HP Rating....F Body vs FWD Conversion Cars

[tim worner]

Hey Joe put that stuff in an 88 Cutlass and see where you are.

[joe176]

Originally Posted by tim worner

Hey Joe put that stuff in an 88 Cutlass and see where you are.

I have a 55 chevy thats next.....waiting on motor plates Tim.

[stefan callender]

Originally Posted by Sean Cour

I've seen Joe's Cavalier leaving the trailer park on more than one occasion.

Was JennaRae with him Sean??

[joe176]

Originally Posted by stefan callender

Was JennaRae with him Sean??

Dude...that's Jenna-Ray !!!!

[Adger Smith]

Joe,
A few years ago Vic Custer and I had a very lengthy conversation about building a Cavalier or Cobalt to replace my F-body Camaro. He flat told me it would be faster, esp with the lower HP engine I run. His numbers were very similar to what you have shown. Maybe a little more. He also told me the F-body has some on track advantages (I'm not going there). The Biggest advantage he pointed out was one you touched on. Being able to work on it. It is so much more friendly to make changes and work on. That is esp. important as us older guys get older. Another thing he pointed out that was esp important to my ailing body was the larger doors. He thinks the type cages they put in them are also safer. All in all it is probably better to step up to the new cars. I didn't because of the economy and my finances as well as health and family issues. Yes, I'm in love with my F-body, esp because and it is all paid for. Now with the new and enhanced AHFS upon us I'm glad I didn't spend any retirement money. I still like the new cars!!!

[y2k_ta]

Originally Posted by stefan callender

Has anyone ever took a 82-92 F-body and transform their entire drivetrain and put it into a next generation F-body?? How much was that worth??

The fourth-gen '93-'02 platform was primarily a carryover from the '82-'92, so the advantages (if any) would be minimal.

[Ed Wright]

Most don't realize how nose heavy most of the fwd conversions are. It was pointed out to me that my ('96 F body) drive shaft is shorter than Pete Peery's little short Cutlass Calai's shaft. Mine is a pain to work on since arthritis has set in. Half the stinking engine is under the stinking windshield.

I don't run GT, but the newest GT cars... well I'm not going there.

the biggest advntage I see is a 2500 or so lb car with a smaller engine versus a 3000 lb car with a bigger engine. Small car/smaller engine usually wins.

[joe176]

Originally Posted by Adger Smith

Joe,
A few years ago Vic Custer and I had a very lengthy conversation about building a Cavalier or Cobalt to replace my F-body Camaro. He flat told me it would be faster, esp with the lower HP engine I run. His numbers were very similar to what you have shown. Maybe a little more. He also told me the F-body has some on track advantages (I'm not going there). The Biggest advantage he pointed out was one you touched on. Being able to work on it. It is so much more friendly to make changes and work on. That is esp. important as us older guys get older. Another thing he pointed out that was esp important to my ailing body was the larger doors. He thinks the type cages they put in them are also safer. All in all it is probably better to step up to the new cars. I didn't because of the economy and my finances as well as health and family issues. Yes, I'm in love with my F-body, esp because and it is all paid for. Now with the new and enhanced AHFS upon us I'm glad I didn't spend any retirement money. I still like the new cars!!!

Thanks for the input Ed and Adger......yes the wheelbase is 3 inches longer than the camaro..longer driveshaft.....they are much more nose heavy....after doing all the chassis setup, plumbing and wiring myself it has paid dividends as far as working on it.

[Jeff Teuton]

A little footnote to the discussion. As yall know, the GT classes were originally for the new and conversions. Somewhere a few years ago, NHRA asked me to write a letter to change that to allow the old cars to participate, no other changes. So I did, and they did. At the time I was aware that with identical engine combos, there is generally an .05 penalty to the new cars over the same engine in say SS/FA or something like that. I have a 68 Hemi Dart clone I run in GT and the same motor in a Dart in SS has a little edge. I knew that when I built the car. I think the idea behind this is there are lots of cars out there that are good cars, but for some reason (like my clone), they didn't just fit right. So now the older stuff can also run in GT. So that is how the older stuff got in. Like I said, a footnote.

[X-TECH MAN]

Originally Posted by Jeff Teuton

A little footnote to the discussion. As yall know, the GT classes were originally for the new and conversions. Somewhere a few years ago, NHRA asked me to write a letter to change that to allow the old cars to participate, no other changes. So I did, and they did. At the time I was aware that with identical engine combos, there is generally an .05 penalty to the new cars over the same engine in say SS/FA or something like that. I have a 68 Hemi Dart clone I run in GT and the same motor in a Dart in SS has a little edge. I knew that when I built the car. I think the idea behind this is there are lots of cars out there that are good cars, but for some reason (like my clone), they didn't just fit right. So now the older stuff can also run in GT. So that is how the older stuff got in. Like I said, a footnote.

How about one of your new 5.7's in your Duster or the 69 six pack? That would be a rocket ship and look cool also! Have a nice Turkey Bird Day.