Tyler, thanks for the info! Every bit helps at this phase of the project(planning). I actually have an old "Hot Rod" article that touched on the "Flint Flyer" but the focus of the article was how to super-tune a nailhead GS. Apparently the hot rod test car was going 13.8s with a tire and some bolt-ons with a '66 401 GS, and after a cam, mild head work and blueprinting they were running 12.0s and 12.1s. I think I have a rough idea which way I'm going to go with my car...I have a habit of getting cars to do what they're not supposed to be able to:grin:
Any way I can get a scan of the article? We had heard that it had breif mention but did not know dates/magazine. We think there is a trophy with an 11.5 ET from one of his runs. Hopefully we can get some more of the stuff/information from his widow. Tyler
Tyler, my scanner is down right now, but if you want to PM me your address I'd be happy to photocopy the article and snail-mail it to you.:beer
Does the Flyer have an MZ or an MR engine code at the front right in front of the valley pan? My 4-spd hardtop was a ringer that had 13000 miles on it when I got it in '82. Crank and rods were stolen by the machine shop during rebuild. The owner was a nailhead nut, but not an honest one. It came out of the midwest. Jim Bell said there was a guy in Ohio who wouldn't take anything but a 4-speed, so he got the only one of the Interceptors built with one. He also thought mine could be it. Not sure I want it to be "IT", though. I'd have to stop driving it like a madman with a coffee habit. Dan
The tip off on these cars is: 1. Rods-They had a weld down both sides of each rod to help strengthen them. 2. Crank-It is a CSC unit that had a rather obivious different stroke. 3. Cam-Should have the spects as noted and Sig Ericson name on it. 4. Rear end and brakes, according to our source all cars got the special 4:30 rear and rear brake shoe shown in the picture. Since they were ringers there was nothing to make these cars stand out. Where did the 'Intercepter' name come from. If your machine shop went to the trouble to steal the crank and rods I would try to find the original owner and ask questions. You can get another crank as King did Johns from a billet and they have the measurements for the CSC unit. Tyler
Re: fastest nailhead? As what I have known Bob's '66 is street legal in New York State and those times still stand as the fastest full bodied all steel Nailhead GS in the Country. Bob is the original owner buying his 66 brand new as it was triple black 4-speed car. Just recently he opted for the automatic, yet has not and will not butcher the car at all. It still retains an unmolested frame and body with a full interior. Currently he is refreshing the engine looking to better those times in '04. Rick Martinez
Bob's car is awesome!!.....I first met bob way back in 1982 at the 2nd GS nationals....it was one of the first (other than mine) 66 GS's I had ever seen. I believe it was originally Green (as it is now) but it was black for the longest time... Another one to watch is Don Coloumb, (now in Texas) he's only a few tenths away at 11.9 or so.....also all steel, and street legal....he used to drive it thru his old stomping grounds in the French Quarter in New Orleans!! And Artie, no need to scan the article for Tyler, it can be found on Bill's Buick Street site at: http://www.buickstreet.com/buickstreettech-nailheadblueprinting.html Artie, if you want a 66 to tune to get into the 12's....you're welcome to give my GS a tweak or two...another half second and we'll be there!:grin:
It may be no help at all, but "Hank the Crank" was at Crankshaft Company for a long time. He may have some knowledge of the system or also be able to help with a crank kit. I know the welded rods are consistant with old magazine photos I've seen of CSC work too.
Hey Walt, if we can get a few guys together would you be interested in a track rental day at Atco? We need 15 cars, and it would be about $150 per person, unlimited runs all day:Brow: I've been involved with several rentals down there, and with the cold air you might get that 12-second slip....
Rick, Thanks for posting the pic of Bob's GS. I didn't know it was a thin pillar post car; always thought it was a HT. Does he have a roll bar with the full interior also? And does it have a glass front bumper? BTW, Walt, Don Colomb still drives his on the street but it's been a while since I saw him down here. Steve
Artie, that would be fun!.....But I'm not ready at this time. There are a few things I need to take care of before I take it racing.... Your offer is just the incentive I need! Anybody know how much an improvement a 800 cfm carb is worth over the stock '66 Q-jet?
Just sitting here with a cold one ,mp3 and looking at nailhead builds. I still love the old flint flyer. Thought I would bring it up for another go round.:beers2:
HMMMMM,,,, just one 4 bbl... I notice:Brow: .....just needs a cold air pkg now:laugh: This thing is set up a whole lot like I have my GS set up,,, except for the engine internals..... and the 4.30 gear,,,, his qualtiy of work is a lot better than mine.... wish I was close enough to actually see the car... it is 1st class.... so glad some one rescued it and re did it.....cars like this are talked about by us old fossils but no one wants to believe they were/are as good as we said.... here is the proof... time slips and all.... a nailhead can be made to really perform... thanks for posting,,,, made my day... heck ,,, made my week, and month......:laugh:
A lot of folks think the same way, and TA probably would make them if they thought that there was a realistic market for them. The problem is that Nailheads are not as common as a Chevy motor - the last one was built 45 years ago. The heads would be low-volume and expensive. Secondly, the engine would cease to be a nailhead. With good, free breathing heads, the ex-nailhead would be a strong motor, but since it wouldn't be a nailhead, why not just run a Hemi Mopar? The thought just struck me - Try to find a set of Ardun heads for a Ford flathead. Then you can have a three-main-bearing Hemi!
This is a very old thread with several broken links, but interesting. "streetable" is a very subjective term. would you call a 6.93/211mph nova "streetable"? these people do. the people associated with the <11sec Quigg 66 GS are loath to provide the details of that set-up in this public forum. aside from the ubiquitous mention of "details," "$$$$," and "rockers," there has been mention of 14.5:1 compression (was this BQ GS or Henry J?). even if the car has street plates and can be driven on the street, i would not call 14:1 compression "streetable" on today's pump gas. (see above disclaimer) performance secrets are a valuable way for people to maintain demand for their services in a limited volume NH market. hopefully they don't go to their graves without information transfer. although relearning what other people figured out can be fun and rewarding, reinvention also takes a lot of time and more $$$$$.
Huh?? The 'builder' fixes cars for a living. Nailheads are his hobby, not his livelihood. If you want a set of performance roller rockers, they are available to anyone. Want your distributor recurved? He'll do that too. I've learned a lot of 'secrets' in my normal conversations with the builder. He's always been willing and eager to share information. It's like trying to explain to someone the differences between a stock engine, and one used in NASCAR Stock car racing.....there are so many details, it would take a couple of books! And you have no idea how long it takes to type a book with one finger! A few examples of 'secrets' that been posted here: Schubeck lightweight ceramic lifters. Stock nylon timing gear, again for it's light weight. Camshaft specs.... at least lift, duration, and lobe separation specs. and the list goes on.... Many other 'secrets' are standard hp building practices.... Windage trays/scrapers to remove oil from the crank. Knife-edging crank throws for less air resistance. Lightweight pushrods, valves and spring retainers to reduce weight so lighter pressure valve springs can be used (which consume less hp). Like everything else in life, if you want to get ahead, you have to work for it. P.S. Headlight 'decals' aren't street legal around here either.:grin:
Of course it depends on what your definition of street-able is. Hot rodding nail heads is the art of trying to suck a grape through a straw.
