one thing I've noticed lately , is there's fewer drive train swaps

[grumpyvette]

when I was first getting into building fast cars , it was almost mandatory that you selected a fairly light weight car like a nova, camaro ,vega ,mustang, pinto or dart, or maverick , and then you found a larger car that had been wrecked to salvage a 389,400,421,428,455 Pontiac, 396,427,454,400 chevy ,455 Buick,,472,or 500 caddy,
keep in mind the stock 500 caddy engine has over 500 ft lbs of torque and with a cam and head swap 600 ft lbs of torque is extremely easy to obtain.
440 dodge, 392 chrysler or 426 hemi
you usually tried to make as much of the larger cars original drive train fit and function as you could and had a local shop narrow the rear differential,shorten the drive shaft and change the u-joints or yokes as required, and then you tried to stuff the largest tires you could fit in the wheel wells.
the object of course being to produce a reasonably light car with decent power.
I rarely see that being done, now I see guys who think just the simple act of throwing a cam,headers and intake swap on the original engine in the cars going to make it noticeably faster.
now theres a thread on here where RICK has built a T-bucket with a well thought thru engine,
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/tbucket-engine-project-dart-shp.3814/
that engine has the potential to make 480 hp-500 plus hp, but what makes the car potentially really impressive is the car probably weights under 2100lbs
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...asonably-fast-in-street-trim.3404/#post-41453

IF we assume ricks T-bucket has about 400hp-430hp and with him in it it weights 2300 lbs you can see the power to weight ratio has a good deal of potential.
http://www.wallaceracing.com/et-hp-mph.php

http://www.tciauto.com/tc/racing-calculators/

http://www.dennysdriveshaft.com/how_to_measure.html

it should be obvious that building a far lighter weight car is much easier on parts breaking and easier to accelerate , and that the larger the engines displacement, the more torque and potential power can be had at a reasonably low rpm.
if you build a 327 and it makes 1.2hp per cubic inch thats close too 400 hp, build a 454 that makes 1.2 hp per cubic inch and thats near 545hp, the big blocks about 100-120 lbs heavier, but stick the small block in a 2800 lb car and thats about 7 lbs per hp
stick the big block in the same car that now weighs 2920 and you see 5.35 lbs per hp even with the slight increase in weight, I can assure you the difference is easily 3/4 of a second faster E.T, times for the big block car, IF ITS PROPERLY SET UP TO USE THE EXTRA POWER
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...-a-472-500-caddy-engine-in-a-z.862/#post-1347
http://www.wallaceracing.com/et-hp-mph.php

 

[87vette81big]

Right now the Hotrod world is dominated by LS-X & LSX B8- B15 376 ci engines Grumpy.

The Corvette world has followed the same route.

Phil's Rx7 with the LT1 fits the original Hotrod build.

Right now the supply of Pontiac 400-455 engines has dried up.
Glad I bought my 3 455's when I had the chance to.

Olds V8's are hard to find also now. Not your favorite Grumpy but I like them too.

 

[philly]

yea with the aftermarket support and all of the parts flying around used or new in box unused from abandoned projects, the LSX is basically the hot rodding flavor of the week. it will be for quite some time.

we spoke about it on here once before but imagine the millions and millions of LS based cars and trucks that have been produced from 1997-2015 and think about all those cars and trucks trickling into junkyards and getting into wrecks and being parted out... its literally the new SBC in every way you can define it.... it helps that its the culmination of 60+years of pushrod v8 technology and makes incredibly reliable power for its size but again, its not a big block, there have been sleeved and deck extended versions of the ls as big as 500+inches but that never really took off as a viable option since its a mutated highly modified stock block. the LS-X block from gmpp is basicallly as good as it gets and you can easily get 454 inches from it, but theyre will probably not be a 500-600-700+ inch LSX unless they invent some tall deck big block type thing that has LS bore spacing for LS heads. so for all practical purposes were stuck at 454" with that platform

 

[87vette81big]

You have to Factor in those Warbird Hellcats and SRT VIPER T/A Too Phil.
Dodge is coming out with a 900 HP Viper next year in 2016 model year.
Due this Fall...September .

It comes down to this for me.
FULL BALLS OUT DRAG RACE. ACCEPT NOTHING LESS. OTHERWISE I LOSE STREET RACING HELLCATS.

And basic Pump gas buring cammed up Big Block Pontiacs, Olds V8 & Chevies.

Little sense dumping lots of money into a pump gas burner.
Still can't win.

Has to be full Race to win.

When Rick Street Raced that Poncho Powered BIG BLOCK GTO LAST YEAR WITH THE T & Got Smoked....I knew right then only The 1970 Trans Am put back together Full Race as before will do in 2015,

 

[philly]

i hear you man, and im all about stickin it to these new car guys that bought a 700hp car turn key and dont have the know how to even change the plugs on the damn thing.

but i will tell you this, i envy them a bit... because you n me full tilt on high test gas beating them aint the same as having the a/c and radio on with a factory warranty... i think its real cool that the big three are pumping out big power like that never seen before.

buuuutttttt that being said i still want to blow their fucking doors off.

hellcat drivetrain swap into a 69 dart or duster would be real fun to drive on a classic super stock style car setup... no one would see that shit coming. talk about giving them a taste of their own medicine.

 

[87vette81big]

The Cam I chose allows me to stay in the Grumpy Safe Zone of mean piston speeds.
It also Revs a 455 to the Moon.
Every Pontiac guy racer from the 1970s to early 2000's never knew what safe zone was.
Just Go out and Race.

 

[grumpyvette]

while you have dozens of options in potential power plants and hundreds of thousands of possible choices in how to modify and engine and drive train pure basic physics dictates some of the limitations and building a car with a HIGH POWER TO WEIGHT RATIO,and one within a reasonable budget with AVAILABLE components is high on the list of requirements.
stick that 350 SBC or 455 pontiac in a car that weights 3000 lbs and its going to be significantly faster and have far lower parts breakage rates than the same engine in a 3700 lb car, and if you can build a 2500 lb car it will be far faster and less prone to parts breakage issues.
theres a very valid reason guys built vegas and A.C. cobra's ,the bodys weigh a good deal less than a GTO, or a CHEVELLE and as a result the same drive train in the lighter weight cars is significantly faster

 

[87vette81big]

Phil's 1987 RX-7 Will have to be our Vega Racer Grumpy.
Short wheelbase cars take real Talent. to Drive Fast Drag Racing.
Phil is young enough to be That Pilot.

 

[87vette81big]

Could Knock them dead the Warbirds Grumpy with a BBC.
Have the engine 427 Tall deck.
Just not enough funds $. No parts yet for it.
Have to use what I have Pontiac .

 

[philly]

buddy i took the rx7 to the 1.8 mile track and was the fastest chevy there... at homestead speedway (the famous nascar championship track) they do the 1/8 mile in the pits, and as such are not allowed to prep the track surface or it would give unfair advantages come nascar time... so my rx7 is at a 20* skate all the way to half track... best 60"i could muster was a 2.4... car still went 8.50 all balls and muscle

 

[87vette81big]

60 Foot time of 2.4 seconds can be improved.
Take off the front sway bar.
Drill the front shocks in the side lower body.
Oil relieved and ran out. Be carefull. Likely nitrogen gas charged. Wear safety glasses.

Leave rear sway bar bolted up.
Helps limit rear suspension wrapup.

Try again at the 1/8 mile when you can Phil.