running C/SA "cheap"
Don't know how much you have been following C/sa since the blend...especially adding the new castings (which still is not finished) but it has been made very clear to everyone I know that the index is not safe. Or at minimum a re-classification. None of which really matters for a guy starting out. Hell at this point you are probably better with a F-body to build a SS/JA. If you will be at the Dutch shoot me an email.
Dennis
Don't know how much you have been following C/sa since the blend...especially adding the new castings (which still is not finished) but it has been made very clear to everyone I know that the index is not safe. Or at minimum a re-classification. None of which really matters for a guy starting out. Hell at this point you are probably better with a F-body to build a SS/JA. If you will be at the Dutch shoot me an email.
Dennis
C/SA looks like a pretty popular class also. The LT1 is easier (softer) in SS, only a 279 hp factor instead of, what 336 in Stock? You don't have to have a back-half car with big tires and a 4 link. There are several fast 9" or 10.5" tire SS cars around. Late F body cars for sure don't need big tires for well prepped tracks. Mine is all wrong, it even has T-tops, no 4 link, no big tubs & tires, etc. I'm not fast, about mid-pack. Still fun. A good (fast) Stocker can move over and run SS at races that aren't running stock, like this weekend (Sept 26-28) at Memphis. Just hope for no heads-ups. SS cars can't move the other way and run Stock.
Never figured out how to position myself on the ladder. Never know what the other guys are going to go.
You are right about the 98 being LT1 only. Call your 98 a 99 if you have the LS. We had a Camaro that was a 98. We could go both ways just claiming the year.
Hi Ed. I'll tell Angelo not to run your class. We love the heads up runs too. T-Top are great when you fat like me and need to get out of the car while you are in the trailer.
Dennis,
I have not been following it. We have been racing it. We have not had the Firebirds out too much this year, but had the 2004 GTO out a bunch. Won best appearing at Toyo Nationals. Now you know what team I tune and wrench for. I wish the indexes would be lowered. It won't happen. There will be too much crying. SS for a stocker can get you in but you can get your clock cleaned quick. We have some experience with an LT1 SS car. It has the H record now. I believe the LT is better at 279 than the LS at 305. I'll send you a PM.
Rich Scaz
Last edited by STOCK1090; Sep 23, 2008 at 07:53 PM.
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
Jack has always had really nice cars. He actually helped me with advice on my first Firebird. How about posting up a picture of what the legal rear suspension looks like for a new GTO.
Take Care,
Daren
I do like the heads ups better than show polish racing. I mentioned thinking the indexes needed at least 1/2 second knocked off and you should have heard the crying. When so many guys can run over a second under, and stockers can come over and run under them, they are inmho bogus soft.
This winter I'm going to go ahead and make it /060" over with the extra .013" stroke, probably a set of Patterson's light pistons, etc. Just have off-the-shefl JE pistons in it right now. Also some engine dyno time. A 6000 RPM non-lockup converter doens't repeat real well on my chassis dyno. Tranny temps make a lot of difference in slippage. Still running the one and only cam I have had for it, need to work on it some more. Angelo Decarlo, Don O'Mally, Don Little, etc, all show me how much I need to pick up. I'd be real lucky to run within 1/10th of those guys. Probably further off than that. I think it's doable, but gonna be hard on my Visa bill.
You are more than welcome to look under the car but posting pictures could get my hands cut off. There was a ton of time and $. Also it all had to be acceptable to NHRA. Tom did a fantastic job on the car.
Ed,
Reading can be fast. The trees provide some good quality air and it is cooler up there in the mountains. It seems the last few times we went for records there it was pretty crappy weather. Just bad luck I guess.
I get kind of spoiled being so close to Atco. Great hook and I think it is 10 or 15 feet above.
I'm like you. We like to go fast. The great thing about racing there is always a faster run to be had. That is motivation to us. I believe the indexes should be lowered 1/2 but I know why we need to make it doable for the new racers or Stock will have fewer participants. If you have not noticed most of us are older. We need new blood to keep it going. Just look at all the hitters that have been in the hospital over the past two years. I'm for lowering the indexes and making a wider range before getting HP. It sucks to work hard and have to hold to protect your HP rating. Hard to keep everyone happy.
Can you get your car to I weight?
Russ is in Div 1. He is a good racer with a nice car. The Linke family has several good racers. One of his relations bought our black Camaro a few years back.
Dennis,
You have a PM.
Last edited by STOCK1090; Sep 24, 2008 at 07:54 PM.
Wayne
it runs a good 1/2 MPH faster with an alternator (same as my bracket engine did with the 4L60E and factory computer), so with that and the training wheels I just put on, at Memphis it weighed 3240 with only 25 lbs in the ballast box. Has the certified cage needed to run I and up, but needs a serious diet to get there. I talk to guys running H, and wonder "how?". It has a 2003 tag on it, I used to drive it to work. If I had any sense I would still be doing that. It's the wrong car to begin with. It's just what I had.
The air was good at Memphis, Turned on my weather station Friday morning and it said "10.02" (-45'), uh I don't think so! One thing about div races, you can get away with running faster. I had the timing back ten degrees (I prefer that to adding weight to slow it down), and evidently a gear it didn't like, so my best pass was 10.50. Should help the average if somebody hits the -1.15 trigger. <G> I just left it like that, would have put the timing back if I had a heads-up. One SS/JA car was .003 quicker than I was set up like that, the other two had problems. I cleaned the splines out of the right side of my nearly new (maybe 30 passes) aluminium spool 1st round of eliminations. Hence, I'm home a day early. Had the spring in my second Terminator trans brake button broke sometime during Friday night. They replaced the other one, probably won't bother with that again. Drove it in the trailer Friday night, so it wasn't broken then. Found it broken Sat morning. Put the old "3.0" button back in. Two "trick" parts failure the same day. Back to basics.
I have been thinking about running in Super Street with my car without the electronics. I find myself thinking the same thing it might be better to just buy a car ready to in the class. I have my eye out.
The long weekends might be a problem. These classes are usually Thurs - Sunday do it is a pretty big requirement as far as time off.
Not to mention is is like pulling teeth to get info on these classes sometimes.
I have been thinking about running in Super Street with my car without the electronics. I find myself thinking the same thing it might be better to just buy a car ready to in the class. I have my eye out.
The long weekends might be a problem. These classes are usually Thurs - Sunday do it is a pretty big requirement as far as time off.
Not to mention is is like pulling teeth to get info on these classes sometimes.
Good Luck,
Daren
Sorry to hear about your breakage. I had a run in with an aluminum spool last year. It had so much run out I started checking my dial indicator. Not many runs on it too. I threw the spool in the trash and got a steel one. The carrier bearings are much cheaper too since they do not have to have the races cut down.
Good luck in getting her back together.
Rich
Maybe next year. My car runs 10.70s in the heat. I can put a lot of stuff back in it to get closer to 10.90. Bracket racers repeat the number all the time, just have to get the car to that number. My other problem is lights. Working on that one too. I probably should be looking at stock instead but a lot of changes for the car in that too as the car is far some stock.

