? on running alcohol

[lowsonoma1999]

Purchased an '04 Worthy dragster in the fall. Has a 632ci bbc, 1250 carb with 208 jets, 15:1 compression, blp belt drive pump, running 34 deg of timing, and is on alcohol. Question is, I've heard alcohol engines like heat. Currently, I enter the water box at 140deg. Do a short burnout (don't even go through the beams), might only go up a degree or two before I launch. At the end of the run, it is sometimes down to 130 deg. I run with pump and fans on. What doesn't make sense, is while I'm driving back to the pits, engine temps will go up to 170ish, still with fan and pump on. Some people I've talked to say they leave at 170-180 degrees. I get a wide range of opinions of what to leave at, some say I'm running too rich, while others with lower ci engines are running jets bigger than I'm running. Anybody here have any experience with a similar setup? I'm more concerned about what is the best operating temp during the run on this setup.

[fla1976]

Sounds like you are running too rich. Alcohol will draw heat away from the engine and without some heat you are losing power. If you lean the mixture a little and compare the temp and the ET it should tell you if you are on the right track. Good luck with it.