Time for another update. After the big thrash to get ready for Vegas I took a couple weeks off from working on the car. So slowly I’ve been getting some things done over the last couple of months. Trying to upgrade some things plus fix some of the things that annoyed me when I went to Vegas.
First two pictures that I wanted to share from the cruise to Vegas that a photographer took. This one was at the Kingman Dodge dealership and before this picture I never knew my car was a low as a 2014 Viper.
Here’s one on the drive to Vegas. That’s my wife following me in her Jeep Liberty. Her dream car is a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT and when she saw this photo she said “that would be a much better picture if I was in a Jeep SRT.” hahah Maybe next year, then she could race with me.
So after the traction problems at the drag strip in Vegas I decided to get a set of dedicated track tires. I was going to get the ET Street drag radials, but after much research I decided on the bias ply ET Streets. Everything I read said the bias plys are much better for manual transmission cars. The ET Streets are 26x11.5x15. I thought about going to 28’s for more sidewall cushion on the launch, but the 26’s are the perfect size for my gear ratio. They actually look narrow on the car compared to the street tires! I mounted them on 15x10 Weld RT-S rims. These are REALLY nice rims!!!! I’m surprised I haven’t seen more people running them. They also sell them in an all polished version. The 15x10 only weighs 16 lbs and its SFI rated and made in the USA. Looks great too! WIth the ET Street mounted the total weight is 37 lbs per rim/tire.
When I used to race my old Dakota R/T on bias ply ET Streets it would wander all over the top end of the track due to having radials up front and that was only at like 95 mph. I didn’t want that same feeling going 115 in the Cuda, so I decided to get a set of bias plys front runners, but I have to run 17” rims to clear the front brakes. I wanted to run the Weld RT-S for the front as well, but for some reason the Weld 17x4.5 rim is wicked expensive. :-( So after searching around I found SVE Drag wheels makes a 17x4.5 at an affordable price. These are made for late model Mustangs and I bought them from a place that only sells Mustang parts. It was the cheapest 17x4.5 that I could find. With the M&H bias ply tire mounted the combined rim/tire is only 28 lbs!
It sure does change the look of the car with the 15’s in the back. Plus the front runner is half the width of my normal front tires!
Here’s a close up of the Weld rims.
So to go along with the drag tires I also installed a line lock. I struggled with where to put it since I already have a Wilwood proportioning valve, etc. So I ultimately made a bracket to hang it under the master cylinder. Kind of like the MC heat shields they sell.
Finally I’ve had the XV engine brace forever, but never put it on the car because it didn’t fit right. It was made for a 4 bbl style intake not the stock intake that I have. So I tried to make it work by cutting out the main bar, but it just wouldn’t fit right. So I ended up going to a local 1 man hot rod shop that I heard about via word of mouth. He worked with me to make a custom engine brace. We came up with a firewall brace that has much more surface area than the XV brace. After getting it powdercoated, I think it came out great.
Forgot to mention I re-did all the heater hoses after the one came loose in Vegas. Where I could I used the Gates power grip heat shrink. Pretty slick. Lets hope it holds up. You can see it in the picture above where the heater hoses enter the firewall bulkhead.
That’s all the updates for now. I’m anxious for cooler weather so I can get back to the drag strip, plus spend more time finishing the interior of the car.
Travis
72 Cuda
