brassplyer

I get that going for the baddest car on the block is a bottomless pit into which you can pour time and money. And that if you have a fire-breathing beast it's more prone to breaking.

If you want to end up with a C3 you can take to the track on occasion that will put you say in the 12's* and be as unlikely to hurt itself as possible assuming you don't do something stupid, and still be able to be dependably street driven, what kind of setup would you suggest?

*Examining the ET part of the above equation, how fast do you think a C3 can be and meet the above critieria?

Thanks.

427Hotrod

12's won't be too hard with either a small block or a big block. Mild big block can easily run 11's. Good pump gas 496 will go deep 10's all day.

The rear end will be tricky part. You can run 10's on a stock one for a little while....but it WILL die eventually. Having an auto is the way to go for simplicity. Smarter..but I like driving a stick..so there's that.

How heavily optioned is the C3? A/C, PS etc? Lighter is quicker.

A 383 can do it....there's quite a few here that have. I'd still probably just use a 454 and go 11's with a milder setup. Iron oval ports, 10-11/1 compression, flat tappet cam or even a hyd roller if you can spend the $$$. Basic intake (assuming you have an L-88 hood...but you could do it with a Torker II also) and a Holley and you're all set. T-400 with a decent converter and 3.08-3.55 gears

JIM

Jebbysan

I built a 6000 rpm 406 for my 72' and love it........there is a track 12 miles from the house and in 2019 I plan to make use of it.......
I am running a four speed M20 and a McLeod clutch......I run Nitto 555 tires but will switch to the 555r drag tire for strip use......
My feeling is simple......a loose car is a dangerous one that you have to drive.......dragstrips have walls......hooking is better.....
I plan to use a lot of clutch to launch and run it hard........it is a Dart head 406 with about 490-500 horsepower.....at 3400 with me in it.....I hope it will crack 11's....
The use of clutch will save the rearend and shafts from taking a huge hit....

One word of advice....I have launched my car on the street and it like to go left during a hard holeshot........I need to get under it and check the rearend crossmember mount points and anything else that looks out of place.......then, it will go to my local alignment shop and receive a four wheel alignment that can plant the tire well under acceleration.

Jebby

427Hotrod

After making sure everything is in good shape,,check toe in on rear closely. If it goes toe-out under load it will pull that direction....a little will really mess you up.


JIM

Jebbysan

427Hotrod

It can happen more if it squats a lot also. Things move around with a lot of travel...depends also on the initial attitude of the car. Sit high..sit low....

Just like checking front toe through entire travel....doing the same on rear can show what's happening. A little toe in on rear is good....a little toe out on rear is bad.....but it needs to be equalized across the two tires in relation to centerline of car/frame.

JIM

Jebbysan

It sits low and level.........has VB&P mono on the rear and the adjustable links.......all components are like new except the crossmember mounts.......which are in good shape but older. The shocks are Carrera from circa 2004.......but the car squats quite a bit under power and I get what you are saying.......I had the shocks out to clean them and they are not bad....but maybe not what it needs.......the half shafts are straight across level with the car on the ground.
The local guy in town here is about my age and vary Vette savvy.......I spoke to him in person and he knew his stuff.......said he has good specs for the rear and would do front and rear for $200.......which I feel is a bargain if I can watch him do it!!!! LOL!

Jebby

BKbroiler

This is my 77, on drag radials, stock suspension, rebuilt rear with 3.73 gears, Spicer u joints, rebuilt T350 auto with 3K stall converter. I have been bracket racing for years with about 240 runs on car now with one trans and converter freshening and one cam/lifters/springs change during that time. It has gone 12.15 at 110 and will usually run 12.30s in warm air with 1.72/1.73 short times. I drive to the track, cruise nights etc. Engine is a mild 383 with HR cam, Vortec heads, Qjet and 1 5/8 primary headers. Car has excellent street manners too.

427Hotrod

As the car squats, and halfshafts go over center....they tend to change camber. How much can be shaped by the lower strut angle. Also think about them as the trailing arms go through their arc viewed from the side. As it goes down..the halfshafts get "shorter" (assuming level starting point) and can move toe.

Many auto cars hook fantastic by leaving the squat in them. Some folks extend snubbers so they essentially go solid on them during launch. Or you can stiffen spring/shocks to control it.

'Glass springs need a LOT of shock control. They rebound pretty hard especially on a stick car that may not keep them loaded on shifts.

Lots of things going on back there..just have to average it all out.

JIM

427Hotrod

Yours is definitely one of the ones I was thinking about! You've proven some hard work and attention to detail pays off without stupid HP.

As they say "Do the work...get the results"!

JIM

BKbroiler

Thanks Jim. Coming from you that is quite a compliment.

Jebbysan

Great info......lot of stuff I did not think about.......I should put a pair of quality shocks on it..........do you recommend a drag specific shock Jim....or will a street/race shock handle it?
I think about a pair of 15x8 ralleys too with a 9" slick to soften the blow as well.......rather than drag radials......
Ralleys and slicks are cheap compared to Americans and Nitto 555r's.....

Jebby

Jebbysan

I have followed your car as well BK......it is a tight setup and exactly what I would like to do........your 12.30 average number makes me believe I could crack 11's.......do you know how much your car weighs?
Sorry to the OP for thread crapping but I believe everything here is permanent to your original question!

Jebby

derekderek

IRS is a road race sports car setup. Put a 9 inch Ford rear in there and the geometry can't change under heavy acceleration. A little bit more doing getting it installed...

v2racing

This was real common way back before you could easily get custom springs and really good shocks.

Mike

BKbroiler

I weighed my car with about 1/2 tank of gas and it was 3340, without me. I weigh about 185. I took out ALL the A/C stuff, including the evaporator, no spare tire, but otherwise no lighter than original. I do have an aluminum intake, but iron heads.
You will probably make a lot more power than me, in the same air, but what are your DA numbers like? I'm running 12.30s in 2,000 to 2,500 DA. But you might have good DA in January, right? So 11s should be doable. I have to have negative DA to get 12.1s. Also, as you know, you need to maximize your launch - easy with an automatic, not so easy with the stick.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to reading about your results when you get to the track. Good luck.

Jebbysan

Thanks...that is very encouraging........the Stepdaughters are getting older and are less time consuming and less $$$$$ consuming so it is time to have some fun after 4 years.......
San Antonio raceway is literally 12 miles away down country roads....about 4 miles from work! (Can you say Friday Night Lights?) The idea is drive there and drive home.....
What are you meaning when you say DA level?

Jebby

C3 Stroker

I solved the sideways problem with QA-1 adjustable rear shocks. Sometimes even with perfect alignment, the car may torque left or right out of the hole. With QA-1s you can adjust the side that spins more (opposite the side your spinning toward) with less clicks allowing slightly more squat to plant the tires evenly. With this adjustment (a little trial and error), I now have dead straight holeshots.

Jebbysan

BKbroiler

DA is density altitude. It is an algorithm based on air temp, barometer and humidity. You can find it for any track on if you google Drag Times / density altitude. It gives you a way to compare your car's performance on the track on different days when the weather conditions are different. The lower the number, the faster your car will go.