Daydreaming Out Loud (Drag Car)

"Hammerdown" (hammerdown32) 08/02/2017 at 14:24 • Filed to: None

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Perusing Craigslist for potential project cars and stumbled across !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! :

1986 Monte Carlo roller. $3000 bucks. Set up for a big block and a 4 speed. It already has cheater slicks on it, the interior is ok, its not rusted out, and seems like a decently solid base.

If I had the time, money, and space it would get one of these..

Not this big, shiny or nice, but since it’s already set up for a big block, a sub-500 inch Chevy with a centrifugal supercharger would be lots of fun. From the reading I’ve done 900-1200hp on pump gas would be doable. Hopefully have less than $10,000 in the motor.

The car already has a clutch pedal, so what manual transmission would be the best most fun for racing?

Yeeeessssss. A Lenco ST1200. Basically the street version of their race units. It would handle the power numbers I described on the motor, stay together on the street, and be a riot to drive. The trans tunnel would need to be rebuilt to fit this thing, but it’s a fantasy so I’m not worried about that. They run about $6,000 for a 5 speed.

Add a Ford 9inch, some suspension work, and a roll cage and this thing would theoretically be good for mid 9's.* The motor should be fairly streetable on low boost. A pully swap and a different tune at the racetrack could make it pretty potent. All on pump gas.

However, it would suck as a Drag Week style car. Why? Drag Week rules prohibit Lenco transmissions in any of their “Street” classes. Putting in the Lenco automatically would move this car into a class with 7 second back-half cars. It would take serious money to be competitive. I have no idea why this rule exists and looking around on the internet didn’t help me find an answer.

All that being said, it would be fun to put something like this together. All told, it’s probably doable for under $40,000. It would be fast enough to need a NHRA license and a parachute.*

But, as mentioned above, I don’t have the money or time for this. It’s all bench racing. It’s fun to dream though, right?

*Factory weight for a Monte Carlo was 3300lbs. I did the calculations at 3700lbs to account for the big block, Lenco, and driver. At 1000 flywheel horsepower it gave me an estimate of 9.48 @ 159mph. If it made 1200hp at the flywheel it would have a chance of breaking into the 8's at 160.

EL_ULY > Hammerdown 08/02/2017 at 14:29

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that be a good dream, yo!

crowmolly > Hammerdown 08/02/2017 at 14:30

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Gotta add more chassis mods

Dat G body shuffle doe

Hammerdown > crowmolly 08/02/2017 at 14:39

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An 8.50 cert rollcage would stiffen up the frame considerably. Most guys recommend tubular control arms and anti-roll bars out back. Staying with a stock suspension would allow the car to run in lower-level classes, which would be the way to go on a setup like this methinks. G-Body shuffle sucks, but it seems curable.

crowmolly > Hammerdown 08/02/2017 at 14:42

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Totally ways around it. Cage will do a lot, as will a drag bar. Maybe some boxing and gusseting too.

Can you qualify for drag week with just a ‘glide swapped in? I haven’t looked at the rules in a while.

Hammerdown > crowmolly 08/02/2017 at 14:45

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Yep! All autos are legal. From the little bit of research I think a clutchless 4speed (like a NASCAR car) would also be legal. I’m not entirely sure what would qualify as a “Lenco style” trans, but this would definitely be it.

Luckily, Drag Week is the only race with this type of restriction that I’ve found. Rocky Mountain Race Week, No Prep stuff, and the muscle car series event at BIR (I’m in MN) would all be in play with this setup.

Rock Bottom > crowmolly 08/02/2017 at 14:47

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It’s like the Fox Body Fling with more weight and a greater polar moment of inertia!

crowmolly > Hammerdown 08/02/2017 at 14:51

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Probably anything that’s a planetary gearset based manual.

crowmolly > Rock Bottom 08/02/2017 at 14:52

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Get ya some

Hammerdown > crowmolly 08/02/2017 at 16:19

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Yea, but potential for...

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Hammerdown 08/02/2017 at 16:38

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Comes back to the old dilemma. First or fun?

I bought my Capri for RallyX because it looked like the most fun way around the track. NOT because it was going to be the fastest or come in First place. (I doubt it ever will)

that transmission looks FUN

Sweet Trav > crowmolly 08/02/2017 at 17:10

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So, the body is a structural part of the frame in these cars. while the frames aren’t very torsionally rigid, this video a misleading marketing tool. even some of the bolt in braces offered by UMI fix a whole bunch of the chassis flex, as does either removing the bumper shocks and going to solid mounts, or trying the two frame ends together.

Sweet Trav > crowmolly 08/02/2017 at 17:12

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That’s not frame deflection, that’s no sway bar, and either sloppy bushings or an incorrectly located triangulated four link.

Sweet Trav > Hammerdown 08/02/2017 at 17:13

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They weight a bit more than 3300. probably closer to 3500 in reality. Also you can almost never go wrong with modifying a g-body, because it will never lose value.

Also big blocks, are in my opinion, a waste of money, a turbo 5.3 would get you into the 9's.

crowmolly > Sweet Trav 08/02/2017 at 17:26

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I’m just being goofy. If I remember correctly the GN in the pic was running at Atco when it broke its sway bar, and nothing about the chassis/body can’t be fixed or dealt with. Just can’t run north of 1000 without thinking things through. Can’t assume the car will leave straight with just a few bolt ons.

removing the bumper shocks and going to solid mounts

Is this just a weight location issue?

Sweet Trav > crowmolly 08/02/2017 at 18:14

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So the bumpers add no torsional stiffness to the frame because the mounts are shocks that twist. lots of people will put a trailer hitch on the back just to tie the rear frame rails together.

19JRC99 > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 08/02/2017 at 21:13

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Speaking of the Capri, I think we need an update post. Last I saw, you’d just bought a rear end for it.

Rock Bottom > crowmolly 08/03/2017 at 08:42

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That’s a tank-slapper in the making!

Hammerdown > Sweet Trav 08/03/2017 at 09:11

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I love LS motors. I simply said a big block because the car already is set up for one. That, and a big block and Lenco sounds cooler than a LS and a Lenco. A new school engine with an old school trans just seems off to me.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > 19JRC99 08/03/2017 at 11:01

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That was pretty much the last update to share, I’ve got numbers on the side now though! It’s going to have to head back to the mechanic that put in the new clutch/flywheel and starter. It has an electrical issue and I think the new starter (which now no longer works) is at fault. Melted the also brand new starter solenoid while it was at it. So as soon as I can get some time to get it hauled back over to the shop I can get this thing going (I hope)

Sweet Trav > Hammerdown 08/03/2017 at 11:08

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There is no difference between being set up for a big block or a small block in these cars. Both drop in and out interchangeably. The interesting thing is being set up for a 4 speed, because the MCSS never came with a manual from 84-88.