Drag Racing Tech - BIG BLOCK IN A 4th GEN????

Okay....first off this is going in a drag car...that will see occasional street use for nights when I'm feeling real frisky. But has anyone put a BBC in a 4th gen fbod? I am looking into a crate motor thats putting out a claimed 1000 plus hp. The chassis it's going into has a 12pt cage. Its a 97 Camaro z28 convertible. It has a KTRE 12bolt and the rear suspension is completely built.
Question 1- Will it fit w/ the inner fenderwells untouched?
Question 2- Is there a motor plate already made that is used for this application
Question 3- With this motor and a Powerglide how would you hook up the guages? Would a custom Autometer/sheetmetal setup be required
Question 4- The goal for this car is 9 teens or high 8's.....should be enough eh?
Obviously this thread belongs somewhere else...however I don't know where...moderators be easy...lol...thanks for the help.

Okay....first off this is going in a drag car...that will see occasional street use for nights when I'm feeling real frisky. But has anyone put a BBC in a 4th gen fbod? I am looking into a crate motor thats putting out a claimed 1000 plus hp. The chassis it's going into has a 12pt cage. Its a 97 Camaro z28 convertible. It has a KTRE 12bolt and the rear suspension is completely built.
Question 1- Will it fit w/ the inner fenderwells untouched?
Question 2- Is there a motor plate already made that is used for this application
Question 3- With this motor and a Powerglide how would you hook up the guages? Would a custom Autometer/sheetmetal setup be required
Question 4- The goal for this car is 9 teens or high 8's.....should be enough eh?
Obviously this thread belongs somewhere else...however I don't know where...moderators be easy...lol...thanks for the help.
MY friend installed a 468 BBC in a 94. Yes with cast iron manifolds it went in fairly easily. If you want to put headers on be ready to shell out the$$$$ He made his own plates. It would be easier to use aftermarket gauges. My advise is use a crank trigger ignition rather than a standard ignition.

I was wondering, why would you need to swap out the guages? Why can't you use the stock gauges that come with the car? Sorry, I'm a noob, but I just wanted to know why...

You can. Some people don't want to be bothered cutting and splicing the factory harness. It's significantly easier to wire up some new gauges and dump the harness all together.

i have a camaro performance handbook and in it they had an article that showed that gm put a 502 in a 94. looked soo cramped but was cool:D

I am also looking into this next year. I cant decide on either to go with the BBC direct port or a single 88 mm small block with DFI.

Well i figured none of them would work. The alternator guage is all electric and probably a race alternator wouldn't have the electrical hook up that is compatible. The speedo working with a power glide...hmmm doubtful a mechanical tranny would work with the electric speedo on the car. The tach may work with a crank trigger etc. The coolant sensor is plugged into the head and the waterpump and I don't wanna go drilling and tapping into high dollar heads and the water pump would create all sorts of problems.

you could run a belt driven magneto off the front of the motor, that may solve the cowel clearace problems that you're sure to have. As for this project in a convertable car, I wouldn't feel too safe in that, and I hope you plan on being banned from the track after the first pass if they even allow you in with it. Last time I checked, there's rules against convertables that go faster than 10.99 I do believe. If you aren't planning on trying to run 8's, I say why bother with the BB conversion, you can get a ls1/lt1 to run 10's easily enough, with alot less work, hell, there's a boatload of guys running 9's with them, consistantly.

If you want to keep the factory gauges, it can be done.

A Volt gauge is a volt gauge, the factory one will hook up the same as an aftermarket would.
The powerglide has a mechanical speedo, but you can probably find a sending unit that'll fit.
The factory tach has an input wire just like other tachs, although the factory tach can be inaccurate.
The BBC heads have places to put the coolant temp sensor as well.
The oil pressure sending unit will plug in right above the filter.

"JL ws-6 you could run a belt driven magneto off the front of the motor, that may solve the cowel clearace problems that you're sure to have. As for this project in a convertable car, I wouldn't feel too safe in that, and I hope you plan on being banned from the track after the first pass if they even allow you in with it. Last time I checked, there's rules against convertables that go faster than 10.99 I do believe. If you aren't planning on trying to run 8's, I say why bother with the BB conversion, you can get a ls1/lt1 to run 10's easily enough, with alot less work, hell, there's a boatload of guys running 9's with them, consistantly. "

I just saw in the GMHTP the fastest LS1 in the country runs 8.52 and is in.....a convertible trans am. Hmmmm....anybody?

I just saw in the GMHTP the fastest LS1 in the country runs 8.52 and is in.....a convertible trans am. Hmmmm....anybody?

Its true, I also have that issue. the fastest LS1 powered car period is a convertible WS6 runnin 8.52s

I just finished installing a carbed SBC into my camaro not too long ago, and I was looking at possibly doing a big block at the same time. In the end I went with the small block more or less for ease of install.

There are also those special edition camaro's some guy did in limited production that had 427's in them. Don't member his name. So i'm sure they make any and all parts for the fitment.

BMR makes a K-member for the SBC and BBC into 4th gens.

I think an 8.1/4L80E combo would be beastly. Though don't
know what the 8.1 has for aftermarket hop-up support, it
has the displacement.

A company called Fel-Pro (i think) just made a 454 in a smallblock package that will fit quite nicely in a 4th gen. It was tested at 610/584 to the wheels. Damn good for 10 grand!

I've seen that GMHTP issue as well. fast, yes, safe, nhra legal, no.

thunder racing sells a motor plate for bbc in 4th gen. also hooker super comp headers (part #2455) will work on the 4th gen camaro..with very little effort. i have a 98 camaro with a 496 bbc , powerglide and an F1 supercharger. car will be completed shortly. will let you know the outcome..remember one thing...their is no replacement for displacement...

I would like pics of your car geico, if possible...

copeters@hotmail.com

Wow.. old school thread.

Peace,
Josh

If you want to put headers on be ready to shell out the$$$$


Not really alot of $$$$$. Hooker Headers 2455 ($150 uncoated) ($350 coated I think) These work really good with an aftermarket K-member and can even work on a stock k-member with a little cutting on the stock k-member.

Its true, I also have that issue. the fastest LS1 powered car period is a convertible WS6 runnin 8.52s

For this, this record has been bettered on stock suspension by a member on this board(Wormboy) and he is in the 7's. THAT and the fastest LS1 period was done by the guys at W2W and they dipped ito the 6's.


I've seen that GMHTP issue as well. fast, yes, safe, nhra legal, no.

As for that statement, below is a pic of Ronnie Duke's LS1 powered car that is a convertible(the one you saw in the magazine, just bettered) running in the NMCA event at Rt66 which is an NHRA track. Running 7.80's this weekend. So if he is running in that class, with a convertible, by all means it is NHRA legal.

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i209/z28kid98/Route66/P1010011.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i209/z28kid98/Route66/P1010012.jpg

If I recall correctly Ronnies car is a c5r motor not a ls1. Worm boy does have the ls1 record at a 7.9

C5R, LS1 call it gen 3. Im not thinking the powerplant is as important as the power on the pavement. There are way more people making WAY more power then they are using.

You can buy a BBC motor plate all over the place. You just have to find one wide enough for the stock frame rails.

A big block fits with ease many have done it. It take 1 serious BBC to equal a Geniii motor when taking in to consideration the weight difference. There are STOCK motored LS1's in the 10's, maybe nines (Im kinda slow). Not many but it can be done.

There is a forum on this board for this question, Brady has done it, a Mutual friend of ours has put a tall deck 522 inch big motor in a 4th gen. Contact Madman@Thunder racing...he built the headers for the above car.



David

If I recall correctly Ronnies car is a c5r motor not a ls1. Worm boy does have the ls1 record at a 7.9


Thank you , the truth hurts. I e mailed GM and High Tech on this very subject when dukes car was plastered all over the rag of a magazine as the first LS1 in the 7's, they threw me to the wolves in the letters section of the mag....I mailed them again to rub there nose in their NO KNOWLEDGE OF SHIT THAT IS GM when wormboy did the deed...funny I havent heard from them..hmmm :eyes:





David

http://www.1320hp.com/rides/displayride.php?ID=13#

This is a really old thread that came back up.
When Ronnie Duke's car went 8.52 it was the fastest gen3 (C5R block and heads) of any type. It was at Thunder in the final against Cody (Madmans car I think) that it ran the "52", I was driving, and it was built by W2W to NHRA legal standards.
At that race Wormboy was pitted next to us with his car on nitrous running around mid 9's.
Two years later, Ronnie Duke had Jason Mcneil drive his t-roof car with a Kinetics engine in it (C5R head and block) into the high 7's. That was late 2004 or early 2005 I think.
Then in 2005 I put a twin turbo engine in a old pro street car and went 6.86@ 205.
In 2006 Wormboy went a high 7 on a 10.5 non w tire with a stock car.
If the iron 4.125 block from GM is as good as it looks, you will see faster performance in the next year, although the gains per year will start to level off.

Kurt

Kurt whats the iron 4.125 block coming in or offered at. I didnt know an iron version was offered or about to be.

The word is a "bowtie" iron block based on the LS engine will be at PRI this year. The chance of an available billet alum block being at PRI is looking good now also.

Kurt