Re: Scouring the NHRA classification guides for a particular
 

If you want something oddball, I've always wondered how my wagon would run with a stick. 77/79 Pacer wagon, 258 2 barrel. Has run 1.20 under with an automatic, cheap to build, cheap to run, reliable. 77 Hornet wagon would also work.

Jim Mantle V/SA 6632

Re: Scouring the NHRA classification guides for a particular
 

Yeah, I saw the 8-barrel 427/425 for the '66-'67 Fairlane wagon. A natural C/SA car.

But I'm guessing that cars like that, and the Max Wedge wagons, may be prohibitively expensive.

The '66 Chevelle wagon with the 396/325 will run F/G/H, but everybody has a '66 Chevelle- heck, I had one back in college.

A more realistic approach might be the '78-'79 GM A-body wagon with the Chevy 350 4-barrel engine, currently factored at 287 horsepower. I think there are Chevrolet, Pontiac, and Buick versions. Could run G/H/I Stock, and probably a lot more affordable than the 8-barrel big-block cars I was exploring.

Re: Scouring the NHRA classification guides for a particular
 

Yes they were.

My car was pretty crude and didn't cost a lot of money, but I raced it twice a week for 10 years, and had a lot of fun along the way. Incredibly reliable, required almost no maintenance, and only burned about a gallon of pump 87 unleaded a week. It started out as my work commuter, and then one thing led to another. I built the 12A engine on a kitchen chair in my house. I kept it down to 9,000 rpms, because the entire rotating assembly was stock. 6.17 gears and 25.5" slicks. It ran high 11s with a little 4776 Holley carb and an open header with a megaphone, at full weight. It was the only car in my class that was not an American V8. Hiked the tires in the first three gears, fantastically loud, and shot flames 20 feet behind the car when I let off at the top end. I probably won more races due to how distracting the car was, rather than any actual skill that I may or may not have had, and I was in the money regularly.

Re: Scouring the NHRA classification guides for a particular
 

I would consider selling my V/SA Aspen wagon. It will need a little work to get going again but nothing to hard or expensive. 6k with all Slant 6 parts I have or 9k with a good legal and fast 360 combo.

http://www.autoimagery.com/gallery/v...00497.jpg.html

Re: Scouring the NHRA classification guides for a particular
 

What class does the legal and fast 360 combo run, and how far under does it run?

Re: Scouring the NHRA classification guides for a particular
 

You said you like oddball stuff? Buy it and make it into a LeBaron woodie . Lower rating..Runs N/SA

Re: Scouring the NHRA classification guides for a particular
 

If I buy or build a wagon, it will definitely be in woodie livery.

Now I gotta go look up the fastest Olds Vista Cruiser wagon.

Re: Scouring the NHRA classification guides for a particular
 

Looks like the '70 Vista Cruiser wagon with the 455/365 engine is an H/I/J car...

Re: Scouring the NHRA classification guides for a particular
 

I did a query on my database to list all the SWs. Some of the oddball cars that came to the top of the list are a 1961 Ford 2 dr Ranch Wagon 390/401hp and 1961 Chev Brookwood 409/409. Of course, those would be manual trans only. 1967 Comet Voyager 427 8V is the top of the list and there are many 1966-1969 Chevrolet combinations with 427/425 power. An unexpected one is a 1968 Mercury Montego MX with 428/335 (CJ powered Comet station wagon???? Never heard of it.) or 427/390, which would be available with auto. Several combinations of 1970-71 Ford 429s are there along with 1970-75 Chevelle big blocks.

Your choice of the 1978-79 G-body 350 is a decent one for availability, cost and competitiveness.

Re: Scouring the NHRA classification guides for a particular
 

It may not be as sexy as some of the others, but I think you may be right.

And since other A/G-body wagons up to 1983 can be back-dated to '78-'79 status, It makes it a little more viable.