2-barrel Roch Only Questions

[MR DERBY CITY]

The 350 ci 2 bbl Ventura has been campaigned by Ron Thorne in D3 …I have not seen him run the car in years ..
.He does visit this site so MAYBE he can give YOU some insight regarding the combination..……………

[oldskool]

" The big inch Pontiacs had a 1,250 carb, I believe..."

When you say "big inch", do you mean the 455, or does that also include the 400's, as opposed to the 350's using a smaller carb ?

Don't mean to be picky. But I've always thought of the 421, 428, & 455 as the "big inch" Pontiac motors. But obviously, a 400 is bigger than a 301, 326, & 350.


"...Ron Thorne...He does visit this site...MAYBE he can give YOU some insight regarding the combination."

Thanks for that info ! Do you know if he goes by that name here, or something else ?


"...My first pass was 13.53 followed by a 13.52..."

Well, without trying to improve that combo, he ran low 13.50's, back in the 1980's. The 16lb/hp auto class index is 13.45.

So, here's some questions for you guys who were doing this back in the '80's & are still doing it, or at least still keeping up with the changing technology.

(1) How much more power can be made with this engine today, than back in the '80's ? I'm assuming that the current cam/spring rules should allow for at least a small power improvement, even with the small carb limitation. But, I have no way of knowing that. Just going by the fact that most all popular combos are now much quicker than they were 30+ years ago.

(2) How much quicker would a good TH200 trans be, than the TH350 that was required in the '80's ?

(3) Are today's available converters quicker than those of the '80's ? If so, by aprox how much, for a combo like this one ?

(4) Considering Danny's times, plus the use of currently available quicker parts, what ET do ya'll think this combo would be capable of.

I realize this is not a good combo. There are LOTS of better Pontiac combos. BUT, there are a LOT of guys racing combos that are not good. And, they are doin so for various reasons. I suppose some are doin it just because they've been racing the same car for a long time, & wanna keep racing it.

Some probably just don't have the money to buy or build what they'd really like to have. Some probably figure that since they can't buy or build what they'd prefer, then since what they have will run under the index, it'll do just as well as any other combo they could afford. So, they just stay with what they have & know.

I'm just guessing about a Pontiac Stock racer. He has a '69 Bird. He was running a RAIV engine. As the story goes, one of the heads got messed up. So, he switched over to the legal D-port engine for the car. It runs good, in the mid 10's. But, almost the same engine has a lower hp factor, in a '68 Bird. That has been a popular combo since the cars were new. I'm assuming this guy keeps running his '69 because he has it, knows it, & likes it, not because he thinks it's the best combo.

That's sorta my reason for digging around in this 2-barrel deal. These old Pontiacs are getting a lot harder to find, & more expensive, for anything decent. But, from what I've seen, in recent years, a '73-'74 Ventura would be a lot cheaper than a Bird, in similar condition. So, if starting from scratch, a guy could probably build a Ventura a lot cheaper than a Bird.

I suppose this might be considered a possible "dime rocket" build, tho it wouldn't exactly be a rocket. It would be more of an " I can build this car fairly cheap & it will run the index" type build.

Then there is the '67 2-barrel GTO build I mentioned. Even if it would be a better combo, a good '67 body won't come cheap. But, I'd still like to get opinions from you guys with 2-barrel experience, as to the potential of these 2-barrel Pontiac combos, or other 2-barrel Pontiac combos that you think might be better.

Hey, since VERY few examples exist, all this is mere speculation on my part. Guys with experience can provide more accurate info.

The only 2-barrel racing experience I've had was on a Pontiac powered dirt tracker. I did win a feature, a heat race, a trohpy dash, & had some other top 5 finishes, but that don't provide any answers to the drag racing questions I have.

Thanks to all you guys who have & will try to help me find answers to my 2-barrel Pontiac questions !

[MR DERBY CITY]

Originally Posted by oldskool

"...Ron Thorne...He does visit this site...MAYBE he can give YOU some insight regarding the combination."

Thanks for that info ! Do you know if he goes by that name here, or something else ?

He goes by the name Ron Thorne ….I believe he lives in the Evansville, Indiana area …

[oldskool]

Originally Posted by MR DERBY CITY

He goes by the name Ron Thorne ….I believe he lives in the Evansville, Indiana area …

Thanks !

I just sent him a PM.

[brian schuetta]

Didn't the 305 in a 76'-77' Camaro run the 1.375 2-barrel?

[Mark Yacavone]

Originally Posted by brian schuetta

Didn't the 305 in a 76'-77' Camaro run the 1.375 2-barrel?

NO.
Well probably lots of year cars run them but only legal on two years of 350s ;-)

[Greg Reimer 7376]

How about the 2 barrel 265 horse 396?