Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: SFRT - Frenchy on March 21, 2005, 09:39:19 PM
-
Went to Phoenix with the staff of Car Craft Magazine. The plan was to bring your bucket at Car Craft HQ in L.A., leave for Phoenix, drag race, go home.
A fun week end opportunity, a good way to test what's left of my Formula. 32 year old car, 100,000+ miles, still with the stock engine, stock trany, stock rear end ... none have been rebuilt, not even re-tuned.
The car made it there, having to add 1 to 2 quarts of oil at each re-fuelling stop. To my surprise, the engine even survived the drag night, a dozen of burn outs for demanding crowds, and the way home.
I have to give it up to pontiac, 32 years later, unrestored, the car pulled a 15.04 at 92 MPH at the 1/4 mile. My first time drag racing, even my girl friend tried it, she ran 15.1 @ 90MPH. God nothing like a chick burning rubber:D
Had a great time, felt good to leave L.A. for a desert road trip ... Canonball style. We met a lot of good folks, Car craft guys (and gals) were super nice (even when they had to babysit me on what to do)
-
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/82_1111437946_pic2.jpg)
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/82_1111438008_pic3.jpg)
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/82_1111461111_pic4.jpg)
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/82_1111461141_pic5.jpg)
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/82_1111461176_pic6.jpg)
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/82_1111461251_pic7.jpg)
-
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/82_1111461313_pic8.jpg)
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/82_1111461344_pic9.jpg)
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/82_1111461378_pic10.jpg)
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/82_1111461403_pic11.jpg)
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/82_1111461433_pic12.jpg)
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/82_1111461474_pic13.jpg)
-
Driving in L.A., beware the Silverado from Hell ... 12 secs flat at the 1/4 mile ... full interior.:D
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/82_1111461513_pic14.jpg)
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/82_1111461612_pic15.jpg)
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/82_1111461644_pic16.jpg)
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/82_1111461672_pic17.jpg)
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/82_1111461703_pic18.jpg)
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/82_1111461729_pic19.jpg)
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/82_1111461764_pic20.jpg)
-
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/82_1111461793_pic21.jpg)
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/82_1111461817_pic22.jpg)
-
KEWL PICS
Kinda curious how many gallons it took to drive to phoenix?
-
Nice.
Why are you wearing red fingernail polish though?:D
-
:D
I had my chick drive the car for 140 miles, then we stopped and practiced some burnouts and launch ... just to prepare her to stay off the walls of the drag strip.:aok
Didn't quite count, something like 2 to 3 tanks, 17 gal tank. When you drive 65 you cruising for ever, when at 80-90 ouchy.
-
Nice pics! I miss muscle cars, real muscle cars that is. I forget what kind of engine the Formulas had. 6.0 liter?
75 Dodge Dart was my first car. Sure miss it. :D
-
Mine is a 455 Red, 7.5L for Euros, a model of American inefficiency in 1973.:p Formulas mostly came as 400s.
-
Nice pics Frenchy.
I see you even have the original AM radio in the dash, which is nice to see that no one messed with the factory radio slot.
-
Frenchy, which track did you visit?
-
This one (http://www.speedworldmotorplex.com)
-
Originally posted by SFRT - Frenchy
Mine is a 455 Red, 7.5L for Euros, a model of American inefficiency in 1973.:p Formulas mostly came as 400s.
So how do you afford to fill it up with gas out there in California :eek:
-
Originally posted by SFRT - Frenchy
This one (http://www.speedworldmotorplex.com)
you were right in Steve's backyard.
-
I just recall gas is 4 times more expensive in France, and I have no problem paying $2.60/galon.:lol
Steve, I posted on this BBS last week about going there:( missed a good time.
-
aren't big blocks fun?
I allways crack up about all the old farts with muscle cars that are all automatics tho... they are younger than me in a lot of cases and their excuse is that they are too old to push in a clutch... I think they need to hire a kid to drive their cars for em when they aren't on the trailer.
lazs
-
Man i had a 72 buick Electra 4 door with a 455 and possitrack. For a Big old boat of a car that thing could sh*t and get. i miss that car. I was only 17 when i had it, dang water pump went out, so i got a new one (used from the junk yard), put it on only to find out that i ended up cracking the block.
Beautiful car one of the good old cars where you could roll down the front and rear windows and there was no center post!
-
Originally posted by boxboy28
Man i had a 72 buick Electra 4 door with a 455 and possitrack. For a Big old boat of a car that thing could sh*t and get. i miss that car. I was only 17 when i had it, dang water pump went out, so i got a new one (used from the junk yard), put it on only to find out that i ended up cracking the block.
Beautiful car one of the good old cars where you could roll down the front and rear windows and there was no center post!
Had a '69 Buick Skylark.....I miss those old cars.
-
Frenchy, sorry I missed you. Would have enjoyed watching you run and breaking bread with you. That track is 15 minutes from my house.
-
lazs2
I think that was the main thing I didnt like about mylast GTO.
What the hell was I thinking going with an auto?
-
Originally posted by lazs2
aren't big blocks fun?
I allways crack up about all the old farts with muscle cars that are all automatics tho... they are younger than me in a lot of cases and their excuse is that they are too old to push in a clutch... I think they need to hire a kid to drive their cars for em when they aren't on the trailer.
lazs
I'd take automatic anyday over stick shift exactly for that reason. Stick shifts are for rice cups. If you have plenty of punch why not go auto? Of course if you have 700 bhp it might be a bit difficult and expensive to build a tranny which would hold together.
-
mora... its all about options... an automatic takes away your options. They build lots of automatics here for cheap that will handle over 700 hp.
The reason for autos in hot rods here is because they are so easy to instal compared to sticks.
lazs
-
Sure a manual is better performance wise....I just have this conviction that an American car has to be auto.
Yeah the parts are very much cheaper over there, especially the non-stock parts.
A few years ago we tried to find a place that would overhaul my friends '62 Caddie's tranny. The cheapest quote was around $2500. Then we found a fella who exchanged the tranny for a working one for $700 and even that leaked oil.
Why is it easier to install an auto? Because the cars have been originally auto?
Would you happen to know of a place over there which would sell new or used chrome strips for a Caddie? My buddy is missing a few small ones and they are impossible to get here.
-
Originally posted by mora
Sure a manual is better performance wise....I just have this conviction that an American car has to be auto.
I know more than a few people that swear by automatics for drag racing. Car types vary. Mustangs, Supras, etc. They claim the average driver loses up to a 1/4 second shifting in a manual on a 1/4 mile run. I can't back that claim up in anyway, I'm just repeating what I've been told.
Would you happen to know of a place over there which would sell new or used chrome strips for a Caddie? My buddy is missing a few small ones and they are impossible to get here. [/B]
Year/Make/Model & where are the strips mounted? I'm bored. I can call around.
-
It's a '62 Cadillac Coupe de Ville. I don't know the precise location of the strips.... Actually I should first get my friend motivated to get the car fixed up, it's going to need a paint job among other things. I'll get back to this later.
-
Driving an automatic in Los Angeles is a blessing from God. I'm planing on building the trany with a kit that allows me to shift. So fra, I can still shift manually as the car came with a feature for that, I'm sure Laz knows the name.
When you start in 1st, deplace the shifter to the right and the shifter will move upward and LOCK in second. Move it sideway again, and it will lock in drive.
For road fun, Europe style I prefer a manual shift. For USA where the next turn is 200 miles ahead, or just plain drag racing, an automatic is right on.
-
Steve what is there to do out here? I'm staying at the Marriot near the airport.
-
frenchy... I got suckered into the "full manual valve body" thing once... It was still and auto.... just a very clunky stupid one. It ruined the driving experiance for me.
I have a Lincoln Town car for when I want to get somewhere and don't care about the experiance.
Sitting in traffic is no fun in any car no matter what the transmission. Having a stick tho I can at least have some fun when I'm not stuck in traffic.
lazs
-
A couple of guys told me not to cut the floor to accomodate the manual trany. I guess it's for the resale value, as the car is all original. I'm planing on saving the original engine unmod, the trany un-mod and the 3.08 rearend, and putting a street 455, Th700 and 3.73 rear end. Something like that. You never know, maybe the car will be worth money in 30years when I'll be about to die. Something to help buying a house for my kids.
I miss the pleasure of shifting, I ear you, but like I said, in L.A. or you in traffic, or it's a straight line for 100 miles.
-
I have a richmund gear 6 speed behind my big block and don't give a crap what it does to the resale (you can buy complete floorboards and tunnels tho)... I drive my car hard and enjoy it.
even shifting from first to second is fun. I have never seen anywhere that I couldn't have a better time with a stick than an auto except maybe san francisco and I abvoid that place like the plague.
lazs
-
The Richmond Gear box shifts really nice. I'm coming from jp cars with ultra-slick shifters and I had no problem with it. Richmond gear should make steering kits too. :)
And I will never have an auto, and I never go to SFSSR. :D
-
BTW Funked, a kid was runing a WRX STI ABC XYZ 123 R at the track. He had a funy sound everytime he was shifting, something like a loud "Pshhhhhhhhhht".
Does it has anything to do with some kind of turbo relief valve?
(kid put 4Gs in the car, said usually ran 13 secs, but this day he ran 14.68.)
-
Yeah it's a blow-off-valve. 14.68 lol, crappy driver or else he didn't know what he was doing with the mods. Pretty funny either way. Bone stock they can do low 13's with a good driver.
-
I put in a new steering box with closer ratio and newer pump funky.... no excuse now for you to get out of the throttle like a little girl
lazs