Well, after having the 455 in my 74 apollo for about 7 yrs now I finally got it up to Cordova today. :grin: It ran pretty good, but learned a few things about my engine and need to address some things immediately....like TRACTION My best ET was 14.28 @ 96.08mph. best 60' was 2.23 with ET of 14.29 & 96.09mph After this I started messing with jets, put 89primary/90secondary, got up to 96.8mph. After a few passes the plugs were lean, bumped jets to 94p/95s got up to 97.8 mph. All the while I was running about 14.5 - 14.6. Plugs were still showing lean. Put 98p/99s in and then I fall back down to 96.7 mph I guess over the winter I need three things: Electric fuel pump ( I suspect the increased jetting is masking not enough gaso No: ) Slicks Cal-Trak bars. And I should probably put headers on it.
Hi Keith If I remember right, we have similar built 455's..... and had similar troubles getting them tuned a month or so back. I had the 70GS at the track for the first time this weekend as well. First run was with some borrowed DOT slicks. They were too short and I was hitting my rev limiter 200' before the finish line. Ran a 13.98 I think? So I took them back off and put back on my BF Goodrich radial TA's which I knew wouldn't be able to hook me up, but at least I wouldn't run out of RPM's because they are about 3" taller. My best pass was 13.48 @ about 102 MPH I totally spin on every launch and have to let off completely, then punch it again. But I was "fairly" consistant doing that. Had 5 passes between 13.48 and 13.51. Then the occasional "13.70something" when they REALLY broke loose on the line. The extra 2 tenths was right in the 60 foot time. My weekend ended with a .498 red bulb ou: :spank: o No: btw.. I never did figure out my carb. It still coughs VERY badly if I punch it. I had to stage "above" the cough point. (about 2,800-3,000) I'm sure that wasn't helping my traction problem any either. :gt:
74 Apollo Kieth, can you tell me what front springs your using and type of radiator? And if you would change anything in these areas what would it be and why.Thanks alot. Carry G.
Hey Rick, Looks like you had some pretty good runs with your 70. I still haven't gotten rid of my hesitation, but it didn't matter because I just had to roll it all the way through. Had plenty of RPM through the passes , I almost think that my 3.42 gears might be too high when I get some slicks on there. Next yr I'm gonna try 50cc acc pumps with my first run in the spring. I am wondering though if maybe my theory about not enough fuel pump might be affecting the hesitation...do you run a mechanical or electric? Chumbo, I am still running the stock 350 springs on the Apollo, and for the radiator I am running a custom 4-core with oversize brass tanks, but I don't remember what the capacity is on it and I could only fit a 17" flex fan on it. I would have to replace the shocks before I could answer the question about anything different, but I think the suspension is holding up just fine. Are you working on an Apollo?
It's a mechanical pump, but it's one of those "deeper" ones. I think they call them a Stage 1 pump? The carb is an 850 Demon (with problems) My rear has 3.23 gears in it, and I'm shifting at 5,500 My shift light comes on just as I'm going through the traps. My tires are about 27" or 28" tall. I forget exactly what they are. My friends think maybe my torque limiter is still slipping all the way down the track. With my 3.23 gears, and those tall tires, they don't think I should be spinning that fast at the big end. I'm only going 101-102 MPH. It also seems like 3/4 of the pass is in 3rd gear. It seems to me that I have to shift to 2nd and 3rd way too soon. o No: I layed my digital camara on my passenger seat and set it up in "video mode" durign a time trial. I was hoping to be able to watch my tach with it. It's a funny video. As soon as I launch, the camara flies up and watched my ripped headliner the rest of the way. :gt:
Good luck with your Apollo!! My advise, get rid of that boat achor 455 and I have a 350 you can put in to make the car quicker!! OK, just kidding.... Our 350 has 4.56 gears with 30" tires..
Well Rick, that's apretty funny sounding video that you got there. I guess I did forget to tell everyone what I got for build so here it is: '73 455, Ported 73 455 heads, TA SP1 (a new one) intake, bored .040 over w/ TRW forged pistons, 268H Comp Cam (@.050 218 int/exh dur & .3026 lift), 850 Mighty demon Carb, weak stock fuel pump, no headers, 8.5 10 bolt posi w/ 3.42 gears (out of an 80 firebird), TH350 trans w 3000 rpm TCI stall converter. 3" pipe to my flowmasters and 2-1/4" out the back( needs to go). I know it still needs some work, but I am glad that I have some more horsepower to easily squeeze out of the thing to get to where I can easily smoke all those punks with their mustangs!!!
I have an extra set of headers that I used on my Apollo before I made my 2-1/8" headers. You may have to change your steering box to a smaller Vega box to get them to work. Marv.
Marv, What size are the primary pipes and collectors on those headers? Also, where'd you get them from, I'm defiintely interested in them if you're willing to part with them. Also, were there any other difficulties you ran into when installing headers other than the steering box?
74 Apollo Kieth, yes trying to get the 455 in there proved to be more involved than I thought it would be, so I had to resort to having that done for me. Its in work now. The radiator issue is still in the air, and Im really wondering how its going to handle with all the extra weight. I just want a nice sleeper style driver that will drive nice. Just curious if youve heard any downsides to running the cal-trac bars on an apollo? And if they would really help a car like this put the power to the ground vs the standard slapper bar arrangement
When installing a 455 in an Apollo, mount the motor low as possible. You can use any GS Skylark Header on the passinger side and it will work. You need to line up your drive train correctly, and set pinion angle. The drivers side will be too tight with the standard manual steering box. Get a Vega steering box, the smaller one. They made two different sizes. The drivers side header will requirer reworking in the steering box area. I used a set of 2" Hookers the first time. The passenger side fit good with no modification due to my motor being set low and shifted slightly to the passinger side. You will be making your own motor mounts. So make the one on the drivers side taller than the passinger side and when you level the motor it will be shifted to the right. I enlarged the transmission tunnel area due to having to run the scatter shield. Run the Cal Tracks. You will like them. 10.35 @ 129 mph with an 850 Holley !!!. Got to go, more later. Marv.
Cal-Tracks are exactly what I was planning on putting on my car. I have heasrd that they will cure traction problems very easily and for under $400, I think they're worth a shot. Marv, what you're saying about the fit of the headers is exactly why I haven't put them on my Apollo yet. I am probably going to try a set of TA headers this winter. the Vega steering box info is great, thank you. I think with the radiator I might have rather looked into some 4-core/electric fan combo that's out there. the only thing I ran into when I tried to put an electric on my oversized 4 core was space. I bought the electric, brought it home and then had to pack it back in the box after it was .25" too deep ou:
apollo Kieth and Marv, this is good info for those of us wanting to try what youve already done. Hopefully this thread will last a while and some things can be learned. Thanks:TU:
Just throwing out an idea here....How about the TA Shorty headers? Would those be any easier to fit? I'm sure they don't flow as well as a full lenght, but they have to do better then a stock manifold. o No:
I was wondering about those shorty headers too, the thing that was worrying me was if they tend to come down in the center, would that maybe interfere with the steering box more?o No:
A good way to gain some clearance on the left side for headers would be switching to rack and pinion steering. A manual rack and pinion would not be too expensive. Just turn the steering arms on the back of the spindles around towards the front. I noticed a bolt on kit that Jegs is selling for the X body sub-frame to accomplish this. I wish I would have done it on my car.
We installed Cal-Tracs on our Apollo this summer. They seem to be working great! The car is very consistant and the traction has been good.
None of the Heads-Up Classes (GSE in GSCA or A/NMC in Pro) that I race in would allow me to run the Rack & Pinion Steering. That is the best way to gain extra header clearence. I run an electric fan in front of my radiator and let it push the air. Keeps it cool and gives me a cleaner looking motor. You will need to notch the passenger side of the frame cross member for Oil Filter clearence. After you remove the small section, you will need to form and weld material back in the notched area. Later, Marv.
