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  1. #1
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    A STV equivalent for the highway

    Some have asked about my car in my avatar. It is a 1923 Track-T roadster that was built to be very lightweight at 1790 lbs. Most all Track-T roadsters are powered by a 4 cylinder in line engine like a Pinto and if built as light as mine scoot pretty good. I'm running a Scott Shafiroff Dart block 427 built to mild specs so only 525 hp at 5600 rpm. Instead of a typical slushbox automatic transmission, I'm running a Tremec TKO-600 5 speed manual with a 0.64 5th gear. I like a comfortable ride so am using a Jag IRS with 3.54 gears feeding 31" M/T radials.

    Over its life I have run 3 different engines and two different transmissions.

    The first engine was a 355 sbc built to be a peaky high rpm screamer into a Muncie 4 speed. It dyno'ed 386 hp and ran 10.4 in the 1/4 mile at Sacramento Raceway and 10.4 on my G-Tech confirming its accuracy and why the auto magazines put so much faith in the numbers it generates. The one and only drag at Sacramento Raceway was a bit of a con job on my part. It was the Wednesday night run what you brung events and I had heard that their scales were down for repair. I show up at tech and they asked me how much my Track-T weighed and I replied with a straight face 2100 lbs. Then they asked about hp and with the same straight face said it was a 250 hp crate engine. Mr Tech crunched some numbers and declared it was possible I could run mid 12's and since I didn't have the safety equipment to run in that bracket he wouldn't normally let me run. But since I was an old guy he would allow it but there wouldn't be a car in the other lane for safety. That 10.4 pass cemented that without a lot of safety gear like roll bar, 5 point harness and a lot of other stuff, I wouldn't be allowed to run in the future.

    The 2nd engine was built for as much torque at the lowest possible rpm as can be had out of a sbc. 350 block, 400 crank so the longer stroke for torque plus special cam with a profile that produced more torque than the typical RV cams on the market. I knew in this build I was going to give up a lot of peak hp and the dyno sheet confirmed this with only 320 hp on a built 383 that normally would be in the 450 hp range, a loss of 130 hp. The torque peak was at 2800 rpm and 516 lb/ft. This engine would be perfect for rock crawlers. This is what I got in return, able to cruise up 6% grades at 900 rpm in top gear at 45 mph with no engine rattle and have the ability to roll on more throttle. Highway cruising at 65~70 mph and get a bit over 30 mpg. Of course a penalty in the 1/4, turning an 11.4 et.

    The current engine runs 9.7 et. Highway cruising 17 mpg which beats the 1st engine's 12~14 mpg.

    Rather innocent looking isn't it?

    Last edited by deckofficer; 07-18-2018 at 03:16 PM.
    Bob
    Northern and Southern California
    WL7GS Whiskey Lima 7 Gone Sailing

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  3. #2
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    Dont think I've ever called a roadster a sleeper before but I would definitely not expect that thing to run a 12, let alone a freakin 9! Yee gads man that must be white knuckle all the way
    Hydrostream dreamin

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    Quote Originally Posted by LakeFever View Post
    Dont think I've ever called a roadster a sleeper before but I would definitely not expect that thing to run a 12, let alone a freakin 9! Yee gads man that must be white knuckle all the way
    Not at all. I'm 65 and have mellowed over the years. With the 383 torque motor I could just short shift and keep the rpms around 900 to 1500. It was a sweet and tame little pussycat. The 355 (1st engine) protested if I rolled on the throttle below 2500 rpm. The 427 behaves a bit better but still doesn't like to work hard below 2000 rpm.
    Bob
    Northern and Southern California
    WL7GS Whiskey Lima 7 Gone Sailing

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