Hemi GX140 build

#36
Btw, I don’t think you’ll mind me polluting g your thread with this ... I love that pic you posted! Even with the gas mask on, you can see the “what the...” look on the driver’s face! Talk about perfect timing!
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The driver of the fiat is named Jim Miles. He is one of the original members of my car club the Burbank Road Kings which was started in 1952. Jim is now about 88 or so years old. I think the photo was shot at Lions Drag Strip in San Fernando CA in about 1965. Look close and you can see the oil pan is going under the rear tire right as the photo was snapped. He told me he split blocks on a regular basis......just not to this extreme. He told me car ran 2 gallons of nitro, a quart of alcohol and a quart of toluene...….no wonder it split the block in half and dropped the rotating assembly.
 
#37
VERY cool backdrop story! Thanks for sharing that... I’ve not heard of using toluene in the fuel, but when I was part of a pit crew helping a buddy with his top fuel and pro fuel Harley drag bikes in the 90’s, depending on the air we would regularly push over 90% nitro and add a bit of propylene oxide to the mix. Nowadays I don’t think you can even buy anything over 90% nitro in the drum, but back then it was 100%.
 
#38
I like the manifold. If that carb gives you trouble, you can easily rotate it. Is the carb an Ebay Tilly clone? What was the venturi dia? Cable choke or detent? Very nice project, and good to see the small engines get this amount of detail. Oh and feel free to get a shot of your Mustang in there. :)
 

65ShelbyClone

Well-Known Member
#39
1.) I like the manifold. If that carb gives you trouble, you can easily rotate it.
2.) Is the carb an Ebay Tilly clone?
3.) What was the venturi dia?
4.) Cable choke or detent? Very nice project, and good to see the small engines get this amount of detail.
5.) Oh and feel free to get a shot of your Mustang in there. :)
1.) Hopefully it won't; I put it at that wonky angle for a reason specific to the Hemi head. I'll let that one marinate. ;)
2.) Yep.
3.) 20.7mm
4.) Cable. Might just remove it though.
5.) Unfortunately my screen name is derived from a Mustang I had about four Mustangs ago. Now I have a '68 and it's nothing to look at currently. (fun fact: the green car isn't a Mustang. ;) )

I’ve not heard of using toluene in the fuel, but when I was part of a pit crew helping a buddy with his top fuel and pro fuel Harley drag bikes in the 90’s, depending on the air we would regularly push over 90% nitro and add a bit of propylene oxide to the mix. Nowadays I don’t think you can even buy anything over 90% nitro in the drum, but back then it was 100%.
According to Tom Jobe of the "The Surfers," they used straight nitro with only a couple percent of toluene. Toluene desensitizes nitro, but I'm not sure it was really effective at such low concentrations. My suspicion is that it makes the fuel less difficult to light off. He mentioned it in #34, but the whole series is much better than TV.

AFAIK "straight" nitro is still in the neighborhood of 98% purity, but I don't know that for sure. It's information that would have to come from the supplier and they generally don't want to talk to anyone buying less than a train car full of it.
 
#40
1.) Hopefully it won't; I put it at that wonky angle for a reason specific to the Hemi head. I'll let that one marinate. ;)
2.) Yep.
3.) 20.7mm
4.) Cable. Might just remove it though.
5.) Unfortunately my screen name is derived from a Mustang I had about four Mustangs ago. Now I have a '68 and it's nothing to look at currently. (fun fact: the green car isn't a Mustang. ;) )



According to Tom Jobe of the "The Surfers," they used straight nitro with only a couple percent of toluene. Toluene desensitizes nitro, but I'm not sure it was really effective at such low concentrations. My suspicion is that it makes the fuel less difficult to light off. He mentioned it in #34, but the whole series is much better than TV.

AFAIK "straight" nitro is still in the neighborhood of 98% purity, but I don't know that for sure. It's information that would have to come from the supplier and they generally don't want to talk to anyone buying less than a train car full of it.
Ok, that makes sense. We used a squirter type oil can with gasoline or methanol to fire up, and simultaneously hit the main valve from the fuel tank. I miss those days.
 
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