The Quest for 275 MPH

[GTS Dean]

Temp and air density will be what you tune to with the spoilers.

 

[FST SNAKE]

Twin-turbo Viper

youtube.com

Here is a link to how Blucifer did in the Celebration Exotic Car Show

 

[BoondocSaint]

That is F#%&ing awesome! Can't wait to see the run!

 

[FST SNAKE]

The bulkhead is going in now, need that separation between me and all the stuff that burns in the rear hatch area.

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[FST SNAKE]

Today I put on all my gear and harness to make sure I could reach all the controls. We will probably move the seat back further and down if we are able to. It's snug where it's at but workable if we can't move the seat.

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[FST SNAKE]

We had a bad day on the dyno doing a hit to 7000 RPM, we have an issue with oil pressure. We don't think it's related to any bearing failure and maybe has something to do with the dry sump system. At this point that's just a guess and we are working to diagnose the problem. Unfortunately, we are going to miss our opportunity to make some runs in Arkansas as this has put us behind schedule on other work that needed to be done before we run. I'm still heading out to Arkansas but with my 98% stock Gen 4. That will give me the chance to check out the runway and meet the guy running that event. Big disappointment for the whole crew but it's part of the process. We will get back to work and fix any issues and at some point in 2025 I hope to break 275+. Thanks, David

 

[MoparMap]

Better to find out now than at 250+ mph I suppose. Excited to see how things end up though!

 

[FST SNAKE]

We are still working on resolving issues with Blucifer and hope to make the next ECTA event in Arkansas on Oct 3rd thru the 5th in Blytheville. Will be cooler weather and hopefully I can make a serious attempt at 275 MPH. A group of us still went to the May 2nd to 4th event to run our stock Vipers and a TRX. My Gen 4 did 151.873 in the half, 173.879 in the mile and 176.956 in the 2 km run. My gearing was set up for back when I had 857 WHP and now that it's back to stock it struggles to push 5th gear. The Gen 5 ran 153.374 in the half, 182.260 in the mile and 187.970 in the 2 km. I drove the TRX since I got bored quickly with the Gen 4, it is speed limited so it did 118 in the 1/4, the 1/2, the 3/4, the mile and the 2 km. Didn't take long to get bored with it also. The trip was mainly to see the runway, get a feel for what the surface was like and how the event was ran, I have to say I was very happy with every aspect of it, great runway, great event, well organized and super friendly staff and competitors. I will be back for sure. Here are a few pics from the event.

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[BoondocSaint]

Thx for the update, and another great looking Viper. One of these days I'll get out to a runway to see what kind of time I can throw down, and to have an absolute blast.

Are you planning any testing/shake down events before the October run?

 

[FST SNAKE]

I hope so MoparMap, ideally, I would like a half mile event somewhere close by before we pack up everything to drive 900 miles to Arkansas. Even just street driving it for a week or so will help me to feel more comfortable with all the little quirks a car can have. Thanks, David

 

[FST SNAKE]

Hello everyone, been a few months since I have posted any updates on Blucifer. We had an oil pressure issue on the dyno with the car at 7000 RPM and that forced us to disassemble the engine to check everything for any damage. We found the #9 lifter guide had broken and it allowed the lifter to be ejected into the valley which was the reason for the oil pressure drop. Fortunately, that damaged only some items in the valvetrain and nothing else. Since the engine was completely apart at that point I decided to have some additional work done. We basically saved the block, crank and dry sump and replaced everything else. I reached out to Prefix for some Gen 4 heads/intake modified to fit the Gen 3 block. Also TKM helped with specs and ordering new lifters, cam, pistons and aluminum rods. I really should have upgraded the original valvetrain before adding more boost. It would have saved a lot of headaches, money and time. The plus side of this is it will give me a better opportunity to break 275+. At this time the only part that hasn't arrived is the lifters and we expect them to arrive soon. After that TKM will reassemble the motor and Gearhead will install it back into Blucifer. As soon as that is done it's back to tuning and eventually setting up a date/track to make a record attempt. I will post some pictures on here and there is also a FB page that has pictures and information on Blucifer.

 

[BoondocSaint]

Thanks for the update! Luckily, you still have some good weather left this year. Fingers crossed that everything is smooth sailing from here on out.

 

[Goggles Pizano]

Gearhead is actually going to get those soft hands dirty?

 

[FST SNAKE]

Lol, yes but I think the hands you referred to belong to the guy who welds. Hopefully he won't be needed to install the engine, but it is his job to make the custom headers that are going on Blucifer. We thought 2" primaries would be better than the current headers.

 

[FST SNAKE]

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[FST SNAKE]

We started closing in the fog lamps with aluminum covers and making mounts to bolt them in to the same place the fog lamps bolt in but decided to go with fiberglass parts instead. The new close outs should be ready in a few days.

 

[FST SNAKE]

This is the spoiler for the rear hatch, I hope to just tighten up the rear a little bit once I get over 240 MPH.

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[Dan Cragin]

Gosh this is very interesting. There are a few of the old timers at Viper that got into the top speed stuff. You might want to tap into that.
Looks like you have the hp and powertrain to make it work right. That gearbox is the best. A paddle shift would be nice, but not needed.

I did a lot of top speed stuff back in the day, nothing like this, but 200 plus. Tires are critical. You can have them shaved and rounded perfectly.
Road force balance the tires, have them balanced on the car as a full rotating setup. I'm sure you understand this.

Aero and alignment is so critical when you get to those speeds. At those speeds you need to balance downforce and hp to
reach your speed number.

One thing I found was important, if you use a parachute to slow the car down. The placement and rake of the car is very important. The deployment
can be scary at those speeds if not done right, always release before you hit the brakes, this allows everything to work right.

It looks like you have the best safety stuff, make sure that fire system button is close. Practice getting in and out of the car with your helmet on and
getting out of your belts. That's a really important thing to consider.

I'm surprised the suspension bushings and such are factory on that car. At those speeds you might consider other options, but it depends on getting it done
right. Hopes this helps.

 

[FST SNAKE]

Thanks for all the information and suggestions, I might need to discuss the tires and suspension with you in the future. We are in the process of putting the engine back together with a lot of new parts after the issue on the dyno and hope to have it back in the car soon. After that it's tuning and some additional aero work. If everything works out I hope to make an attempt at 275+ in early 2026, maybe by April at the latest.

 

[FST SNAKE]

We have 2 vertical fins that are blind mounted on the roof in an effort to help direct the airflow and add some additional stability without adding drag. I may have a couple of different heights made and test them at various speeds to determine which might be the best for what I'm trying to do. Once all the parts are done I will have them powder painted a satin black.

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[GTS Dean]

I think you're going to generate some drag-inducing vortices from the spoiler corners and might want to think about turndowns/fences. You should to look at Pro Stock spoilers as a guide. The folks at ART were heavily into big speed with the G3-4/CC platform. Todd may be willing to share some critical tips now that he's been out of it for about 10 years.

 

[FST SNAKE]

Afternoon Dean, the spoiler was just something we were experimenting with. I have an aero engineer who will start soon to help me with what works best for what I'm trying to do. He has already said that he will probably recommend a wing vs a spoiler. I've stopped any aero work for now until he has a chance to put together a plan.

 

[FST SNAKE]

We keep working on trying to improve the aero. These are the fiberglass fog lamp close outs, he has 1 more layer of fiberglaass to do then off to paint. We will bolt the in from the back, and probably use helicopter tape when I run to make it even more aero.

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[FST SNAKE]

Here are some pictures of the vertical strakes on the quarter panels. We have some trim work still left to do to get them lined up with angle and height of the rear spoiler. Once these parts and others are done we will have them powder painted a satin black. At some point in the future I may have them made in CF to clean up the look.

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[GTS Dean]

Those strakes are really going to improve your spoiler efficiency. You might think about an assortment of varying height Gurney strips after you get some shakedown runs on it.

 

[FST SNAKE]

Those strakes are really going to improve your spoiler efficiency. You might think about an assortment of varying height Gurney strips after you get some shakedown runs on it.

I'm definitely going to make some passes and adjust everything after I see what it feels like at 200, 225, and 250 before I go all in chasing 275 or more. We had planned on having various height spoilers, strakes etc to experiment with, even on the diffuser we will have different strakes to help adjust the aero. When I ran the 252+ I had done nothing at all to the body beyond raking it, otherwise it was totally stock body. At 240 or so it did start to dance a bit at the rear, nothing too crazy but I did have to steer a little bit to keep it straight. I'm hoping with double plus HP and some aero that I can avoid that happening again.

 

[FST SNAKE]

Afternoon everyone, wanted to share update on Blucifer and where we are at in the process of getting ready for the 275 MPH attempt. I picked up the reworked engine at TKM on Jan 7th and the day before I picked up a brand new 6XDX sequential in Kannapolis NC. It's rated at 3000+ HP and 3000+ torque so I think we are set now for the transmission. It's a bit bigger than the 6XD I had so we will need to build a new mount and also will need a shorter driveshaft. I have the engine, transmission and car loaded up for delivery back to Gearhead Fabrication on Jan 13th. Should not take too long I hope to reassemble it all and get back to the dyno. We do have to build some custom headers with 2" primaries so it can breathe better. That is probably what will take the longest time. It looks like I will be on the runway in next 5 months, hopefully before the summer gets here.

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[FST SNAKE]

Here are some pictures of the aero work, not sure if this will be the final version or not.

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[pokeyl]

I would put aircraft speed tape on all the body seams (hood/truck) any gap you can find... At the speeds your looking at, it will help. Just get it smooth...

 

[FST SNAKE]

I would put aircraft speed tape on all the body seams (hood/truck) any gap you can find... At the speeds your looking at, it will help. Just get it smooth...

We do that, use helicopter leading edge tape on every seam, headlights etc. It does make a big difference in how the air flows over the car. We also use a hydroscopic wax on body, glass etc, plus wipers are removed along with the mirrors. It all probably adds up to 3 to 5 mph I would think.