[NicKey]

Sick Summer Midwest Drag & Drive 2023

[NicKey]

So a few years back we built a ZL1 for Norm Jensen. It was set up to run on the NHRA 10.0 et rules. No cage, no license, no diapers etc. A Jacket and helmet True Street and Drag & Drive events

While 10.0s doesn’t seem exceedingly quick in todays world and it is not a complex proposition to accomplish the goal, there is an added degree of difficulty added in order to get a car driven to and from events, on pump gas, No meth, no e85, to run consistently in the heat of the summer.

Norm achieved some outstanding results. He won several events and out of 164 cars signed up to run 10.0s for Drag week 2022 he was 4th overall and would have been third if the last day had not been rained out with a 10.1 avg @139mph. He had to run the tune we put in the car at every track as he does not do any tuning or data logging.

He was also in the top 25 (number 24) of over 500 participants in drag and drive 10.0 et classes, throughout the country.

He made over 200 runs with the car and it has never been on a trailer. He dove it from central Illinois to Arizona on Vacation a few months ago, along with his wife and luggage and averaged 23mpg for the whole trip, including just a few spirited runs.

So this season he decided to do Sick Summer Midwest but unfortunately his wife Susan got seriously sick and he decided to take care of her and retire from racing and sell the car. We made a deal to buy the car and run it for him in the Sick week event.

Matt Peckham drove the car for the event and in the spirit of how Norm had intended it was driven to and from the event and never put on a trailer. The index classes were a bit different and Matt finished 14th out of 95 cars with a 10.07 @ 140 against dail in of 10.045 but also was the second quickest in the 10.0 segment and one of the quickest cars to dive in and out of and finish the event.

I’ll share pictures and videos of the event and include build specs and info for anyone interested.The ZL1 has run a best of 9.79 @ 142 in 2500da with no weight reduction other than drag pack driven 4 hours each way to and from the track.

For those who have hung in there with me and read through this, Norm’s car has been purchased by an Illinois company who will be using it as a promotion and Giving it away to a lucky winner!

[laynlo15]

Love that car, the guys who work on it and drive it are not bad either

[JTS]

Hi a couple questions , but first my thoughts and prayers got to both Mr Jensen and especially Mrs Jensen .
1st question, In the pictures above I'm sure you stopped at Shell for a reason , as I fill up at Shell . I herd Shell is the best of all the upper petroleum brands
2nd Q , is Race Fuel Consentrate safe to use,( spark plugs , emissions system fouling) I have a stock ZL1 , and maybe don't need to consern myself with running an additive . The best pump premium available here in Arizona is 91 octane, and with the heat should I ? Thank you

[DamonZ28]

Originally Posted by NicKey

For those who have hung in there with me and read through this, Norm’s car has been purchased by an Illinois company who will be using it as a promotion and Giving it away to a lucky winner!

Wow, that's incredible! Share details if you're able to.

[NicKey]

1st question, In the pictures above I'm sure you stopped at Shell for a reason , as I fill up at Shell . I herd Shell is the best of all the upper petroleum brands


Actually we stopped at that particular Shell because we were on empty and back where we are from Shell's gas is fair. The best in our backyard just happens to be Mobile, but we have found that gas can vary from station to station/city to city. We tried this particular brand of octane boost for the first time as this station only had 91/e10 octane and we had tuned the car to run on 93octane.

2nd Q , is Race Fuel Consentrate safe to use,( spark plugs , emissions system fouling) I have a stock ZL1 , and maybe don't need to consern myself with running an additive . The best pump premium available here in Arizona is 91 octane, and with the heat should I

We drove over 1,000 miles on that additive and saw no issues at that point, we did check our plugs and they do get that brown additive soot on them but no issues with sensors and plugs at this point. You car is tuned to run on 91, but we see stock cars with Knock even on 93 at times, so running some additive in your case is not a bad idea for performance driving, in the desert. Note: that we saw no knock at the track and we had some very hot days running hot cars (not fresh off a trailer), but we do tend to tune conservatively.

We take part in many driving events, Muscle Car Adventures, Power Tour, Tail of the Dragon, etc and always bring octane boost with us.

[laynlo15]

Maybe I'll do that with you next year.

[JTS]

Originally Posted by NicKey

1st question, In the pictures above I'm sure you stopped at Shell for a reason , as I fill up at Shell . I herd Shell is the best of all the upper petroleum brands


Actually we stopped at that particular Shell because we were on empty and back where we are from Shell's gas is fair. The best in our backyard just happens to be Mobile, but we have found that gas can vary from station to station/city to city. We tried this particular brand of octane boost for the first time as this station only had 91/e10 octane and we had tuned the car to run on 93octane.

2nd Q , is Race Fuel Consentrate safe to use,( spark plugs , emissions system fouling) I have a stock ZL1 , and maybe don't need to consern myself with running an additive . The best pump premium available here in Arizona is 91 octane, and with the heat should I

We drove over 1,000 miles on that additive and saw no issues at that point, we did check our plugs and they do get that brown additive soot on them but no issues with sensors and plugs at this point. You car is tuned to run on 91, but we see stock cars with Knock even on 93 at times, so running some additive in your case is not a bad idea for performance driving, in the desert. Note: that we saw no knock at the track and we had some very hot days running hot cars (not fresh off a trailer), but we do tend to tune conservatively.

We take part in many driving events, Muscle Car Adventures, Power Tour, Tail of the Dragon, etc and always bring octane boost with us.

NicKey thank you for the response, I appreciate you taking the time to do so .

You stated above about Gas can vary station to station city to city , is there a way to tell good , fair , to substandard . Can premium from a Grocery gas station , be superior, to National brands , Chevron , Shell , Mobile ?
I'm a little concerned with using an additive and having any issues, with fouling of any system , emissions, fuel , and having 2 plus yrs on B to B , and 4 plus on Power train , and being denied repair under the warranty. Thanks again NicKey

[flobb]

Originally Posted by NicKey

For those who have hung in there with me and read through this, Norm’s car has been purchased by an Illinois company who will be using it as a promotion and Giving it away to a lucky winner!

Any info on the promotion?

[arpad_m]

Originally Posted by JTS

I'm a little concerned with using an additive and having any issues, with fouling of any system , emissions, fuel , and having 2 plus yrs on B to B , and 4 plus on Power train , and being denied repair under the warranty. Thanks again NicKey

The service department will sure be able to see the orange MMT deposits on the spark plugs if you regularly use these octane boosters. As a result, they technically do have grounds to refuse a warranty repair, because you used an off-road only additive that is explicitly prohibited by GM, whether or not it actually causes damage.

[Winnie]

thoughts and prayers for Jensen family, I got to see this car run at tri-state, sick week, last thursday. Loved it, one of my favorites. keep us posted on the promotion. thanks

[JTS]

Originally Posted by arpad_m

The service department will sure be able to see the orange MMT deposits on the spark plugs if you regularly use these octane boosters. As a result, they technically do have grounds to refuse a warranty repair, because you used an off-road only additive that is explicitly prohibited by GM, whether or not it actually causes damage.

Thank you arpad_m , I've read that , and why I haven't used any additive as of yet.
I am curious on what NicKey s thoughts ?
Short of no 93 here , nothing can be added to raise the octane , other than I can buy race gas and add to 91 to achieve 93 .
Is race gas considered an off road product?
It's not that I'm wanting more HP , it's more about knock for me, summer heat here is 105 average ambient, and under hood ?
I just don't want to put the car under deress , hurt the motor .
Thank you all

[JTS]

Bump , I was hoping NicKey could comment , on my concerns from # 12 . Thank you

[NicKey]

Originally Posted by JTS

Thank you arpad_m , I've read that , and why I haven't used any additive as of yet.
I am curious on what NicKey s thoughts ?
Short of no 93 here , nothing can be added to raise the octane , other than I can buy race gas and add to 91 to achieve 93 .
Is race gas considered an off road product?
It's not that I'm wanting more HP , it's more about knock for me, summer heat here is 105 average ambient, and under hood ?
I just don't want to put the car under deress , hurt the motor .
Thank you all

If you are that concerned about the MFG warranty, then I wouldn't use any fuel or fuel additives which might tend to void it. Your car is designed to run on 91 via the low octane table. Running your car hard on 91 in 105 ambient could hurt your engine and at best it will be down a bunch of power.