1971 Torino 500 2 door hardtop

[Rory McNeil]

I just took a quick glance at Dwights site, and unless it is a misprint, the 302 2 barrel engine in a 70 Torino is rated at 220 HP, which is at least 70 HP higher than the same engine when used in a Maverick/Comet/Mustang/ Fairmont. Forget about U/SA if thats the case!

[FireSale]

Originally Posted by Rory McNeil

I just took a quick glance at Dwights site, and unless it is a misprint, the 302 2 barrel engine in a 70 Torino is rated at 220 HP, which is at least 70 HP higher than the same engine when used in a Maverick/Comet/Mustang/ Fairmont. Forget about U/SA if thats the case!

Careful. Thats a 1970 Torino with 68 and 69 heads allowed. This is a 1971.
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71 Torino 500 2 door hardtop:

302/210 @ 3305 lbs.
head D0OE-B 56.7cc 9.46 cr 2v

351c/240@3454 lbs.
head D1AE-CB 72.9cc 9.2 cr 2v

351c/285@3544 lbs.
Listed as Cleveland in Stock Car Guide. Not identified as Cleveland in the Engine Blueprints. Same head as 351c/240
head D1AE-CB 72.9cc 10.7 cr 4v

351(c/w?)280 Not listed in the Stock Car Guide. Do not use.
Not identified as Cleveland in the blueprints. Same head as 351c/240
head D1AE-CB 72.9cc 9.03 cr 4v


EDIT: Always start with the NHRA Stock Car Classification Guide. If its not there you should not build it for class racing. The Class Racer reference site is based on NHRA info, but is not official. NHRA does not refer to CR when tecing your car.If CR and NHRA dont match, go with NHRA specs.

[Dwight Southerland]

Originally Posted by FireSale

EDIT: Always start with the NHRA Stock Car Classification Guide. If its not there you should not build it for class racing. The Class Racer reference site is based on NHRA info, but is not official. NHRA does not refer to CR when tecing your car.If CR and NHRA dont match, go with NHRA specs.

While I understand your intention for "official" verification, I would think the opposite strategy would be most beneficial. Start with Class Racer Info, then go to NHRA data to verify. You will find access to the information you need so much quicker and easier to understand from CRI than NHRA has the capability to provide. Plus, if you are doing research there is relevant data available on CRI that simply is not available anywhere without doing calculations and time spent on other sources. By the time you wade through all the obscure data on the NHRA website just to find where all the information is, you can already have your decision made by using CRI.

The '71 302 2bbl is rated at 162 for stock eliminator. Not as good as some of the later 302 2bbl engines, but not unreasonable.

The 351/240 Windsor and Cleveland 2bbl engines are probably not good choices.

The 351/285 Cleveland 4bbl engine is a proven competitor, though expensive to build.

The 429 would also be very expensive to build, though can be competitive.

The 351/280 engine you reference is a Mustang-Cougar engine only.

[Rose Racing]

Originally Posted by Dwight Southerland

While I understand your intention for "official" verification, I would think the opposite strategy would be most beneficial. Start with Class Racer Info, then go to NHRA data to verify. You will find access to the information you need so much quicker and easier to understand from CRI than NHRA has the capability to provide. Plus, if you are doing research there is relevant data available on CRI that simply is not available anywhere without doing calculations and time spent on other sources. By the time you wade through all the obscure data on the NHRA website just to find where all the information is, you can already have your decision made by using CRI.

The '71 302 2bbl is rated at 162 for stock eliminator. Not as good as some of the later 302 2bbl engines, but not unreasonable.

The 351/240 Windsor and Cleveland 2bbl engines are probably not good choices.

The 351/285 Cleveland 4bbl engine is a proven competitor, though expensive to build.

The 429 would also be very expensive to build, though can be competitive.

The 351/280 engine you reference is a Mustang-Cougar engine only.

Was also looking at doing the 285hp combo I have the heads and intake but need a block and the Holley carb

[FireSale]

Dwight: I meant to say that after I hit Post but it was late. CRI helped me see that my hair brained ideas were not workable faster than NHRA. Thanks for making this tool available.


EDIT I was wondering about the 302 2bbl listed as 210 and 162. Is 210 the factory rating and 162 the NHRA adjusted rating? I had to look close to see the 162.

[Carguy49]

The biggest problem I see with the 302 combo in U or T class is weight. The Torino weighs about 350 lbs. more than a Comet/Maverick combo.

The min. weight w/ driver for U is 3410 for the 71 Torino and 3030 for the 72 Comet/ Maverick. These figures are according to Dwight's site. A very useful source for info.

I ran one of these very cars in the mid 70's. Fun and different.

[FireSale]

Originally Posted by Carguy49

The biggest problem I see with the 302 combo in U or T class is weight. The Torino weighs about 350 lbs. more than a Comet/Maverick combo.

The min. weight w/ driver for U is 3410 for the 71 Torino and 3030 for the 72 Comet/ Maverick. These figures are according to Dwight's site. A very useful source for info.

I ran one of these very cars in the mid 70's. Fun and different.

Class is without driver in Stock. Shipping weight/factored hp.
All cars are allowed to run at the class minimum .

U/S minimum is 20.00 lbs/HP.
The 72 Comet GT (143hp/2864 lbs) is 20.02 for U.
The 71 Torino (162 hp/3305 lbs) is 20.40 for U.
71 Torino min. for U is 3240. Drop 65 lbs and this combo is a technical match for the Comet.

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by FireSale

Class is without driver in Stock. Shipping weight/factored hp.
All cars are allowed to run at the class minimum .

U/S minimum is 20.00 lbs/HP.
The 72 Comet GT (143hp/2864 lbs) is 20.02 for U.
The 71 Torino (162 hp/3305 lbs) is 20.40 for U.
71 Torino min. for U is 3240. Drop 65 lbs and this combo is a technical match for the Comet.

The Torino is a much larger car regardless of weight.

[Carguy49]

Thanks Billy. Yes, the Torino is physically larger than a Comet or Maverick. I was surprised at how light they are since they are so much bigger.

According to the rule book, once a class is determined you add 170 for the driver and that is your final weight. Last line of the weight section for Stock Eliminator in the rule book - All cars are weighed with the driver. That is why the total is 3410 for the Torino and so forth.

[FireSale]

Who ran that white Thunderbird with the blue nose flames and what was the combo? That was a big car that ran well and was successful.
And what about the wagons? They don't seem to hurt from pushing air.



The 351C 4bbl is a pretty rare car. Only a few within 1000 miles of me on Craigs List. 16,500 for a choice vehicle and 4,000 for a running project car. Zero blocks. NHRA has two aftermarket blocks listed, but they are not cheap.


I'm looking at 1,600 for a stock Ford long block.