I need to apologize!!

[Tim Barrett]

Linda and I are going to run 11 Nationals,approximately 12 Divisionals and 4 National Opens. We did this 3 years ago and in any Class runs we got our butt kicked. Most heads up we got our butt kicked. The final butt kicker was 3 years ago at the St. Louis double Divisional. We drove 1100 miles only to loose first round in both Divisionals. First one by a faster Nova,,350,second by a faster 383 Mopar.
That was the story of our 22,000 mile travels around the US that year enjoying what most of us love,,NHRA Sportsman Dragracing and the many friends we've made along the way.
This may be about the famous Chevy 350 255hp,,but it's also about our competitors.
The 305 Camaros
The 350 Novas
The 351 Mustang
The 327 Camaro and Nova
The carborated and tuned port Corvettes
And the 383 Mopars
There are several really fast cars in each one of these combos and a cpl that I know we can't beat.
We've run them all and have looked at ALOT of tail lights in heads up. Linda and I decided to spend some $$$$$$ and see if we could,,at least make our competitors ICE THEIR INTAKES and chill their engines!!!
Well it worked,,boy did it work!! Thanks to Glenn Briglio at B&B Auto Machine!!!
8 and 7 years ago we couldn't run the index. Thank God we blew that engine plus a spare. Then,, for the next 3 years we ran an engine I built,but,was no match for heads up. Most Dragracers will never run the events that we do and Linda and I are very fortunate to be able too!!
In the final for Class at Belle Rose we ran against a fast 305 Camaro and I took way to much finish line,,but if this wasn't heads up just a dial run,,I would have tightened it up alot less.
The final in class at the Baby Gators a 350 Corvette,that final,,again I took too much.
Unfortunately both these finals were done with,,
Minimum thin oil
Iced intake
And chilled engine!!!
Unfortunately doing this to run 2 tenths faster will shoot us in the foot,,big time!!
This whole post is about a group of cars in
F,G and H/SA and everyone else from A to Z
that can protect themselves with the new rules to be able in Class or heads up to be able to collect that win. Some of these other combos only have 2 to 4 or less so they can sit back and watch us try to save something in case we see them next year. I'm trying to figure out a setup now to be able to run in the "Slot" so we can dial without stomping on the brakes.
Happy Saturday!!
Bubski,,NO COMMENT!!! LOL

[Richard Grant]

Tim, I have waited 20 years to see the 255 competitive again. I've seen you struggle to reach the level that you have plus the cost involved. I also know you were trying to protect your combo while winning. It appears that some are rejoicing at your mistake. I just hope you continue to pursue your dream as we will also.

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by Richard Grant

Tim, I have waited 20 years to see the 255 competitive again.

Not fer nuthin' but IMHO if I had a 350/255 car I would be getting to work on a set of 350/300 heads. Again, IMHO (and we know what opinions are like) by the end of this year, the 350/255, the '90s LT-1 and the 396/375 will be "not all that competitive" (I don't want to say dead) players.

[Doug Hoven]

Originally Posted by Billy Nees

Not fer nuthin' but IMHO if I had a 350/255 car I would be getting to work on a set of 350/300 heads. Again, IMHO (and we know what opinions are like) by the end of this year, the 350/255, the '90s LT-1 and the 396/375 will be "not all that competitive" (I don't want to say dead) players.

IMHO, even if the 255hp combo gets, let’s say 8 hp, that’s only 88lb in F/SA, which in most cars is probably only about a tenth. So the 1.20 under cars become 1.10 under? Before going around saying the sky is falling, it’s always good to make sure it’s not just a little rain. Even if the 255 combo becomes rated higher than the 300, I think a good set of 441 heads will outperform a set of good 461, 186, or 041 heads.

[Billy Nees]

What I should have said instead of "not all that competitive" would have been to say "probably not all that capable of winning a heads-up race against a different combo".

[442OLDS]

Originally Posted by Billy Nees

What I should have said instead of "not all that competitive" would have been to say "probably not all that capable of winning a heads-up race against a different combo".

No,even with the additional horsepower, they will still have no issues winning heads up races against some combos.

[Mike Gray]

Originally Posted by Doug Hoven

IMHO, even if the 255hp combo gets, let’s say 8 hp, that’s only 88lb in F/SA, which in most cars is probably only about a tenth. So the 1.20 under cars become 1.10 under? Before going around saying the sky is falling, it’s always good to make sure it’s not just a little rain. Even if the 255 combo becomes rated higher than the 300, I think a good set of 441 heads will outperform a set of good 461, 186, or 041 heads.

Okay I think your rounding it off and I may need help figuring this out. (I’m a super-gas racer and building a stocker) and I wanted to get this math figured correctly.
If his 1.127 holds as the fastest run and the average is .850 or better he gets 2.25% hit on the 280hp base or 6.3hp that I think is rounded up to 7hp? Then 11.00 x 287 + 170 new weight of 3327 or + 77lbs?
Thanks

[Brent Kopejtka]

Originally Posted by Mike Gray

Okay I think your rounding it off and I may need help figuring this out. (I’m a super-gas racer and building a stocker) and I wanted to get this math figured correctly.
If his 1.127 holds as the fastest run and the average is .850 or better he gets 2.25% hit on the 280hp base or 6.3hp that I think is rounded up to 7hp? Then 11.00 x 287 + 170 new weight of 3327 or + 77lbs?
Thanks

Mike I didn’t do the math just going off your figures. If 3327 lbs is where it ends up NHRA always rounds up so it would be 3330 lbs for new minimum weight. So would be 80 lbs but if -1.125 is in fact the fastest run.

[James Perrone]

Originally Posted by Doug Hoven

IMHO, even if the 255hp combo gets, let’s say 8 hp, that’s only 88lb in F/SA, which in most cars is probably only about a tenth. So the 1.20 under cars become 1.10 under? Before going around saying the sky is falling, it’s always good to make sure it’s not just a little rain. Even if the 255 combo becomes rated higher than the 300, I think a good set of 441 heads will outperform a set of good 461, 186, or 041 heads.

o
Only 88 lbs
Really?
Hears the problem young man.
People spend a lot of time and $ to do these race car things
And I agree It’s your car ..race it how you want .
But when someone’s actions cause harm to other competitors cars and combos
It tends to piss people off .
What’s funny is I know a few people that run this combo but there to polite to complain to the person who causes this possible HP problem
I’ve seen this before when someone is not fast and gets a GOOD PiECE and bangs said combo yet pleads well I didn’t know it would go this fast ..
Well guess what?
This same person will complain about the 88 lbs earned for their decisions to go fast win Class ..And guess what There slow once again.
So when you make a mess of your combo ..you need to clean up your mess
Because you ain’t making friends by making others clean up The Mess

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by James Perrone

o
Only 88 lbs
Really?
Hears the problem young man.
People spend a lot of time and $ to do these race car things
And I agree It’s your car ..race it how you want .
But when someone’s actions cause harm to other competitors cars and combos
It tends to piss people off .
What’s funny is I know a few people that run this combo but there to polite to complain to the person who causes this possible HP problem
I’ve seen this before when someone is not fast and gets a GOOD PiECE and bangs said combo yet pleads well I didn’t know it would go this fast ..
Well guess what?
This same person will complain about the 88 lbs earned for their decisions to go fast win Class ..And guess what There slow once again.
So when you make a mess of your combo ..you need to clean up your mess
Because you ain’t making friends by making others clean up The Mess

Ya know, I can agree with everything that you've said here Ponko. I may not relate to it but I can see your points.
Story-telling time, I got a phone call from a Racer on Friday. He wanted to know if I had any Dime Rocket P.O.S. stuff laying around that he could use or throw together to run this year. Now this Racer has some VERY fast stuff of his own but he doesn't want to run his own stuff because it's "too fast" and he doesn't want to slow it down. He also likes working and tuning his stuff to try and make it faster and now he can't. He wants a P.O.S. that he can tinker with and go as fast as possible without having to worry about it.
Here's the point of this story, the Racer is pushing 80 years old! How long does he plan on racing and who or why is he trying to "save" his combo? He has legitimately worked and spent what it took to get his stuff to this point only to be afraid to go too fast. WHY? IMHO, he should be out enjoying every bit of the fruits of his labor while he still can.