anyone else build a racecar a little at a time

I am thinking about building my dream racecar. My favorite car is a ford maverick. I have one that is a street car in progress. I am planning on finding a body that is straight floors do not matter. My dad is a good fabricator and enjoys things like this. We already have a mustang 2 clip. We are planning on building the rolling chassis while I am still in trade school. Right now we can afford to do this and when I get out I plan on having the money to build a 408w on nitrous, get a c4 built for racing and a 9 inch. I was wondering if anyone else has done anything like this. In my head atleast this car will run high 5's in the 1/8. I would love to run the 6.0 index class at a local track

 

Some of us have been "building" one for years. Life happens and tends to slow down the progress. My goal with the Comet was(is?)to drive to the track(on pump gas), run 6.90s(on street tires,full exhaust)and drive home. Probably will use nitrous, but a belt driven 'charger would be neat. By the time this all happens, economy cars will probably be running 6.90s.

 

you need blown 5.0's car. I have seen it in person and it is awesome. He drives it 100 miles each way and runs 6.60's

 

Yep, I really like his car. Very subtle LOOKING. High 6s aren't really that fast for a race car, but I want a low maintenance car I can drive wherever, whenever.

 

They're never "done". Always working (improving-hopefully) on something.

 

what are the engine specs on your car if you don't mind me asking. Yours runs what I hope mine will run in a few years

 

I think all of us are build'n em' slowly lol,its hard to drop that kinda cash at once.For me i plan on build'n a 331 bottle feed motor built c4 w/brake,9",ladder bar coil over,28-10.5W Hoosier slicks,and put some 9's down.Then build me a nice crusier mav a mild 302 AOD AC PS PB the freakin works lol,all it takes is time and money,lots and lots of money........

 

Ain't nothing special really...bolt together off the shelf stuff like AFR225's on a production iron 351 block, with a 4" crank and flat top pistons. The key is the cam, heads, and intake. Intake=Super Victor 351, cleaned up for the flying toilet (had to make a little clearance at the plenum), of course the heads are the 225's (which are over-rated, IMO), and cam is 270 @ .050 lift and .730 gross lift on a 104 ICL. All powering a 5700 stall converter in a garage-built junkyard powerglide. Converter is a bit of a sore subject at the moment.

and none of that stupid giggly gas. Yes it works and works GREAT...but I just don't like it. Would rather bolt a turbo onto it-don't have to refill those every few passes.

Keep in mind that there's a whole lot more to a good running car than JUST the engine

 

thanks, I'll probaly end up building something really close to yours. I figured you would use dome tops instead of flattops though

 

i have a 351w with stock 70 351w heads off a 4 barrel motor ,on my 351w with a rebuilt stock bottom end and a 500 lift cam hyd.,4500 stall ,8 inch with 4.11 gears,c4 trans with shift kit,victor intake with a 750 e85 carb,msd 6al with stock dist.,it runs mid 7s ,im hoping to try a 100 shot to get it in the 6s next spring ,i have been building it for a while ,1st time out with it was yesterday ......

 

No. With a long stroke you don't need domes to get it to 13:1. Small chambers (like most small block heads) and long stroke=lots of compression. In fact, for street engines, it's more of a hassle to reduce the compression with the long stroke. Big dish in the pistons and/or larger chambers. With flat tops on a 4" stroke and 4.060 bore, you end up with about 12.5:1 with 58cc heads. Something else to consider is that I don't have the time or money to be building engines every so often so I keep them relatively mild. Stock blocks don't play well with 750+ HP.

 

Im in the process right now...broke tthe engine a year ago and figured might as well do everything im going to want to do to it while its torn apart now sso i dont have to tear it apart multiple times...i hope to put pictures up soon but the car is looking real sad right now with everything from the firewall up gone (front suspension fender walls engine etc) and now all the floor boards and and firewall from the front back are gone including the frame...its literally down to the shell of the car.

I got the engine block and rotating assembly on the way (dart 302 w/347 stroker kit)
D1-x procharger
EFI componets
All new front suspension
ladder bars
etc all waiting to go in

And hopefully this week ill have the metal to build a full frame and all new floor boards and firewall

 

At the Limits

Hi All,

At about 3150 pounds including the driver, your going to need about 750+ BHP or slightly under 1.9 horsepower per cubic inch to get into the 6.00 e.t. neighborhood. I suppose a 100 or 150 shot of nitrous might get you to where you want to go. But, you will be on the edge of your parts reliability unless you start using serious class racing engine internals which cost a fortune. Running VP 116 octane racing gasoline you can push that 750 BPH with an Eagle or Scat forged rotating assembly with AFR or Brodix heads and a big solid roller lifter camshaft. Your looking at a $12,000 turn key engine if you let someone else do all the work. If you roll your own, your parts bill will still be in the $8000 plus range.

At 408 ci if I remember correctly, you are .060" over on your bore. I really detest the idea of nitrous on an engine making 1.9 horsepower per cubic inch already and with an overbore. Yes, you might well get to 5.80. But when do the cylinder walls start to flex? When does the whole thing fail? Or, are you willing to commit to an intensive maintenace schedule to keep it together? At 100 runs a year with nitrous, are you willing to change the main bearings at the 50 runs and then again at 100 runs. Your C-4 should be freshened at the end of the year. Block and piston life I can not calculate as I am not familiar with nitrous applications. I might be willing to live with the results of 700 to 750 BHP N/A on VP 116. 6.1 or 6.2 e.t.'s would be well within reach with that engine. And, you might get three years out of it before a complete rebuild was in order. At that point you are still going be putting a lot of spent parts in the trash.

You race, you break it, I race. It still hurts all the way to the bank.

Regards,

David

 

Bishop, you've made good points. Just wanted to clear up that a 408 (at least a windsor) is 4.030 bore and 4.000 stroke. 402" is 4.000 bore, 4.000 stroke. Or like mine 4.060 bore 4.000 stroke=414ci. Or go with big bore dart block 4.125 bore and 3.75 stroke for 400". Most 351 blocks will go .030 easily. At .060 the walls are getting thin. At that power level it had better be at the very least filled and even then a sonic check really should be done prior to filling. I did not sonic check. Just filled. With the methanol I don't worry too much about water temps-but oil temp can get up there.

 

Im runnin a 60 over 302 with closed chamber 289 heads ported and shaved with 7/16 studs rod guides and 180208 big block chevy valves and triple springs. 1.6 roller rockers chromeoly push rods comp 292 with 540 lift 11:1 flat tops with double eyebrows torker 289 intake(the old style,carb is 15 degrees offset, lookes funny cause its crooked) 750 double pump holley. i run mid sixes with 380 gears and a 3500 stall.