Anyone race? (Cars that is)

[slashfan7964]

Being in the auto world since I was a kid I always wanted a quick street/strip car. I grew up with 60s-80s muscle cars typically in the old '70s street machine style (you know, shackles, traction bars, air shocks, fat tires, slammed front ends) although a few were tubbed. Being born in the 90s back then car aftermarket and tech wasn't as great as it is now, so I feel a bit old school picking up some of the old tricks and tips. As a kid it wasn't uncommon to see my dads buddies rolling around in built Monte's, Novas on nitrous, Mustang Mach 1's, Chevy Monza's etc. In fact, if you know anything about me, my dad had a pretty mean pickup that was quick back then as I was a kid that a lot of the machine work was done for it by some of those guys.

So naturally I have a draw towards muscle cars, and cars in general. Back when I was in high school I ended up taking a general auto course in a outside vocational school to further what I already knew. My plan was to hit up college down in Ohio after school but unfortunately that might have to be set aside for a bit due to details I'd rather not indulge in. After graduating myself and all my friends have been hanging out at the local drag strips nearly every week, and starting to get involved ourselves. For example, and we're talking about a few 18-20 year old guys here, have got a '71 Roadrunner with a built, 500 horse 383 swapped in, a 82 Camaro Berlinetta with a mild 350 swapped in, a 1976 Cobra II Mustang 4 speed with a mild 302 swapped in, another has a 99 Trans Am with an LS1, one has a mild Pontiac GTP and a few other cars. I've been in a few old Mustangs, Camaros etc. Granted most of them are in the mid 200s hp wise but it's a start. It's pretty cool where we go; while the 1/4 mile tracks are around, they are a bit expensive so we roll at the 1/8th mile strip. It's awesome because they let you run pretty much anything you want; I'm talking jacked up trucks, quads, hell, mopeds if you wanted.

See here.



Being the guy that doesn't want everything you typically see there (I love AMC's for example), I'm probably going for a Mustang II, simply because it's the step child Mustang everyone seems to hate on but are solid platforms (and I adore my buddies Cobra). Ironically, I used to hate them. I'd go Fox Body, but good lord they're everywhere. I have been seeing more II's lately though. The plan is a mild 302, maybe a 351W if I can get one (aiming for 300rwhp, 350 with a Windsor), a rough weight around 3,000-3,200lbs with a nice well rounded package for handling corners at a nice pace as well since I also enjoy that. The basic package was going to be Edelbrock Performer RPM heads/intake (I might dump money into a set of GT40P's but it's going to depend on how good the shortblock is), Comp Cams XE268H cam, either a Holley 550 or 600 4 barrel...maybe a 650 but I'm thinking that might be too much. I was thinking about leaving the factory Duraspark ignition on the motor; I may upgrade to MSD or an HEI dizzy but I'd rather keep the Chebbie parts off my car Obviously shorty headers and then focus on getting the power to the ground with some KYB adjustable shocks, some sticky tires and a little better steering with an aftermarket rack and pinion set. At the end of the day I want to be in the high 12s/low 13s in the 1/4. 11s would be nice but not in the cards right now. I don't have the car yet but that's the basic plan when I finally get ahold of it.

So does anyone here ever frequent the strips or have a pretty quick street car? If you do, I wanna see them and I wanna know what you've done to 'em. Being a big Mustang guy, you get bonus points if you've got one.

[86T3]

Lmao Slash, that's my neighbor's truck. You need to get your ear tuned though, that's not a 7.3 in it.

Whoops, hit send before I meant to. I used to drag my car at Lancaster and empire before I got into trike racing. I have a 64 Nova 5hat I would race with the gasser gang. It had a pretty built 327 that ran on pump gas and a pro shifted Muncie transmission. It was a blast to race but the motor blew due to its higher rpm nature. I put a 434 small block in after and then it really moved. That's when I learned the lesson that everyone had told me and that I'm about to tell you. Having a high rpm small displacement motor is fun, but if you really want to go fast and spend way less cash, go for displacement. Racing is much more fun when you aren't towing your car back to your trailer. Good luck, hope you can get something put together this year

[ebaccm26]

I would certainly chose a fox body over a mustang II, just never been a fan. Plus it is so easy to find a fox body and the parts are plentiful. If you are looking to be different though that is certainly an option.

For what you are wanting to do I would try to find a 351, shouldn't be too hard to come across since they were in a lot of trucks. I would certainly stick with the Edelbrock heads over the GT40P's unless you mean the aluminum GT40X's and you should definitely try to do a stroker if you intend to touch the bottom end. Don't really have much carb knowledge as I stick to EFI generally but the intake and cam seem like fine choices if you just stick to a h/c/I 302.

Just this past year I started going to the track quite frequently. Our local one is a 1/4 mile. Always a great time.

I have always been a mustang fan as well. Before winter struck I sold my 03 Mach 1 and purchased a 94 Cobra. I have a bit of tweaking left to do before spring to get it exactly how I want it but previously it put down 620rwhp.






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[bkm]

My first Mustang that I wish I could have back out of all of my cars. I didn't realize what this car meant to me until it was gone and it was in the worst shape out of all my cars. Went from a 230,xxx mile 5.0 to an aluminum headed 306. I bought the first set of Trick Flow Twisted Wedge heads my local speed shop stocked. What a fun car. I then put the engine in the '91 pictured below, but threw a carb on it




This '93 GT had GT-40P heads, Explorer Intake, 1.7rr, Long Tubes and 4.10 gears and would run 12.9-13.3 all day long. Stock cam


70 Nova Dart 215 Heads, 383 c.i., victor intake, 850 Pro-systems carb, solid roller, 400 turbo with a brake, 4500 converter, 4.30 gears, ladder bar suspension. consistent 10.50 bracket car with a bunch of thrown together parts.


Bought this one as a roller and had plans for a 466 but that never happened. Sold the Roller for $6500. It was mint with many high dollar parts.


This was just a nice driver that my girls loved because of the drop top, but I hate convertibles. Two of the happiest days of my life were the day I bought it and the day I sold it.

[El Camexican]

Sweet pics BKM! Took me back. I had a 69 Nova strip car converted back to street with all the SS trim on it. Picked it up for pennies on the dollar from a motivated seller. Couldn't keep a 10 bolt in it for more than a couple months at a time and didn't want to cut into my beer budget for a proper diff. Last attempt at a wheelie with it took out the main shaft on the Nodular T10 trans. Never could find a shaft to replace it and ended up parting it out (pre-ebay days). Traded the engine for a 455 Trans Am with a cast T-10 trans. Nowhere near as fast as the Nova but easier to coax the ladies into and got double the mileage!

Slash, I'm a Ford lover, but I've never seen a 351W that impressed me. I'm thinking your better off with a more modern 302. I had a friend with a 67 Fairlane that spent a kings ransom on his small block. Started with a 289 with extensively worked cast heads. Started in the high 13's and ended up with a full SVO aluminum engine by the time all was said and done and still needed a tail wind to get into the 10's. Meanwhile punk kids (not you BKM) were running low 12's with a little tweaking and a set of slicks on their 82 Mustangs.

If the freaking Powerball people ever get their act together I'm building a 429 Boss powered 67 Mustang coup with air conditioning and I don't care if the valve covers poke out through the fenders!

[bkm]

351's are fine if you want to go big cubes but stay small block. I don't like their big heavy cranks and tall deck. They really share very little with the 289/302. The intakes are different, distributor, oil pan, headers and 302 heads have no business on the bigger 351. For an average street strip car a roller cam 302 is hard to beat. The only limiting factor on those engines is block strength. Rpm's and lots of nitrous will split one in two, but with the popularity of turbo's, guys are squeezing 600hp out of late model sbf's, but get the tune a smidge off and it's curtains.

[bkm]

In all honesty, an ls swapped fox body is where it's at. I hate cross breading, but a GM ls engine is a sbf in sheep's clothing.

[ebaccm26]

Now that I am home here is my last mustang and my current one. No good pics of the current one because I brought it home and stuck it right in the garage for winter.

Past: 2003 Mach 1 - Cams, exhaust, bolt-ons


Current: 1994 Cobra - 347 Stroker, 70MM Turbo, Built T5, etc... Ignore the dust. Ignore the ugly hood, I have a new one waiting for paint. Also it does have a full interior but most of it is out at the moment because I was putting in torque box reinforcements.


Wish I hadn't sold the Mach 1 but I am hopping that feeling goes away once I get to really drive the Cobra.

[ebaccm26]

Was posting at the same time BKM, funny you mention pushing 600hp out of a late model sbf with a turbo.... You are definitely right about the blocks splitting, I've witnessed it before. I have a boss block in my new car which can handle it but they aren't cheap! Also it looks like you have had your fair share of cool mustangs!

[slashfan7964]

Lmao Slash, that's my neighbor's truck. You need to get your ear tuned though, that's not a 7.3 in it.

Whoops, hit send before I meant to. I used to drag my car at Lancaster and empire before I got into trike racing. I have a 64 Nova 5hat I would race with the gasser gang. It had a pretty built 327 that ran on pump gas and a pro shifted Muncie transmission. It was a blast to race but the motor blew due to its higher rpm nature. I put a 434 small block in after and then it really moved. That's when I learned the lesson that everyone had told me and that I'm about to tell you. Having a high rpm small displacement motor is fun, but if you really want to go fast and spend way less cash, go for displacement. Racing is much more fun when you aren't towing your car back to your trailer. Good luck, hope you can get something put together this year

I'm am not a diesel guy at all so they all sound the same to me. Excuse me for not knowing

I'm guessing it's Cummins swapped then. That seems to be the big thing.



I agree bigger displacement is the way to go, but ulitmately I'm not looking for anything high winding or extremely powerful right now. 300whp and a 5,000-5,500rpm range is my end goal for right now an with a curb weight of around 3,000 lbs. I figure that should scoot nicely and should be easy enough to do. For that, a 302 is probably a decent way to go. I've rebuilt a few TBI 350's before so I have a decent idea what I'm doing. Though, not perfect.

If you ever get a chance, we should meetup there sometime. I'm at cruise night damn near every Wednesday during the summer. You should take a T3 down it :P

I would certainly chose a fox body over a mustang II, just never been a fan. Plus it is so easy to find a fox body and the parts are plentiful. If you are looking to be different though that is certainly an option.

This is partially why I want a II over a Fox, because not everyone likes them, because it's unique in it's own way and because everyone and their mother has a Fox body.

For what you are wanting to do I would try to find a 351, shouldn't be too hard to come across since they were in a lot of trucks. I would certainly stick with the Edelbrock heads over the GT40P's unless you mean the aluminum GT40X's and you should definitely try to do a stroker if you intend to touch the bottom end. Don't really have much carb knowledge as I stick to EFI generally but the intake and cam seem like fine choices if you just stick to a h/c/I 302.

351s aren't hard to find, but since I'm on a budget it's going to have to depend on either what I start out with or what comes cheaper first. I considered GT40P's but since I don't really want to pay for the machine work to only get anywhere from 250-280whp; I figure the Performer RPM heads are looking better as an all around package especially since I'll be shedding some weight which helps. Plus the match the intake and cam well so it should breathe pretty decently no matter which head I get (which will likely be the 1.94 valved one).

I'm don't plan on touching the bottom end if I don't have to but I will consider all options when I actually get ahold of it and decide if the shortblock is buildable or if it needs to be rebuilt. The idea is to take an otherwise stock motor and slap a decent top end on it since Windsors have really garbage top ends.

As far as the carb I'm not too concerned with it but I want to stay away from EFI right now. Nothing wrong with EFI but I prefer the simplicity of a carb.

Just this past year I started going to the track quite frequently. Our local one is a 1/4 mile. Always a great time.

I have always been a mustang fan as well. Before winter struck I sold my 03 Mach 1 and purchased a 94 Cobra. I have a bit of tweaking left to do before spring to get it exactly how I want it but previously it put down 620rwhp.






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Jealous!

My first Mustang that I wish I could have back out of all of my cars. I didn't realize what this car meant to me until it was gone and it was in the worst shape out of all my cars. Went from a 230,xxx mile 5.0 to an aluminum headed 306. I bought the first set of Trick Flow Twisted Wedge heads my local speed shop stocked. What a fun car. I then put the engine in the '91 pictured below, but threw a carb on it




This '93 GT had GT-40P heads, Explorer Intake, 1.7rr, Long Tubes and 4.10 gears and would run 12.9-13.3 all day long. Stock cam


70 Nova Dart 215 Heads, 383 c.i., victor intake, 850 Pro-systems carb, solid roller, 400 turbo with a brake, 4500 converter, 4.30 gears, ladder bar suspension. consistent 10.50 bracket car with a bunch of thrown together parts.


Bought this one as a roller and had plans for a 466 but that never happened. Sold the Roller for $6500. It was mint with many high dollar parts.


This was just a nice driver that my girls loved because of the drop top, but I hate convertibles. Two of the happiest days of my life were the day I bought it and the day I sold it.

Even more jealous!!

Sweet pics BKM! Took me back. I had a 69 Nova strip car converted back to street with all the SS trim on it. Picked it up for pennies on the dollar from a motivated seller. Couldn't keep a 10 bolt in it for more than a couple months at a time and didn't want to cut into my beer budget for a proper diff. Last attempt at a wheelie with it took out the main shaft on the Nodular T10 trans. Never could find a shaft to replace it and ended up parting it out (pre-ebay days). Traded the engine for a 455 Trans Am with a cast T-10 trans. Nowhere near as fast as the Nova but easier to coax the ladies into and got double the mileage!

Slash, I'm a Ford lover, but I've never seen a 351W that impressed me. I'm thinking your better off with a more modern 302. I had a friend with a 67 Fairlane that spent a kings ransom on his small block. Started with a 289 with extensively worked cast heads. Started in the high 13's and ended up with a full SVO aluminum engine by the time all was said and done and still needed a tail wind to get into the 10's. Meanwhile punk kids (not you BKM) were running low 12's with a little tweaking and a set of slicks on their 82 Mustangs.

If the freaking Powerball people ever get their act together I'm building a 429 Boss powered 67 Mustang coup with air conditioning and I don't care if the valve covers poke out through the fenders!

I had a 351W that once pushed a 7,500lb brick shaped 4x4 down the 1320 in about 11 seconds.

New 302s wouldn't be bad especially the HO roller engines but a 302 is a 302 is a 302 when you take the top end stuff off for the most part. You can always convert a non roller engine to a roller anyways so I'm not too concerned. Sure the pistons may have changed a few times but I'm not exactly looking to build a firebreather here

351's are fine if you want to go big cubes but stay small block. I don't like their big heavy cranks and tall deck. They really share very little with the 289/302. The intakes are different, distributor, oil pan, headers and 302 heads have no business on the bigger 351. For an average street strip car a roller cam 302 is hard to beat. The only limiting factor on those engines is block strength. Rpm's and lots of nitrous will split one in two, but with the popularity of turbo's, guys are squeezing 600hp out of late model sbf's, but get the tune a smidge off and it's curtains.

Both 351s I have had had the crank shaved for less rotating mass and then the whole bottom end balanced; and the blocks decked a good amount but the taller deck is more there to support the larger displacement. But thats why I'm favoring the 302 here. It's lighter and can make the power I'm after with minimal "real" work. I don't have a problem ripping an engine apart and putting it back together in a weekend. Done it 4-5 times now.

I know guys that run 150 shots on pretty much stock engines, but I'm not a huge fan of power adders. N/A is preferred.

In all honesty, an ls swapped fox body is where it's at. I hate cross breading, but a GM ls engine is a sbf in sheep's clothing.

That's the one thing I will not do. I am a die hard Blue Oval lover. While you're right, a 5.3L LS truck motor with 6.0 heads and exhaust is pretty much a bolt in 300+hp, it's not the way I'd do it, even if I was doing a Fox.


I also forgot to mention, I'm being consevative with it as well because I'll probably be daily driving it during the summer months so reliability is a big concern. I think the parts I've got listed should give me good reliability, power and solid streetability as a whole.

[Toaster556]

Funny you mention AMCs Slash. I played with my 79 AMX at the drag strip for five years before having to relocate for work. AMC 360 with 321 2993 heads (2.02 intake, 1.68 exhaust and decent factory ports), Comp Cams Xtreme Energy 274 cam, old Hooker headers, a slightly modified Edelbrock Torker and a Holley 750. Between my dad and I, we blew up 3 SR-4 transmissions, cracked the hub on a 904 torque converter, and first stripped the spider gears out of the AMC 20 diff with a Lincoln locker and 2.80s, then spun the driver's side axle when I finally gutted my Wagoneer diff for the 3:54 Trac-loc. Four years ago I spun a rod bearing in the good motor, and now it's got a basically stock 360 in it from my rolled Wagoneer (stock pistons, Group 19 cam, bridged rocker heads and my trusty Torker/ Holley combo), home-made Cal-tracs and a different differential case (The old one was uhm... twisted)
I finally got the right bellhousing to back it with a T-10, and took it out twice before I left for the flat lands. Did a best of 13.44 @ 104 with the old motor and slicks, 14.08 with my Wagoneer motor and some WIDE Yokohama street tires.
It's sitting in my Dad's carport, while his 79 AMX occupies his garage, as it's in far nicer shape. Hopefully this summer, I'll be able to trailer it out here and finally wedge a 9 inch or 8.8 in there and get rid of my last weak point! There's also another 360 with my name on it, hopefully pushing 450 hp at the crank with enough torque to walk off in third gear.

[slashfan7964]

Funny you mention AMCs Slash. I played with my 79 AMX at the drag strip for five years before having to relocate for work. AMC 360 with 321 2993 heads (2.02 intake, 1.68 exhaust and decent factory ports), Comp Cams Xtreme Energy 274 cam, old Hooker headers, a slightly modified Edelbrock Torker and a Holley 750. Between my dad and I, we blew up 3 SR-4 transmissions, cracked the hub on a 904 torque converter, and first stripped the spider gears out of the AMC 20 diff with a Lincoln locker and 2.80s, then spun the driver's side axle when I finally gutted my Wagoneer diff for the 3:54 Trac-loc. Four years ago I spun a rod bearing in the good motor, and now it's got a basically stock 360 in it from my rolled Wagoneer (stock pistons, Group 19 cam, bridged rocker heads and my trusty Torker/ Holley combo), home-made Cal-tracs and a different differential case (The old one was uhm... twisted)
I finally got the right bellhousing to back it with a T-10, and took it out twice before I left for the flat lands. Did a best of 13.44 @ 104 with the old motor and slicks, 14.08 with my Wagoneer motor and some WIDE Yokohama street tires.
It's sitting in my Dad's carport, while his 79 AMX occupies his garage, as it's in far nicer shape. Hopefully this summer, I'll be able to trailer it out here and finally wedge a 9 inch or 8.8 in there and get rid of my last weak point! There's also another 360 with my name on it, hopefully pushing 450 hp at the crank with enough torque to walk off in third gear.

I am a big big AMC fan. I really love mid-late 70s Hornet AMX's but I like all of them. There's a guy that runs at the track I posted in the first post with a 68 AMX 390/auto that I don't believe has a whole lot of anything done to it but slicks, headers and a carb and it runs with LS2 powered Vettes which have something like 350-400hp. He runs into the high 7s-low 8s in the 1/8th pretty consistently.

I could be wrong by whats done to it as I only got a few passing glances but I do believe it's a mostly stock car.

[bkm]

A late 60's Rambler has always been on my bucket list. Car Craft did one a few years ago that I loved. Or a early small bumper Maverick with a turbo inline six. Lol, I could go on all night.

[Toaster556]

I am a big big AMC fan. I really love mid-late 70s Hornet AMX's but I like all of them. There's a guy that runs at the track I posted in the first post with a 68 AMX 390/auto that I don't believe has a whole lot of anything done to it but slicks, headers and a carb and it runs with LS2 powered Vettes which have something like 350-400hp. He runs into the high 7s-low 8s in the 1/8th pretty consistently.

I could be wrong by whats done to it as I only got a few passing glances but I do believe it's a mostly stock car.

390s are healthy, the SS/AMXs with 390s ran high 10s in "stock" trim. 8s in the 8th are reasonable for a well set up car. If I could set my chassis up any better, maybe I could do better than 2.0 60 foot time! ET calculators tell me my car should be in the low 12s, but so far no dice.

[slashfan7964]

A late 60's Rambler has always been on my bucket list. Car Craft did one a few years ago that I loved. Or a early small bumper Maverick with a turbo inline six. Lol, I could go on all night.

My friends dad had two tubbed blue Mavericks with 393 strokers that were supposedly the fastest cars in my county at one time. He sold them both off now and I guess one is being professionally raced somewhere in Kansas. Same guy that has the 1976 Cobra II I mentioned in the OP. He had a shell for a 70 Boss 302 but I think he sold that as well.

390s are healthy, the SS/AMXs with 390s ran high 10s in "stock" trim. 8s in the 8th are reasonable for a well set up car. If I could set my chassis up any better, maybe I could do better than 2.0 60 foot time! ET calculators tell me my car should be in the low 12s, but so far no dice.

The car goes very very well. Low-mid 8s are what he averages but he touched 7s a few times that I've seen it. I have a few videos on my YouTube channel I can dig up if you're interested.