Stick shift starting points

[ohiocamarodave]

Couple questions for stick shift guys. 55 Chevy wagon 500 HP 350, 5.14 rear, 2.78 low gear 5 speed Liberty, 29.5 x10.5 stiff sidewall Mickeys, weight 3570, Hyatt /Ram single disc clutch 250 base pressure.
Looking for launch RPM and starting point for tire pressure suggestions. 1st time out this week.
Thanks for the help.

[Dwight Southerland]

Any idea on the power or torque curves? Without that, it's completely trial and error. Start at 6000 rpm. If it bogs, jack it up. If it spins the tires, work on the car or lower the rpm.

[bigfoot584]

Here's a post that maybe of some help.

http://classracer.com/classforum/sho...ght=bigfoot584

[Bunkster]

Would this car happen to be orange?

[Sean Marconette]

If the clutch has not been seated and brand new you need to follow Hyatts instructions. By cranking in X turns of base for the first pass and then backing it down until it slides in high gear. So do not go out and try to set the world on fire with the first few passes until this has been done.

A torque and HP from a dyno speeds up the learning curve substantially. Without it you do not know where the engine is happy. As for air pressure on my 29.5x9 MT I run 13 psi but my car is substantially lighter than yours, so that might be a place to start. Your 1st gear is not going to be very favorable either with getting the car moving. I am with Dwight on starting at 6000. Also does your clutch have Hyatts billet levers or the standard Ram levers, and are they CW levers?

Good luck and wagons are too cool!!

Sean

[ohiocamarodave]

Yes the car is orange.
I did not get any instructions from Hyatt because Tim passed while the clutch was in their shop. It has their billet levers and no weights on the levers. How much should we crank into the base pressure to start?
I have a 2.98 low gear but ran out of time to install.
Thanks for the help.

[Sean Marconette]

Do you have the build sheet? It should give the critical dimensions and how many turns equal plate pressure. It's good that you have the billet levers otherwise the Ram levers have too much built in CW. Start out with no CW and get the clutch seated. Then you can see what base adjustment and if CW is needed. If you do not have a Ram CW hardware kit, it is a good investment. All of the hardware is equal in weight with steel and aluminum fasteners. Then all you need is a cheap digital scale. Do you have provisions to adjust the base in your bellhousing and to access the CW levers to add weight? I have the instructions and can send them to you. Send me your email in a PM and I will get what I have to you.

Sean