Questions….

[Krooser]

My old Mastersbilt came with 4" backspace wheels…. most guys run 5". Any advantage to 4" other than more clearance for the LR bars and RR frame rail?

I can run 10" set-back with an iron head motor but only 6" with aluminum heads. Which would YOU run assuming both create equal power?

What outside dimensions are these newer fuel cells I see most guys running… they are longer front to rear and narrow side to side. Most are 22 gallon IIRC. My old 32 gallon cell needs rust repair and I'm not sure I want to carry that much fuel.

I haven't run alky since we dabbled in running coupe modifieds in the late 60's. Since it's unlikely I'll spend the $$$ to buy a fancy belt drive fuel pump what would be a good alternative?

I have a great carb guy but he only does gas carbs (though he will rebuild alky carbs). Will a factory Holley or lower buck C&S get the job done on a 550 HP 367?

Will an HEI dizzy be sufficient to fire this thing?

What about brake bias? How much do you run in the heats with a medium wet track and how much front brake do you dial in on the dry slick?

RF electric brake shut-off… yes or no. My car has it and I've used a manual shut-off back in the stone age. It always worked for me but i need your opinions.

Brake pad material? This car has Wilwood Super Lite calipers with what appears to be 1.25" rotors.

More to follow….

[Brian Gray]

Pad _ dtc30
Hei _ fine
Brake bias 3 to the rear is where I like to start
Take the setback on head
As far as wheels don't matter to me I prefer 5" because i
Fuel pump _ Baker engineering
Bias_ I like to start 3 to the rear
Wheels 5" because I don't like worries about where to place tires.

Rf shut off_ always in the tack

[Krooser]

Thanks Brian… I appreciate your input. I also like your YouTube stuff...

[talclipse]

You need to measure your brake pressure at the wheels in order to determine what X turns from the rear means to you. I set my master cylinder rods so that at the caliper with full rear brake I am approximately 70% rear. I will typically start out with my brake bias all rear and the RF brake off. The general rule of thumb I have for when to turn the RF back on is after I reach half way on my brake bias adjustment. At that point I'll go back to all rear and begin adjusting forward again. We run the electric shut offs just because they don't have the issues of bleed through/ having to be off the brake when applying that we had with the old manual valves.

If you don't have to run alcohol I wouldn't. It's harder on everything, and the fuel burn off rate makes it change the cars handling far too quickly.

As far as wheels go I would first check to see if everything will physically clear through the full suspension movement then I'd call masters and tell them what year the chassis is and see if there is any reason not to run 5" wheels. 5" back spaced wheels are much more common and thus easier to find used.
I've never had the option to run set back so I can't give you any information there.
As far as brake pads I like the DTC-30 as well as the poly matrix b compound.
If you are just getting back in to the game the single biggest piece of advice I can give you is to race within your means. Don't spend so much money on THINGS that aren't important that it reduces your weekly racing budget. The single best thing you can do to get better is race more. Just my $0.04.

[Krooser]

Thanks talclipse…

This car dosn't have a bias gauge but I may add one… first things first as they say.

Most of the guys at the local track are on alky…. I'm aware of the issues you've addressed and i still have to make up my mind. I do like the lower operating temps alkyd provides… I guess the it will come down to what kind of carb/fuel pump budget I have in the spring. If I get a deal on a gas carb that would be a big factor in my decision.

The wheel offset question will be settled, I guess, by how much cearance I have with 5" wheels and the suspension. This is an older "wide combo" car and some guys here have caustioned me to check RS frame rail clearance and LS bar clearance carefully. Perhaps that's why the car gas 4" offsets on it… it's in it's as-raced set-up from years ago. I found a smokin' deal on some NOS lightweight steel wheels (six for $300.00) but they are 5" backspace. Sure they are a bit heavier but I'm on a tight budget and they would work well for me right now.

I found the car was built at a local shop who was a Mastersbilt dealer when it was new. I'm going to talk to him and get some ideas. I have a hunch he can help a bunch since he built many of these cars.