This thread probably belongs in the "Kill Stories" forum, but I took the 65 Gran Sport to Lebanon Valley this weekend for the Hemmings "Musclepalooza" show and race.. I just finished the 3.23/Eaton LSD install last week, and it really seemed to help the launch and 60 ft times , although hard to tell how much because it was 95 degrees at the track and I'd had no practice to find optimal launch RPM yet - Everyone was running .2 tenths slower than usual. My best was a 14.85 @ 92 mph, but generally ran at 14.90 or so.... I got in 6 runs or so.. I got beat by a 340 Dart Swinger (NOT a street car) in qualifying, but managed to take a 68 Firebird 400. First round of eliminations I took a 68 AMC American with a built 360 and drag radials. I got sent home in the second round by a stock Grand National who ran 14.50 against my 14.91. At least it was another Buick who got me... Last year, before I did any modifications (3.23 LSD, Doc manifold, recurve and jetting) I was running consistant 15.3 @ 88 mph in 70 degree weather..If I fine tune a little and go back in the fall (or run at night) I bet I can knock off another .2 tenths just from cooler temps. I did figure out that to really run 14.0 or better, the less of a street car it can be - you seemingly need gears, headers and drag radials, at least from what I saw.. there were no pure stock 60's cars running the next bracket up from mine.. and most stock stuff like 340, 351C, L-79 SBCs and 5.0/4.6 Mustangs were running slower than me. I also got alot of compliments from dudes who thought running a nailhead was "hardcore" I was pretty proud of this round, considering I drove the car 100 miles each way, raced all day, didnt puke a drop of coolant and or break anything, all on a single tank of gas. Thats a pretty good day. Thanks again to everybody whose advice got me there
Thanks Bob - I really think the car has an honest 14.5 in it as it sits (I've hit 14.5 on the G-tech meter, but thats not as accurate as the track obviously) It was so hot - everyone was slow that I could tell.. cooler weather should help. I've got the parts to run a Q-Jet, and been talking to Tom Telasco every once in a while about rockers. I even have a set of GS Club headers I can try, but I want to run the Pure Stock race this fall. So I'm locked down on configuration for a while, and running out of cheap tricks. The only thing I can think of is to bring the timing in earlier - I forget the exact specs but Carmen set the distributor up to go in at 10, and a total of 32 at 3000 rpm. I've never been able to run 10 initial without detonation, but it runs better at 3 initial anyway. What RPM is all of your timing in at?
Nope you spoke to me - Rhett I didnt get a chance to talk to you after I got eliminated, but last I saw you won with a 12.9 or so in the 2nd round of eliminations- what were you racing? The GTO? Cant recall..... Whatever, it was a really good launch for an open diff!
My "Rockers" are under the valve covers. Nobody will know but you. Bob, 66gsconv, can tell you how the dist. I built for him works.
Thanks Tom - I might just bring my other distributor down and have you do it, or put this one on the machine to bring it in earlier. I have the week of the 13th off, so I'll call ahead....and while I'm there you can update me on the rocker progress.
Tom - I also ran into a guy up at Lebanon who claimed to have the worlds fastest nailhead and also owns a Yellow 70 GSX - Is he your customer too? Nice guy, cant remember his name.
Sounds like you had a great time. I'm kicking myself in the A$$, I couldn't make it, but I wanted to go. Congrat's :TU:
Bob & I have been friends for years. It's because of "his" car we started on the "Rocker" project in '99. Yes, I do believe he DOES have the worlds fastest normally aspirated "Nail" using carbs. & a dist. 10.8ET@125MPH 401+.030" 4spd. in a '66 Skylark GS he's owned since new. Just like myself with my '64 Riv. with 183K on the engine I have run a best of 13.902ET@98MPH.
Ahh yes. Hi Rhett. I actually raced a dual quad 409 SS Impala. We were pretty evenly matched. I qualified with 13.07 and Charlie with a 13.08. The Buick was running extremely well and I managed to hold off his 8 barrell top end charge for two races in a row. One race he crossed the finish line at over 110 mph, so I HAD to get a good start to hjold him off if I was gonna be competetive, even with my 108mph.
Thats right - the guy from Rhode Island! Really nice guy too, I talked to him for a while earlier in the day. I've seen his car for years in Hemmings and Muscle Car Review, etc.. And up close, that car is beautiful! It was a fun race to watch and a great ET .. its funny you should reply cause I was just talking about you and that race with the guy from Gesslers today - I was ordering parts for my 73 Stage 1. Hope to see you again in the fall.
Glad to see your having fun, Rhett,,,,, I told you it would do good.... Question,,,, have you lightened the car up as much as possible??? there is a lot of heavy sheets of sound deadner under the carpets, and under the trunk mat... if someone has not already removed it... and other stuff too.... well kept speed secret... a 100 lb reduction is good for a tenth....:Brow: :Brow:
Hey Doc! I did lighten up by taking everything out of the trunk, glovebox, console, etc...even took out the floormats. And because I knew you'd ask, I weighed it : 85 lbs I havent gone so far as to take the jute off the carpets, or start drilling holes in stuff and probably wont as this car is still a driver. But I can see what you mean about weight. Now if I could drop 15 lbs I'd have that 100 you're talking about! Between the weight, the 3.23s and the ltd slip diff I took a tenth off my 60 foots - even in the heat on a good run 2.15 to 2.17 down from 2.25 - 2.29. I thought that was a pretty big step in the right direction. So next project: Weight transfer. Not having to use the airbags for traction allowed the rear to come down some, and I think that helped. I still have to get rid of the rear coilover shocks, and find a way for the 1.25 bar in the front to loosen up and let the front come up. The springs are already plenty weak. from the attached picture you can see I'm not getting much transfer at launch...
Rhett,,,, No , pard , not talking about removing the jute padding on the carpets,,,, there is sound deadner between the padding and the steel floor.... it is made of thick asphalt material and is very heavy... its under the front carpet , seats, rear carpet, seats, and usually under the trunk mat.... if you remove it , you will not be able to tell that is is gone, except the car will be some noiser and will be considerably lighter.... I had to scrape all the factory undercoat and remove the sound deadner to make the rust repairs to my car,,,and also cut 12 layers of previous paint off the car .... all of it added up to about 300 lb... I know because I saved it all and weighed it....but 3 tenths gain aint bad, for no money spent.... 90/10 shocks, wt. reduction, should help.....
Ed,,, you dont have to give up twinkies if that is all you have for a meal....:laugh: :laugh: We had a local boy here that could reduce his car wt. by 400 lb as long as he stayed out of it.... I told him to teach some skinny kid to drive it for him... the kid would learn something and get a thrill and he would win the money.....win/win..... o No:
What's more impressive about his car is that it's ALL original paint. It even has the original dealer emblem on the trunk. Beautiful survivor.
All those F.A.S.T. cars, including yours, were beautiful! I get that they're probably trailered and see limited street use, but the black paint and body prep on all those Mopars was flawless...Same with the Firebird 400 and the Super Duty Formula. The only other cars I've seen that look that good have never seen the light of day, much less the track. Thats what I think appeals to so many people about that series: Not only are they running museum pieces, but running them as hard as possible. No exhibition passes here, thats "breaking stuff" level racing pass after pass....Very, very cool. My ultimate goal is to get the 73 into that shape and that competative.. better start saving my pennies - a more realistic goal is to just get it up there for the fall Musclepalooza
