Big hairy race cars.

Kinja'd!!! "Grindintosecond" (Grindintosecond)
07/29/2020 at 17:25 • Filed to: None

Kinja'd!!!1 Kinja'd!!! 11

You gotta wrestle these gorillas around with big forearms and an eggshell between the gas pedal and a sensitive right foot, becasue that is the real way they were steered around. Racing starts around 5:25.


DISCUSSION (11)


Kinja'd!!! John Norris (AngryDrifter) > Grindintosecond
07/29/2020 at 18:15

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Lots of power, but lots of grip and very light weight, only about 1500 lbs. I’d love to dive one.

My Dad took me to a few races in the late 60's and early 70's at Riverside International Ra ceway.


Kinja'd!!! Grindintosecond > John Norris (AngryDrifter)
07/29/2020 at 18:29

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I read an article about a shop that was rebuilding a big block can am motor for a McLaren. Although the crankshaft was thirty pounds, it was still lighter per cubic inch of displacement than a modern-at-the-time F1 V8 engine. Which meant downshift blips were always in danger of zinging past redline.


Kinja'd!!! camaroboy68ss > Grindintosecond
07/29/2020 at 18:39

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Those motors were the ZL-1 427 big block Chevy’s. There wasn’t much difference between those race engines and the production units that went into the 2 ZL-1 Corvettes and 69 Camaro’s built in 69. They were monsters. The production engines were around the same weight as a cast iron small block. 


Kinja'd!!! camaroboy68ss > Grindintosecond
07/29/2020 at 18:48

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CAN-AM and TRANS-AM were some of the best racing ever in my opinion. CAN-AM being the wild and crazy series and TRANS-AM being the production car series with the best drives making for some of the best racing. I always enjoy seeing the old TRANS-AM cars being tossed around tracks. The owners/drivers still put these cars through their paces. 


Kinja'd!!! Grindintosecond > camaroboy68ss
07/29/2020 at 20:49

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wasn’t much difference? From my Pete Lyons book, he discusses t he Mclaren M8' s used bore and stroked 8+ liter motors . Their 495 ci motors had 600+ lb ft torque from 4k to 6k, 750hp peak, with good power all the way to 7800 rpm. They were using Reynolds Aluminum blocks.

And that was 1971 .

By 72 they built 565 ci motors/9.62 liters, But they couldnt turn that 800hp at the higher rpm. I dearly wish the turbo big block projects actulaly worked. They just couldnt get it reliable enough, but then their dynos couldnt measure 1000+ lb torque so they really were limited in testing. 4500 rpm and up was just guessing mostly.

So the only similarity to the street motors were the older Can-Am motors pre 70. Everything inisde was full custom.

Its a fantastic book. get it if you can.


Kinja'd!!! onlytwowheels > Grindintosecond
07/29/2020 at 21:29

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And then along co mes the guys from Stuttg art ....

https://www.carthrottle.com/post/wy29p63/


Kinja'd!!! glemon > Grindintosecond
07/29/2020 at 21:44

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That was great stuff, I have seen the vintage Can Am grid at Road America a few times. The cars, though certainly not tiny, are a lot smaller than they look (to me at least) in pictures. Big V8 and a small chassis.

Assume you saw the video of the big fly by on the main straight at Road America, man he is lucky it took off after the bridge.


Kinja'd!!! glemon > John Norris (AngryDrifter)
07/29/2020 at 21:46

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I would love to drive one, but I think that is more power and performance than I could wrap my brain and aging reflexes around. 


Kinja'd!!! Grindintosecond > camaroboy68ss
07/29/2020 at 23:11

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Love that stuff. Love it loveitloveit. I wanbt to build a 66 Mustang notchback with the flares and wheels and suspension look they used there. A real canyon carver, but weirdly an aluminum headed 200 inline 6 with itb injection on it....call me weird.


Kinja'd!!! camaroboy68ss > Grindintosecond
07/30/2020 at 18:30

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They were still Chevy based blocks. I know the Chaparral’s used the ZL-1 based block starting in 67 I think. Chevy took that engine block and had to add a fuel pump provision to use a standard mechanical pump and then they used a L88 intake and carb if I am remembering correctly.I dont think they did more r&d on intakes. 


Kinja'd!!! camaroboy68ss > Grindintosecond
07/30/2020 at 18:31

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Yeah I’ve wanted to build a 67-69 Camaro that looks like a vintage trans am from a distance but have all modern drivetrain like a LS motor and 6 speed with really good suspension and brakes.