bence13_33

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. I have pretty much decided that making the 'Vette into my drag car isn't such a great idea. It's not a very economical or feasible idea right now. The independant rear suspension just isn't a very good building platform. While it has held up so far with the slicks, it's only a matter of time before the rear end gives up the ghost (you should read this as $$$). I have also only been pulling 1.8 60' times so it's not like I've been doing killer holeshots.

So what will the 8-71 blower motor be going in? There's a 1970 Camaro in my area. It's already been gutted for drag racing. It's got a narrowed Ford 9" rear end, Strange axles, 4.56 gears, spool, tubbed out, sub-frame connectors, full roll cage, fuel cell, rear mounted battery w/ kill switch, floor mounted automatic Hurst shifter. It's a rolling chasis and only needs a motor and transmission. The guy even has a pair of headers for the Camaro (big block headers). It has a couple minor rust spots that need patched and it needs painted. He is asking $3,000 for it.

Painting the Camaro is no big deal at all, my uncle and I can do it for next to nothing. I already have the motor for the Camaro so I would just need to pick up a transmission for it.

I sat down and did some thinking about what it is I really want. I want to be able to pull 1.5 60' times consistantly and reliably. I also want to be able to pull the front wheels off the ground coming off the line. So rather than hacking up my low mileage Corvette, I'm going to put it back to original. I do plan on driving the Camaro on the street so it should be a pretty nice "street sweeper".

I will be going to take another look at the Camaro within the next couple of days. I figured I would keep you guys updated with my plans. :cheers:

Alwyn678

Are you gonna leave the BB in the vette or will it go in the camaro?? You are going back completely stock in the vette?? That may some getting used to for ya :cheers:

Flareside

Shane, you're nuts in a good way! :lol: Didn't we go through this a few months ago? Last time, I said I would save your one family classic Corvette and buy the Camaro. You may not care about cutting up the Vette now, but you will 10 or 20 years from now. Just ask all the guys around here that wish they still have their first Corvette in their garage. I knew you would come around! :thumbs:

bence13_33

Alwyn678:
Yeah, I'm going to put the 350 back into the Corvette and put it back to original. It might be nice to be able to hear my girlfriend talking while driving in the 'Vette for a change (although I'm still not sure about that :lol: ).

Joe:
You were right :) . I love racing the 'Vette but it's really not meant to be much of a drag car. A solid axle is definitely the way to go. I still am not sure if I could have gone through with putting a roll cage in the car, not to mention putting a Ford 9" rearend under the back of it. I think the Camaro is going to suit my needs much better.

MotorHead

That is my feelings on the C3 too, not really made for the drag strip, if I was gonna do some serious drag racing a 9 inch is the only way to go. I would probably go Mopar though :D

garagedweller2

Well, IRS was better for road-courses anyways, so how about making a car that will outlap others @ Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen, etc? :D

norvalwilhelm

I think it is a great idea Shane. My mustang launches and the vet just spins. Off the lights the mustang would eat the vet alive even with half the horsepower. The mustang will come out at 4700 on nitrous with the 11.50 et streets and lift the front end.
Of coarse I also got 3 flat tire trying that.
Also Shane I for one even if it isn't a vet would like to be kept informed on how the project is going.



[Modified by norvalwilhelm, 8:35 PM 7/13/2003]

Jughead

Good choice Shane. I always like the '70. Get a couple Z-28 fender badges for the front would be a nice touch! :yesnod:

QuickVet

sounds like a smart idea. I have been doing a ton of thinking as well. I just dont know what i want anymore :crazy:

Flareside

Don't even think about the axle, building a drag car usually goes way beyond that. Think about cutting holes in your dashboard, floorpans, etc., to fit the roll bar that will make the car safe for 130+ mph drag racing. Think about the reduced visibility on the A-pillars, reduced cargo space, and bad handling from the straight line suspension. Modified frame and fuel system, etc. Admittedly, I'm a bit conservative when it comes to cutting up and permanently modifying an original car, so you may want to go a different route. Just be sure that's what you want before you whip out the sawz-all. :lol:

Frankly, I WISH my dad had an original '73 to hand down to me. Heck, I wish I still had the '73 Cougar that was my first car.

I spent Saturday night cruising with the wife in the '68, and I don't think I ever got about 3000 rpms, but the time is like they say in the commercials, priceless! I've almost got her convinced that we need a second bumper car for me to mess with so I can leave the original '68 alone... :lol:


[Modified by Flareside, 10:45 PM 7/13/2003]

Schmucker

To heavy, not worth it.

GrandSportC3

You are abolutely right... A Vette isn't really meant to be a Superfast Drag Car unless you hack it all up and put a Ford 9 inch in it... Until then - you would have big $$$ in the car...

I just talked to a guy yesterday at the track. He has a 68 Camaro that runs mid to upper 9's (all throttle - no boost or bottle)... and he only has 15k into the car... There's no way that you can build any year Vette into a car that fast for that kind of money...

bence13_33

Norval:
There's what I'm talking about! Pulling the front wheels off of the ground :) . I really want the wheels to come off of the ground upon launch...I'm pretty sure I'll have the power to do it to. It will just be nice not to have to worry about my rear end coming apart on me at the track. I'm not saying that the Ford 9" will be bullet-proof but it's definitely a lot stronger than the rear end in the 'Vette. I'll definitely post the occassional update of my progress.

Len:
That's what I had planned. Some Z28 badges would look nice.

Aaron:
I've been thinking about this for a while now. The original plan was to put a Ford 9" under the 'Vette with a Jerico clutchless 4 speed. I really started questioning if that's what I wanted to do to my 'Vette with 26,000 original miles on it. Everything I have done up until now can be reversed. A Ford 9" rear end and full roll cage would be tough to reverse. So in the end I decided against it.

Joe:
That's why I am really attracted to the 1970 Camaro. It already has all of the work done to it. It had a 13:1 compression 454 motor, aluminum heads etc... in it so the car was being driven. The plan is to pro street the Camaro and put the 'Vette back to as close to original as possible. I plan on cruising in the 'Vette with the A/C blasting. If anyone trys starting something while I'm in the 'Vette I'll go home and get the Camaro ;) .

Olivier:
My buddy's dad has a '67 Camaro with a Ford 9" under it. It's an alcohol injected 540 running in the 8s....so I figure if it can take that kind of abuse it should be able to handle my motor. A solid axle just seems like a cheaper way to go in the long run.

Steve Straus

Shane, I've been coming to the same conclusion. The funny thing is I *have* a 68 Camaro with a moser axled strange thirdmember ford 9" in it, but it was my first car, so I'm not inclined to hack it up, but then again.. it's just sitting there... :reddevil :reddevil :reddevil :reddevil

I love having the BB in the Vette, so I guess I'll just have to build up a 540 and a 4L80E and see what else happens...maybe I'll just find another first gen car and transfer the rear over.

I think you're heading in the right direction.