Ol' Fart's Firebird Fantasy

[oldskool]

Originally Posted by Todd Hoven

Run that deal as a 72. the 315 hp 455 is a good deal. I ran 10.80's in G with that combo in 09. The heads are a dime a dozen, very easy to find.

OK, Thanks Todd ! That's what I need--info from somebody with 1st hand experience with a particular engine.

Now, all the clean GTO bodies I've seen in the last few years are overpriced and out of my price range. So, I looked down the list of cars that can run this engine. I like the Lemans wagons at 13.0 weight break. One reason is because I noticed the ET for 13.0 is 2 tenths slower than for 12.50 break. So, even with a heavy car, a 12.65 should be doable, without any major financing.

The wagon will have to weigh: 13.0 x 315hp = 4095lb. Now when I think of the '72 Lemans wagon, I automatically think of the "Tons a Fun" and Jim Hand's wagon with the GTO front on 'em. But I figure they are rare and high dollar by now also. So one with just the plain Lemans front would do.

The next car on my list would be the GP. They should be much cheaper than a Goat or a wagon IF you can find one that is decent, that hasn't been crushed. You could run the GP in the 12.50 weight break. It would have to weigh 12.5 x 315 = 3937.5lbs That's 157.5lbs lighter than the Wagon. The rule of thumb is that 100lbs = 1 tenth of a sec ET. So the same engine should run about .15 quicker in the GP. But the index for the GP will be 12.45. That's 2 full tenths quicker than the wagon's index. So, on paper, you'd come out .05 better with the wagon.

Hey, I don't mean to bore ya'll with these figures. But when you are trying to run the index on a VERY low budget, every hundredth counts.

Now, I'd really rather drive a 2-door Lemans. So I'm thinkin that a Lemans will be easier to find than a wagon or a GP. And if it's got a decent body, but a ragged out inside and a shot or missing engine, I may be able to find one cheap and start from scratch.

Hey, I know it'd be easier to buy something ready to race or at least a good roller, less engine & trans. And I'd be glad to do that. But remember, this is a LOW budget deal. But I reckin it will really be more rewarding to build something from scratch, than to just be able to plunk down the $$ and go racing. But, hey, I'd like to try that just once to see if it was fun or not.