What do you think my 57 chevy will run in the 1/4 mile?

Hello HAMBers

Im 17 years old and Ive been building a 57 chevy belair 2 door hardtop since i was 12 (5 years) and its finally on the road! Now this winter i plan to put in my newly rebuilt 355 with my recently bought m-21 close ratio. My 355 has and isky 485 lift, 280 duration solid lifter cam with anti pump ups. went with 10.5:1 TRW forged pistons, scat cast steel crank, and forged rods. 69 chevelle double hump 1.94 heads soon to be machined to a 2.02 with 3 angle valve job, ported and polished etc. A dual quad tunnel ram will sit on top with dual 500 cfm's probably. It has the stock rear end, gear ratio is currently unknown but it was origionally a stick shift V8 car if that helps? i will be running sreet radials, possibly drag radials. It has two bucket seats out of a 65 chevelle and a fiber glass tilt nose which both may help me with my weight department. The car also has no front bumper. I was wondering what i should be running come spring time? Im curious to see some fellow car nut's opinions, seeing how theyre hard to come by up here in the sticks of New Hampshire!

I've also been trying to research what class my 57 would have fallen into back in the gasser wars? i came up with B/GS assuming the car weighs 3200 lbs?

THis car has been my all and everything, 100% payed for by myself since i got it and id really like to know what you guys thought!



I dont have time to save the pictures over but go to http://mrtachs.com/ and on the front page is my 57 from a year or two after i got it to present. its the primered on with the hood scoop! and the other car is my buddies new 49 chevy coupe that he traded his 70 chevelle for!!! -Nick-

 

Gears are everything, figure out what you have and you will get a better idea of what your gonna be capable of.

 

Sounds like a neat car. Post some pictures. I wouldn't even waste time guessing on your times...Tuning and driving are just as much of the battle. Just get her out there, drop the hammer, and let the clock tell you.

 

If ya got tires to get it to the ground.....your gonna break the stock rear doing the dry-hop after the burn-out!

 

13.50

Congrats on accomplishing so much so young!

 

Pat yourself on the back. It takes a lot of dedication to build a car so young. Then find a more durable rearend and some 4.11 gears.

 

If you have never drag raced on the strip for time, add about 3 seconds to your best guess. Then you should be in the ballpark.............OLDBEET

 

mid to low 14's if the motor has some power

 

If you are running stock gears. It will run in the 15's, with a 4.11 gear you will see low 14. It all depend on the gears and the RPM's.
The big thing CAN YOU SHIFT.

 

Trust me on this,you will know exacatlly how fast your car will run when the guy at the end of the strip hands you your slip.You sound like a great kid,keep up the good work.

 

My guess would be in the 14's, IF you can get the car to hook up (which probably won't happen with street tires). If it's not as fast as you hope the first time out, it'll still give you something to shoot for your next time at the strip. Keep playing with it and you'll be suprised how much time you can knock off.

It looks like your car would be 9.01 lbs/cubic inch. The 1966 rule book says C/G is 9.00 to 10.99. Your car would have been one of the lightest combinations in the class, which is right where you want to be. The S in C/GS stands for supercharged. You could look for a little quicker times then!

It also sounds like your car could be legal for MP, which was a real popular class too. There were probably more Modified Production cars running than any other class at the strips around here. Lots of good racing.
Larry T

 

[

My 355 has and isky 485 lift, 280 duration solid lifter cam with anti pump ups.

-Nick-[/quote]

I'm guessing somewhere in the 14 sec. range at first. One question...if you are running a solid lifter cam, what are the "anti-pump-ups"? Are you referring to hydraulic lifters? Solid lifters won't pump up...they're solid. Are you running a hyraulic flat tappet cam?

-Scott

 

haha yeah sorry about that i wrote it at school during break today, i meant hydraulic flat tappet with the anti pump ups. my bad! I should be able to snap some pictures tomorrow as long as the weather holds up because i am currently looking for a shelter for her ..

My next move after the winter is to find either a possi unit with a beefier gear and some some stronger axles. or i might be looking into a rearend swap.

and the responses i got from you guys were pretty much ball park to what i was thinking. at least until i get the power to the pavement. I guess ill just have to wait for my first pass come spring time and post another thread.
Thanks for all of your responses! ill see what i can do about the pictures!!

Thanks
-Nick-

 

The rear tire diameter is 28 inches ill try to find out what gear ratio ive got

 

is dads name dean???......................

 

i was actually just looking back on a thread i posted last year regarding on what gear ratio i had and i think it narrows down to the 3.55. it was origionally a 3 speed trans and a couple people said they went from the 3.70 to the 3.55 in 57 so i guess thats possibly what i have

 

My buddy and I both ran in the low 14s, both cars are 350 engines with 4 speeds.

Duke

 

What do ya have for traction bars? Those things wheel hop BAD.
Duke

 

well, i had a 56 with a.060 283 and 4.88's, leaving the line at 1500 rpms and spinning it to 8K, it's run 14.1's.
never broke a rear end BUT i WAS getting good at changing axles...buy LOT'S of 'em or buy some aftermarket axles....

 

A lot of it will depend on how fast you can shift those gears.I have raced a lot of people on and off a track that had way more car than me traction ,motor ,gears ,money ,expierence you name it ,but cuz of their inability to shift fast got beat.The longer you have you foot on the clutch the slower your car is.I have seen tri 5 's with your basic set up with a fair driver run low 14's.To say that one car with a standard trans will run the same as another with a standard and a different driver is a wild guess .Let us know what she will do .Drag racing a 4spd. is so much fun ,that i am getting a woody from talking about it...

 

damn right it is!
that's one of the reasons the rambler is getting one.
well, that and a rev limiter......i DID somehow get older

anyway, i'm thinking that your 57 MIGHT even dip into the 13's when you get a handle on shifting, you're young, you'll learn...

 

What is your suspension? Factory? I would at least get some adjustable shocks summit sells some that work pretty descent for cheap. Drag radials would make a huge difference too. Also since it is a stick it will depenmd on your driving skills. A built automatic would make it faster.

 

Sounds like you've really done well and have learned a huge amount at an early age. I started working on my first hot rod when I was 13 and was at the drag strip by the summer of my 16th year. I can tell you . . . you'll have LOTS of fun!

If you can afford it, try to get a stronger rear in that car. Or . . . just flog the one you have and practice until it breaks! You can probably find a fairly inexpensive 9" Ford for it - with 31 spline axles and be able to run it pretty hard. As one mentioned, it will probalby have wheel hop without some sort of traction assist device. Back in the 70's we used to run the cheap ole' traction (slapper) bars - they are a bit ugly, but they do work pretty well. If you end up with a completely new rear, then you should setup it up with a more purpose built suspension linkage system. Heck, if you're going to put a completely new rear in it, then hang it in a way that will take abuse, still have a decent ride and will enable the car to hook up.

You'll find, that once you can really hookup the car . . . that is when parts start to break! If you don't put really sticky tires in the back and don't really attempt to hook it up hard, then you'll not go as fast . . . but everything from the engine on back will tend to live longer. There is a price to pay for traction . . .

 

Doesn't matter what it runs at first. The important thing is your
doing it and learning. I was in your very shoes almost 32 yrs. ago
now. 57 sedan delivery,327,4spd,4.11non-posi,and street tires.
Made to the track opening day as soon as I had my license. First
pass,well um,ok 16.32@ 80 something mph. I was disappointed
some but improvements came quickly. First,traction bars. As has
already been mentioned it'll wheelhop like a bitch. slapper bars will
work fine. Second,fuel system. My stock pump with 5/16" line from
the tank wasn't getting it. By the time I got to high gear it was done
pulling and carb was running out of fuel. My first fix(popular at the
time) was a cool can. Forget that,now I'd go with a better pump
and at least 3/8" line from the tank(including the pick-up/sending
unit. Third,safety equipment. Some of my early modifications and
wiring were less than acceptable. Please carry a fire extinquisher
in the car were you can get to it quickly. Lastly,have fun. My 57
and I have been through many miles(and rebuilds) together and
it really doesn't seem that long ago since I was in your shoes.
Oh,and bring it out to the Hamb Drags next year,I'm gonna blow
your doors off.

 

one thing is for sure...no matter how fast you run it wont seem fast enough.

 

Sounds like a great car;I'd even let you take my 16 year old daughter out in it.Look for a 12 bolt out of a old Chevelle;you have to weld spring perches on ,but they are the perfect width for those cars.I had one under my '55;with 4.11 gears M/T street tires and a 383 it ran 7.90s in the 1/8 mile.

 

Make sure you are using the original cast bell housing or a blowproof Lakewood unit. Put on a tranny blanket. You don't want to lose a foot or worse when you dump the clutch and the clutch or tranny explodes!!!

 

Also think about a driveshaft loop,,snapped one in my Nova and it really screwed the floor up.

 

Its nice to see younger people like you with an interest in car like that for a change ,instead of a rice burner.Your alright in my book no matter what it runs in the 1/4.When i was your age i had a daily /strip car 67 Chevelle with a 327 and offy intake with 3 dueces .At that time the whole mini truck /splash graphics thing was getting started and i was laughed at by my classmates for my taste in cars .Practice banging them gears kid ...

 

To determine your present axle ratio, take the car out of gear and jack up ONE wheel. Find a friend who has a full complement of fingers and toes and have him SLOWLY rotate the jacked wheel 20 full revolutions while you count the number of driveshaft revolutions. Divide your count by 10 and you have the axle ratio.

Then, you can use Pages 2 and 3 of my site to get an idea of what you'll do in the furlong and the full quarter mile. Don't pay too much attention to the ET, but the calculated speed will be quite close. You have to have an estimate of rear wheel horsepower, of course. (Later, you can use the calculated ET to get an idea of the effect of different axle ratios, etc. In other words, use the ET only for comparisons.)