The schedule for the weekend was for two separate races, one Saturday and one on Sunday. I figured on running the merge collectors on Saturday and switching to the standard collectors on Sunday. I would use my weather station to correct back to sea level both days to ensure an accurate comparison. That was the plan anyway. No good intentions go unpunished and today would be no different.

I arrived at the track Saturday morning and got everything ready to go. The car sounded awesome with the new headers and merge collectors, but I know from previous experiences that how the engine sounds usually doesn’t have much to do with how good the car runs. I was still optimistic, however. I expected to lose a certain amount of low-end torque with the new setup and figured I would pick up performance in the midrange on up area. I then planned on getting a looser converter for next year based on my results. The call came out for the first round of qualifying and I headed to the lanes like a kid opening a gift on Christmas!

This view, from the outlet looking in, shows how the collector squeezes down the gases and then opens back up to accelerate the speed of the exhaust. This is a way over-simplified explanation but trust me, they work.

Well, I was right. I definitely lost low-end torque as the front end of Muscrate barely managed to leave the ground and the 1.54 sixty foot proved the point. But, MAN did this thing pull above 5000 rpm's. I was actually late on the 1-2 shift by a few hun. (about 6800) but there was a noticeable "seat of the pants" increase in top-end power. I crossed the finish line at about 7100 rpm and the engine was still pulling! The time slip showed an 11.44 e.t. with the horrible 1.54 sixty but an impressive 116.89 mph! That was a full 1 1/2 mph increase over the previous best and definitely was a place to start tuning for the new setup. With a looser converter and some tuning I am confident that 11 ohs and teens would be possible. Also, according to the scales I was 70 lbs. over my minimum weight. That is the good news.

The passenger side fits well. It gets a little snaky around the starter but the usual MAC quality really shines.

The bad news would begin as I started the car for the second qualifying run. Keep in mind that the first run seemed to be trouble-free except for when I restarted the engine at the time slip booth and it turned over kinda slow. Low battery I figured; it had needed charging.

So I started the engine and HOLY COW! I thought I had fire under the hood there was so much smoke! I shut off the engine and opened the hood looking for flames but all I saw was smoke, from the valve cover breathers! My good friend Chris Knudsen had seen the smoke and got out of his car to offer me some assistance, but we both kinda just stood there bewildered. My first thought was I MUST have a HUGE oil leak on the headers or something.

As it turned out, it was the "or something". Not finding anything obviously wrong I decided to restart the engine and see what was smoking. It turned over kinda slow again, but fired up, sounded normal, had 55 lbs. of oil pressure, and sent out plumes of death smoke from the valve cover breathers that would alarm the EPA. Let me be clear, I'm talking LOTS of smoke. My first thought was "how fitting". This year started out crappy and just got worse. The normal amount of pre-autopsy bench racing ensued between Chris, Jim Kramer and me about the cause of such a spectacle, but only a thorough disassembly will tell the story.

So far I have not touched the wounded pony because I am in the middle of restoring a house for myself and my lovely, understanding wife Amy, and trying to get ready to move my Dad’s old body shop, Roeder Performance Machine, into a new home. The new shop is three times bigger than my current setup and will be a welcome change.

The plans for Muscrate are a little fuzzy right now, but a brief summary would be the possibility of a new engine combo (read bigger) and a complete revamping of the rear suspension. Next year I will be doing more racing and trying to win the IHRA Div. 5 title. The next article will include the autopsy of the 320 hp/ 302 and give a better glimpse into the future. Next year can only get better!

Remember, when in doubt ... DO A WHEELIE!!

Source
Wes Collins Nebraska Chassis 1718 Folkways Blvd. Lincoln, Nebraska 68521 (402)438-0430 www.nebraskachassis.com	Moroso Performance Products 80 Carter Dr. Guilford, CT 06437 (203) 453-6571 www.moroso.com

Project 4-Link [11/9/04] It has been and exciting race season and we reached some goals Back 2 Basics [10/28/04] We were busy toward the end of the season