My Barn-Find Firebird Wheelies at The Dragstrip! But Does It Run an 8 Second Pass? 

Blower surge is the greatest sound humans have ever created

Mike. I'm a professional firefighter, amateur mechanic, but great at dropping things all the time. Get online and get yourself a set of Mcgill forceps. Whatever you drop into the carbs, those forceps are awesome at getting small things out of difficult places. I would highly recommend them, they have saved my butt so many times.

I appreciate that you show us that you still have regular-guy problems with your cars. A lot of people in the car world with your name recognition would't show us that.

checklists, checklists, checklists! Beat a good man while he is down? No. Checklists are there for a reason and when you see the successful race teams, everything is labeled with the type of part and how many in each cabinet. But, they have people hired to do that every day…….! So, most people do what they can with what they have in the time available to them. Keep rocking, you will succeed and hit that 8 second mark!!!!!

don't give up on the duck. personally i find this content as more fun and interesting than anything else

I love that you can smile and laugh at yourself. Shows your a humble man, and thats whats missing in this world nowadays. Gob bless and take care of you and yours.

Put it back on the dyno and have someone put a scope on the voltage supply to the ignition box and the voltage at the coil at 6300 rpm. If you take the time to pull the timing cover and remove the top gear, you can get the numbers off the cam and find out what the specs are.

I'd say always bring a Dragy unit and GET A WIDEBAND. You can verify individual cylinders with the spark plug, but you can't beat a wideband for the full rpm sweep and instant feedback.

Out of all of the cars in the Finnegan fleet, this is by far my favorite. The looks alone are master class. Id put the interior back in and call it an amazing 9s streeter.

NOBODY is a yellow car guy. They just end up with them.

The senior moments are real, Mike. Embrace it, learn to love it, and chuckle with your friends when they happen.

It's funny to see the polymer handle pittsburgh ratchets in a lot of people's videos. So many people are quick to trash talk HF, but for the price some of the tools are great.

Was up all night getting the 72 f100 ready for Bandimere ford fest, Left the sight plugs out the floatbowls, and sent the old lady, and Ole Blue down the dragstrip pouring fuel, one end to the other. Good thing nobody got hurt.

I'll never get tired of Finnegan content - I learn something every time I watch. Thank you for great content always. The comments section sure makes me continue to hate most people though.

As archaic as the Duck is, it's waaaaay more modern than my 'Bird could ever have been. Late 70's, with affordable late 60s tech was the best a kid could do. Re-sleeved 428 block, Aluminum dual plane with single 850. Slightly built to increase longevity 2 speed slushbox with 2500 rpm stall converter. Basically stock 10 bolt. You run what you brung. Ran low 12s, the occasional wind assisted 11. Still fun.

Just wanted to mention that running carbs sideways will cause a miss fire under acceleration because it will uncover a jet momentarily to the front of carbs just a thought .and changing float levels will richen or lean the carbs I've been running tunnel rams 30 years and these things do have effects on how they run I have 2 780s on my chevy luv full roller sbc street truck sideways setup and these things do change its tune.

Obviously if it's a flat tappet it won't have a tie bar between the 2 so I don't know why that's not obvious. Also no roller cam unless it's a super mild cast core street deal will work with 140 lbs of spring pressure. Easy to measure lift to get an idea what it is

I think it's about time to tear into this motor and find out for sure what it has.

Absolutely love the channel, Thank you for sharing and can't wait to see what's next. My father had the exact same Datsun just a uglier yellow and shared soo many memories with him going everywhere. He Absolutely loved that car and it brought him so much happiness cruising around town. Few years ago he was diagnosed with cancer and he had to sell it and it was the only time I ever seen my father cry. I love seeing it in your videos and it would be awesome to see you guys working on it. Thank you again. Everyone keep yourselves and love ones safe and healthy and remember to SMILE 😊God Bless 🙏

Love the duck, I could listen to it idle all day long, music to my ears. Thank you for the videos Mike!

Thanks for making me feel better as I struggle to troubleshoot my own project car.

new cam and spring time + o2 sensors

simply amazing to have an engine that you had a engine builder go through, and you dont even know what kind of cam is in it, or the lash specs.... wow. to me thats just mind boggling.

@5:25 I want that Pete 379 in the background 😃😃👍🏻🙌🏼👊🏼💸💸💸💸💸 that thing is beautiful ❤❤❤❤

Hey Mike, Even though you are scratching your head, for us watching this is just 100% fun. Keep on keepin´ on and you will figure it out.

Great episode Mike! The Rubber Duck looks and sounds great. I admire your drive to see this car in the 8's. Life is full of lessons, some of which we learn more than once. You and Joe make a great team. Don't give up!

Just admit to the fact fryburger built the engine with used chevy parts, and din't tell you.

At this point I'd say just pull that cam shaft out at some point and put in one that you know the specs on. For now, consistent mid 9's for that bird is pretty sweet.

You said yourself, you like the challenge of working on something to make it perfect, no reason to be bored with the car. Make it better.

Keep in mind in a boosted application you need to add 10% to the valve springs to fight the pressurized intake charge. I've seen professionally built turbo razor engines for desert racing that didn't have enough spring pressure and caused valve bounce, beating out the lock grooves. Same applies to any sustained high rpm engine, add approximately 10% over recommended pressure as the sustained high rpm will cause valve bounce and beat out the lock grooves.

Make a run shut it down and tow back so you actually get useful plug read. Also first instinct was valve springs 150 is pretty light for a blown big block

very instructive again! Thanks for sharing the work on this nice car

Always love the Firebird and the content you make with it .

That’s the car I used to absolutely and still do love and is on my bucket list .Those are by far the coolest street car in my opinion.

I appreciate Fins efforts to explain things as simple as possible as often as he can

Damn, it must be nice to have that trailer to work from. Just gotta make sure it's fully stocked before you leave for the test 'n' tune sesh! Thanks, Mike and Joe for the shenanigans! ✌️❤️🙂🇨🇦

absolutely love this car, glad you're finding issues and fixing things

The struggle is real great video! You’re so close pulling for you guys

Detective work one this was hypnotic. The pain of goin fast is must watch

Ya know this is a great vid, because you hardly see guys chasing gremlins to make the car faster. I personally learned a lot, you really have to look at the bigger(simpler) picture. Thanks guys

Sweet trailer Mike, stock it up in good time. If your shows were without a fail here or there... we all love it.

Label your cupboards with a check list Finnegan. Please !!! Hell I'll even fly out and do it for you.

I use brass machine screws to make air bleeds .I use wire drill bits to drill out the brass screws .I start at .013 ,and open them up if needed ,using a air fuel ratio gauge

Legitimate question, why do the majority of carb guys not run an AFR wideband gauge? It's an extremely useful tool, especially when you're responsible for fueling, not a computer.

Great content thanks for sharing

Induction Solutions has Awesome pin gauge sets that go from .011 to .250, for checking jet orifices for proper sizing, or no number stamping on your ghost jets. One of the best investments I made. You would be surprised at how many jets are stamped wrong or not even close to the size they should be, even thought they are stamped for a specific size. 1 wrong jet, could cause your stumble.

Mike, You have a "Subliminal" wanting Yello vehicle because in the deep recesses of your mind it's saying #Mazdaratti

Mike, i feel your pain brother. Im having a third colon surgery done tomorrow... so im gonna completely be out of the game. I'm gonna try and catch up on all fhe Finnegan's Garage videos and order me an FSM shirt as i don't own one and i sure as shit should.

I really like this video- adventurous day at the track chasing problems

The Sound.....😍....pure 💪

Love your vids Mike, I watched ep 23 of roadkill at 6 and was hooked on the charger and have been following you for past 11 years

At what point do you just pull the motor out and pull it apart enough to find out exactly what you are working with? Seems that all you are doing is pissing in the wind because there are just too many uncertainties.

I would pull out the degree wheel and the dial indicator and find out what cam you have and figure out what valvesprings you actually need. I highly suspect the ones you have aren't adequate.

If it ran fine on the dyno, the only difference in parameters is that big ass scoop changing air flow dynamics through the carbs. If possible, i would flip that scoop and remove the ram air effect.

Yall keep talking about this mystery engine builder, why dont yall cam it, and put some valve springs in already,😂😂

Sweet, right up to time for turning.

Anybody hating on you needs to chill out. It's encouraging to see guys like you and DF and all your buddies making mistakes and misdiagnosising stuff. Gives me a sense of hope.

Thanks , This The Great Drag Race Event ! Hello From Finland & My Car Channel ! #Retired4You All The Best to You ! 2024 !😊

One of my favorite cars you've done, and I'm a MOPAR guy! So that says a lot! Nah, I just love cars... Just MOPAR more than others. 😅

I`m jealous of how nice condition your Firebird is in.I had a 400 4speed in high school and after I wrapped it around a tree, a lot of rust and bondo fell out on the ground. Totaled.

I want it!! My husband always watched you on Roadkill and now I am like where’s Mike!? Miss you!

Man oh man that car is badass!!

Boost pressure pushes against the back side of the intake valve, so you're going to be losing roughly four pounds of effective seat pressure for every pound of boost so valve float would make sense.

You have a real conundrum on your hands! If you get it figured out, it might just be an 8 second car, every time!! Good luck!!

Wow listening to that first run with headphones on is visceral

& add blacked out rims & add black ⚫️ racing stripes & use the logos that are on the cylinder head manifolds 😮

Oh man, electrical gremlins are a nightmare! You're chasing ghosts for weeks and then it is simply a switch shorting out. Racecar stuff... 😁🤟

Clogged air bleeds can prevent fuel from discharging because the emulsion wells need the air mixed with the fuel to lighten it so the pressure differential in the boost venturi's can lift it up and into the motor. So an initial lean condition then when the pressure finally gets high enough to lift the mostly liquid fuel it's going to go rich and also not burn well because the emulsion wells start the vaporization process so the fuel will burn in the motor. Carburetors are fun things to play with! And the idle speeding up could be the plugs are cleared of fouling now...unless the blower gasket is proven to have blown that might be all it is. The jetting is sure to be off too if it was changed with the high speed bleeds clogged....so a trip back to 'square one' might be in order just so you know where you are at. The idle surge would irritate me and we'd smooth that out as it can be fixed. The idle feed restrictions dumping through the transfer slots give them way too much fuel...but you can easily tune that with the idle air bleeds being adjustable. If you can't kill the motor by turning in the idle fuel adjustment screws...it's running on the transfers and that needs to be corrected. Great set of carbs there...that need some love.

Looking forward to a 510 giveaway. Had a modified yellow one in Redondo Beach back in the late 70s when I worked at the Datsun dealership there. Fond memories.

A car at this level really needs some data logging capability. Even something simple like lambda vs RPM would be helpful. I'd also be tempted to open up the engine and see what's going on with the "mystery meat" valvetrain. Best of luck! 👍

That Peterbilt would sure look good pulling your trailer......just saying..LOL

Hey Mike , I didn’t notice something on your engine camera review on the passenger side of your last pass. It looks like your blower was wisping air twice, go back and review the footage. I bet you your hunch about the blower gasket blowing was correct.

My suggestion for you would be to devote a cabinet or however many needed to each car. That way you know you'll have what you need regardless of which car you put in the box.

Finnegan is doing alright! I like the " Yellow Bird "! The Cadillac should be Fun! Should be Good for Picking Up Chicks! Dean( Soul) Toronto

don't give up on this car. Its a great example of what many of your viewers will be driving

I am leaning towards ignition related. Which would also explain nasty plugs. It may not be pig rich. It may just be the plugs not firing properly.

Dude!! Great video!!!Crew chief needs to prep/restock the race trailer!!??✌️

I really liked this video. Ol’ skool speed without a laptop.

Amazing trouble shooting.! Good luck.

These last couple of videos leave me conflicted. On the one hand, they make me feel a tad less stupid that these things can happen to guys with soooooo much experience and so many connections, it’s not just me. On the other, if they have so much trouble, I don’t stand a chance and I should probably take up stamp collecting.

Fuel pressure? No G load on the dyno to upset fuel flow. At the very least add a couple of O2 sensors.

How much heartbreak would a wideband have saved you? ha

Struggling but things are coming around again.... to be continued 💯 😆👍🙏🏁

Love you guys

Good morning!

Rubber duck sure has come a long way since y'all pulled it out of a barn, Mike! I'm thinking a nice solid roller and upgraded springs would get you into the 8's... Good luck! Scott/The Bulletproof Garage

Dude I instantly thought valve springs right before you said that after that pull at 11:35. It absolutely sounded like the valves were floating. It sounded good on the way up but then it just dropped to dog shit at the top.

I lost my 99 Formula to an electrical fire. Glad you caught that when you did.

That’s a good find. I’d do just about anything for that car lol

Hey Mike put some type of data saver on the car and once you get what happened fixed you can take it back to the track and run and get your 8 pass out of rubber duck thanks for the video today and the struggle's you are having with the car can't wait for the next video hopefully you get it lined out

that pete behind you is sick, looks like the steer axle is on bags

Don't give up on the "Rubber Duck"! I think you guys should giver her more attention, she can definitely be a high 8 second car, pull ypur cam and lifters and see what you got, check blower for worn too.

I wanna see a walkaround of that rig next to you. Looks sharp.

Back in the 70s I raced a Super Stock Duster 340 auto. I had put a new Accel alternator on and I suddenly had a high speed miss around 6,800 rpm. It drove me crazy. I had the Mopar solid state ignition system and I went through the whole thing soldering all the connections. That didn't help. I tried the original alternator and it worked. Years later I took the Accel alternator apart and found a cold solder joint on one diode. I believe that was the whole problem. Never had the chance to try it because I had sold the car Years earlier. It was the only thing changed from 1 season to the next. Maybe try another alternator? Good luck with your car.

that little 510 datsun would be every datsun lovers dream. sadly not mine. but i wouldnt mind having one just to say i had one of those.

I have the same spark plug gapping tool and I torched 2 sets of head gaskets before I figured out when setting a plug gap it was pushing the electrode into the spark plug. Measure one compared to a new one !!

Again. I am betting the low spring pressure is losing control of the valves when you add the intake boost psi to the surface area on the back of the valves.

Old man Bill would have been so on this immediately. It’s his thing. He loves it.

Are you running power valves? And if so, Are they referenced to manifold? If not, If the carbs are small, the blower could be making too much vacuum below the carbs and closing the power valves at the upper rpm range.

Mike if you have the time give the guys at RPM data loggers easy to use and doesn’t cost the world and is US made they will help you out any time of the day Cheers