2nd gear in a THM is 1.52. By leaving it in 2nd gear, it's like being in 3rd with (1.52 X 2.56 = 3.89) 3.90 rear gears. Ideally you want to go through the traps at the RPM your engine is making peak HP. The OP had a trap speed of 80 MPH. Assuming a 27" tire, the RPM in 3rd gear with a 2.56 would be around 2700 RPM, in 2nd gear, it would be 4000.
Really good ideas guys! I appreciate it. I did put in a 180 thermostat. The clutch fan is gone. I have a clutch to add back in. I will have to do that. No CAT, but the exhaust bends are horrible and it looks like 2" diameter.... Maybe even smaller? I will hold it in second. It was shifting into third a little before the finish line. My tires are more like 26" diameter. I'll keep everyone posted!
I get what you're saying. That's good info. My car has 2.73 gear. And I'm currently running a 2-speed Turbo300 trans. TH350 in the future. So I know it's not gonna burn rubber. But perhaps after reading your timing thread that small peg leg may be able to chirp 'em off the line.
You can run really short rear tires at the track to pick up alittle effective gearing. But a 350 trans with a different converter will really help with the much lower first gear.
I'll give you something to shoot for based on a bone stock '72 GS350 I bought many years ago. It went 15.5 to 15.8 at about 85 MPH bone stock with basically the same engine you have. But, it had dual exhaust, 3.42 gears with posi, and weighed about 200-300 lbs less than your Regal. With power timing and richer jetting it want 15.3 to 15.5 at 87-88 MPH. So, in your case with that heavy Regal, I don't think you can expect any better than high 15s at maybe 85 MPH with the addition of dual exhaust and a 3 series posi rear. You'll need to go into the engine (cam, head work, converter, etc.) as some have suggested to go any faster. Just my experience for what it's worth. Oh, and be sure to add a low restriction air filter too.
Is a regal really that heavy? My Nova was 3800lbs across the scales at the drag strip. I can't imagine the regal weighs more than that, but I could be wrong.
The 70's A bodies were a bit heavier than the 60's A bodies. 3800 lb. Nova? Was it a 4 door car? Must have had a full tank of gas and a trunkload of tools. lol A 1968 skylark 2 door with a 350 and ST300 trans weighed around 3600 lbs. I think. 1980's G body 2 door cars weigh around 3400 lbs. 1968 Lesabre 2 door weighed 3950 lbs. Early-mid 70's Lesabre 2 door weighed about 4500 lbs. Just to give some examples off the top of my head.
3900 is pretty heavy. I'll have my work cut out for me. The nova weight was with me in it...but I only weigh 175lbs. The bumper and door braces on that car weighed a ton! So did the bench seat. There was also about 100lbs of bondo in the rear quarters. LOL
The advise has been good so far except IMO for saying that running cooler with an 180* thermostat will make you faster, the opposite is true with less than 8:1 compression. People run those 180* thermostats in there modified engines because the compression ratio was made to be higher than factory so they are using the lower 180* stat as a crutch to stay out of detonation because the higher compression makes more heat. With your less than 8:1 compression ratio(more like 7.3 to 7.8:1) there is NO need to try and keep the temp cooler than what a 195* thermostat would provide. Actually with that low of a compression ratio you're probably running slower trying to keep the temp at or below 180* and your mpg will also be lower with a cooler running engine. The hotter you can run your engine with it out of detonation the more efficient it will run. With midgrade fuel with the engine running between 200* to 210* as long as you're out of detonation I would say that you would be faster in the QM. Get the temp to cruise @ 220* to 230* and your mpg would improve around IIRC 20% as well. So if in you're getting 20 mpg now, running it hotter could be as much as 24 mpg, a 4 mpg increase. I have noticed on my little turd car(2002 Pontiac Sunfire with 2.2L Vortec) I have been driving the temp starts creeping up in stop and go traffic with the A/C on in this summer heat. The side effect has been better mpg with the engine running hotter, above 195*. Who would of thunk that the mpg would increase with the A/C on? Go figure. A cooler running engine isn't always a better running engine, especially with todays cat pee pump gas available nowadays that likes to burn better the more it is vaporized. GL Derek
I managed a 14.9 with my 72 Skylark. I had 2.73 posi, headers and dual 2.25" exhaust. I also had a 650 holley. Stock points ignition, stock fuel system. It was my first time at a drag strip so I was pretty happy. I won the Buick V8 class at Lebanon Valley that year, beginners luck I suppose. Plenty of room for improvement when you start in the >14second range. Even little adjustments can make big changes at the other end of the track. Once you start getting faster those changes produce smaller and smaller results. I went to 3.73s, 2800rpm stall, a set of small slicks, 2.5" exhaust and an 800cfm qjet after that. Dropped me down to 14.1. I know I could have done better but I didn't get back to the track again after that.
Until you can get some good exhaust on there cut the exhaust off at the Y merge just after it joins to one pipe and run it again at the track. I bet it will pick up some speed.
Or better yet, cut the "T" merge connection out altogether and weld in one of those 2" in 2.5" out Flowmaster scavenger series "Y" pipes and run some 2.5" pipe back to the axle with one 2.5" muffler and a turndown. lol Hey--cheap, easy, and effective--and tons better than the factory single on there now.
While we are discussing torque converters and such...Anyone know which bolt pattern the 1973 flex plate would be? I am guessing 11 1/2" and not 10 3/4".
I believe it's the larger one. Check your flexplate thou. If it's the one with 6 circle holes it's ok but if it has triangle holes replace it. The do break easily.
