OK, how do I get my '72 Skylark from 12.20's to 11.80's?

Some guys my flame me for this ,but 200r4's are not a durable trans , yes I know there are a ton of turbo regals running 9's with them albeit very limited useage but the power is applied differently, vs a bigblock in a 3800 to 4000lb car. If you plan to really play with the car save yourself some grief and consider a th400. Id give the 200 one more chance with as mentioned above a good bar and plate not a tube and fin cooler. I had a VERY nice 2004 in my old 600hp GN built by Janis non lock up mind you and ut simply just didnt hold up

 

Good street trans but racing trans not so much and I feel that with that kind of power on a big block and 3.23 gears with lock up convertor you have been loading/lugging trans at lower speeds. What was the reputed builder? Your better off with Janis or ck. Hand built. Clearances checked. Billet parts. Assembly line trans like bowtie are rated for street. Just my thoughts as I had a turbo regal that blew them things a lot.

 

Hey guys,


The transmission was built by Lonnie Diers at Extreme Automatics. He seems to have a great reputation in the Turbo V6 community, and he said he'll take care of me even though the transmission is officially out of warranty. I'm pulling it out of the car tomorrow and will hopefully get it shipped to him in the next few days.


Hugger, I plan to do exactly what you said - give it one more chance. If it breaks again I'll definitely have to look at alternatives. The car is mostly driven on the street; I've only had it to the track four times in the last year.

 

I ran 12.1 @110 in the 4000 lb car with me in it that's in my avatar with the following. 455 .038 over, 9.75 comp ratio, stage one iron heads ported by tri sheild, hydraulic roller cam by tri sheild, 114 lsa, 235 or so @ 050 int, 248 or so @ 050 ex. and low .500's lift on in't and ex. 4/7 swap (don't have card handy, sorry) older sp1 intake, quick fuel 850 mech sec, msd ready to run distributor 18* idle, 34* in by 2500 rpms. th400 with a 2.75 first gear that i built and a tri sheild 9" converter, 12 bolt with 3.08 gears and a 26" tall m/t et street tire. Went throught the traps around 5k rpm's or so, i could go with more gear but i drive this on the street and it goes to the track once or twice a year. I know that with more initial timing it will clean up the idle on your car. Is that cam matched to the heads? The vacuum sec carb is probably killing you also, if you step up the gears that will probably take a 950 hp with ease. If you have the heads ported which will probably be your best bet have the guy match a good cam to it also. If you can go with a hydro roller, nice and quiet. I did the heads and cam last winter and over the non ported heads with a comp cam flat tappet which was very close to the current one, just more lift it went 12.6 @106. good luck and do your research.

 

* In post #8 above I said "you have more than enough to run well into the 11s".
* Read post #4 here and you will see what I mean....... http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.p...ooking-build&p=2367698&highlight=#post2367698
This is what it takes to run very low 12's with heavy stock type pistons, cast iron intake, iron heads, iron manifolds,3.55 gear, small tires and a big ole Q-jet.
You just need a lightweight 4000 lb Buick!
..... getting the combination working right.... really is the answer.

 

I think you're leaving something on the table so before you start spending a lot of money, really check everything out.

My engine sounds similar to yours, but I have 430 heads with stage 1 valves and a Holley 950HP carb and a cam that specs out .491/.510 lift, 232,244 duration on a 113 centerline. SP1 intake, headers and a 2.5" dual exhaust with x-pipe. Trans is a 200-4R with a 2600 stall converter. My best time is 11.86 at 112 mph with a 1.59 60' on slicks. And my car weighs @4250 lbs. with me in it and a half tank of gas. My compression is right at 10 to 1 also. And my rear gear is a 3.73.

What rpm are you shifting at? What psi are your tires at? Is there stuff you can remove at the track to reduce weight like floor mats, spare tire, only have half a tank of fuel at most?

Sorry to hear about your trans issues. Vince Janis at Janis Transmissions in Akron, OH built my trans. I've been very happy with it. Parts came from CK. I think a lot of it has to do with getting the right converter matched to the engine's specs. I think that may go a long way in you reaching your goal.

 

Phil,
Will your car be ready to run at Norwalk in May?

 

Thanks, Gary. I tended to think so as well. Once I get the transmission fixed I'll try your suggestion regarding the collector extensions. While the transmission is out for repair I'm also going to take the opportunity to replace the head gaskets. They are standard Fel-Pro blues and have seeped a small amount of coolant ever since I put them on. I'm going to replace them with something better. While I have the heads off I figure I'll go ahead and get them ported. Next spring I'll head back to the track and see what those changes do for me.

 

Yeah, our setups do seem similar. I think my 3.23 gears combined with the tall 275/60R15 tires are really hurting my 60' times. I may try 275/50R15 tires at some point.

I've tried various shift points from 5600-5900. Haven't noticed much difference in that range as far as ET or MPH.

I've been running 20 PSI in my MT ET Street drag radials. That seemed to be the highest I could run and not have traction issues.

I've been running without anything in the trunk and usually between 1/4 and 1/2 tank of gas.

Glad to hear someone else is running a 200-4R and having success with it. That makes me hopeful that mine will be OK when I get it back.

 

I was stuck in the 12.20's with my 430 powered stude. Tried different shift points, 5500, 5800. One night at a test and tune, 12.23, 12.25. Decided to short shift it at 5000. 11.94! Been in the 11's ever since. Added cal tracs, carb tuning, new slicks, have now run a best of 11.72/112. Still shifting at 5000 rpm. Just my two cents.

 

try shifting at 4800 I ran my best time did it ever since.

 

Hi Chris,

Two things,

As was mentioned, the stock STG 2 SE heads have a lot of room for improvement. For making more power, that would be your most cost effective move with the engine. $500 will go a long way there.

At approx 475-500 HP, I think your other equipment is adequate.

___

Since you have the trans out, you might want to step up from the modified D-5 converter that we originally did for you, to one of my triple disc lockup 9.5" units.

I can build you one that drives pretty much like the big 12" converter you have now, but will stall another 800-1000 rpm, and will really put the test to those drag radials.

Lowering your 60' time is going to be the easiest way to get to your goal, and won't negatively affect your everyday driveablity.

The Lockup 9.5" converter is $669.. Considering that you have to cut/clean the converter you have now, due to the trans failure, you have to realistically take the cost of that off the price of a new one.. so you might be able to end up with this thing for more like $500 after all is said and done...

JW

 

Jim is correct. The D5 reaches the point where you just drive through it. That's why I sent the % slip calculator.

 

Turbo guys ditch the lock up for a reason,...once the 500hp mark is reached they are hard on parts.Remember you're close to 300lbs heavier than a regal also Playin on street tires and and a lock up is FUN, add sticky tires and they dont like it . Just a point to cconsider. Art Carr discussed this in depth with me several years ago

 

I could see that if locking up in 3rd like they used to do with GN's but for a street car I still want the lockup for cruising the highway. It's like having a 5th gear.

 

Glad you decided to chime in Jim. I am definitely planning to move ahead with porting the heads while I have them off to replace the gaskets. And as you said, since I would have to get the converter cleaned out anyway, I was considering just replacing it. I really like the idea of the 9.5" lockup unit. You'll likely be hearing from me soon to place an order for one.

 

Yeah, the lockup is awfully nice to have on the highway. And it doesn't engage at all on the dragstrip since it only comes on in 4th and I never go past 3rd on the strip.

 

God, I hope so. It's been very frustrating for me with it sitting for two years now. But I've turned into a chauffeur with all the kids activities recently. Thankfully my son turns 16 in February, so that should alleviate some of the driving responsibilities.

 

Wow, I never would have believed it if you guys weren't getting your best times like that. That's amazing. I'd love to try it but my governor won't let me shift that soon - it's calibrated for 5600. Considering the cam, heads, intake, and headers, I would think that shifting before 5500 would be counterproductive, but it sure would be nice to know that for a fact.

 

I run 325/50R15 drag radials, so it's 28" tall. But I do put the psi around 12-14 at the track. I also have airbags in the rear coil springs to pre-load the rearend. Shifting has always been around 6000-6200 for me. If you ever had your engine on a dyno, you should know where your peak HP is and I've read that you want to shift 300-500 rpm's past that point. I had mine on the chassis dyno when it was at Norwalk years ago; 396hp and 476 lb.ft. of torque at the rear wheels. I believe peak HP was around 5800 rpms.