Ok, so here's the bane of my existence. I got a guy at my job, he's a bit of a, hmmm, how do you say, small burro. He thinks he's a big deal. So big that he had to give himself a "cool" nickname and has dubbed his mode of transportation the "b!tchin camaro". Said vehicle is a roughly 02 Camaro SS. My goal is to build up my 68 442 into a doomsday machine and destroy his pride. What mods would you guys suggest? I have a rebuilt 71 455, TH400, stock 12 bolt rear. I plan on picking up a 68 455. Edelbrock intake, carb, electric fan. I plan on challenging him to the local dragstrip but I'd also like the car to be able to handle a decent bit, nothing crazy, just for fun.

 

I hope you have real deep pockets and the knowledge to make an oldsmobile run fast. You are better off putting a BBC in there as parts are a dime a dozen and you will get more for your money. A rear end change will do wonders also

 

Hold on , Hold on...
What's a '02 SS run?
12.7? 13.0?

That can be done pretty easily...but the second he throws
better exhaust & a cam at his car...
You'd better have a bottle or deep pockets.

Here's my bet...
Get a wide set of M/T Drag radials & 4.10's.
Then insist you only race up to 60 or 70mph...
You'll surprise him.

 

I read in hot rod magazine that 442's like the 1970 with a 4 speed and 455 ran 13 seconds stock in the quarter mile.

So it shouldn't be to hard to attain seeing as that is what a pure stock car was capable of.

 

I actually bought that issue on the newstand.

HRM tested a new 1970 W-30 and W-31. If I remember correctly, the W-30 turned high 13s through the mufflers, spinning the bias plies all the way. Of course, tuned W-30s in E/Stock run in the low 11s or better. Drag radials and a decent rear axle ratio are your friends. Low weight helps also.

My suggestion? A healthy shot of nitrous with a hidden bottle. I like the trick of fitting the bottle into an empty tool box or cooler in the trunk. By the way, the LS-series motors really do make stupid horsepower very easily. Any small burro can do it!

 

Traction is the key. Any car that would run high 13's on bias plys. would run low 13's on drag radials easy.

Rule of thumb, .10 second in the 60 equals two in the quarter.

I was running on radials and ran low 13's, like 13.20. went to a drag radial and went 12.79. 60 ft went from low 1.8X to high 1.6X.

 

I'm not too worried about him modifying his car.
1) He's not a gearhead, he just thinks he's cool by having the car, not by tweaking it.
2) He's married with a new baby girl, so I doubt he's gonna blow the money. His wife would kill him.
Here's the breakdown as I see it.
Camaro Z/28 5.7L: 325 HP / 350 TQ @ 3600 lbs (3400+200 for driver) Dragtimes.com puts a stock 01 1/4 mile @ 13.5 sec (104 mph)
442 w/ 455: 385 HP? / Unknown TQ @ 3900 lbs (3700+200)

I'm planning on building up a 68 455 with a 4L65E Bowler for the challenge. I got to make up for a 300 lb difference. Any other factors I should account for?

 

I don't think you'll have to do much. But he'll probably won't show up anyway.

I have a guy at work that calls both my babies POS's but yet, will not race me. He used to have an '83 Porsche 944 with just the 4 banger and no turbo, according to dragtimes it ran 16.4

I kept saying lets go, but he backed down real quick, esp with the Alero running 14.5

 

YES first you have to build it and again you better have deep pockets even for a mild rebuild with machine work cam, manafold,carb, pistons unless you shave the crap out of the heads and block, a posi rearend with decent gears, good torque converter and some trans mods and most likely some thing else i failed to mention = about $4500.00 at the low end. By the time you build this he most likely will have sold the car because he needed the money. OR like mentioned get some gears and drag radials and spray the crap out of your 71 engine and then walk back and pick up the parts! That should do it

 

so when are you going to turbo charge that alero of yours and reach for 12's?

 

No, I don't think I'm going to go that way. I will be getting a stage 2 top end kit when I get the motor rebulit or replace it. The stage 2 kit is: p&p manifolds, heads, cam, stage 2 PCM, chromemolly pushrods, and 36 lb injectors. I would also like to put in the 4t65 tranny. Should be good for 13's, maybe high 12's, but I would still like to keep it all motor

 

Reddog...you're really building an Alero?
That's kinda cool. I never really heard anyone working on one.
Must cause a few open mouths to tear past another car in an Alero!
I'd be psyched if an Alero pulled up next to instead of the 15th honda in a row.

Is that an Olds engine or a GM corporate type thing?

 

It's pretty much done, until the engine dies and I have an excuse to rebuild the engine

It's got the 60* V-6 in it.

Over on Aleromod.com there are a few guys that have s/c Aleros and one guy in AZ just put in a 4t65 tranny to go along with the turbo he has in it. We are ready to see that baby run 11's There are also 2 guys in Denver that are s/c and running low 15's but remember that is at over 5,000 feet. Around here that's probably good for 13's

Mine keeps up with the stock 2002 Mustang GT fairly easy (that body style) and of course smokes the crap outta the V6 Mustangs and the GT convertibles are another easy win.

Sadly I wasn't able to get to the track with in in the beginging of March. I have a video on Youtube of the car running high 14's but it NEVER runs 14's at that track, usually low 15's, it runs at least 14.5 at another track in the area. A lot of people think it's the trees that line the track compared to the other place which has 1 tree

It's run 14.825 at the 'never runs faster than 15's" track, and it's always a 1/2 second faster at the other place. It's getting painted now (same color) so I don't have it to run it.

I do take it to the Sport Compact events and all the little ricers laugh at me, until they see tailights

The 3400 V6 is a very underestmatied engine. It's not a 455, but with the right parts, it will run fast

 

I like my old V8s and love the 455 but have a respect for any engine if built right and matched to the car. Besides, I don't think we have the luxury to be discriminating against the 4s and the V6s Oldsmobile built if we are going to say we are Oldsmobile men.