Hi all, greetings from Northern Ireland.

[benlawrence]

 

Just a quick hello, i finally registered here after all these years, ( well i tried several times but didnt realise i had to email for confirmation  )


We'll i finally took the plunge this year and decided to go racing, nothing serious as i didnt have much power (135bhp, 150 flb tq)

my best was 13.82 @ 96mph. best 60ft 1.95 on stock gearbox.

Ive ran countless 13.8's over the 5 events this year, even managed 14.4 in the pouring rain ( it is northern ireland afterall, the subaru and evo guys run 11's in the wet here  )

So suffice to say im pretty hooked, there is just me and my friend doing it and at the last event we had an ex dkp car turn up, a bit of American cal history on these shores was ace it was eventful to say the least. (another story)

I feel a touch embarrassed to say this is my first foray into racing, and even more embarrassed to say that while a lot of my friends spent the last 20 years going fast, i spent it drunk in a feild watching them 

ah well times change (eventually)

Heres my ride, 1956 oval, not strictly cal to the "T" but just about how i like it at the moment.

Engine was a basic 2276 with an old welded and offset ground 82mm stock crank, 356 rods fk8 etc, has been a very trusty streetcar for the past 6 years, but after this season im hooked and want to go faster, but not around that crank and rods.

[AntLockyer]

Hello mate.

[benlawrence]

Hi ant, your old car  is still here mate, on the dyno this week, we have the last meet of the year 12th november.

[benlawrence]

this is Phil French's old sedan




will be hard pressed to launch like that on our tracks.

me v's cathal, 180bhp vs 135, i get a bit of a hole shot  

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/y6Q8tkmLXW4" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/y6Q8tkmLXW4</a>

and Ant Lockyers old car, i seem to remember ian at wps doing a fair bit of work on it back in the day.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/k2LJ92iiA_k" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/k2LJ92iiA_k</a>

Nothing to write home about at the moment, but were just beginners.

[Shane Noone]

Hello Ben and welcome to the lounge.

Good to see Drag Racing taking shape in Ireland. Whereabouts do the events take place and how often ? Is their somewhere online these are listed ? I get back to my family home in Sligo during the summer and it would be nice to tie in with these....

By the way, nice 56 fella  Am suprised your 2276 only makes 135 bhp though, with an FK8 inside and some decent heads it should be good for at least 150....my mate's 2109 with FK8 and Street Eliminators and 10:1 CR makes over 170.

Good Luck with your plans and enjoy your racing !

Cheers,

Shane.

[benlawrence]

it has very basic 40x35.5 heads, dyno dynamics rollers are tight on numbers, the phil french car was dynod at 200, it made 180 over here on these rollers. still its a tuning tool im not worried too much.

shane ill get a list of events, the best one is straightliners at enniskillen airport (st angelo's)

[hotrodsurplus]

Welcome, Ben. Apologizing for your performance undermines your achievements. You're going pretty fast--in fact I'd call that really fast for a welded crank and super fast for a stock gearbox. I'd brag about those ETs.

Regarding your engine, it would make 175 horsepower in California if you know what I mean. 

[benlawrence]

The lack of ponies on the printout doesnt bother me one bit, the funny thing is ive driven the 67 and in "real world" terms on the street theres not that much to seperate them, It hasnt beaten me heads up yet either on the track, but with more seat time for the driver that willl change, in fact out of the 3 beetles racing in the 5 events this year, none of them have beaten me and they both have more horsepower, but i will say that i am not scared about breaking it or blowing it up, i drive it to (and beyond) its limit, no point building it if your not prepared to break it i guess, but the main thing is we are just a bunch of friends who want to race for fun.


This is our friend Liam, he is nuts,  he is a typical example of the guys who race out here, they just get on with it, rain or shine!

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ulx5nbi2-GA" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/Ulx5nbi2-GA</a>

skip forward to 2.18, thats a view from my car, check out the track quality, this is Bishopscourt airfield (disused) its is very disconcerting having weeds slapping against the floorpan as you are going through the 1/4  

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/_Lvd754yr-Y" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/_Lvd754yr-Y</a>


And heres one of our better days, you could almost be in So Cal haha!!

This is at the "Ards festival of speed" at Newtonards airfield on the Ards penninsula.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/bYsRPLAHxKw" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/bYsRPLAHxKw</a>

[benlawrence]

shane, most of the drag event information can be found here.

http://sideways-racing.com/drag-events/

this doesnt account for the "straightliners"  events, they are usually twice a year they are at enniskillen.

there is another drag in the south but i dont fancy it, its at Tullow.

Ill let you make up your own mind!!!!

"Left turn Clyde!!!!!"


<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/P7NrKAlBiwg" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/P7NrKAlBiwg</a>

[hotrodsurplus]

The lack of ponies on the printout doesnt bother me one bit, the funny thing is ive driven the 67 and in "real world" terms on the street theres not that much to seperate them

Peak power is meaningless; it's total power across a range of engine speed that matters. And in most cases on the streets an engine built for the digs will lose to a healthy torque monster.

i am not scared about breaking it or blowing it up, i drive it to (and beyond) its limit, no point building it if your not prepared to break it i guess, but the main thing is we are just a bunch of friends who want to race for fun.

That's exactly the point right there but so many people get so serious that they miss it. If you race you're bound to break. You can't dance if you don't pay the piper.

This is our friend Liam, he is nuts,  he is a typical example of the guys who race out here, they just get on with it, rain or shine!

Leathers won't protect him as well as a straitjacket could.  

skip forward to 2.18, thats a view from my car, check out the track quality, this is Bishopscourt airfield (disused) its is very disconcerting having weeds slapping against the floorpan as you are going through the 1/4  

You're driving along the tire tracks of legends. The first drag strips here were airports. And they all had character like that.

[Dead Dog]

Just a quick hello, i finally registered here after all these years, ( well i tried several times but didnt realise i had to email for confirmation  )


We'll i finally took the plunge this year and decided to go racing, nothing serious as i didnt have much power (135bhp, 150 flb tq)

my best was 13.82 @ 96mph. best 60ft 1.95 on stock gearbox.

Same here mate.... oh e-mail too 

Massive power doesn't matter, fact that your doing it is what counts, and anyway 13.82 aint slow 

[Shane Noone]

Thanks for the link and details Ben 

Re your comment about dyno dynamics rollers. Yes the ones with latest software packages are tight on numbers compared to older ones and other styles of rollers. We have seen 16-18 hp down so similar to what you have seen at yours. As you say it's just a tuning tool and it's all about how fast you go in the real world  I agree with HotRodPlus, your ET's are very good anyway, 13's are fast in a street car !

Cheers,

Shane.

[benlawrence]

Cheers dead dog, and hotrodsurplus, I saw daz's 10 sec car for sale there last week, and i was very tempted, but then it dawned on me that a 10 sec car over here is about as much use as the preverbial chocolate teapot, going that quick isnt for me ( i think)    Shane keep an eye out or drop me a line if your coming over next year, if it matches up with a drag event just bring your licence, i can get you into a car for a run or two, we are currently trying to get a bunch of guys in a club to get a car together to come out with us next year, we have pretty much all the parts here for a mild 2332 (150bhp) which should get them easily into the 13's and without much in the way of maintainance , I have told them we will build and donate (as a loaner) the engine, they just need to get a car together (How hard can it be  )  Its pretty grass roots stuff, theres not much money about but the more we can get out for some fun the merrier.

I sold my engine last week, after 6 years of faultless service she's off down south.

So i pulled it out today.





I just wish i had a bigger garage, working on the engine and gearbox is a pain, and you can gaurantee the minute i push the car outside, it'll start raining  


Heres one that'll make you laugh, Northern Ireland mot tests, All done by the government, not your friendly local garage.

[baz]

hello ben 

just joined up too, good to see a familiar name on here.

[benssp]

Never heard of him.....................welcome mate

[henk]

13,8 with 135bhp that is great time i think.

henk!!!

[whirligig]

just like the old NDRC days ,late70s early 80s ,one day meets at air strips ,blackbushe,northweald and some I  cant remember.was racing a 340RT challenger then against peps like andy robinson,gordon apleton,ian hook ect happy days ;Dnow my daughters racing our beetle running 13.2 best with a 1903cc  strip motor .keep working on it as we started out runing 19s 5 years ago and kept evolving for little £££ with a 1679 and ended up running 14 8.

[benlawrence]

13,8 with 135bhp that is great time i think.

henk!!!

thanks, i think!!!





I have to start thinking about a winter build now, i have an 82mm crank and 5.5" cb super race rods (vw journal)

Lets see if i can get 140bhp  

It does make me laugh looking at everyone elses achievements and what they are doing now i stuck the graph up so you can all witness probably the lowest hp 2276cc motor ever seen haha!!, maybe i should be in a "strictly for beginners" section of the lounge!

[Coxy]

hello ben  

just joined up too, good to see a familiar name on here.

First Ben, and now you Barry! How did you both get through security?

I mean really, the standards have plummeted here  

[56 luftpumpe]

Alright Ballbag!!
Welcome fella.

[Fasterbrit]

Welcome Jammin! 'Bout time you showed up on here. Sounds like you guys are having fun come rain or shine. That's a nice torque figure, judging by the bhp you are running out of airflow. Possibly restrictive ports and valves. Do a little more work on the heads and you could pick up another 10-15 hp without too much work. The FK8 is a lovely street cam, good choice for your needs 

When are you coming across the pond next?

Cheers, Matt

[benlawrence]

Hi Matt, good to hear from you, im coming over for work in November, not as far west as you though  

The Engine is now sold so i have to concentrate on a new one over the winter

Your right about picking up bhp, I did my first port job on a set of 044's a few weeks ago in the red car, (im all die grinded out!!!!!



with no other changes to the fuelling we ran it straight up, it made 15bhp more off the bat but needs a lot more enrichment now (more dyno time  ), but the most impressive part was the way that it has woken the camshaft right up (fk87) it now holds peak power for an extra 2000+ rpm all the way past 7k rpm rather than tailing off early our dyno guys only do jap import stuff, but weve converted them aircooled. All good fun for us, gotta start somewhere i guess