Gonna' race my first index race tomorrow....

Index racing has finally made it's way to Central Indiana....
I've been looking forward to trying this for quite some time. I'll run the 6.0 index and with my mis-matched set-up, I should have 3-4 mph on the field.
I know there have been several threads about slowing a car down....What seems to be the most Consistant way to do it? No throttle stops....
I'm thinking short-shifting will do it, if needed.
Thoughts?

a few hundredths under is no biggie.............kill the tree and work the throttle at the big end.

Got a buddy that runs 5.70's with a Windsor small block. He adjust to 6.00's with chips, leave and shift chip. I've never been fast enough to have to slow down. Good luck I hear that index stuff is a lot of fun.

Kerry

Hopefully you don't have to slow down too much. We have an 11.0 index and a 10.0 index. I run 10.20's so it really sucks. I lowered my shift points down to 5000, took off my air box, and adjusted my gas pedal stop out a 1/2". I still ran 10.80's and without full throttle to leave on my reaction times sucked even deep staging on the pro tree. I finally found out that if I did all of the above things plus hold the rpm at 5000 in high gear I could run low 11's. Problem is there will always be somebody running dead on 11.00 so you can't mess with all of them on the big end. I've been trying to find some hp so I can run the 10.0 class but to be competitive throughout the summer that means I really probably need to run 9.80's in good air so in July in MO it will run 10.0. Jon's right if your only slowing a couple tenths its not bad but .80 seconds is too much.

All of the other posts listed good solid input for this slow-down task.
I have a similar task with the '58 to run the NHRA Unleashed series and nostalgia races.
Of course, these classes prohibit "timed electronic throttle stops". Here is what I can share from a couple of events.
* Center your program around a combination of base timing, timing retard strategies shift point and if needed in extreme cases, restrictor plate devices.
Most ignition systems will allow you to mess with your timing digitally. You have to get real creative with using these features. For example, you can retard your timing a ridiculous amount in low gear. This kind of acts like a "throttle stop" by slowing the car right at the first segment of the race. when you go to high. the timing can still be adjusted, depending on your ignition box, or simply let it go back to your standard base timing. If you set back with a cold one and ponder this for a while, you will come up with a plan. Just think...they will probably allow shifting on time...and you can legally use a shift timer.
* You may need to retard your base timing from where you normally run.
* Home-made restictor plates are cheap and effective. You can still run your carb at wide open for proper booster flow from all barrels and proper barrel valve flow if injected.
With a BBF you have lots of flexibility with tuning, since you have a drastic power advantage on all of the other guys.
Dan-O and I played with many of these things at the nostalgia drags in Bowling Green and I was given a real challenge at the first Unleashed race in Atlanta to slow the '58 down by 1 second to run the 10.0 index. It can be done.
At Atlanta, the entire field of 10.0 cars ran somewhere between 129 and 135 with the exception of one supercharged car that ran 137. The '58 (with 605 installed) lazily ran down the track at 144+ at 10.0 with the car at about 3625 lb.
It was pretty cool.
If you make it to Indy on August 6-7, I will be there trying the same deal. They opened a 9.50 class, so my restictor plates will stay home.
You can also tune it with weight if you get it close.
I hope this helps....
Keith

Thanks for the info guys....I'm looking forward to tonight...I'm sitting here at work feeling like a kid waiting on Christmas morning.
If the weather and the car hold up, I'm gonna' race Saturday and Sunday too.

Well, that was some fun shyt right there....never had keep adjusting on the car to stay on a number before.
A big-ass deer ran about 50' in front of us just past the stripe in the second round....the pucker factor was high right at first...I'm glad he was haulin' ass and kept going.

Took a guess at the set-up and went 5.989 off the trailer.
Backed the shift down a little and went a 5.998.
First round, after a lengthy rain delay, went 6.025 for the W.
Second round, rolled a little out of the box and went -.013 red...5.996.

I'm already looking forward to the next one....I really don't understand why index stuff hasn't caught on around here...helluva lot of fun.
JB

Treeyasoon wrote:Well, that was some fun shyt right there....never had keep adjusting on the car to stay on a number before.
A big-ass deer ran about 50' in front of us just past the stripe in the second round....the pucker factor was high right at first...I'm glad he was haulin' ass and kept going.

Took a guess at the set-up and went 5.989 off the trailer.
Backed the shift down a little and went a 5.998.
First round, after a lengthy rain delay, went 6.025 for the W.
Second round, rolled a little out of the box and went -.013 red...6.996.

I'm already looking forward to the next one....I really don't understand why index stuff hasn't caught on around here...helluva lot of fun.
JB

I have fun kickin' the shit out the guys here........... .400 pro tree......womp womp.....go gets my check lol.

We are on a .500 pro tree here....keepin' us honest I guess.

Treeyasoon wrote:We are on a .500 pro tree here....keepin' us honest I guess.

that sucks lol. Only rule here is no elect throttle stops...........and no faster than a 5.80.

Treeyasoon wrote:Well, that was some fun shyt right there....never had keep adjusting on the car to stay on a number before.
A big-ass deer ran about 50' in front of us just past the stripe in the second round....the pucker factor was high right at first...I'm glad he was haulin' ass and kept going.

Took a guess at the set-up and went 5.989 off the trailer.
Backed the shift down a little and went a 5.998.
First round, after a lengthy rain delay, went 6.025 for the W.
Second round, rolled a little out of the box and went -.013 red...5.996.

I'm already looking forward to the next one....I really don't understand why index stuff hasn't caught on around here...helluva lot of fun.
JB

Dude....
It looks like you have a handle on the index setup for sure. It is nice that they allow delay boxes at Muncie. Others do not.....
Nice work.
Keep on tweakin'
Keith

Hey Keith,When you get to Indy,say hello to The guy who drives this Tbird. It's My Buddy Gary Varney. He's a forum member and he will be in the 9.0 index class . He's a hell of a racer and a all around goodguy.

How did your first index race go?
Justin

jcoxracing wrote:How did your first index race go?
Justin

I had a blast....already looking forward to the next one. I only got to make 4 passes but, I learned quite a bit of info. Here is what I posted above....
Jeff

treeyasoon wrote:Well, that was some fun shyt right there....never had keep adjusting on the car to stay on a number before.
A big-ass deer ran about 50' in front of us just past the stripe in the second round....the pucker factor was high right at first...I'm glad he was haulin' ass and kept going.

Took a guess at the set-up and went 5.989 off the trailer.
Backed the shift down a little and went a 5.998.
First round, after a lengthy rain delay, went 6.025 for the W.
Second round, rolled a little out of the box and went -.013 red...5.996.

I'm already looking forward to the next one....I really don't understand why index stuff hasn't caught on around here...helluva lot of fun.
JB

Wish we had something like that around here...

In Open Comp I've tried slowing my car down during qualifying by pulling timing, shifting shorter and can't really take out much more than .05

So typically I just dump around 1100 feet and get on the brakes to take out a tenth through the 1/4

OVOS has a 6.50 and a 7.50 index class. When we get a 6.0 Index class then I'll give it a whirl...

bbf-falcon wrote:Hey Keith,When you get to Indy,say hello to The guy who drives this Tbird. It's My Buddy Gary Varney. He's a forum member and he will be in the 9.0 index class . He's a hell of a racer and a all around goodguy.

Rick,
I will look him up.
Thanks
Keith