The Resurrection: 94 Firebird Formula

**JOATMON** · 06-08-2022, 09:19 AM

Originally Posted by SSlowBoat

yessir. made a new one lol, it was a bit, crunchy

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A shot in the dark on your ET issues..... Replace the air filter element.
Nolan

**SSlowBoat** · 06-08-2022, 09:24 AM

Originally Posted by JOATMON

A shot in the dark on your ET issues..... Replace the air filter element.
Nolan

removed it too...no change

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**JOATMON** · 06-08-2022, 09:41 AM

I knew you had, but I thought it was worth saying just in case.......
Nolan

**SSlowBoat** · 06-08-2022, 09:45 AM

Originally Posted by Injuneer

It always seemed that the coolant, oil, and trans temps were in the same range, typically 195-200°F. Keep in mind, it's got a non-locking converter.

coolant stays about 180, same with oil. maybe it was the stop and go. ive heard spragless converters get hot

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**Injuneer** · 06-08-2022, 11:40 AM

I turned the fan off once, forgot to turn it on. Temps were OK when the car was moving, but I had to wait in line to get into a car show, and the temp really took off. I should have mounted the switch in the passenger compartment, or at least had a pilot light for it. Woulda... shoulda.... coulda....

I remember reading Frank's write up on the best type of fluid cooler. He pretty much indicated fin/tube coolers didn't work at all. His preference was stacked plate type. He indicated that measuring the temp in and out showed the fin/tube cooler was actually heating up the fluid. I tried to wrap my engineering knowledge of thermodynamics and fluid dynamics around that, but couldn't. At least not unless the fan was pulling very hot air from somewhere. I was having good results with the fan assisted fin/tube cooler. Worth a read:

http://www.ltxtech.com/forums/showth...on-cooler-tech

**SSlowBoat** · 06-09-2022, 09:54 AM

Originally Posted by Injuneer

I turned the fan off once, forgot to turn it on. Temps were OK when the car was moving, but I had to wait in line to get into a car show, and the temp really took off. I should have mounted the switch in the passenger compartment, or at least had a pilot light for it. Woulda... shoulda.... coulda....

I remember reading Frank's write up on the best type of fluid cooler. He pretty much indicated fin/tube coolers didn't work at all. His preference was stacked plate type. He indicated that measuring the temp in and out showed the fin/tube cooler was actually heating up the fluid. I tried to wrap my engineering knowledge of thermodynamics and fluid dynamics around that, but couldn't. At least not unless the fan was pulling very hot air from somewhere. I was having good results with the fan assisted fin/tube cooler. Worth a read:

http://www.ltxtech.com/forums/showth...on-cooler-tech

i remember frank going on and on about that lol. he yelled at us one time because we went stand alone cooler, and he said we should be using the factory rad cooler plus the aftermarket cooler. I didnt believe him until i tried it in the impala with the 3200 stall. it reduced the temps another 10 degrees.

I have a 40,000 tru cool stacked plate somewhere that i may throw on in series with the existing, put the stacked plate on the rad, and then run it to the perma-cool.

**SSlowBoat** · 06-09-2022, 09:56 AM

firebirdburnout6.5.22.jpg

firebirdlaunch6.5.22.jpg

**JOATMON** · 06-09-2022, 10:43 AM

This got me wondering about the ET potential because my Camaro is about the same HP. I ran the numbers on a calculator for your Bird. 490HP less the 22.23% loss is 381WHP. The corresponds exactly to the chassis dyno sheet you found. The ET calculator at 3500 lbs and 381WHP says...........................12.2@117

**SSlowBoat** · 06-09-2022, 10:46 AM

Originally Posted by JOATMON

This got me wondering about the ET potential because my Camaro is about the same HP. I ran the numbers on a calculator for your Bird. 490HP less the 22.23% loss is 381WHP. The corresponds exactly to the chassis dyno sheet you found. The ET calculator at 3500 lbs and 381WHP says...........................12.2@117

mph is 4mph slower than your calc

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**Injuneer** · 06-09-2022, 10:56 AM

If I had a trans cooler in the radiator, I would have used it. But the Griffin radiator was ordered when the car still had the T56. My knowledge of automatic transmissions is somewhere between 0 and none. This is the first "performance" car I ever owned with an auto trans (albeit a conversion). I had to trust Second Street.

Answering your email, I never questioned the validity of the Lokar dipstick vs. the installed pan. But I never saw unusually high temps. Your comment of slip is interesting. I built an Excel spreadsheet that reflected both converter slip and tire growth. I had a bit of data on the 28" ET Drag slick growth by noting when the tire grew enough on the chassis dyno to hit the rear bumper cover (which was then cut back about a 1/2+ inch for clearance). If you are running radials, the growth is no longer an issue. But my calculation of the slip ranged from 4 to 5%. And after the first chassis dyno pulls with the TH400, Bill or Lon commented that the converter seemed very efficient, because of the low slip. I lost the spreadsheet in 2019 when my laptop cratered. It's in the outboard backup drive, but I've never taken the time to recover it.

Before/After: