anybody know?

[Anonymous]

does anyone know where i can find some reading material about alcohol motors or have any knowledge about them.maybe websites that some of you have come across.
this winter im looking to start building an all out drag motor . and i want to know what would be the best block to start with and what all has to be done to run it with alcohol.pro cons ect.
any help anyone has would be greatly appreciated.
thanks in advance.
chris

 

[rbohm]

8) first decide which alcohol you are goind to run, ethanol or methanol. they are different in regards to tuning. methanol requires more fuel than ethanol does. you can run more compression and timing with alcohol than with gas as the alcohol burns much colder than gas does. there are a few books on converting to alcohol at your local bookseller. i dont remember the titles as it has been awhile since i have looked at them. generally though figure twice the amount of alcohol as compared to gas. usually if you open a stock carb jet up by multiplying the stock opening by 1.6(iirc) will put you in the ballpark. you will need to get rid of all the rubber in the fuel system and replace it with alcohol safe materials. usually the carb needle is replaced with a steel tipped one., and the inlet is also opened up by the same factor as the carb main jet. a slightly lower float level does help to reduce flooding. remember also alcohol burns with no flame so be extra careful with it.

 

[goinbroke2]

If your serious about an alchy motor for drag racing, go to the track and talk to the guys using it. You should build the complete system for it, not try and mickey mouse it. You will probably need a mechanical fuel pump, massive fuel lines, alchy carb (more than just jetting involved, needle&seat size etc) plus you have to drain the system after every weekend and flush with wd-40 or something similar as alchy is quite corrosive. You will need a way to lean the engine out on start up to get some heat in it to race and possibly use a squirt bottle of gas to fire it up on a cold day for the first time. Higher compression is usefull but not mandatory. Although in general higher compression will give it quicker response when you nail it.
Are you going to bracket race? Or are you going in a particular class?
What else?....Oh buy it by the barrel as it's quite a bit cheaper that way, and ALWAYS, ALWAYS, keep the lid on tight and out of direct sunlight. Yes alchy goes sour! It also picks up moisture. Basically go to the track or to an engine builder and ask for help, they will don't worry! And yes alchy is more consistent than gas.

PS, a good friend of mine Carl Jessup is the winningest bracket racer in Canada. He runs mostly out of Luskville dragstrip in Quebec. Although he now runs a rail, his car was a 69 camaro with a 9:1 468 BBC on alchohol. This motor only turned 6300rpm in the lights and was freshened up every 4 years or so!

 

[Anonymous]

i have contacted a few people that run alcohol and they are being helpful.the only differance is they are running v-8s and i want to do it with a 300 six. in this type of chassis http://www.gospitzer.com/racecars.htm preferably the 4 link altered. i was just seeing if anyone knew anything about alcohol because the way i did the 300 in the maverick i read and asked questions till i got everything the way i wanted.then i built it. as to what class im going to race it in.well thats up in the air as right now this is more of a fun project and a challenge.when it is done since im friends with one of the owners of new england dragway track time is fairly easy to get.i sure dont know everything there is to know so thats why i ask alot of question before i build.knowledge is power right.financially i guess im rather lucky i can take my hobby and have fun but i dont want to waste money on a plan that really wont work or monkey rig anything.thats why one of the questions i asked was about blocks.what year block had the most meat to start with better casting better metal.so many questions i dont know where to start asking lol. anyways if any of you want to give any suggestions feel free i open to anything. thanks again for any info you all might have
chris