This is what I have been fooling with while not shooting

How about the late 60's, Raced a full bodied 55 Chev from 63 until 69 when I bought the Econo-Rail. Built the engine from a 327 to .060 over and all of the goodies. Had to totally rebuild the chassis. Raced from 70 to 73 and hit 9.95 at an even 150 mph, then needed a new rail. Had the design, (Rear Engine, 220" chassis) and just ran out of money. OH WELL!
Bill
 

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You are, 1969 FE based, top oiler, everything else more or less modern. Keith Black pistons, Edlebrock performer heads, intake, Quickfuel 780, 10.5 to 1 compression which is very nice on the street, cool temps, runs on pump gas at around 500HP in 2400 lbs. with a TKO600.
Been kicking around swapping it out for a Pond based 427 as a possibility, anybody have any experience with the blocks or their engines?
 
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They already have Butch....the only difference is OKC got the TV show. There are tons of street legal 10.5 cars that could handle that scene. Heck, a good friend of mine has a 68 Camaro with license plates that goes 7.40's on a drag radial. Plus he backs it up almost every year on the Hot Rod power tour. And then there's Larry Larson...at last check he was turning 6.20's in a street S-10

-Lee
www.singleactions.com
 
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Jackie, when are the street racers around the old USA gonna build cars to compete with the Okies?

Here's the formula, Butch. Take a big 540 inch or larger Rat, hang a couple of turbos about the size of wash tubs off it, add a 500 Shot of Nitrous, head for OK, and hang on.

Oh, one other thing. Divide IQ by two when you cross the State Line......:D
 
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Lee,
They are doing ProMod times. They race on the narrow streets for 1/8 mile. Their cars hook up and run straight without wheelies. You really need to watch before forming an opinion. I've been in the car business since 1968 for a living. I do know a carb from a fender skirt.
 
Butch...if we're talking that show, none of those guys are running 3-something 1/8's on pure street pavement (and the heavily sprayed VHT industrial road they tape on isn't street).

My only point is this. Those guys are fast, but not the fastest street in the country. The few times Murder Nova showed an ET, they ran 4.70 on good strip conditions. At the same time, a local racer from Manassas, VA was going 4.48 with a street driven Mustang. He's since cut that to 4.20's on a 10.5. Here's the car at the SGMP Shakedown:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k7tuzsE0ULQ

BTW, the race was "all-street legal" and my friend's 4.48 was middle off the pack. Bring some of the OKC to the door slammer heavy east coast and they may lose some shine.

Nothing against Oklahoma, but I hate it when reality TV tells me what's the biggest and best.

-Lee
www.singleactions.com
 
Jackie, when are the street racers around the old USA gonna build cars to compete with the Okies?

Butch, many of the really insane "street cars" that are coming out of shops now have went to the L-S platform with lots of boost, either by way of superchargers are turbo chargers, depending on preference.

When I had my 540 built, I seriously considered going the L-S route, probably a Lingenfelter package. It is amazing the power you can get out of those things, with a high degree of reliability and weight savings.

But I just couldn't do it. I love Big Block Chevys, and nothing sounds better on the street than a big Rat when it hits 6500 through the gears. And nothing looks better when you raise that hood.
 
Speaking of narrow streets / strips, we have a lot of 50 /60's era dragways left on the east coast....and we're still throwing 2,000+ horsepower at 'em.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fq3qOJeERrE

Note the mph per the announcer....and he spun a little at the hit. Again, my only point is cable TV is labeling their "set" as tough conditions and every weekend guys do far more with far less.

-Lee
www.singleactions.com
 
Lee,
I love you man and have respect for you. I agree that 90% of the reality shows are not all together real. I believe you are selling the Okie boys short. Jackie, your car is streetable, but the Okie boy's cars are not. They just race on the country roads.
 
We do have a very nice 1/8 mile strip about 6 miles from the house. Pro Mod and they also have outlaw Pro Mod running there. I do like to watch them.
They aren't street racers.
 
I hear ya Butch....and I do have a ton of respect for the OKC scene. Those cars are just plain fast. The only thing I took exception to was the "Fastest Street Cars In The World" tag. Other than that, those guys know how to build power.

-Lee
www.singleactions.com

PS - I do really enjoy the show. It beats 99% of what's on cable
 
This whole "fastest Street Car" thing has got, in my opinion, asinine. The same with what is considered a "pump gas motor".

Shops will build anything a customer wants. It's the customers money. But I talk to guys, usually younger men, who want a real hot rod, watch these shows on TV, and think that they want something like that.

And, they also want to jump in it and drive it anywhere, any time.

Someone will tell them that they need a .720 lift cam, with 270 degrees duration at .050 and 12 to 1+ compression, because we all know that will build a lot of power in any 454+ inch engine. The only problem is, all of that power will be in the upper RPM band, you will have to run a 4000+ stall or more converter to even get it to drive at normal speeds, and you will be ordering drums of Sunnoco Race gas. Or, run E-85.

And, you better have manual brakes, or a hyraboost, because the thing won't make 5 inches of vacuum at idle.

I tell them to build the biggest inch engine they can afford, get the best cylinder heads you can afford, and go with a Hyd Roller Cam in the .240 at .050 range. If you are willing to build a 496, (a very affordable package nowadays), you can make 600 HP, that much torque down in the range where you need it, run a 2500 stall converter, keep the compression at 10 to 1 with a tight quench area, and have something that will still scare the cr-p out of you and be a pleasure to drive.
Add a 150 shot if you think it needs it. The motor doesn't know it's even there until you flip the switch.

Hot Rodding hasn't changed much through the years. Enthusiast are still building engines with too much cam, to big of a carburetor, and too much compression, for the realities of the street. These shows that are all over cable TV don't help much, they are simply exercises in doing what can be done if you are willing to sacrifice just about every other aspect of automobile performance for a 1/4 mile time slip.

I suppose Erica Enders could put some headlights, taillights and windshield wipers on her Pro Stocker and call it a "street car" because that is about how stupid all of this has become.

In my opinion, (and only that), a real street car should be able to burn what is in the local corner store pump, and sit in 5 o'clock traffic in the middle of July without cooking down.
 
This whole "fastest Street Car" thing has got, in my opinion, asinine. The same with what is considered a "pump gas motor".


Someone will tell them that they need a .720 lift cam, with 270 degrees duration at .050 and 12 to 1+ compression, because we all know that will build a lot of power in any 454+ inch engine. The only problem is, all of that power will be in the upper RPM band, you will have to run a 4000+ stall or more converter to even get it to drive at normal speeds, and you will be ordering drums of Sunnoco Race gas. Or, run E-85.

And, you better have manual brakes, or a hyraboost, because the thing won't make 5 inches of vacuum at idle.

TRUTH!! Oh that brings back memories!:eek:

About 20 years ago I attempted to build the fastest street car in my area. Stroked small block, (Ford), .720 lift solid roller with something like 320 duration. Tube chasis, 34 x 14 tires, 5500 stall converter, trans brake, NOS, etc. -- with a licence plate. It was rediculous how much heat that thing would build. Ended up unstreetable.

I understand there is a local guy now with a motor out of a top alcohol dragster. Insanity!
 
The line between pure drag car and street has definitely blurred (first by nitrous control systems and now turbos). Pretty insane what type of power they build with the latter.

Earlier I mentioned a friend who ran a '68 Camaro in Hot Rod's Drag Week. He did it for a number of years and usually won his class. That tour was 1,100+ miles, mostly highway driving, pump gas fill ups, and 4 dragstrips in 5 days. They drove at night, through rain, got stuck in traffic, etc, etc. They he'd reach the track, re-curve the tubos on a laptop, and switch to the 110 octane half of his fuel cell. Mid-7's in the 1/4 would follow.

Here's video of it during the 2010 event. He's featured at the 1:18 and 4:17 marks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqYH5usorSo

Surprisingly, the motor is just a 434 SBC and he's since lowered ETs to 7.30 - 7.40.

As for me, I'm still doing it like my dad did when he raced in the 60's (forever chasing the three C's....cubes, cam, and compression). And as Jackie said, no usable vacuum and a 5,000 rpm Coan converter are the result.

-Lee
www.singleactions.com
 
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