Adjustable Strut Brackets and Other Technology Updates

NHRA ProMod racing has a minimum height that the frame of the car has to be to be legal. The "Black Hole"has been too low ever since I got the new tires. I decided a couple of weeks ago to update everything on the frame to be the latest technology. One of the things that all new ProMods have are adjustable top strut brackets. These brackets allow you to raise or lower the front end of the car with a ratchet.

I am also changing the parachute brackets to spread the parachutes out and get them to open quicker. Spreading them out also prevents them from tangling as easy as they would if they are mounted right next to one another. Spreading out also allows me to mount a push bar to move the car around the pits in to the staging lanes. This push bar attaches to the front of our pit vehicle and makes it easier to maneuver than towing with a strap. Have a push bar allows me to drive the car where I want to go and the push vehicle just follows me. The push bar also allows the push vehicle to pull me backwards if we need to make an adjustment where the car is pointed.

The push bar bracket is attached to the new parachute anchor brackets. The original parachute anchor bracket was on the differential of the car. The new rules require a separate bolt on each parachute to prevent a double parachute failure. My bracket only had one long bolt instead of two. Also, low mounts have a tendency to lift the back of the car when the parachutes open. Instead of trying to modify the bracket on the differential, I decide to use a more modern approach and mount the parachute anchor points high up on the back of the frame.

Here are some pictures of the adjustable strut mounts and the push bar bracket.

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More Fabrication

I am back to working on the "Black Hole" after getting the fuel injection system installed on the "Blue Banana" The fuel injection system works fantastic! I cannot wait to run it at the track. I think it is going to make a big difference.

I am trying to get all the fabrication finished on the "Black Hole" so I can paint the chassis again and get the chassis certified by the NHRA.

This weekend I fabricated the drive shaft safety retaining tube and loops. These are designed to prevent a driveshaft that fails from flying around inside the cockpit with the driver. A 3.5 inch diameter carbon fiber driveshaft spinning at 9000 rpm could do some serious damage if it was Flying around inside the drivers cockpit!!

I also mounted the air shifters in the car so they are easy to access when I an manual shifting the car.

Here are some pictures of the cockpit:

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New Electronic Fuel Injection

Traci and I want to run all of the races in the Bay Area Bracket Racing Series next year and try to get as many points as we can. We are trying to make the "Blue Banana" as consistent as possible. I decided to install one of Holley's new 4500 series electronic fuel injection systems on the dragster.

This system is capable of supporting up to 1500 horsepower so it should be perfect for my 1250 horsepower engine. The system is very high tech and should give me a lot of flexibility to add more horsepower later if I want to. The system has the capability to add extra fuel if I add Nitrous Oxide injection for more horsepower. This makes it possible to add Nitrous without adding a separate Nitrous fuel supplement system .

I just finished installing it tonight and started it up. This system is amazing!!! The car starts instantly and idles super smooth even with a "wild" camshaft in the engine. The most impressive thing is how the engine accelerates instantly now!!!

The "Blue Banana" is going to be a hard car to beat next year! I think 2019 is going to be an excellent year for us!

We are planning on taking it to a test session or two before the end of the year to tune the new fuel injection and get ready for 2019.

Here are a few pictures of the new system.

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