69 camaro running in the 10s

[Xplantdad]

GREAT info Wayne and Mark!

One thing I forgot was this itsy-bitsy piece of trivia. When I worked for National DRAGSTER, I was off to Indy for the US Nats. I spent a lot of time in the sportsman pits (hey – these guys read my column…I doubt any of the Top Fuel or flopper folks cared….<g&gt. One of the Super Stock guys I knew was really in deep trouble with his car. It wouldn’t build oil pressure. Guess why not? At the time (late nineties), it was the in thing to remove every second tooth off the oil pump in an effort to reduce internal friction. Apparently, it worked reasonably well if you were careful with oil choice. But this racer also used the latest and greatest 0-wt oil (yes, it does exist….it resembles water in consistency). Coupled together, the small block just couldn’t build PSI. Now, to be fair it was afterall, INDY!. The car was running in class eliminations. The racer needed everything he could throw at it. The problem eventually was resolved by switching to a “heavy oil” (likely 10W or something in that range). It just goes to show how over the top little guy racing has become.

Cheers!

Wayne Scraba

[Xplantdad]

Wow...these sound like some of the stories that Ken has told me. I love all of the cool stories. Keep it up!

[mfchassisworks]

Hey Wayne, Thanks for all the great articles of the years! I learned alot from you. Loved the 69 Camaro!

and Kris, here is our 69 Camaro making a few runs. It was a pump gas 468 with 3.73s and 28 x12.50 ET Streets and no traction bars (thanks again Wayne!) PM me if you have any questions.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...0173449938518#


Andrew

[kwhizz]

Wayne..........


Ken

[markjohnson]

I'm pretty sure it's Redline Oil that's been making that O-WT oil that's become popular in Pro Stock. Now, you figure that class has been essentially the same since they initiated the 500 CID/2350 LBS rules in 1982. I really don't even keep track anymore, but what's the current P/S record these days.......6.50-6.60? That means just a little over ONE FULL SECOND reduction in ET over a period of 28 YEARS. That's pretty incredible! They've used the dual Dominator configuration since the beginning, so you figure they really had to beat the bushes to find that one second! Hey Wayne, remember back in the Seventies of hearing the short-lived fad of running Lencos totally dry?!

Hi Mark….

I recall running stuff (engines, transmissions, rear axles) low on fluid, so I wouldn’t put it past someone to run a Lenco empty. Don’t imagine since it is a planetary trans, how happy it would be though <g>.

I have some other interesting figures for anyone who cares. Last year I did a whole bunch of work on a drag race special magazine special for Race Engine Technology out of the UK. I talked them into a section on Sportsman Racing. Some of the itsy bitsy facts and figures are startling. My old pal, Mike Pustelny tells me the average front to rear wheel drive conversion Super Stock GT chassis now goes out the door for $125,000 or so, less engine, trans, headers and a few accessories (!), while a custom built recreation of a B029 or L023 Mopar Hemi Cuda or Dart will go out the door for between $125,000 an $175,000! Mike says there are between 450 and 525 man hours necessary to build a state of the art SS/GT FWD conversion car and 550 hours necessary to build a Super Stock A Hemi car. You’re not done yet. Charlie Wescott (the leader of the Warfish bunch) tells me you better bring $65,000 to the plate to bring home a new Super Stock race hemi. I’m sure Ray Barton gets an equal amount for one of his bullets.

A bit closer to home for me, I also spoke to Robin Whitcomb of B-A-M (Oregon) regarding a Stock Eliminator big block Chevy. The Sorenson brothers run out of his shop and have held the A/SA record on and off with a L72 ’69 Camaro. That engine (are you sitting down?) produces 641 HP at the peak with an extremely wide powerband. It’s also fragile when on “kill” according to Robin, so it needs a lot of maintenance. You can buy a near twin to that engine from Whitcomb for a mere $30,000! Robin tells me a more pedestrian engine combination such as a 250 HP 327 Stocker motor will only set you back $17,000 or so.

Moving over to Competition Eliminator, I spoke to Bob Panella Jr. (some of you might remember his cool dad Bob Sr. – he used to run the Panella Trucking Gassers). Anyway, Bob Jr. tells me that a 320 cubic inch, 15-degree, single four barrel wet sump motor costs in the neighborhood of $50,000! Add a dry sump and multiple carbs and the price jumps by another $10,000.

When it comes to Sportsman racing, purses aren’t exactly large either. At Indy (US Nationals), the winner in Stock Eliminator received $2,500. A Super Stock win could garner $3,000 while taking home the Competition Eliminator “Wally” was worth $3,500. In all fairness, contingency awards increase the purse, but the racer is at the mercy of the participating manufacturer as to when (or now it seems, if) he or she is paid. If you spun the clock back twenty-five to thirty years, I think you’d find the purses were proportionately stronger (by a country mile). We used to always figure if we won a National Event and collected all of the contingencies, we could just about cover the cost of the racecar.

Figured this info might prove interesting to some. And I’m sorry to the original poster – we got a way off track!

Wayne Scraba

[ QUOTE ]
Hey Wayne, Thanks for all the great articles of the years! I learned alot from you. Loved the 69 Camaro!

and Kris, here is our 69 Camaro making a few runs. It was a pump gas 468 with 3.73s and 28 x12.50 ET Streets and no traction bars (thanks again Wayne!) PM me if you have any questions.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...0173449938518#


Andrew



[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the comps man. You sure do have a bad boy '69! And wow, I suspect you're hardly spinning it over given the back gear (soo.....when are you really gonna cut it loose <g>?)

Take care bud!

Wayne Scraba

[markjohnson]

Hearin' ya loud and clear, Wayne. I recently purchased a book about managing personal finances and how to make wise investments, but for the life of me........I just can't find the chapter on Drag Racing.

[70 ls6 convert]

Well first off,happy new year to all,and Thank you everyone who responded,it looks like i just got decades of information in one thread,and i thank you so much,Im up here in the sticks of alaska,racing on an old abandoned air strip,so i dont want to get to crazy,i just want to go fast and give a good show for the crowd that shows up there about 16 of us racing i took third last year with my 70 ls5 4 sp chevelle with the origenal born with motor,i dont want to run that motor again,i would hate to break it, so ive got this 69 camaro and this new zl1 block,and now that the trucking season is over, i got time to get started on this project,i think i like the idea of putting a stroker asy in the new block with the 077 heads,and i just love racing 4speeds im confused on the gear ratio,im sure glad i didnt by 456 gears im starting to think 411or 373 like andrews car would be a better option,i also have a line on a used zz502,but i sure like the idea of the zl1 block,for now im gonna reread all these post and thank you wayne and everybody for all the great info ,happy new year kris...