What's your redline?

My engine is a 1776 from Gene Berg parts with dual valve springs and counterbalanced crank.

I have been using 5600 just because that is where the red mark is on the 914 tachometer.

The engine is still pulling strong at that point and I am wondering what a reasonable redline might be while still not shortening engine life.

I have the rev limiter set just above that. I hit it one time and wondered what the heck was happening. The tach went crazy.

What kind of pushrods? Heads and cam?

Assuming the pushrods can take it and without knowing anything else, should spin 7000 ok. More than likely you'll run out of huff before that due to intake/exhaust.

Chromoly pushrods.

Engle V-26 cam with 1.4 ratio rockers.

Stock heads with Berg semi-hemi modification, ported and polished matching the intake manifolds.

Yeah, 7000 should be fine (I'm sure others will say that's too low). Your cam/heads will probably limit you to 6500 before you'll want to shift anyway. Set it lower if you want.

Thanks Justin.

Any other opinions?

What's your redline?

Mike, you'll never need anything over 6,000 rpms on the street, and I think that's a reasonably safe setting to chip it to. You probably won't ever wear out your engine or clutch either.

I have the MSD 6AL governing my 2424 set at 6K right now for day-to-day driving, with a 9,800 chip in the toolbag for smoking Carerras on the way to Carlisle. That's the only time I ever take the 6K chip out.

What Justin said X 2

with stock heads, that cam and most of the popular exhaust systems out there, you'll be limited to about 6500 simply because it will be incapable of flowing anything higher.

I have single HD valve springs and 1:25 rockers, Dell 40's with hand-match-ported manifolds, a Berg 1-5/8 exhaust going into a 3" collector with dual mufflers, 044 heads and an Engle 120 cam and I can pull to about 7500, but the system will flow that volume, too. Yours won't.

Why Bernie always installs dual HD valve springs baffles me.

Bernie wasn't involved in my engine. The dual valve springs were from Gene Berg.

I have the Berg modified 42 DCNF Weber carbs.

I didn't mention that I just installed a 1 1/2" A-1 sidewinder exhaust.

I guess I can run it up and see where it poops out. I was concerned about overreving and damaging something.

I never rev over 3,000......

4 Smirnoff Ice

the redline is just before it blows to smithereens

I'm really surprised that this thread hasn't been picked up by "GoofyCat"

"what's your redline?"

"Hi there, Comrade. Come here often?"

Psst, Igor! Wanna see my Leningrad?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3_gbj2KjKk

With your setup revving to 6500 is a waste of time. If everything is balanced you probably won't damage anything, but you also won't go any faster by revving higher.
I just dynoed my 2275, which is similar to yours, and HP/torque had leveled off by 6000, which is where I now shift when I want maximum thrust.

thats we she said...

Ron: that makes perfect sense. Cory: do you get more thrust at 8500 or does it just sound way more awesome up there?

To be honest, Ed, I really only take advantage of more than 6,000 once in a blue moon. I don't think the power band continues to rise after about 7,000, but the car does keep accelerating. I have had all four wheels off the ground once from a standing start at Tipton airfield, and the radar gun said that was at 146 mph.

The tach read about 7,200 -- but I only took a super-quick glance. It scared the bejesus out of me, and I haven't done that again since.

A wheelie in first, a wheelie in second, a wheelie in third, a slight bump off the ground in fourth and a flying lesson about two-thirds of the way down the runway. Not bad, considering it was built as an eighth-mile dragster.

I figured it would top out at about 120 or so, but Sartwell wanted to go for broke and see what it was capable of. I needed a new fan belt, it puked a lot of oil out the dipstick tube and there were some cracks in the fiberglass on the rear apron of the car. All minor, considering what could have happened.

It tracked straight all the way down the strip ... Until I started to apply the brakes.

She used to be a bit twitchy on deceleration. She doesn't turn worth a damn to this day, but the brakes are sorted out. Something had to give.

I had a full-face helmet on and couldn't hear the car as much as I could feel it. I'm sure it sounded good, but it had a pretty unrestricted exhaust back then. Nowadays, you could check with Jack Crosby or his son Russ. They've both been behind me recently. ... ;-)

HAR!

Everyone knows Cory is very acclimated to high speeds via the Hoopty....

...and his role as the military secret weapon 'Master Chief Drake Sidewinder'...