The last time we wrote about our West Virginia shootout at Kanawha Valley Dragway in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, we told of a very serious group of racers from the Almost Heaven POCI chapter. These die-hards stayed around for an extra day after the POCI convention in nearby Charleston to lay it on the line for impressive timeslips and magazine fame. Misty Mountain Hop was just that: tarmac-tearing launches, lots of wheelies, bouncing suspension components, and steel-nerved drivers who kept the pedal down for glory.
Part II of our saga is entitled Big-Inch Brawl, and it's simply a continuation of Part I. Lots of big-inch motors were present for this gig, which took place under cloudy skies on Sunday, July 14, 2002. But more impressive than the rip-snortin' engines involved in Part II were the bodies that they were bolted in: Richard Barnhart's 1966 GTO, powered by a 469-cubic-inch mill, was spotless. Pete Hanway's '63 Grand Prix was a smooth operator for sure, but a Tri-Power-fed 462 could still lay the smack down. Bob Cobb showed up with an exact replica of his first Goat, and this 400-powered '64 Pontiac was nice inside and out. P.J. Heck brought a nostalgia-inducing '62 Catalina Super Duty into the mix, and its 500-cubic-inch mill threatened to suck the rain from the sky when the dual 4-barrels opened up. John Hill's '79 Trans Am was the only entrant that didn't look like it belonged at a car show--but we weren't running a car show, and his home-built 461 sounded like heaven when he started it up, anyway, so who cared?
These five racers were ready to hit Kanawha Valley Dragway's 1/8-mile surface, and once the track's weather radar sounded the all-clear, we lit 'em up.
Owner Bio: Richard Barnhart
Harrisonburg, Virginia-based Richard Barnhart, 59, is the original owner of this wheel-standing Goat that sports mostly original paint. Barnhart, who has also owned a 1987 Trans Am GTA, admits that a 9-second GTO is a great stress reliever, and his best memory of the '66 was when he raced the #6 Mickey Thompson Ford Thunderbolt at a nostalgia drag race in Atlanta--and won by .02!
| Strip Specs |
| Year/Model | 1966 GTO |
| Race Weight | 3,440 lbs. |
| Curb Weight | 3,225 lbs. |
| Fuel Level | 1/2 tank |
| Engine | 1967 XK-code 428, bored to 469 cubic inches |
| Built by | Kauffman Racing Equipment |
| Induction | 2 750-cfm Holleys, #73 jets |
| Intake manifold | Sheetmetal by KRE |
| Heads | Ported Edelbrock aluminum, 2.12/1.77-inch Ferrea valves |
| Pistons | Forged Ross |
| Rods | Forged Eagle |
| Compression ratio | 13.5:1 |
| Crankshaft | Stock 455 nodular-iron |
| Camshaft | Comp Cams solid roller, 272o/280o at .050, .699/.666 lift |
| Ignition | MSD electronic distributor, Crane PS92 coil, Crane HI-6 box |
| Total timing | 38o locked in |
| Exhaust | 2-inch Hooker headers, 3.5-inch collector, no exhaust |
| Transmission | Turbo 400, reverse manual valve body |
| Converter | ATI 8-inch, 4400-rpm stall |
| Shifter | B&M Ratchet |
| Rear type/ratio | Ford 9-inch, Mark Williams 35-spline axles, Strange spool, 4.11 gears |
| Brakes, F/R | Mark Williams disc/Mark Williams disc |
| Wheels | Cragar, 15x4.5 front, 15x8.5 rear |
| Tires, F/R | Firestone 7.75x15 front,
Firestone 10.5x29.5X15 slicks rear |
| Suspension, Front | Stock with Moroso springs and Summit 90/10 shocks, no stabilizer bar |
| Suspension, Rear | Eagle adjustable coil-over shocks/springs, ladder bars, no stabilizer bar |
| Chassis modifications | 8-point rollcage by John Moten Race Cars |
| Interior modifications | Stock interior with Summit race seats |
| Exterior modifications | Hood scoop |
| Safety modifications | Rollcage, 2 driveshaft safety loops, safety harness, SFI balancer and flexplate |
| Paint | Red |
| Launch Technique | On the foot brake to 1800 rpm |