Ok,

in this "modern age" of $4.50/Gal Premium gas ...and 5x more traffic lights on your way back and forth to the track...a couple Questions for those who actually drive the cars they run at the track. I'm assuming no more than uncapping your cut-outs and Changing tires at the track.

How much cam/compression/converter stall/gear are you 'comfortable' driving up to 1 1/2 hours EACH WAY?

I'm going to convert the rocky to street use, because...to be honest, it's fun having a little jeep that is also a killer street sweeper.

It has 11.5:1 a 260/269 @ .050 solid roller, an 8" 5300 stall and (for right now 4.10) gears with 28" Tires. To me the cam is not really that street unfriendly at all, i think it idles better and is snappier than an old 509 Purple shaft in a 10:1 BB or SB.

For street use, I'm going down to a 3.54 gear and a full dual 3" exhaust, the converter is loose but the thing only weighs maybe 2700 pounds, plus the aero drag at 70mph really tightens-up the converter as well

i think I can still get by with the cam and compression, the cooling system works really well and the brakes are phenomenal.

My only other 'concession' for street driving will be I intend to reinstall the factory swaybar.

I just want to hear from people that successfully run things way more "racy" than this.

Thanks!

I've run a 5300 converter in my street car with a 3.55. Didn't like it at all. It was like driving a car with a VVT trans. Always slipping. 4.10-4.30 was much better.
Doug

Well, my Cuda is my Drag & Drive car, and with the 605 Hemi, its almost 12:1 and I milded up the cam to right at .704 lift, but I forget the duration, I think its around 280*, but its a big engine....

Three things really made mine more drivable...

1-Sniper 4500
This little unit smoothed out the AFR over the big carb so much, it idles so much better and tracks correctly thru the temp range.

2-Big ass radiator and fans from Wizard Cooling
Dropped my engine temp over 20* on a hot day

3-Gear ratio
Changed from 4.10 with a 31 tall tire to 3.73.....OMG, I should have done that 10 years ago.

My convertor was supposed to be a 3500 stall, but the big Hemi hits it like a blower motor and its really a 4600 stall. Might even be closer to 5k as I home in on the tune up. She weights 3200 ready to go without me in it.

I have a MF front end on the car and its fully tubbed, I drive it to Lancaster speedway now and again. Broke a bunch of valve springs two years ago there...sucked. I have reduced the spring pressure down to just under 200lbs closed.

DVW,

How much did your car weigh?

Weight makes a huge difference with regard to stall/flash. I can push the Rocky with one hand through the staging lanes without breaking a sweat.

Dragula,

Yeah I think a sniper would be an awesome change to make for street use. Thanks!

Dragula, what do you run for fuel on the street? Do you blend fuel? This is something I'm trying to figure out for Dragweek. The compression on my engine went up to 11.4:1 from 10:1 with the head swap to aluminum heads.

Its a 93 octane deal...There is 10% ethanol in our 93 here, so it does change the AFR target a smidge. A Hemi is very tolerant to pump fuel at high compression. A wedge will not be as easy on octane at 12:1...Assuming your running a wedge. I am pretty sure I could go a little higher yet without an issue.

I would like to switch to a G3 Hemi in the future. I really don't think the big G2 Hemi's hold up well due to the crazy valve train. I think the modern engines are much more well thought out in terms of oiling and geometry. I really don't think it will slow me down that much going to a 454 G3....but I think reliability will go way up.

My Duster was fun to drive on the street and it cruised pretty well going down the road but it is a balancing act with the converter and rear gears and the camshaft. I'm not super happy with the way the Coronet is setup right now. I have a fairly small cam in it but it really needs to be a step or two smaller to work with the trans and gears that I have in the car.

Yeah Andy I don't know if I'm just mellowing with age or I think it's really that I really want to find more excuses to WANT to drive it than excuses NOT TO DRIVE IT.

The thing I notice is lighter cars are to me just so much more fun to drive, I used to love cruising in B bodies but that was when there were a lot more rural places to run and everybody around me wasn't looking at their Iphones 90% of the time.

It's not a race car but one could debate anything that is raced is a race car at that moment.....

I used to change tires and so on but some of the most enjoyable times driving to/from the track I've had were just putting a little more air in the DOT cheater slicks and driving the car as is, no changing nothing, no opening the exhaust, and just driving it and having fun.

Sure there is always something to tinker with while there but I found it may or may not amount to anything.

262/266 @ 451ci, 4.10, 29" and around 4500, so it's probably a more tame combo than the small block, which doesn't hurt.

But....I haven't done that in 5 years so maybe my experience isn't too legit anymore lol.

The next engine will be larger CI and much more street friendly.

It's heavy 3890 with me. Cam is small 240-250 on 110, 11.0@122
Doug

My retirement Drag car is a 64 Valiant with a 528 Hemi... Have given considerable thought (more that a few times now) to dong a Hellcrate and doing like a Drag and Drive just to and from my local tracks.

Bobby, I've driven my cuda over an hour away from my house before and it's been fine. Occasionally down to Murrells Inlet for a cruise in. That was when it was naturally aspirated...4.10s and 5k converter. Now in nitrous trim, with 3.54s and a 4k converter, it street drives a little easier due to the gear.
Why swap tires? No need to with drag radials.

Yeah chip I think your Right, the car's so light I think they won't even wear that badly.

Chip how much does the Cuda Weigh? Do you have an aluminum block?

I actaully thought about spraying the Rocky, I set the ring gap and an extra .0005 P/W for at least a 250 shot. Have to tighten the vert up a bit though.

it'd be cool cruising with like a 3.54 gear and go back to the 30" tires though. I might even get decent mileage as light as it is.

Thanks Dragula. Yeah its a 451

A few guys here with GM A-bodies that run high 9's to low 10's occasionally drive to the track. At least one had a lot of nitrous on it, which made it docile enough to street drive. These are big inch stroker motors with mild gearing so the size of the engine is what allows them to do it. A high rpm small block car with a fuel cell that does not hold a lot of gas may not be able to drive to and from the track, and have enough fuel to make all the rounds.

Today many people with cars even in the 13's trailer them that way they can get them home if they break something. No parts stores anywhere near the track so if you kill something that makes the car run you're kinda sol. Then you have all the nails and screws from construction on the roads that can ruin a set of expensive drag car tires just like that.

I've driven mine to my local track several times, no tire swaps or uncorking the exhaust, I usually install the air pan when I get there though. Pump gas 434" small block, 266/271° @ .050, .711/.719" solid roller, 727, 5600 8" converter 4.10 gears with a 275 radial. Pull in, remove the air filter, install the air pan and run low 6.40's, put the air filter back on and cruise home.

Breaking something is always in the back of my mind so I prefer to haul it though.

At Rockingham in April it was 3765 lbs with me in it and really low on gas. Yes, it is an aluminum block.
Cruising is nicer w/ the 3.54 gears instead of 4.10s..

I have driven 35 miles each way to race my current car, but won’t do it again.
Puts lots of wear on my front runners and DOT drag radials, goes through lots of fuel(110), and frankly who knows what might happen at the track. Tranny let’s go, engine issue, cooling issue, fuel pump issue.
Any of that leads to being hauled home on the back of a wrecker. Or even a flat tire going to or fro.
Nope, now I haul my car on a trailer. Not worth the risk, at least for me.

10.7 CR pump 93 E10 fuel

275/60R15 drag radials & 4.10s = 3500 RPM at 65 MPH... bring ear plugs

full 3" exhaust

4500-stall converter

3700+ lbs w/ driver

8-9 MPG

Drive it in, set tire pressures, run it; I gave up swapping wheels at the track, unless I bring a different set to test the same day

Typical drive to tracks here range from about 70 to 110 miles, so figure 1:15 - 2 hours one way

Yes, it's gone home on a rollback once.. and I've limped it back home twice with issues

Never said I was smart