Crate Engines in NHRA?

[Michael Beard]

Originally Posted by Chad Rhodes

i doubt you can out wheelstand some of the 427/396 camaros. Hell i know of one orange 69 camaro that i KNOW you can't out wheelstand.

Mike Petrie bent the license plate on his H/CM Camaro at Rockingham a few years ago. Although wheelies are fun, I don't know that they are applicable to the argument here. You could argue that giant wheelstands are not necessarily conducive to quick E.T.'s, and it's certainly not a factor in consistency.

Actually, I'm still trying to figure out what the argument *is* here... 1) NHRA's not going to change anything so it's a moot point for one side to push the argument, and at least as bad for the other side to get defensive about it, and 2) you've got a guy that built a car to the rules that he wanted to build, and has fun with it. All this NHRA vs IHRA or this car vs that car stuff is irrelevant.

What is your index with the 330 hp crate engine, and what do you have to weigh?

For reference, the 360 Magnum crate motor is rated at 325hp. In I/CM (10# class) min. weight 3420, index 12.10. The index would be similar to F/SA (old index 12.15, 10.5# class). Compare to a '72 340 rated at 299, which has to weigh 3310. (Although just for arguments sake, a crate motor in the traditional weight break system would be more like an E/SA, so there'd be more like a 260lb difference.)

360 crate - 9.6:1 comp, .458/.467 cam w/ 1.6 rocker, .060 dish piston, 1.925/1.625 head, 57.7 cc
340 standard - 9.32:1 comp, .462/.473 cam w/ 1.5 rocker, flat top piston w/ notches, 1.88/1.60 heads, 64.7 cc

What's all that worth on the track? Ahdunno. The crate motor has some intake/carb advantages, etc which offsets some of the 110lb (260lb?) weight difference, but they're certainly more comparable than the new cars. The 360 DragPak has better specs all the way around than my crate motor, and it's rated 50hp less (which is why there's more than one being put together at Sloan Racing Engines)

I have no problem with crate motor remaining solely an IHRA thing. *IF* NHRA ever did anything (and I don't think they would), you'd think they'd show up in Super Stock GT first. Come to think of it, you'd think it'd make sense to combine crate motors in IHRA with Stock GT.

/ramble

[MikeFicacci]

Not for nothing, for all the arguing going on here, this could be Ed Fernandez's long lost brother.

[CrateCamaro]

Originally Posted by MikeFicacci

Not for nothing, for all the arguing going on here, this could be Ed Fernandez's long lost brother.

Thanks bro...ya thats my dad. He lost his battle to cancer in 2008. I actually built this car for him to race. And now that hes gone I race it for him. He wanted it to be a 396/375hp combo but we were on a time frame to build the car because cancer was quickly killing him. He was able to race a week before he died.

Dont you feel special for posting that pic

[Ed Fernandez]

Originally Posted by CrateCamaro

Thanks bro...ya thats my dad. He lost his battle to cancer in 2008. I actually built this car for him to race. And now that hes gone I race it for him. He wanted it to be a 396/375hp combo but we were on a time frame to build the car because cancer was quickly killing him. He was able to race a week before he died.

Dont you feel special for posting that pic

Actually he seems to have been much better looking than me.There's a small resembalence though.I'm sorry for your loss.He did seem to have a good grasp of Stock,wanting to build a 396/375 combo.Too bad it didn't transfer down to you.Nice to hear that he did get to race the car.

[Ed Fernandez]

2) you've got a guy that built a car to the rules that he wanted to build, and has fun with it. All this NHRA vs IHRA or this car vs that car stuff is irrelevant.

Michael,read their reasoning.They want NHRA to bend to their wishes.