Great Day!

[Mondo]

Got invited to a free trackday today. A friend of a friend rented Buttonwillow Raceway for the day. Maybe 15 - 20 cars... vipers, those Chrysler hemi cars and a variety of others.

 

This was perfect for my first time out... never more than 3 or 4 cars on the track. One time I was out there by myself for about 3 laps! Got to gradually increase my speeds.

 

Did have one problem though... it seems I would lose fuel pick up on the longest sweeper. For the day, I just kept the fuel tank full (on site gas station).

 

Now I'm more crazy about my car than ever before.... fullfilled my fantasy of driving to the racetrack, having a blast, and driving home (only about 30 minutes away).

 

Plus it was all Free! Tried to give the guy some drinking money as he was going out tonight but he refused (guess if you can afford renting the whole track....). Everyone was having a great time.

 

Plus, the weather was overcast with slight sprinkles a couple times, track never got very wet.. in the 70s/

 

I don't see how it could of been any better!

[MHKflyer52]

Wow....That is one good friend. What was he driving just out of curiosity.

[Mondo]

He had a hopped up Viper

[slngsht]

sweet!

[shiva]

Did have one problem though... it seems I would lose fuel pick up on the longest sweeper. For the day, I just kept the fuel tank full (on site gas station).

 

Have the same problem on my car. Long right sweeper and I'll pump air instead of gas... Noooot good for a turbocharged engine.

 

Anyhow, my solution is to install a surge tank in between the master tank and the engine. A low pressure pump fill the intermediate tank (2 liter) that would then gravity feed the high pressure pump.

 

The design is simple but does add another pump. But this way I'm good for a good 30sec of full boosted WOT gas. Plenty to reach the next stretch and have the low pressure pump fill the small tank.

[slngsht]

Shiva, you may risk burning up the low pressure pump if it sucks excessive air. I guess it depends on the pump. I burned up a Walboro pump doing that.

 

Holley makes a system to deal with this problem. I cannot remember what it's called. Essentially, it has two pickups that go in opposite sides of the tank. Each pickup has a diaphragm at the end of, and sucks itself shut as soon as it starts sucking air, allowing the pickup that's still in the fuel to continue to provide fluid.

[slngsht]

here is more specifics about the pickups I'm talking about

 

http://www.autoperformanceengineering.com/html/pickups.html

[shiva]

Interesting stuff... Only problem is that it would be hell to get the tank out and install those.

 

I'll be using a solid state pump. Which has no wearable part. So sucking air from time to time shouldn't be much of a problem. Guess I'll see soon enough.

[WestTexasS2K]

here is more specifics about the pickups I'm talking about

 

http://www.autoperformanceengineering.com/html/pickups.html

 

I used these screens on my first car when it was supercharged. I ran it for the first time at Run & Gun and only made it about 5 laps before I leaned out the engine and broke the spark plugs off that rapidly destroyed the aluminum cylinder walls on my engine. I am not sure I can trust these on a FI car.

 

We built a two tank system for Kevins car that has really worked well. We used a high volume low pressure pump to feed a 1 gallon tank that is connected to the fuel injection pump. This works very good as long as the fuel filter for the low volume pump doesnt clog.