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MY FIRST DRAG CAR.
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Posted by: pauly

Does any one know what is a good weight for stock drag racing car, im building my first drag race car and have a lot of ideas, my fram is a choice between a 1970 camaro and a 1969 pontiac fire bird i want to build a low 10 car what would be a
good horse power target for a 10 second car i know more is better butt theres allways a price limit i plan to spend around 10,000 to get it running nothing fancy just fast, my base engine will be from 400-555 cid sized block thanxs for help drive fast dont be last. Pauly

Posted by: EvilLS1

Quote:


	Does any one know what is a good weight for stock drag racing car,

The lighter the better. The general rule is every 100 lbs you remove from the car is worth about .10 in the 1/4 mile.

In a full weight fbody 450-500 HP at the wheels should get you into the 10s if you can hook.

Posted by: LS1JAY

What Evil said!

Posted by: pauly

Ya light is better theres even weight saving if you replace the windows with that plastic stuff just dont hit any walls because the more weight removed is considered to be a interagraty compramise but these tenths of a second can mean the diffrence between winning and loosing.

Posted by: 86pushrod

i don't think a 10sec ride is a good goal if its your first car.

shoot for 12's then work your way down...
a 10 sec. ain't no joke.

Posted by: Grape Ape

Quote:

Originally Posted by 86pushrod


	i don't think a 10sec ride is a good goal if its your first car. shoot for 12's then work your way down... a 10 sec. ain't no joke.

HERE HERE!!!

Posted by: pauly

That is true i would be better off setting the bar a little lower i figure if i aimed at a ten second car i would at least achieve a 12 second car .

Posted by: LowETz

Shouldn't be too hard to get a mid/high 10.xx slip w/a 400+ ci. bottom w/good heads/cam/gear, and the all important sub 3k# RW.

Posted by: JoeBlow

It is all ways hard to start, but with the right upgrades and a good mechanic, you can achieve a 9 second run. If a radical cam like 280 degrees of rotation, a stall converter at 3000rpm's above stock, and a 150hp boost-through in a ram air induction-ported heads, hell get a stroker kit have it bored from 454cid to 500cid. You will be doing wheelies down the track.

Posted by: MadScientistMatt

Quote:

Originally Posted by pauly


	Does any one know what is a good weight for stock drag racing car, im building my first drag race car and have a lot of ideas, my fram is a choice between a 1970 camaro and a 1969 pontiac fire bird i want to build a low 10 car what would be a good horse power target for a 10 second car i know more is better butt theres allways a price limit i plan to spend around 10,000 to get it running nothing fancy just fast, my base engine will be from 400-555 cid sized block thanxs for help drive fast dont be last. Pauly

Well, I would have to say that there is sich a thing as a drag car that's too light for a beginner... but not with a normal muscle car. If you were contemplating putting that 400 inch motor in a sub-2000 lb Toyota Starlet, you'd have to watch out.

10's are going to be hard on a $10,000 budget, particularly if you start with a collectable (read: expensive) car. True, I have met one guy who owned a 10 second drag car built on a $2,000 budget. However, he had years of experience, and used budget cutting techniques that bordered on psychopathic. He managed to find a used engine from the local dirt track, cut valve clearances in the pistons with a belt sander

, patched it together, and dropped it into a gutted, derelict Nova sedan that he picked up for free. Looking at the car, I didn't doubt his word on the price... and I personally saw it run the times.

But if you don't have much experience scrounging parts or turning wrenches, 10's on your budget will be a lot harder.

Also, don't forget safety equipment. Keep in mind that you'll need more if you run 10's than if you run 12's. But with your goal, you'll probably need a NHRA-approved roll cage, driveshaft safety loop, and a lot more.

Posted by: junkman1

Quote:

Originally Posted by pauly


	Does any one know what is a good weight for stock drag racing car, im building my first drag race car and have a lot of ideas, my fram is a choice between a 1970 camaro and a 1969 pontiac fire bird i want to build a low 10 car what would be a good horse power target for a 10 second car i know more is better butt theres allways a price limit i plan to spend around 10,000 to get it running nothing fancy just fast, my base engine will be from 400-555 cid sized block thanxs for help drive fast dont be last. Pauly

i say go with the second gen camaro,they have the best weight transfer to hook up with....as far as the $10,000 bank roll you can kiss that goodbye before you ever hear it run,a good combo for what you wany would be a completly gutted camaro with a six point cage,434 small block w/brodix heads,roller cam,with lots of N2O and a power glide. but again the 434 just snaked on your $10K like it was an oatmeal cookie........bring on the feast.....but you know the old saying "HOW FAST CAN YOU AFFORD TO GO"

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