Third Gen good for drag car??
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From: North Alabama
Third Gen good for drag car?? Hey guys me and my dad are looking to build a drag car and I have some questions. We have a sbc with about 500hp and is set up for about a 300 shot but that is all we have so right now we are looking for a rolling chasis. But over the last couple of weeks a few of his buddies have tried selling us some cars. One was a 87 Monte Carlo SS and the other was like a 87 Z28 they are both stock cars with mechanical issues so they are cheap. Any how we are going to try and find a rolling chasis but should I even consider the other two? Are the bodies of either two easly transformed into a race car? I just don't want to start a project and then later down the road be like man I wish I would have choosen another car. I know the question is vague I am just looking for some advice on what not to buy. Thanks for any input.
,Chase
,Chase
either chassis is a very good start, the monte will have a little more room to work on it, and it has a real frame. I like the camaro because i own 2 of them but i've always loved the g bodies, might be buying a cutlass for a new dd. either chassis can be made to handle the power
I'd go with something where there is an abundant amount of chassis and suspension parts readily available for it. Also, the less weight the better and the more aerodynamic the better 
.
. Thread Starter
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As far as the weight they are both comparable but one thing I liked about the camaro is it is a hard top where the monte is a t-top car. G bodies are full frame cars right? Thanks for the responses guys these are the kind of responses I was looking for. So far I am gathering either car is acceptable if it comes down to buying one of these two. Again I am looking for a rolling chasis but I might have to settle for one of these.
Thanks, Chase
Thanks, Chase
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From: Gainesville, Florida # of drag strips runs: ?!?!?
Plenty of 3rd gens out there b/c as mentioned great suspension parts. You can't go to a drag radial or limited tire stock suspension race without seeing 3rd-4th gen F-bodies and Mustangs.
Derek
Derek
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Both are good cars to start with. I have a couple third gens now and I have also had a few g bodies and in my experience the third gens have more aftermarket support ( read cheaper parts quality equivalent ) and they share the exact same rear suspension as fourth gens plus the third gens are lighter, more aerodynamic and theres a TON of tech support www.thirdgen.org
So looks aside as I sure do love the looks of GN's and Monte SS's I think dollar for dollar you will go further with a third gen or a fourth gen for that matter there are some great deals on LT1 stlye cars out there right now. But I too much prefer the looks of a third over a fourth gen
So looks aside as I sure do love the looks of GN's and Monte SS's I think dollar for dollar you will go further with a third gen or a fourth gen for that matter there are some great deals on LT1 stlye cars out there right now. But I too much prefer the looks of a third over a fourth gen
Yes but they exit down the center in the trans tunnel. If you keep the tq. arm you don't have many options besides using bullets & dumping them. Like I said, it's just a pain. Not trying to talk you out of the 3rd gen.
Look at sig pic I'm running 1 3/4" stainless LT's into a 2.5" y-pipe into a single 3" and I have more ground clearance than stock. I could easilly do a 3" y pipe and 4" catback in the same position and loose no clearance but it was overkill in my case and I already had the 3" run so until I put a screw on it this system works great.
Duals on the other hand? Not so easy on a third gen. Dual 2.5 you can do without clearance problems but dual 3"? is a biatch
Duals on the other hand? Not so easy on a third gen. Dual 2.5 you can do without clearance problems but dual 3"? is a biatch
I wish I had kept my 92 and made it a racecar, I love the bodystyle of the thirdgens
and there's so much room to work in the engine bay. You can find parts pretty cheap
used or in a scrapyard. As long as you start with something strait, you're golden.
The later firebirds were my fav. You can scoop them up dirt cheap too.
Fortunately, they share enough geometry that many aftermarket 4th gen suspension parts fit.
There's also a pretty good pile of LS1 (and BBC) swap documentation out there.
Something to note is that the early 3rd gens do not share as much with the 4th gens as the later models.
Rear end, brake and tranny swaps are not as simple as you might like.
A local board member (and coworker) is working on an LS1 swap on his 83 and learning a lot of this the hard way.
and there's so much room to work in the engine bay. You can find parts pretty cheap
used or in a scrapyard. As long as you start with something strait, you're golden.
The later firebirds were my fav. You can scoop them up dirt cheap too.
Fortunately, they share enough geometry that many aftermarket 4th gen suspension parts fit.
There's also a pretty good pile of LS1 (and BBC) swap documentation out there.
Something to note is that the early 3rd gens do not share as much with the 4th gens as the later models.
Rear end, brake and tranny swaps are not as simple as you might like.
A local board member (and coworker) is working on an LS1 swap on his 83 and learning a lot of this the hard way.
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