Up and Comers

[GarysZ24]

Originally Posted by Ed Fernandez

The Malibu was a car borrowed from a friend.The Spirit is Mike's car.It was bought from the mid west .It was cheap,but by the time we had to do the motor,trans misc wiring,correct ballast problems among other issues it didn't turn out to be such a bargain.The consistency problem will be worked out next year hopefully.I've been fighting my car for 9 years now.Trying some new things next year.

Ed
turn out to be such a bargain.

Oh do I hear you Ed on that bargain comment. When my engine was first built ('96), the first time I ran it at Bandimere's it carded an 18.36. There were two reasons that was a problem:

1. My car ran a 17.55 with the factory original set-up!

2. Since my car was classified as a BF/SA car then, my index was a 16.44 at Bandimere...guys used to fight for a chance to race me in the first round, because I was there doormat for rnd 2.

Thanks to the people mentioned in my other post, plus Craig Railsback (who was well schooled with the Accel Calmap's of the late 90's), plus trashing my a/c, and pwr strng pmp, I freed up more hp to move that V6 quicker along, and fortunately there are some who don't want to race me any more than I may want to race them...nice change to be competitive. The biggest (and best) change though was NHRA realizing that my V6 wasn't the equal of the Quad 4 Oldsmobile motors, nor the Turbo Chrysler motors, that came from the factory with no less than 26hp more than my original 120hp steel headed minimill.

I still applaud you and Mike for racing something against the norm (also), and I enjoy reading of all the slower stocker successes as well...Billy Nees I'll keep rooting for you too as long as you keep on racing that car you became known nationwide with too!

LET'S GET THEM V8'S (ESPECIALLY THOSE BIG BLOCKS) IN 2009!!!