't find sponsors who want to share the winner's circle with us, I guess that we just have to go it alone.
Hey, by the way..... Merry Christmas to all, and Happy Holidays!
David
The current wrap on the Mega Maniac was primarily the work of Rod and the crew at Gator Wraps in California. My son, Chris managed the project, and his decisions along with the fine work of Gator Wraps, won us Best Appearing Car at the Denver Nationals. And for those who didn't see the video of it, the car was actually wrapped in the DIYAutotune garage in Atlanta. Gator wrap can find a local shop to do the actually application if you aren't located close to their facility in California. Our sponsor at the time was DIYAutoTune.com and they had a video online of the wrap being done, in stop action. It was awesome. I think it may still be available as link from their website. Take a look at it if you wonder how they apply a wrap. My continued thanks to Jerry and the DIY team, they are good friends, and were a terrific partner, and the car Proudly wore their name all of this year.
In Las Vegas, as some of you know, we lost our hood, which was severely damaged, and the wrap was torn all over the hood. We compensated for the tears showing the white car underneath, by applying black duct tape to cover the white, and it actually wasn't too bad from a little distance. Don't you just love the many uses of duct tape in drag racing?
But the hood was severely damaged and needs to be replaced, and as I pursue the new hood, the idea of a new wrap has become all the more consuming.
So, I called Rod at Gator Wraps today. And I shared with him a thought I have been harboring about a new wrap for the Mega Maniac.
This one won't be easy, as most wraps for most cars are pretty abstract, and somewhat arbitrary, but this is one is quite transforming and extremely specific, bringing "life" to the car. One of my criteria is to keep the same basic color scheme. So Rod and I discussed the idea for a little while.
So using the same basic color scheme is the "yes" part of "yes, and no" which I said at the beginning. The "no" part of "yes and no", is that while the car will look at first glance, and from a bit of a distance, to be similar to the current design, up close it is a whole different and pretty radically different design.
One of the things I really like about Rod and Gator Wraps is that they are visionaries. You describe what you want, and they hear you, and can interpret and carry it out. So I am pretty sure that he "Got It!" And the ball is back in my court.
As I leave him to think further about the new design, I must get some close up pictures of the car as is, showing where a couple of dimensions were just a little bit off. And we want to provide the exact dimensions so this wrap, and the wraps for any other Challengers who decide as we did, that a wrap is a better alternative to a complex design than a paint job would be, is right on.
I won't tell you about the new "theme" for the Mega Maniac. That will have to wait until we (the collective "we" who currently includes me, and Rod) decide if it will actually be able to be done in the way I envision it. I think it will. And I am extremely excited about it. So for now, let's just say that it is pretty darned aggressive.
I don't see any races on the schedule that make sense for us until somewhere in April, unless we find a sponsor or two. And I guess it would be a good idea to get sponsors before the new wrap goes on. But we have a kick butt car, and if we can't find sponsors who want to share the winner's circle with us, I guess that we just have to go it alone.
Hey, by the way..... Merry Christmas to all, and Happy Holidays!
David
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Idle hands are the devil's tools...so...
Sitting around waiting for the Holidays to be over so we can all get back to doing what needs done, I decided to post about something that makes sense, but not until someone tells you about it.
So, for all of you who currently do, or plan to do some of the electronic tuning on your car, here are some thoughts and a tip or two.
All of the ECU vendors supply software that will allow you to tune, and also to log the events on your car. That software works just great when sitting in the shop, or garage. And the software also works well when you are at the strip, but it is usually your computer that lets you down then.
The (some) vendors give you a usb to serial converter, since they haven't quit4e caught up with the fact that computers don't come with serial ports any more. So you take your laptop out to the car, plug it in, and.............
Imagine being in the bright sun with your laptop and trying to read the screen...
That isn't the exception, it is the rule. Most of the time when you are at the track, and even when you only want to do something trivial, like download a log, you will often find yourself twisting the screen, and yourself, trying to find enough shade to actually read the screen and give the proper commands. In fact, in those circumstances I usually have trouble just locating the mouse cursor, so I can get to the right command.
If you were to have any of the ECU vendors assist you at the track, you will learn something interesting. You should learn a bit about what they do to tune your car, but they also usually carry a 50 foot serial cable to allow them to connect to the computer in the car, from the trailer where it is usually shady and screens can be read more easily.
Now you might assume that those 25 or 50 ft serial cables are special, or hard to find. But that isn't entirely true. They aren't common, and your local radio shack might not have them, but they can be found. Spend a few minutes looking online, and you might find the 25 foot 9 pin serial cables for less than $20 each. I got mine at http://www.geeks.com/ and picked up two.
As with anything else, it has to occur to you that something can be fixed, before you stop dealing with it, and fix it. This is one annoyance that can be fixed, inexpensively, and easily.
Don't wait until you have to suffer through a deadline trying to look at your logs, so you know what to dial in the next race they just called to the staging lanes....
Fix it now. Tis the season (winter) to fix the little things that bother you about the car. I know I have a few more to get done this year..
David
So, for all of you who currently do, or plan to do some of the electronic tuning on your car, here are some thoughts and a tip or two.
All of the ECU vendors supply software that will allow you to tune, and also to log the events on your car. That software works just great when sitting in the shop, or garage. And the software also works well when you are at the strip, but it is usually your computer that lets you down then.
The (some) vendors give you a usb to serial converter, since they haven't quit4e caught up with the fact that computers don't come with serial ports any more. So you take your laptop out to the car, plug it in, and.............
Imagine being in the bright sun with your laptop and trying to read the screen...
That isn't the exception, it is the rule. Most of the time when you are at the track, and even when you only want to do something trivial, like download a log, you will often find yourself twisting the screen, and yourself, trying to find enough shade to actually read the screen and give the proper commands. In fact, in those circumstances I usually have trouble just locating the mouse cursor, so I can get to the right command.
If you were to have any of the ECU vendors assist you at the track, you will learn something interesting. You should learn a bit about what they do to tune your car, but they also usually carry a 50 foot serial cable to allow them to connect to the computer in the car, from the trailer where it is usually shady and screens can be read more easily.
Now you might assume that those 25 or 50 ft serial cables are special, or hard to find. But that isn't entirely true. They aren't common, and your local radio shack might not have them, but they can be found. Spend a few minutes looking online, and you might find the 25 foot 9 pin serial cables for less than $20 each. I got mine at http://www.geeks.com/ and picked up two.
As with anything else, it has to occur to you that something can be fixed, before you stop dealing with it, and fix it. This is one annoyance that can be fixed, inexpensively, and easily.
Don't wait until you have to suffer through a deadline trying to look at your logs, so you know what to dial in the next race they just called to the staging lanes....
Fix it now. Tis the season (winter) to fix the little things that bother you about the car. I know I have a few more to get done this year..
David
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Update on Rocker Arm specs
Thanks to another Drag Pak owner, I just learned (and verified on the NHRA site) that the 2009 and 2010 blueprint specs for rocker arm ratio on the 5.7, and 6.1 are now finally correct at 1.65 And the dome height on the 6.1 is now .142 and deck clearance is now .135AB, while the 5.7 dome height is still at .204, and deck clearance is still .000, and both the 5.7 and 6.1 now show cam lift as 602/569
Curiously, in the 2010 spec, at this point the 392 still shows the rocker arm ratio as 1.60 in the spec, and to my understanding they are the same rocker arms. So, what's up with that? We need to get this fixed too, since we will probably see a few more of these on the track.
Fortunately, Peter got me the information today, since I had already put it on my calendar to call Chrysler tomorrow. Good timing my friend!
It really does help us all to communicate about we learn. Don't assume that everyone knows, just pass it on, and we will all be better informed.
My personal thanks to Peter, and to all of the other Drag Pak owners who so kindly share information with each other. And as always, if you ask that I not share the info with others, I will respect that.
The Secret Squirrel Club is now open and operating, (it has been for some time..) and only members who contribute have access to the massive stores of info inside. muwahhhhaaaa or some other form of an insidious evil laugh......
David
Curiously, in the 2010 spec, at this point the 392 still shows the rocker arm ratio as 1.60 in the spec, and to my understanding they are the same rocker arms. So, what's up with that? We need to get this fixed too, since we will probably see a few more of these on the track.
Fortunately, Peter got me the information today, since I had already put it on my calendar to call Chrysler tomorrow. Good timing my friend!
It really does help us all to communicate about we learn. Don't assume that everyone knows, just pass it on, and we will all be better informed.
My personal thanks to Peter, and to all of the other Drag Pak owners who so kindly share information with each other. And as always, if you ask that I not share the info with others, I will respect that.
The Secret Squirrel Club is now open and operating, (it has been for some time..) and only members who contribute have access to the massive stores of info inside. muwahhhhaaaa or some other form of an insidious evil laugh......
David
This was Maple Grove , where we won B/SA
The image to the left is the memorial decal so graciously designed by Michael Beard, and Printed at no cost by Bill Howell, both from the ClassRacer.com forums. Decals are still available for a small donation, and the proceeds go to Chris' three Children. David -13, Max - 6 , and Isabella -5 years old. Many thanks for Michael and Bill for their kind efforts. And special thanks to all who have given or will.
One angle of the car at Maple Grove.
Where we won Class B/SA. There were three Challengers there and when we arrived, one was in A/SA, and one was in C/SA where we would have preferred to run. And even though the car in C had already shown he was fast and had beaten us heads up in Columbus, he didn't want to move from C.
So, as much as I would have liked to return the favor, and take class away from him as he did us, when he came in late and registered in the same class as us, I decided to go to B/SA.
Why? For the good of the Challenger Drag Pak program. It would be much better if Challengers won A/SA, B/SA. and C/SA than if we only won two of the three. So that was my choice.
I knew we would run fast enough for B, since we had made our previous runs on only 7 cylinders and still been competitive. We found a compromised coil pack, which we replaced and got everything out of the car that we knew it should do.
Our first run was 9.85 seconds, making us top qualifier in stock. The first of a streak of four such occurrences in Stock, covering two Nationals and two Divisionals. And with the exception of Maple Grove, where we did get horsepower, we got the other three top qualifiers without getting any horsepower added.
The next run, was much later and our weather calculations and everyone we spoke with was in agreement that the air was not as good, and the track was not as fast. Most cars showed that to be true as they ran down the track, one after another slower than their previous run.
Well, apparently not everyone was in agreement with that, and obviously it was the Megamaniac. The car just went out and ran a 9.80 Can you say Wow? I sure did!
That was the start of our trip, and you can see why I was more than a little excited to see the car finally run up to our expectations.
BTW: The pictures were taken by AutoImagery. Good job guys!
David
Monday, December 6, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Switch for windows
The switch information that I promised a while back, is now here...Hurray!!!!
Lots of snow around here in Ohio, so in case you were wondering if I took the throttle cable back to Summit today, well nooooooooooooooo......... I didn't even go out today. But I am getting some needed things done around the house...I used to do so much travleing and spending time at a certain lady's house, that I never got got some things done since I moved into my house last year. And Chris was going to help me with a lot of it, but that is what it is.. And I would rather have him here just to talk.......And now, sadly that I don't see that particular lady any longer, I now have lots more time to finish my house. OK, no more drama here on the blog.
Back to the switch:
Manufacturer: LKG Industries
Brand: Philmore
Reversing Toggle Switch
DPDT (ON) OFF (ON)
.250" Quick connect Terminal
21A - 14V
The switch connections are simple enough.
There are six connectors on each switch. The two outside connectors on one end go to the window motor. And the other two connectors on the other end, also go to the window motor.
The magic happens when you connect the positive (12 or 16 volts) to the one center lug, and the ground to the other center lug.
So, when you push the switch one way, you send positive on one side (let's call it the left side) , and ground to the other side, but when the switch goes the other way, it send ground to the left side, and positive voltage to the right side, therefore reversing the motor. And the best part is that when you let go of the sqitch, it goes back to a neutral position and doesn't burn out the motor if you forget to reset it manually.
A wiring diagram isn't really needed, all you need to userstand, is that if pushing the switch forward puts the window down, then you need to reverse the two centerlugs. That will revese both sides of the switch.
Then as you can see the switches fit right into the stock locations, and all you have to do is take out the circuit board with the original switches, and put the new switches into the holes.
If you really would like a wiring diagram, just let me know.
Have a good day!
David
Lots of snow around here in Ohio, so in case you were wondering if I took the throttle cable back to Summit today, well nooooooooooooooo......... I didn't even go out today. But I am getting some needed things done around the house...I used to do so much travleing and spending time at a certain lady's house, that I never got got some things done since I moved into my house last year. And Chris was going to help me with a lot of it, but that is what it is.. And I would rather have him here just to talk.......And now, sadly that I don't see that particular lady any longer, I now have lots more time to finish my house. OK, no more drama here on the blog.
Back to the switch:
Manufacturer: LKG Industries
Brand: Philmore
Reversing Toggle Switch
DPDT (ON) OFF (ON)
.250" Quick connect Terminal
21A - 14V
The switch connections are simple enough.
There are six connectors on each switch. The two outside connectors on one end go to the window motor. And the other two connectors on the other end, also go to the window motor.
The magic happens when you connect the positive (12 or 16 volts) to the one center lug, and the ground to the other center lug.
So, when you push the switch one way, you send positive on one side (let's call it the left side) , and ground to the other side, but when the switch goes the other way, it send ground to the left side, and positive voltage to the right side, therefore reversing the motor. And the best part is that when you let go of the sqitch, it goes back to a neutral position and doesn't burn out the motor if you forget to reset it manually.
A wiring diagram isn't really needed, all you need to userstand, is that if pushing the switch forward puts the window down, then you need to reverse the two centerlugs. That will revese both sides of the switch.
Then as you can see the switches fit right into the stock locations, and all you have to do is take out the circuit board with the original switches, and put the new switches into the holes.
If you really would like a wiring diagram, just let me know.
Have a good day!
David
Throttle Cable, throttle body, and the hood
Somethings, I had almost forgotten about....
Our throttle cable had, since we first got the car, begun to unravel at the ends. At first, it just one or two little wires broke out of the bunch that make up the cable. But each time it was attached/detached it seemed to suffer a bit more damage at one or both ends.
Finally, it was down to a couple of tiny wires at the gas pedal, and frankly I was a bit worried about how to replace it.
But it turned out to be no big deal. The cable is a Lokar part. So I went to Summit Racing and picked up two different length cables, since the car is/was currently being housed about 180 miles away, I wasn't sure of the actual length needed. But it seemed like 36" or 48" was about right, and as it turned out, the 36" cable worked great. It has been a couple of months, and I still need to take the 48" cable, package unopened, back to Summit.... But these days, I don't have much a life, so maybe tomorrow....
But back to the actual throttle body replacement. All we had to do was to replace the fraying inner cable, and not the securely mounted outer sheath. Nothing more than a 20 minute replacement, and all is good again. Be sure to check the ends on yours.
We had considered, turning the throttle body around so it looked like it was correct. I don't know if you have looked at yours, but the primaries and secondaries, are reversed over what you would expect. But considering that the runners on manifold are all the same, it really doesn't matter. And, the throttle body is on the way it is, to avoid interfering with the rear hood cross brace. So turning it around, not only won't make any difference, other than possibly benefit of making the throttle cable routing shorter and straighter, it won't work without a change to the the rear hood bracket.
On still another topic, Is anybody else really tired of messing messing with 12 Dzus fasteners to open the hood, and then messing with them all over again to close and secure the hood? This is especially frustrating when you go for a fuel check, and need to get it off in a hurry, and then back on and at least a couple of fasteners secured to get back to the pits. And each time you close or open one of the Dzus fasteners, you risk either bending the flimsy brackets, or the actual fastener base.
Well, coming up a little later, maybe in a couple of weeks, will be an approach to attaching your hood, so that it won't fly off as ours did in Las Vegas. Once we get our new hood, I will outline the "better way", to secure it, and allow much for both easier latching and removal. And although we hope that our new hood will come without any holes, so that we put our own where we want them, I will make sure that I give instructions that can be used on an existing hood where the dozen fasteners already exist, and for a uncut hood.
David
Our throttle cable had, since we first got the car, begun to unravel at the ends. At first, it just one or two little wires broke out of the bunch that make up the cable. But each time it was attached/detached it seemed to suffer a bit more damage at one or both ends.
Finally, it was down to a couple of tiny wires at the gas pedal, and frankly I was a bit worried about how to replace it.
But it turned out to be no big deal. The cable is a Lokar part. So I went to Summit Racing and picked up two different length cables, since the car is/was currently being housed about 180 miles away, I wasn't sure of the actual length needed. But it seemed like 36" or 48" was about right, and as it turned out, the 36" cable worked great. It has been a couple of months, and I still need to take the 48" cable, package unopened, back to Summit.... But these days, I don't have much a life, so maybe tomorrow....
But back to the actual throttle body replacement. All we had to do was to replace the fraying inner cable, and not the securely mounted outer sheath. Nothing more than a 20 minute replacement, and all is good again. Be sure to check the ends on yours.
We had considered, turning the throttle body around so it looked like it was correct. I don't know if you have looked at yours, but the primaries and secondaries, are reversed over what you would expect. But considering that the runners on manifold are all the same, it really doesn't matter. And, the throttle body is on the way it is, to avoid interfering with the rear hood cross brace. So turning it around, not only won't make any difference, other than possibly benefit of making the throttle cable routing shorter and straighter, it won't work without a change to the the rear hood bracket.
On still another topic, Is anybody else really tired of messing messing with 12 Dzus fasteners to open the hood, and then messing with them all over again to close and secure the hood? This is especially frustrating when you go for a fuel check, and need to get it off in a hurry, and then back on and at least a couple of fasteners secured to get back to the pits. And each time you close or open one of the Dzus fasteners, you risk either bending the flimsy brackets, or the actual fastener base.
Well, coming up a little later, maybe in a couple of weeks, will be an approach to attaching your hood, so that it won't fly off as ours did in Las Vegas. Once we get our new hood, I will outline the "better way", to secure it, and allow much for both easier latching and removal. And although we hope that our new hood will come without any holes, so that we put our own where we want them, I will make sure that I give instructions that can be used on an existing hood where the dozen fasteners already exist, and for a uncut hood.
David
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