After we installed the motor,...
After we installed the motor, we tried putting the fuel injection manifold on, only to find that the water outlet on top of the pump hit the throttle body. So, Marty, being the "git-er-done" type of person he is, cut the snout off the pump and welded on a standard snout that ran to the side instead of up to clear the FI unit. That worked out great and solved a potentially serious problem. We ran into several other issues that required evaluation and solution, such as cooling of the SEMTECH emissions testing box by running an air hose inside the cockpit to the fan at the back of the unit. As an additional note, the emissions test box weighed about 100 pounds and was mounted high in the car raising the center of gravity a considerable amount. When we removed it for our last outing of the test, Dalton remarked that he could feel the difference going down pit road, it was that influential to the setup.
As an overview, what we are trying to do is some pre-planning for the future. No one knows exactly what the future of circle track racing will be, but we can imagine. If I were to guess, based on past experience, the evolution of racing will follow the car manufacturers' leads. That is, the racing will need to be based on engines and fuel systems that are produced for passenger cars and those that will be readily available.
This fits perfectly with our stock classes. But more than that, we can look forward to Late Model racing becoming more simplistic if we use the FI systems, and more than that, we could be the leaders in implementing green technology while enjoying more power and less noxious emissions. The cost can be as reasonable as the current crate systems once the volume of sales is up and cost is a factor in the economy of today. The Street Stock car of tomorrow will necessarily need to be of the more current designs, meaning FI.
The idea of running FI is not new and was done before. But the use of alternative fuels like the E85 we ran plus using racing cats all add up to a leap forward for short track racing. It's a win-win situation. Now let's see who will step up to the plate and take the lead.
To save time, we installed...
To save time, we installed two separate 8-gallon fuel tanks from ATL, one filled with racing gasoline and the other with E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol-or corn liquor for you hill folks-and 15 percent gas. The E85 tank had to be fitted with special foam that would not deteriorate from exposure to the alcohol. This is very important to consider if you try to run that type of fuel. We switched fuel lines from one to the other when switching between fuels and then flushed the line before running the engine. The carburetor needs to be built to withstand the corrosive effects of alcohol too. When using the fuel-injection system, we could conceivably switch the fuel lines from gas to E85, not drain the fuel lines, start the engine and when the E85 got to the injectors and was pumped into the engine, the computer would immediately alter the fuel flow to the correct amount and the engine wouldn't even stumble. Try that with a carb.
When switching between carburetor...
When switching between carburetor and fuel injection, we had to adjust the fuel pressure from 6-8 psi for the carbs to 60 psi for the FI system. We carefully monitored the pressure gauge installed in the fuel pressure regulator. This is the Fore Precision Works regulator designed for EFI systems, truly a well-built and impressive piece.
The SEMTECH-DS Mobile Emissions...
The SEMTECH-DS Mobile Emissions Analyzer is all strapped in and all of the other wiring has been connected and tested. This unit requires the use of a deep cycle battery to power it. We chose the Optima Yellow Top which performed like a champ. We had to place the testing equipment in the passenger seat area because that was the only space available that size. We had to remove the door to get it through the window, but that allowed us to work on the exhaust and run the various wires too. Fortunately, the cushioned base of the unit fit perfectly onto two of the rollcage bars beside Dalton. We just had to use hose clamps to strap it to the tubing. Then we ran two ratchet straps around the front to back sides and one side to side. We placed rubber tool box matting between the unit and the base to further cushion it and to prevent it from sliding. It worked as planned and we saw only slight movement during our runs throughout the test.
Here is an end view of Random...
Here is an end view of Random Technologies' racing catalytic converters. We have two densities, one that is 100 cells per square inch (right) and one that has 300 cells per square inch. If the 100 count cat can do the job, it would be preferable because it allows more flow over the 300 count cat. These units run red hot and easily combust the unspent fuel. Research is ongoing to develop racing cats that can withstand the rigors of short track racing. Street performance cars don't run upwards of 7,000 rpm like many race cars. We feel that with the use of fuel-injection and computer monitoring of the air/fuel ratio at all rpm levels, the cats would survive much better in that environment than with carburetors with their low rpm fuel rich tendencies.
Prior to heading to the track,...
Prior to heading to the track, Horace adjusts the engine's computer using his laptop. Once we had the tune we needed, the car ran like a champ. The very first time we hit the starter, it fired up. From then on it was just a matter of refinement. With a race system like we envision, the computer adjusts for everything: fuel density, air density, temperature, and more. There would be no more carb adjusting or flames out of the exhaust using fuel-injection.
The car sits on pit road with...
The car sits on pit road with the FI system installed and ready to go. One of the advantages of going to FI and computerized engine management is simplicity. Like we saw in the dyno test, we expected this motor configuration to deliver better performance thanks to its better torque curve and its ability to automatically maintain the proper air/feul ratio no matter what the conditions. There will come a day soon when all that will be available are stock FI engines. And we don't need to fear those times, we should instead look forward to that as a way to increase our performance while making our racing lives easier.
During our dyno test we learned...
During our dyno test we learned that there was not enough oxygen flowing into and through the motor to efficiently reduce NOx emissions. Although total hydrocarbon emissions were significantly reduced with the addition of cats, they need air to burn off NOx. Our solution for the on track test was this stock Camaro air pump. It was installed to pump air into the two exhaust pipes before the cats so that there would be enough oxygen to burn the unspent NOx. There was a check valve for each bank to ensure that there was no backflow going on. The team was concerned that, under high rpm, the pump wouldn't be able to produce enough pressure to be effective since on a production car, it's only designed to work at low rpm. The data currently being analyzed will tell the true story.
This is the exhaust flow meter,...
This is the exhaust flow meter, which contains several of the sensors the SEMTECH unit uses to analyze the emissions. When building the exhaust system for this car we placed the O2 sensors and the cats along a section of exhaust pipe that fit between the ends of the headers and a "Y" pipe. Y pipes are becoming more common in southeastern Asphalt Late Model competition, so the exhaust configuration was fairly typical of what we'd see at a local Saturday night. We started out with two sections of plain 31/2-inch pipe coming off the headers, then placed two more dummy pipes cut the same length as the catalytic converters and then into the Y pipe. From there, we ran flexible stainless steel tubing back and outside the frame to the flow meter that contained sensors which were hard wired back to the SEMTECH-DS unit. The design goal of the cats is to heat up to a sufficient temperature to ignite any unburned fuel and along with that any harmful emissions that may be present in the exhaust gases.
Dalton Zehr climbs behind...
Dalton Zehr climbs behind the wheel of the Project G.R.E.E.N. Late Model to begin logging the first of what would be numerous laps around New Smyrna's half-mile oval. The technical results of the test, which will be published in next month's Circle Track, were eye opening, to say the least.