the_head
04-12-2005, 04:01 PM
Some people have asked over time what all I have done to my truck and what I do at the track. So here’s a typical day for me at the dragstrip along with what my truck has.
First of all, I have a SE crew cab with the Big Tow, utility bed, and preferred package. My mods to date are: Banks exhaust, my resonators have been removed and are replaced by 3” dia Moroso Spiral-Max mufflers that go from 2” in diameter pipe at the stock cat exit on up to 3” before entering the mufflers and then 3” after them, a Volant CAI without the scoop, throttle body gasket metal “mesh” removed, hot water bypass on throttle body, two 14” electric fans with a variable speed controller, Mobil 1 oil in the engine and differential, 29” tall regular old Goodyear radials on 17” off-road wheels, and a 50hp shot of nitrous.
About a week or so before I know I’m going to the track I run my gas tank as empty as I can. I run 87 octane on a daily basis. Once it is low, I put about 3 gallons of 93 octane in it and run that out. I generally put just a few gallons at a time in it and run it out to “flush” the low octane gas out and let the computer learn. On race day, I will go fill up with enough gas to get to the track, run, and then be able to stop on the way home to fill up with gas. This is about ¼ tank. I load up a small hydraulic jack and the shorter tires along with anything else I’m bringing like tools, rags, hand cleaner, helmet, cooler, etc. and I will remove some dead weight like the bed divider, floor mats, tie downs in the side storage, spare tire, CD case, etc.
On the way to the track I turn on my bottle heater. It’s usually about 4:30pm on a Friday.
Once at the track I kill the A/C and crank on the heater full blast. I fill out my tech card and go get “teched in” and get the number shoe-polished to the truck and then head back to the pits. I try to get there about an hour to 45 minutes (5PM) prior to the track actually opening the staging lanes to run. I pop the hood and turn on the electric fans with a manual switch I have under the hood. Then I change out the tires and remove the tailgate and the other stuff I brought along. I’ll open the nitrous bottle valve now and fold the mirrors in. Usually it’s time for a Coke and a smile (a bathroom break) and I wait around until they announce on the speakers it is time to run (6PM).
When that happens I turn off the fans and place it in the “auto position”, close the hood, turn on the master power switch for the nitrous, and go to the lanes. I try to start the truck only long enough to move it as needed, I don’t let it idle. If I am running nitrous, I will put my helmet on when there are only about 2 cars in front of me to go into the burnout area. When the staging official waves me through, I kill the heater, hit the VDC off button, and manually put the truck in first gear. If I am running nitrous on that run I find my button. I go around the water in the burnout area the best I can, straighten the truck out, and stomp the pedal to get the tire spinning. I go to about 3500 rpm for about 3-5 seconds. If I am running nitrous I tap the button twice during this time to purge the lines a little. I go straight to the staging lights after putting the transmission back into D and get the first or “pre-stage” light lit. I wait for the guy next to me to at least light one staging light if he has not done so already. I stall the engine up to about 2000 rpm and let the truck creep up on it’s own to light the final staging light. I go only far enough to activate the light.
As the amber lights go down, I leave on the 3rd amber (not the green) and just mash the gas pedal to the floor. If I am using nitrous, once the tach clears 2500rpm I hit the button. I watch the tach for a second and then look at the oil pressure gauge and my a/f gauge I have installed to make sure things are running OK. Most of the time I look at the track and where I’m going, but I check the other things about 3-4 times during the pass.
Once I get past the lights at the end (timing beams on the ground), I keep it floored and release the nitrous button if I was using it and once the engine power trails off, I lift off the throttle. On the way down, I crank the heater on full blast and roll down a window. I then just do like everyone else and go down the return road to the timing shack and pick up my timeslip. If it’s my first run, I weigh the truck with me in it and write that down. Then I go to the pits where my stuff is, pop the hood and turn on the fans and make any notes on the timeslip I need. I generally wait at least 15 minutes before running again.
Depending on traction, I may launch at a lower rpm the next time and note that on the timeslip.
Once I’m done running (around 9-10PM) I put the stock tires back on, crank on the A/C, and remove the shoe polish numbers from the windows. I’ll also turn off the bottle heater and close the nitrous valve at the tank. On the way home at some point I will punch it and hit the button so that I can purge the nitrous line of pressure.
And that’s about it. I’ll usually stop for gas and beer on the way home and have cold one when posting a new time on the forums.
About the only thing that might change with the tranny mods are the burnout and lunch stuff that I do. We'll just have to see. If I can get the speed sensor thing figured out, I'll be mounting some really short 26" tall drag tires!!
First of all, I have a SE crew cab with the Big Tow, utility bed, and preferred package. My mods to date are: Banks exhaust, my resonators have been removed and are replaced by 3” dia Moroso Spiral-Max mufflers that go from 2” in diameter pipe at the stock cat exit on up to 3” before entering the mufflers and then 3” after them, a Volant CAI without the scoop, throttle body gasket metal “mesh” removed, hot water bypass on throttle body, two 14” electric fans with a variable speed controller, Mobil 1 oil in the engine and differential, 29” tall regular old Goodyear radials on 17” off-road wheels, and a 50hp shot of nitrous.
About a week or so before I know I’m going to the track I run my gas tank as empty as I can. I run 87 octane on a daily basis. Once it is low, I put about 3 gallons of 93 octane in it and run that out. I generally put just a few gallons at a time in it and run it out to “flush” the low octane gas out and let the computer learn. On race day, I will go fill up with enough gas to get to the track, run, and then be able to stop on the way home to fill up with gas. This is about ¼ tank. I load up a small hydraulic jack and the shorter tires along with anything else I’m bringing like tools, rags, hand cleaner, helmet, cooler, etc. and I will remove some dead weight like the bed divider, floor mats, tie downs in the side storage, spare tire, CD case, etc.
On the way to the track I turn on my bottle heater. It’s usually about 4:30pm on a Friday.
Once at the track I kill the A/C and crank on the heater full blast. I fill out my tech card and go get “teched in” and get the number shoe-polished to the truck and then head back to the pits. I try to get there about an hour to 45 minutes (5PM) prior to the track actually opening the staging lanes to run. I pop the hood and turn on the electric fans with a manual switch I have under the hood. Then I change out the tires and remove the tailgate and the other stuff I brought along. I’ll open the nitrous bottle valve now and fold the mirrors in. Usually it’s time for a Coke and a smile (a bathroom break) and I wait around until they announce on the speakers it is time to run (6PM).
When that happens I turn off the fans and place it in the “auto position”, close the hood, turn on the master power switch for the nitrous, and go to the lanes. I try to start the truck only long enough to move it as needed, I don’t let it idle. If I am running nitrous, I will put my helmet on when there are only about 2 cars in front of me to go into the burnout area. When the staging official waves me through, I kill the heater, hit the VDC off button, and manually put the truck in first gear. If I am running nitrous on that run I find my button. I go around the water in the burnout area the best I can, straighten the truck out, and stomp the pedal to get the tire spinning. I go to about 3500 rpm for about 3-5 seconds. If I am running nitrous I tap the button twice during this time to purge the lines a little. I go straight to the staging lights after putting the transmission back into D and get the first or “pre-stage” light lit. I wait for the guy next to me to at least light one staging light if he has not done so already. I stall the engine up to about 2000 rpm and let the truck creep up on it’s own to light the final staging light. I go only far enough to activate the light.
As the amber lights go down, I leave on the 3rd amber (not the green) and just mash the gas pedal to the floor. If I am using nitrous, once the tach clears 2500rpm I hit the button. I watch the tach for a second and then look at the oil pressure gauge and my a/f gauge I have installed to make sure things are running OK. Most of the time I look at the track and where I’m going, but I check the other things about 3-4 times during the pass.
Once I get past the lights at the end (timing beams on the ground), I keep it floored and release the nitrous button if I was using it and once the engine power trails off, I lift off the throttle. On the way down, I crank the heater on full blast and roll down a window. I then just do like everyone else and go down the return road to the timing shack and pick up my timeslip. If it’s my first run, I weigh the truck with me in it and write that down. Then I go to the pits where my stuff is, pop the hood and turn on the fans and make any notes on the timeslip I need. I generally wait at least 15 minutes before running again.
Depending on traction, I may launch at a lower rpm the next time and note that on the timeslip.
Once I’m done running (around 9-10PM) I put the stock tires back on, crank on the A/C, and remove the shoe polish numbers from the windows. I’ll also turn off the bottle heater and close the nitrous valve at the tank. On the way home at some point I will punch it and hit the button so that I can purge the nitrous line of pressure.
And that’s about it. I’ll usually stop for gas and beer on the way home and have cold one when posting a new time on the forums.
About the only thing that might change with the tranny mods are the burnout and lunch stuff that I do. We'll just have to see. If I can get the speed sensor thing figured out, I'll be mounting some really short 26" tall drag tires!!