At The Track
Traction was not an issue for most of this group-a testament to VMP's starting line prep and much appreciated by HPP and the participants.
Emily and Mike Wilson
While Emily handled the driving, Mike turned the wrenches on their '70 GTO at the shootout. Starting at 12.37 on the first pass, the Wilsons whittled away at the e.t.'s through timing and jetting changes and launch-rpm and shift-point adjustments. Obviously, the moves were in the right direction as the couple garnered their lowest e.t. of the day on the final pass, posting a 12.27 at 108.76 on a best-of-the-day 1.70 60-foot.
"The track was very good, I had no hooking issues," Emily says. Regarding the day as a whole, Emily says she enjoyed the opportunity to make several time shots.
Jerry Klaus
Jerry was trying to get to know his new combo at the shootout. His best pass at 12.12 at 119.01 was disappointing to him since he had run just as fast before the heads and cam swap. But he did realize that the parts were not to blame-it was just a learning curve. In fact, the very next day at Pontiacs in the Park, on the same track, and launching his GTO at 3,000 rpm, he posted a 1.86 60-foot on the way to an 11.61 at 123.58 mph (correction 11.29 at 127.07 mph assuming same weather conditions). That was with the Drag Radials at 12 psi and the Drag bags at 30 psi, which negated the wheelhop of the day before.
Of the shootout, Jerry says, "I liked the stress-free environment, it was less formal than I expected, but nice." Regarding the track conditions, he says "slick, never hooked-up well, bad wheelhop, too fast on the tree." His suggestions were to "concentrate on testing and delay the tree start."
Mark Sweeney
Mark says, "My LeMans hooked well, but I just couldn't build enough rpm to go quicker because it would push through the lights due to a nonworking Line-Loc." Regardless, he juggled jets and timing to post a best pass of 11.83 at 113.59 the fifth time out. He later put up a 1.73 60-foot, which was better than the 1.75 for his best pass, but the top end was off by 0.05 and about 1 mph.
Mark was impressed with the fact that we invite "average-Joe-type cars and not just unlimited-budget cars." He also enjoyed the low-pressure atmosphere but would like to see some heads-up racing in the future.
Alan Smith
Alan describes the track conditions as "Excellent! My GTO hooked up well and went straight!" Through careful tuning of timing, tire pressure, and even a rocker adjustment, Alan was rewarded on the last pass of the day for his effort with his best e.t. at 13.40 (at 98.45 mph) thanks to a 60-foot of 1.83.
Alan also says, like many others, he "enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and having plenty of time to tune." The only thing he wishes is that we would do shootouts more often. [Are you trying to kill the editor, Alan?]
Conclusion
Street cars like to go fast, too. Sure it's not a new concept, but it's nice to be reminded on a regular basis. In this shootout, we saw what was possible with 455, 400, and LS1 power in GTO (and a LeMans) combos that range from budget-conscious to moderate.
The Wilsons proved with their '70 455 GTO that family fun can be had in 12-second increments on the dragstrip, and no one needs to be a Pontiac widow each weekend in the summer time.
Jerry Klaus' '04 illustrates how modern technology can make for a fast street/strip car that retains all the comforts of home and runs with the best of the vintage cars (though the nitrous helps, too). Though his times were off in our shootout, he dropped 0.5 the next day and is probably just scratching the surface of what is possible with his current combo.
Mark Sweeney is maintaining a piece of family history. His '73 LeMans is a tribute to his grandfather as well as Mark's first car and a fun street/strip car (despite the giant cam and spool). Talk about the best of all worlds.
Alan Smith's '69 GTO is a great street car that still has some fun on the strip with a spirited 400 that won't shake your fillings loose or vacuum out your wallet. He's finally living out a dream that has motivated him since high school.
See what we have in store next month as our VMP edition of the "Pontiac Pavement Pounders Shootout" continues.
Special thanks to Jim Zeek for hosting Pontiacs in the Park and for helping HPP round up this year's participants. Thanks again to Jim and the staff of VMP for aiding in completing this shootout.