New Personal Best at KCIR

[HwyCruiser]

*** EDIT Reloaded videos including burnouts ***

The results of my trip out to KCIR with the local Mustang club today:
12.445 sec @ 111.17 mph with a 1.899 sec 60 ft.

That's an improvement of 0.164 sec off my ET and 0.055 sec off my 60 foot time from Milan during MVIII. Probably being 15+ degrees cooler had a bunch to do with it but I think I'm getting a little better with my burnouts and launches.

The second run was pretty much a duplicate, coming in at 12.477 sec @ 110.78 with a 1.900 sec 60 ft. It had warmed up a bit outside since the first run so I felt she was being pretty consistent since I didn't change much other than lower the tire pressure a few pounds.

During the third run the clamp on the throttle body elbow blew off the s/c tubing connector while still in 1st gear so I had to limp it down the track. I found the clamp on the windshield cowl (thankfully), so after I got her buttoned up she was running fine again, but the staging lanes had already closed. Just another pre-race checklist item: check the clamps.

My buddy managed to get the first and second run on video. Below are the links to the videos and timeslips:

Run 1 (http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/misc.php?do=downloadfile&i=559)
Run 2 (http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/misc.php?do=downloadfile&i=473)
Timeslips (http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/1/5/9/4/KCIR11-6timeslips.JPG)

Listen to the announcer's commentary. He knows a lot about Marauders. :rolleyes:

[MarauderTJA]

Glad to hear that you broke your own record JD:D Nothing like making it all come together..

[ncmm]

hmmm. . . Grand Marquis with a Cobra motor, has a little juice in it cause it shouldn't run that fast box stock. . .:D

[bigslim]

Way to go. I know how that thing runs. It will only get better.

[FordNut]

Great runs! Congratulations.

[bigslim]

Just checked out the videos. I love the commentary from the announcer. Way to represent.

[HwyCruiser]

Thanks guys.

The announcer spotted me four cars deep in the staging lanes and was trying to figure out if it was a Marauder or a "blacked out" Vic, lol. It was neat to see what he was saying on the video since I couldn't hear him from the track.

Also, I got to chat with another one of our KC members, Lt. Bullitt, for awhile. I believe he said he had a very low mileage MM with 4:10's and a DR tune. If you check in, it was good to talk with you. :)

[snowbird]

Congrats JD. Almost at the eleven door ! :)

[texasvic]

Congratulations!

[HwyCruiser]

Congrats JD. Almost at the eleven door ! :)

There's a lot of ground to cover before the 11's. I think I would need a 360 pulley and the air and fuel mods for starters. But having a solid mid-12 second "cruiser" running only 9 psi of boost is pretty satisfying though.

Three more weekends until the racing season is over around here. I really want to see what she'd do on a 50 degree day. I think she has another 10th or so in her. :)

[tmac1337]

Great times JD, good to hear that the kit is kicking butt!

[TooManyFords]

Way to go JD!

I'm sooooo jealous!!

[MERCDADDY]

Way to go!!!!

[jdando]

Excellent job! Kudos to the camera man also. Some of the better videos we have seen around here. jeremy

[maraudernkc]

JD, great run on 9PSI. I think you would have had a better run if that announcer would have quit talking. He probably cost you 3/10 of a second.:eek:

[Tallboy]

Congratulations, JD!:beer: Nice job!;)

[mpearce]

Awesome runs JD. I followed you to Milan at MVIII, your car looks and sounds fantastic. Nice job!

-Mat

[HwyCruiser]

Way to go JD!

I'm sooooo jealous!!

You'll get your beast rebuilt and start kicking butt and taking names again soon enough. ;)

I tell you what, I've had a chance to hang out with one of the local Mustang clubs (which MERCDADDY is a member) a few times now and it has been very refreshing. The only thing you need to do to earn a spot in their ranks is show up, talk shop and have a good time. They don't need a really active web forum because these guys get together to have fun, which is something I've really been missing out on.

I'm having more fun with this car than I've ever had before. And having something completely different has its advantages. I'm starting to learn to gauge its performance not by the next guy over but how well I did the last time around.

I'll still let you try to kick my butt when you're ready for it though. :beer:

[carfixer]

Nice runs JD. I liked how you got the mustang off the line. It was funny listening to the announcer. He never even mentioned the Neon you raced and barely mentioned the Mustang.
I think he needs a little "MM101" for the next time you are there.

[MikesMerc]

Nice runs...congrats:beer:

[MERCDADDY]

You'll get your beast rebuilt and start kicking butt and taking names again soon enough. ;)

I tell you what, I've had a chance to hang out with one of the local Mustang clubs (which MERCDADDY is a member) a few times now and it has been very refreshing. The only thing you need to do to earn a spot in their ranks is show up, talk shop and have a good time. They don't need a really active web forum because these guys get together to have fun, which is something I've really been missing out on.

I'm having more fun with this car than I've ever had before. And having something completely different has its advantages. I'm starting to learn to gauge its performance not by the next guy over but how well I did the last time around.

I'll still let you try to kick my butt when you're ready for it though. :beer:

We have really enjoyed having the big bad merc lurking around the Mustang club JD. When you showed up at that meet a couple months ago and backed the MM into a slot in between all those Mustangs, that was sooooooo cool. You guys should have seen the jaws drop when he opened the hood. Then JD whipped out his timeslips from Milan to show me. It was hilarious. I was standing next to JD looking over the slips when a friend of mine who runs a low 10 second Mustang walked up and introduced himself. When he saw the 1.9xx 60 for he about peed his pants!!!! He was very impressed. Then I was looking under the hood when the head wrench from the local sppedshop walked up, he had nothing but compliments for the car. He really admired the custom airbox, saying it was obvious someone took the time to put together a quality custom piece like that.

Like JD, I have had a great time with the KC Mustangs. It's a good group of guys, most important thing is that everybody is welcome. We wrench on each others cars, pass tips freely, and support each other at the tracks, cruises, and meets. We have weekend warrior drag racers and serious guys, show only cars, road racers, and everything in between. We even have guys who run different kinds superchargers, and they all get along....imagine that!

[TooManyFords]

The the runs were great! We need more burnout video too next time, fyi. :D

I too lauged at the announcer. Guess I need to make up a "data sheet" for the car for the next track I go to so he can read all about it. I'll have to send you one too.

As for hanging out with the others? That's what I do every Friday night during warm weather. The last couple of months I've taken the monster F150 out with me. We just hang around, talk the talk and then go out to eat. Afterwards we have burnout contests and have a great time. I'm the only Mercury or Ford with these guys and they could care less! Even being the second or third fastest of the bunch doesn't matter. I do get ribbed about the radials though! All of them have slicks when we go out. I'll fix that next year too...

I still have some videos around here I need to get posted on a few of these meets and will try to get that soon. Take a camera to your meets and get the others on video with your car. You will make memories and be able to share them with the others too. That's what being part of a car club is all about.

Like I was saying to Casey, I'll be down your way a lot next year and plan on traveling with the car once the drivetrain is bulletproof, no, Kryptonite proof!

Sorry, not stealing as thread, so carry on!

John

[martyo]

Awesome. Be warned fast is never fast enough. This stuff is addictive. I am in therapy for it!

[shakes_26]

JD,

congrats sweet runs!!

[CRUZTAKER]

Nice runs man!

I can see from your 60' foots that you are still not hooking.

But still, nice jump on the Mustang. :up:

[HwyCruiser]

Nice runs man!

I can see from your 60' foots that you are still not hooking.

But still, nice jump on the Mustang. :up:

I know it, and the truth hurts. :bigcry:

If I can knock off another 10th on the 60 foot I'd be happy. That's all on me though. The drag radials haven't failed me, I'm just pulling out of the burnouts too soon and not giving it enough at the line. I've just got to let go and give it the gusto... I'm working on it though.

Practice, practice, practice. Maybe some therapy wouldn't hurt either.

[MarauderTJA]

I know it, and the truth hurts. :bigcry:

If I can knock off another 10th on the 60 foot I'd be happy. That's all on me though. The drag radials haven't failed me, I'm just pulling out of the burnouts too soon and not giving it enough at the line. I've just got to let go and give it the gusto... I'm working on it though.

Practice, practice, practice. Maybe some therapy wouldn't hurt either.

Man I know that feeling.:( At SSHS5 that was my biggest problem. Probably 2 good burnouts out of 10 runs. Not the Nittos fault. All mine. I didn't stay in the water for the burnouts long enough. Live, learn and practice.:cool:

[HwyCruiser]

Man I know that feeling.:( At SSHS5 that was my biggest problem. Probably 2 good burnouts out of 10 runs. Not the Nittos fault. All mine. I didn't stay in the water for the burnouts long enough. Live, learn and practice.:cool:

If I could pull out a 1.7xx sec 60 footer like you I'd be a very happy camper. Gives me faith that mine has it in her. :D

[MarauderTJA]

If I could pull out a 1.7xx sec 60 footer like you I'd be a very happy camper. Gives me faith that mine has it in her. :D

Oh Yeah, she has it in her........You will get there I'm sure...:)

[tmac1337]

If I could pull out a 1.7xx sec 60 footer like you I'd be a very happy camper. Gives me faith that mine has it in her. :D

What! A 1.7xx sec 60 footer with a Procharger setup! Stop foolin around guys. It's just not possible with a Procharger! Is it?:eek: :eek: :eek:

[maraudernkc]

Nothing like a good converter, gears and some drag radials.


What! A 1.7xx sec 60 footer with a Procharger setup! Stop foolin around guys. It's just not possible with a Procharger! Is it?:eek: :eek: :eek:

[CRUZTAKER]

What! A 1.7xx sec 60 footer with a Procharger setup! Stop foolin around guys. It's just not possible with a Procharger! Is it?:eek: :eek: :eek:

The beauty part?

One doesn't even need an s/c to accomplish that.:P

:hide:

[HwyCruiser]

The beauty part?

One doesn't even need an s/c to accomplish that.:P

:hide:

That's because you're special! :sunshine:

[teamrope]

Awesome runs JD. I followed you to Milan at MVIII, your car looks and sounds fantastic. Nice job!

-Mat

Not to mention one of the Torqiest I've driven. ;) (Although at MV II I was a little more hesitant to depress the go pedal in Keiths than I was JD's at MV III :) )

Congrats on the new best JD! :up:

[HwyCruiser]

I reloaded the videos and fixed the links in the opening post to include footage of the burnouts. :burnout:

Sitting here in the frozen tundra reviewing the data from three outings this past summer, I'm amazed at how the quality of time spent in the waterbox reflects in the final results. In Detroit and the first time out with the Nittos, my burnouts were pretty poor achieving only a best 1.95 sec 60 footer.

In these videos the burnouts were held in 1st gear a lot longer, which achieved a best 1.89 sec 60 footer. Two weeks later I finally figured out how to hold the burnout through the 1-2 shift to let the tires warm up a bit more, resulting in a best 1.82 sec 60 footer. These tiny differences turn out to be huge in the 1/4 ET and mph.

Only 5 more months until drag racing season starts up around here again and I'm determined to pull out a CruzTaker smoke bomb and lay out a 1.7x sec 60 footer. I feel like I'm living a Tootsie-pop commercial, how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Nitto?

Oh well, just a rambling thought. Enjoy the videos!

[jabird56]

Great runs JD. Keep me in the loop for the KC meet, assuming next month. I'll see about maybe cruising down for it...as long as the weather is good to us. The MM has been hibernating up here in Omaha, and the Superduty has been my wheels this past week. Jay