I finally got the powerglide in the car with not much problem it has killed me on 60ft... I got it in there with not very much problem at all I used a JW case and Ultra Bell for ford to bolt to the 351. One thing,I have not been using a converter that is built for my car. I ran a 7.361 with a c4 @ 92.80mph shifting the car at 6500 my 60ft time was 1.627. Now with a glide in the car no outher changes it has run the best at a 7.572 @ 93.321 with a 60' time of only 1.733 shifting at 7900. Does anyone know how to get the 60 ft's lower? I am running 4.78 gear with 28x10.5's on a 12 rim glide has 1.82 1st. I have only ran the car in an 1/8 mile track.
Bean, You are going to have to get a converter for your app. I went through the same thing. Couldn't for the life of me get the car to '60. Got a Coan converter made for the car, and it picked it up almost 3 tenths over the "no-name 3500" stall converter that I had in the car before. Other people told me it was probably in the converter efficiency. I wouldn't skimp on the converter. If you're drag racing, it's one of the most important purchases you can make. Good Luck,
I also agree 110%. With the first gear being darn near the same as second in a turbo 350/400 you'll be relying on the converter ten times more than you would with a 3 speed. The converter choice will make or break you with a 'glide. Also, why the 7900 shift when you used to shift at 6500? That seems aweful high to me (maybe misprint)? Every car I've seen with a 2 speed likes to be short-shifted....if the motor makes power up to, say, 7500, then noses over, I'd shift at 7000-7200 and get the motor back down to near peak torque so it'll pull on through. Mine makes power to about 7300 then slowly falls off and I shift at 6300 (weird...but it works great for consistency) and cross the line at 6900. That way it's pulling real hard and makes it a little harder to judge at the stripe for the top-end racers. BTW mine's a 1.76 but the 1.82 isn't going to make that much difference, other than a greater rpm drop when shifting. The transbrake doesn't improve 60's by much...maybe .02-.04 at the very most. I did notice that your mph was better with the 'glide than the c4....that fact alone tells me that the 'glide is using less HP to spin it. You'll most likely lose that gain when switching converters, but it's not a big deal. What converter do you have now??
its only .02-.04 because now your tripping the 60 foot with your back tires I will say that I have seen cars pick-up a .10 with the brake. Maybe it has to do with the track and the car, but I have a buddy that runs a Vega, he trans-brakes his car and runs 6.40's.......I bet him I could be him if he ran on foot brake......my 6.55 beat his 6.61 He has a big tire and small block with a glide.........I guess maybe it has alot to do with the set-up to. I just find it hard to believe that so many people would run a brake that cost so much and is so hard on parts to only pick up .02-.04
I think that you'all are right I'm just trying to cover all angles. The only outher thing I can do is shoot it with a small shot of nitrous. As far as turning it the more the better it picks up the more I over turn it, I am just worried how long it can stand it. I shifted at 7900 and it still picked up. Should have been a dirt track motor I guess. I am just thinking if I would have to regear the car because want it is turning. The slicks are 28/10.5 the 12 inch rims could be making them smaller in diameter . thanks keep the idea's comming maybe I'll hit it yet. Everyone tells me it could be rich on the jetting I don't think it woud pick it up that much.
I agree that I think the convertor is the problem, but where are you running your timing at? Is it locked out? mechanical advance? vacuum advance? Also, could you possible being running to low of air pressure and your wheels are "wadding" up at the launch. Causing a "sling shot" type effect? Which will undoubtedly hurt your 60 foot as well as reaction time. just wondering.
The trans brake is not allowed in most of the lower classes around here, ie. Pro/No/E. They are not generaly used to improve 60ft time, it is to improve reaction times, which will sometimes also improve 60's. When used with a delay box and crossover, the RT's can be deadly close to .500. At our track, the Super Pro cars are all and I mean all, are cutting .501 and .502 lights. And to my dismay, so are most of the Pro/No/E foot brakers where I run. When it gets down to the final rounds, my .530's and 40's, gets me sent to the house in a hurry. Converter is the best 60 ft improver along with tires and a good track surface. We could get into front tire size, air pressure and the roll out thing, also how the beams are set at different tracks etc. Would take up to much space on the board to cover it all.
I agree with what you all saying. I am going back to test n tune probably Thurs or Fri this week. A few things I am going to change 1 is the air press right now 9lbs I will try 10 or 11lbs. I am going to check the jetting. The timing is set at 38 degrees it acts low though maybe play around with it. Next year I will loosen up a little and buy a good converter. It's tough you get this far and then try to cut corners. I am loosing lot of horsepower somewhere through the converter I think . tks, bean
where did the c4 stall? where does the current converter stall? (flash stall?) i'm a little confused: you shifted the c4 at 6500 but now shift the g;ide at 7900 with no changes to the motor? what power range is the motor set up for? sounds like about a 12 flat car at around 113 mph? a 5.14 on a 26.5 tire would put you thru the 1/4 at about 7500 for 113 mph (estimated figures all around). generally glides like rear gear and converter. might even use a 5.43 gear if you rarely run a 1/4 track, but probably should try the 5.14. try for a converter about 2,000 rpm below the shift point. ATI and COAN are probably the best on the market (arguably). talk to them and see what they say. also, put the biggest tires you can under the car and then gear accordingly. if you have a strong motor and get a well matched converter, you'll need them.
What spline are you using on the 'glide? Turbo or 'glide splines? Doesn't make any difference, other than it seems that you might be able to find a converter a bit cheaper with turbo splines. Mine was about $700+/-, but one of the best-built converters I have ever seen. The man that built it said it 'should' stall (on the 'brake) at approx. 4600 with the motor I was using at the time. First time on the brake, I viewed exactly 4600 on the tach. Pretty good for guessing! Now, with a little added torque I am flashing around 5200. Haven't used the transbrake yet to see what it's actual stall is...but I'm guessing it's pretty close to 5000-5200. All I know is that it works extremely well, and I feel like I got every penny's worth! It actually might be a hair on the 'tight' side, but the top end MPH is higher that way, and that's the way I want it.
re I am guessing you have a 302 A powerglide is not the best choice for a small cube motor, You need to get a 5000-5500 stall and then it should pic up a bunch.
Get that 'glide out & go back to the c4.The only way a 'glide ever made sense to me was trying to launce 800-900hp on a 10 inch tire or something like that.Yes the 'glide uses a little less hp than a c4,but its killing what torque your small block has.Put the c4 back with a 3500-4000 converter & a good 'brake(buddies got j&w converter & brake in a mustang,works great)sell that 'glide to someone else & let them slow down.
