55 E/G – New old ride – Page 58

This topic has 1,034 replies, 22 voices, and was last updated March 23, 2017 at 1:12 pm by babycakes.

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August 12, 2015 at 4:12 am #42583
tomblake
Participant
Left the Valley Monday for CT. Staying with Ronny in Oxford till we head back to the Valley for the race.
October 2, 2015 at 1:40 am #42868
frank-j-majauskas
Participant
Hey Tom, my friend Bootie was over tonight and we’re talking car stuff.
We were talking about how when some cars launch, you don’t know which
direction they’re going to go. AND that brought up the question about you’re
55 having that huge shake at 3/4 track. Did you ever find out the cause ❓
Always great seeing the Blakes at the Dover event. Congrats on the Hall of Fame
award ❗ I talked with Mikey today and he sounded great. Hope all is well with you guys?

Frank… 😎
October 2, 2015 at 5:47 am #42870
tomblake
Participant
Thanks Frank and everything here is good. The problem with the 55 shake was the rear tires out of balance. The out of balance was extreme, about 30 oz. Had the tires trued and rebalanced. The car has been to 70 mph and it seems to be better. The problem at the track was about 100 mph. So far we have left the car in race setup and plan to race the Bradenton track in Nov, at the nostalgia race they have. Should have tested the car at least once before going 1400 miles to find that problem. We will be more prepared for the next race at the Valley. The better solution is to get new rear tires and maybe a smaller size.
By the way I did get to see your engine compartment at the car show, really looks good. Just like the rest of your 55.
October 2, 2015 at 12:29 pm #42871
patina
Participant
Tom I had the same problem with the MG and didn’t figure it out until 3 yrs ago right after the Dover race. We had a small vibration in the car that got your attention and we were only making 3/4 passes, then before the 1st NE Hot Rod reunion in NH I balanced the slicks, turns out they were 12 oz. out each. After that the car has been running great and smooth. I never thought it could cause such a problem.

Pat
October 2, 2015 at 11:44 pm #42872
frank-j-majauskas
Participant
Thanks Tom….That is excellent feedback on a possible fix to a vibration problem from you and Pat. ..At least it’s something to check out before ripping the car apart. Yeah Tom, we were as disappointed as you were not to have your 55 make a hard, full pass. Your car looks so awesome on the strip. Pat, you
your brother Mike do a great job with the Hilborn on your MG. I fooled with that back in the day and
it really can be tricky. 😮 Tom, let us know how you make out this month at the track…

Frank… 😎
October 13, 2015 at 1:21 pm #42890
super-sport-pete
TOM, hi, did you try the car on a local road up to 100 ?? Were these tires “bunched” when shipped ?? Pete.
October 13, 2015 at 3:05 pm #42891
tomblake
Participant
Pete….70 mph was the fastest on the local roads after trueing and re-balance. But we are going to the Bradenton track November 7th for the nostalgia races and will know than if that was the problem. The tires that caused the problem were way out of balance and they were the same tires I ran last year so I was thinking that shipping not the problem. When they were shipped they were almost inside out. Since I have been thinking about the problem I have a new theory. The tires have been on and off the car several times and they were on the Mustang also with no noticeable problem but not driven over 100 mph. My thinking now is the out of balance happened to be 180 degrees different on the one side to the other.
Watched the video many times and the car doesn’t shake till about 100 mph. Than at about 100 the rear of the car starts to move left and right. The movement left and right is enough for the tires to rub the fender. It just seems that the out of balance being 180 degrees from each tire could cause that movement.
We did order new radial tires that will be here tomorrow. Seems the radial tires are made to closer tolerances and the flat spot problem is less.
October 16, 2015 at 5:52 am #42894
tomblake
Participant
New MT radials arrived yesterday and installed them today. Both new tires balanced with no weights needed. Already like the radials over the bias ply tires. We are ready for the Bradenton race.

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October 16, 2015 at 11:32 pm #42895
frank-j-majauskas
Participant
They look good Tom. Balanced with no weights ❗ That must mean that the rims are perfect ❓ It might
also tell you how badly the old slicks were out of balance ❓ Did you check the balance on the front runners
for good measure ❓ Hope you can make a full pass with your foot planted ❗ 😆 Good luck and keep us
posted….

Frank… 😎
October 17, 2015 at 1:38 pm #42897
tomblake
Participant
Frank…..When the rear tires were checked one was almost 30 oz. out, the front tires were good but replaced them with new radial tires that balanced with very little weights. The new rear tires are smaller, hoping to make tire changes easier. Between the new smaller tires and the 4.57 gear, the driving RPM of 2000 that was 60 MPH is now only 34 MPH.
After the Nov. race we go back to the open 2.70 rear and we are going to replace the turbo 400 with a 700R. Should be able to cruise the highway again.
October 17, 2015 at 3:55 pm #42898
tomblake
Participant
Did I say the tires were smaller 🙂
Went from a 33″ tall tire to a 29″

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October 17, 2015 at 5:41 pm #42899
frank-j-majauskas
Participant
Hey Tom, I was surprised when I changed the M/T 33X21.5 bias with Hossier 31X18.5 radials ❗ I picked
up RPM’s which I didn’t need, but much better ride and handling. With 4:56 rear gears I replaced the 4 speed
with a Richmond 6 speed with overdrive. and got my RPM’s back down for the highway. 😆 Probably would
have been cheaper to change the pumpkin ❓ You got a great plan with the 700R4 ❗ You’ll see the difference
for sure. I still want to hear the results of your 1/4 mile test next month. Hope everything turns out good ❗

Frank… 😎
October 18, 2015 at 5:51 am #42900
tomblake
Participant
We drove the 55 to the Plant City car show, about a 20 mile round trip, and it is hard to believe how much better the car handles and drives. Still have one problem, there is a vibration that seems to be the driveshaft. Will pull the driveshaft and have it checked and re-balanced Monday. The 4 new balanced radial tires really make the ride smooth as glass and that’s the 1st time since we owned this car.
The smaller tires and 4.57 gear sure make the engine spin, 3000 rpm to go 50 MPH. It feels like we are driving around in 2nd gear. We checked the calculator and found at 6000 RPM, our rev limit, the 1/4 speed will only be 112.
October 18, 2015 at 3:56 pm #42901
frank-j-majauskas
Participant
Yeah Tom, Radials sure make a difference over bias ply. When I had the M/T Sportsman 33X21.5 on the
back is was crazy. Every time I change lanes or went around a sharp corner, I thought that I was going to
roll over. I could only have like 16-18 lbs.of air to have a full foot print. With the Hoosiers I can put 25 lbs
which made a big difference in handling. Anyway, I hope that the drive shaft is your problem. Keep us posted.

Frank…
October 20, 2015 at 11:33 pm #42913
tomblake
Participant
Driveshaft re-balanced and installed today. Both front and rear weights needed to be moved, one was moved 180 degrees. Took a test ride, vibration better but still feel something that shouldn’t be there. The radial tires roll nice and smooth up to 82 MPH.
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