Lil IHRA classification help please!! Newbie Alert!

[ALMACK]

Originally Posted by Dan Fahey

HOWEVER.. have an additional advantage..

We can put on our wide wheels and tires and go Road Racing or Auto Crossing.

Which NO Stocker or SSer can do...

D

I chuckled when I read that Dan.
I could do the same with my PS Mustang.
It still has front and rear sway bars hooked up as well as the factory struts and shocks. I also have a set of 17 x 9 wheels w/275 radials if needed.

Not sure how my Pure Stocker would work on a auto-x with those 4.56 gears tho.
Overdrive trans is a push button switch away.


I have tried autocross with my other '95 Mustang GT and man is it rough on tires and suspension parts. But it sure was fun.

[Dan Fahey]

Tom Gould's CORVAIR could dust all of us..

AND he does not even need Power Steering...

[Robert Swartz]

Originally Posted by KennyAnderson

"Yeah, pretty much they have. I have "most" of the pieces to put a SBC crate car together. Lack of time and motivation have kept me from pursuing it. I have a set of Parson's heads and the matching intake. Comp Cam and new Sherman lifters. Ross Pistons and a couple sets of good rods both stock and super stock. A legal carb that I got from Jeff Ross, built by a reputable person. The car already has a prepped rear with all Strange parts. Cal tracs and mono leafs. Have the pucks in the front subframe, need to rebuild the rest. Got the wheels and tires. Roll bar and frame connectors, just need to get them set up and welded in. Got a good 4 bolt main block with a steel crank, a donor from an old truck to build the engine from. They'll probably abolish the class before I finish the car.

Bruce told us we could expect to have $1600 or so in the block and crank work. I imagine with extras that figure will close to double. I gave him my modest expectations of what I expected the car to run. He laughed and said, if the car was set up at all, he didn't feel we'd have to worry about going that slow!"

Robert forgive me for being naïve but exactly what is "crate motor" about this build? If I was going to this trouble it would be a legal motor.

Kenny,

79 Pontiac Firebird, Trans Am body. Not a good selection of available engines. One Chevy, 350/175, very expensive engine to build. I believe (may be wrong) the 400 Pontiac or the 403 Olds was the standard available engine. When I started disassembling the car. After looking over the options, the IHRA crate motor looked like the best chance to get an engine up and running that could make it's index. Which would've given me a car that could run the combos here in the midwest.

Yes, most of the pieces would be sufficient for a late 70's-early 80's NHRA SBC shortblock. Change heads, intake, cam and carb. Then I would need another body, lol!

I guess I just don't have illusions about running NHRA events.

[KennyAnderson]

OK!! Picked car up on sat am, mounted wheels and tires and went racin sat sun. Not bad although a lil slower than I had hoped. It was AFRICA HOT THO!! Ran 14.30's and high 9.teens/20's in the eigth. Fairly consistent and easy to hit the tree in. Looks like D/PS it is although I will need to get just about 100lbs out of the car and speed it up considerably with an 8.50 index. First thing on the slate is a converter. The stock one is TIGHT! Can barely footbrake it to 1500 before it pushes through the brakes. Looking at a Yank 3800-4000 stall. Any pointers? And guys with experience how much did you pick up with a good converter. Most say 1/2 sec should be easy with a good one. Headers and gears next up.

[Mark Yacavone]

Originally Posted by KennyAnderson

OK!! Picked car up on sat am, mounted wheels and tires and went racin sat sun. Not bad although a lil slower than I had hoped. It was AFRICA HOT THO!! Ran 14.30's and high 9.teens/20's in the eigth. Fairly consistent and easy to hit the tree in. Looks like D/PS it is although I will need to get just about 100lbs out of the car and speed it up considerably with an 8.50 index. First thing on the slate is a converter. The stock one is TIGHT! Can barely footbrake it to 1500 before it pushes through the brakes. Looking at a Yank 3800-4000 stall. Any pointers? And guys with experience how much did you pick up with a good converter. Most say 1/2 sec should be easy with a good one. Headers and gears next up.

Shoot me a PM and I will give you my opinion

Originally Posted by KennyAnderson

OK!! Picked car up on sat am, mounted wheels and tires and went racin sat sun. Not bad although a lil slower than I had hoped. It was AFRICA HOT THO!! Ran 14.30's and high 9.teens/20's in the eigth. Fairly consistent and easy to hit the tree in. Looks like D/PS it is although I will need to get just about 100lbs out of the car and speed it up considerably with an 8.50 index. First thing on the slate is a converter. The stock one is TIGHT! Can barely footbrake it to 1500 before it pushes through the brakes. Looking at a Yank 3800-4000 stall. Any pointers? And guys with experience how much did you pick up with a good converter. Most say 1/2 sec should be easy with a good one. Headers and gears next up.

We put a Yank SS4000 converter in along with a 3.90 gear (stock is 3.15) and drove it to the track on a drag radial and picked up one full second. 60' times were in the 1.60s. A half second from just the converter (assuming it will hook) sounds about right. If you want to order new call Yank and get a recommendation ... they know their stuff. However, if you look around on the Camaro and Corvette forums you can usually pick up a nice used one for about half price.

[KennyAnderson]

PM sent. Thanks!

Thanks Scott. Did it pick up a sec in the 1/4? If so how much 1/8th? Either way IMPRESSIVE. Got a line on some headers, gears next. I'm hoping between these three main things (converter, gear, and headers) PLUS getting about 100 lbs out of the car I can run the index or better. Need 7 tenths in the 1/8th (8.50 index).

Originally Posted by KennyAnderson

PM sent. Thanks!

Thanks Scott. Did it pick up a sec in the 1/4? If so how much 1/8th? Either way IMPRESSIVE. Got a line on some headers, gears next. I'm hoping between these three main things (converter, gear, and headers) PLUS getting about 100 lbs out of the car I can run the index or better. Need 7 tenths in the 1/8th (8.50 index).

It was a full second in the 1/4 ... I don't recall what we picked up in the 1/8. I'd have to refer back to our log book. I do know our car runs further under in the 1/8 than it does in the 1/4. ??? Don't forget to get a tune. If you can swing it, and have someone local who is reputable and knows what they are doing, a dyno tune is always worth the extra money. Some folks are going to tell you a mail order is fine but PM for my personal opinion as well as some bad experiences that I've had.

[KennyAnderson]

Luckily I have a longtime bud down here about 30 min away who is a guru and has a chassis dyno. One thing I am going to look at is a shift kit or manual valve body. This weekends shakedown showed me a few things. The old owner said he shifts it himself @ 5k. I tried shifting it as well as leaving it in drive. When I shifted it a 5k it didn't really shift till about 5500-5600. When I left it in D it shifted itself right at 5600. I felt like it was nosing over just a tad both ways. The et was faster by .04-.05 shifting it. I really feel like short shifting it a lil will help a bunch.

That's good that you know a reputable tuner. That can make all the difference in getting a car to run the index as well as having a reliable, consistent Stocker.

Speaking of consistent ... I've never shifted any computer-controlled car that I've raced. Turn the traction control off, put it in drive, and go. My thinking is that I'll never be quicker than any computer and definitely I won't be more consistent. Even if I picked up a hundreth or two I want the consistency. When we work hard to regulate the water temperature and ice the intake if traction stays our car is deadly consistent on the ETs by not shifting it.