REGAL TIMES

My first time ever to the track since the metamorphisis. The stock 305 went 17.8 @ 76 mph. This engine was a bit more powerful. This run was after I figured out there was no way I could hook up on the BFG radials and was the best I could do given my experience driving a car of this nature. At the time the car was making around 400 HP. It had the original rear suspension with a "rebuilt for handling" front suspension. It was also extremely low to the ground. The rear was a 7.5" 3.23:1 geared unit.

Eight months later, I bolt on slicks and a 4.10:1 8.5" rear and go .7 sec quicker and 2 mph faster. Again, the suspension was the limiting factor in the times. I was amazed at how much deflection exists with the stock rear trailing arms. This was my third and next to last run of the night. My driving skills were the only changes being made to the car at this time. Too bad I never got a chance to test this combination more as it would have made me a better driver and netted better times for the "cast iron head" motor.

THE PRESENT

At the present time the car has gained about 100 HP through the addition of AFR heads and a high flow fuel system and a completely bigger exhaust system. It is also about 100 lbs lighter. The rear has been enhanced with many bolt-ons. I have also become a better wrench turner and come to know the car better. The only thing that hasn't changed is my driving skills which are mediocre at best. On 1-21-00 I drove the beast back to the track with intentions of getting to know the car better. It didn't disappoint me as you can see from the times below. First I'll concentrate on improving the quarter mile times. I figure it should be good for 11.9 @ 120 mph.When those are where I want them I'll focus on bringing the car into autocrossing. Imagine the looks on people's faces when they see this thing at an autocross meet.

This is my first run after five years in the car. I was not ready for the tree to come down and the clutch was not disengaging properly. I panicked and mashed the gas and released the clutch at the same time. The car took off slipping the slicks and not wanting to shift through the gears. I did notice it went extremely straight down the track, something it never did before. I picked up my time slip and saw a 110 MPH trap speed which gave me something to look forward to for the next run considering how miserable this one was.

Finally, I get the results I need to make me believe all the things I've done to the car are starting to work. I was the last person in the field, so I got a bye-run. I didn't pay attention to the tree and brought the RPM's to around 3500. Let the clutch go and felt the tires slip a little. Shifted a little early at around 6500 but had no problems with the clutch this time around since it had cooled off for two hours. Got it into high gear and saw the tach at around 5500 which meant a little over 110 MPH. In the end, the trip was very satisfying considering I drove it to the track, not trailered it and left me feeling there was more to come.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENTS

I think the car can run in the high 11's if I do a couple of things. The shocks have to be changed in the front to some Competition Engineering 3-way adjustables I have lying around. The slicks were a little high on pressure because I didn't know what the car would be like at speed. Next time I'll drop it to 15 psi and see what happens. My driving could use some improvement and I could shift at 7000 allowing for some better band power. This is especially true when shifting to fourth as that drops the RPM to around 4800 and takes the engine a bit out of its pull range. The engine is pulling extremely hard, so I don't know if I could improve in the power department, but you never know. I could also take the sway bar and street tires out of the car allowing for about a 50 pound reduction in weight. The future looks good and I'll make sure to update the site as soon as newer results come in.

These are the last runs made for a while. After the third run, the engine started making a noise and the rest is history. The first pass was typical of my first attempts. The clutch was not disengaging and the car bogged at the line when the slicks hooked at only 3000 RPM and 15 psi with drag shocks. The second pass had the clutch problem only on fourth gear, although the timeslip shows I was down the entire run compared to my best time. The last pass was good, but I believe this is where the engine got hurt and caused the car to slow a little, so I belive it could have been a 12.2xx with full power. If only I can get the car to hook, 1.6xx 60', it should dip into the 11's. All in all, my last trip to the track was allright. I raced a '98 Z28 making 373 RWHP on my first two runs (car #4783) and gained his respect after the second pass. He was fully astonished when I was able to beat him after posting those numbers the first time around. His best run of the day was a 12.4xx @111.xx, so I'm confident the engine was making good power considering my speed compared to his, especially at the eighth mile. I was also able to beat my boss' '74 440 Dart. It was his first trip to the track but he was able to work a few bugs out and managed a 1.8xx 60' with a 7.91 @87 1/8 and 12.6xx @93 1/4. He had some fuel starvation problems at the big end and wasn't able to overcome them.