#241  
Old 04-06-2021, 03:32 PM
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Quote:
Any pictures of the Formula? That was really making great power to run low 12's! Was that with a 455?
400 when running 12's.

I have had many engines in it since then, most with 455 SD and 473 Butler short block and RA IV heads.

1st Pic from Indy with the 473 engine probably.
2nd is back in 79 or so, with the 400/3 speed
(not good pic)

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  #242  
Old 04-06-2021, 04:25 PM
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John - do you have more of these?


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1970 Formula 400
Carousel Red paint on Black standard interior
A no-engine, no-transmission, no-wheel option car.
Quite likely one of few '70 Muncie three speed Formula 400's left.


1991 Grand Am: 14.4 @ 93.7mph (DA corrected) (retired DD, stock appearing)
2009 Cobalt SS: 13.9 @ 103mph (current DD; makes something north of 300hp & 350ft/lbs)
  #243  
Old 04-06-2021, 04:29 PM
SD455DJ SD455DJ is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Formulajones View Post
Yep Dennis weighed mine many times, and just recently at the drags last year.

It's 3690 lbs. without a driver. I'm 210 lbs so it's 3900 lbs. going down track, it's a friggin tank. Maybe I need to go on a diet That's without the spare tire stuff in the trunk and a full tank of gas.

Mine is a RAIII with 400 turbo. Has power steering and power brakes, console, style trim, rally II wheels, has a radio of course, and that's about it for options that I can think of that add weight. Not sure how that computes with your weight break down.

I've done no weight reduction on the car other than removing the spare tire. It does have a complete 2 1/2" mandrel bent Pypes exhaust system on it, which is probably a tad heavier than the stock exhaust system was.

When I put aluminum wheels on it for giggles it weighed 3650 lbs. That alone was worth 40 lbs. LOL Those daggum rally II wheels are heavy!
Larry, Yours weighs very close to the AMA weights when combined, so I'm thinking mine will weigh something close to that (3850 lbs) with me and a full tank & spare in the trunk. Thanks for the info!

Dennis

  #244  
Old 04-06-2021, 04:30 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by johnta1 View Post
400 when running 12's.

I have had many engines in it since then, most with 455 SD and 473 Butler short block and RA IV heads.

1st Pic from Indy with the 473 engine probably.
2nd is back in 79 or so, with the 400/3 speed
(not good pic)

Great pictures John! I agree with Jonny, more pictures of back in the '70's!

Dennis

  #245  
Old 04-06-2021, 07:39 PM
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Here's one,







I don't have many pics. I never had a camera then. Later I have a ton of vcr tapes of races.
(no vcr player now )
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  #246  
Old 04-06-2021, 07:51 PM
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That one's better than the last one!!!

Do you have any of these on your page so I can get bigger scans?
(the forum always makes images smaller)

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1970 Formula 400
Carousel Red paint on Black standard interior
A no-engine, no-transmission, no-wheel option car.
Quite likely one of few '70 Muncie three speed Formula 400's left.


1991 Grand Am: 14.4 @ 93.7mph (DA corrected) (retired DD, stock appearing)
2009 Cobalt SS: 13.9 @ 103mph (current DD; makes something north of 300hp & 350ft/lbs)
  #247  
Old 04-06-2021, 09:06 PM
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The pics may not be better, they are pretty old and not sure if they are scanned off the pic or photo from pic?
(not sure where originals are)


Try these links:


http://wallaceracing.com/me-assumption-aug-75.png


http://wallaceracing.com/my-bird-assumption-79.png


My wife has a huge box full of pics not sure if in there.

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Winner of Top Class at Pontiac Nationals, 2004 Cordova
Winner of Quick 16 At Ames 2004 Pontiac Tripower Nats

KRE's MR-1 - 1st 5 second Pontiac block ever!


"Every man has a right to his own opinion, but no man has a right to be wrong in his facts."

"People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid." – Socrates
  #248  
Old 04-07-2021, 06:29 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by johnta1 View Post
Here's one,







I don't have many pics. I never had a camera then. Later I have a ton of vcr tapes of races.
(no vcr player now )
John, That is a great pic of back in the day local class racing...I see L/SA on the 64/65 Chevelle. Were you running in a particular stock class in that picture? It looks like your window is rolled down and I think I see Rally II's front and rear (without the trim rings of course).

My first car was a Coronado Gold/std black interior '70 Formula 400 with the std. YS 400/TH400 and 3.07 open rear end. But it had the 15" Rally II wheel option with the Goodyear F60-15 Polyglas Wide Track's. It looks like yours is Coronado Gold as well as Larry's...so 3 I know of now. I hope you find some more pictures...very cool!

Dennis

  #249  
Old 04-07-2021, 09:24 AM
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Love Coronado Gold!
Mine has black interior (standard) no console, did have AM/FM radio.


I didn't run any class. It was bracket racing, probably one of the 1st around there?

But that guy did run NHRA classes. (can't remember his name right now)
There were a lot of Stock/SS guys around in that area though.
Also notice the Funny car by the fence.

Not much safety back then probably.

Motion Raceway was the name of the track there.
In 75 they had rollers in the ground to start cars without starters.



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KRE's MR-1 - 1st 5 second Pontiac block ever!


"Every man has a right to his own opinion, but no man has a right to be wrong in his facts."

"People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid." – Socrates
  #250  
Old 04-07-2021, 10:37 AM
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Just looked up Motion Raceway and found this:

Motion Raceway on FB

Also has pics from Coles County Dragway (my old track I raced at)

Found this in there - possibly around 1983, had the TA hood on it:



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Pontiac Power RULES !!!
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Winner of Quick 16 At Ames 2004 Pontiac Tripower Nats

KRE's MR-1 - 1st 5 second Pontiac block ever!


"Every man has a right to his own opinion, but no man has a right to be wrong in his facts."

"People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid." – Socrates
  #251  
Old 04-07-2021, 10:49 AM
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that's cool!!

after Reading Arnie's book, I am find myself all the more appreciating this grass roots drag racing;
It's essentially what attracted me to the PSMCD - it's not a situation where deeper pockets guarantee wins;
It's car against car, and driver against driver - no tricks.

In 1983 I was six years old, so not nearly old enough to see cars like these racing.
The closest I remember was my dad (who was described by family as going through cars faster than underwear) had a '79 TA for a spell and one of our drives in that car another TA tried racing my dad with all three of us in the car.
lol

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1970 Formula 400
Carousel Red paint on Black standard interior
A no-engine, no-transmission, no-wheel option car.
Quite likely one of few '70 Muncie three speed Formula 400's left.


1991 Grand Am: 14.4 @ 93.7mph (DA corrected) (retired DD, stock appearing)
2009 Cobalt SS: 13.9 @ 103mph (current DD; makes something north of 300hp & 350ft/lbs)
  #252  
Old 05-30-2021, 06:24 PM
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I finally got around to getting rid of the Lucerne Blue overspray that was very noticeable in the wheel wells, the rear arms of the sub-frame, and the leaf springs and perches. We removed the wheels/tires and set it fairly high on jack-stands and went to work scrubbing, scrapping, and cussing. The wheel wells had overspray on mud (dirt mud, not bondo), so after finding that out, a wet cloth really loosened it up and a 1" wide scrapper took got rid of most of the crud, but looked like crap once it dried, so I sprayed a light coat of 3M Undercoating (08881) to darken the inside of the wheel wells and the easily seen 'blue' areas underneath. It's not a professional job by any stretch, but it looks a whole lot better for a driver.

Swapping in the original PQ TH400 next time I see the Bird.

Dennis
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  #253  
Old 06-19-2021, 09:31 PM
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I was fortunate to get a couple days in a row to work on the Formula...finally! I was able to install a small tachometer and trio of electric gauges (oil pressure, volts, water temp) from Auto Gage (the budget instrument line from Auto Meter) to augment the idiot lights...this Formula wasn't ordered with the optional tach and gauges. I didn't want a big intrusive tach or mechanical gauges, so I got the Auto Gage Mini Tach (2-1/2" dia.) and their 1-1/2" Electric Mini Gauges that could be covered easily. They are about 1/3rd the cost of lowest priced Auto Meter tach and electric gauges, so we'll see how well they hold up. I didn't want to drill any mounting holes so I attached the tach mounting bracket (non-adjustable btw) to the bottom side of the dash using the existing far left screw hole of the insert, so the tach reads up-side down...oh well. The trio gauges are loosely mounted in the front console box with the wiring combined and routed through the existing gaps. After a day of contortions and multiple abrasions, they actually do work and it is so nice to know what the engine is doing now. With the engine warmed up the gauges measured 60 psi @ 2000 rpm/20 psi @ idle (700 rpm) oil pressure; 14 volts all the time, no & full load; and 180 degrees after 15 minutes of idling with the nose tight to the garage door (minimal air movement through the radiator). If the numbers can be believed, I'm very pleased with them so far. The Formula gets a real road test tomorrow after the original PQ TH400 gets reinstalled, so we'll see if those numbers stay the same...they better.

Dennis

PS: I also removed the Pontiac crest on the dash insert and installed a correct 'bird'...fit perfectly. The crest was installed with double sided tape and is really nice quality...I wonder where it came from and what it was used on...hmm?
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  #254  
Old 06-20-2021, 06:53 PM
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We got the original PQ TH400 swapped back in today, it took a total of 5 hours for the from beginning to test drive, so a good days work and another item to check off the to-do list. During the test drive (first one since we got the car and thank goodness for the new gauges!) we found a couple of more issues...1) the original 3-core radiator is plugged pretty badly and the water temp would heat up to 220 degrees on the highway at 70 mph (3200 rpm with 215R70/14's and 3.55 gears @ 85 air temp) and not recover, so it's either recore the original, or buy a new Cold Case aluminum radiator (favored by me since it's a driver not a resto queen); and 2) the left rear brake shoes are dragging so we'll fix that. Slowly we are getting the bugs worked out.

The trans shifted great and retains its original 13" HD '5-5' convertor and vacuum modulator. It shifts gears fairly quickly and firmly, but isn't a bang-screech rebuild. We'll eventually try some full throttle runs, but for now, the cooling and brakes get fixed first.

Dennis

  #255  
Old 06-25-2021, 10:24 AM
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Dan got the new Cold Case F-body radiator in yesterday and it fit nicely and the hose connections and cap slid on without any 'fit' issues...except for the tranny lines. For some reason, Cold Case uses 5/16" connections for the flared ends of the tranny lines, the problem is, the factory flared ends are 3/8", so you have to get 5/16" to 3/8" adapters. Kind of silly they haven't fixed that, since most (all?) 60's/70's GM automatic radiators have 3/8". A minor issue, but frustrating when you have to run out to the parts store to get them...if they have them in stock...fortunately, they did. The radiator overall quality is very good and the look is 'factory' enough for most folks to not notice the differences. Dan painted is semi-gloss black before it went in, btw. Hopefully it makes a big difference in the running temps!

Dennis
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Last edited by SD455DJ; 06-25-2021 at 10:26 AM. Reason: Add more text.
  #256  
Old 06-25-2021, 09:57 PM
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Nice looking radiator-

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  #257  
Old 07-02-2021, 06:23 PM
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We had beautiful weather today (sunny in the upper 70's) and got the chance to test drive the Formula with the new Cold Case aluminum radiator. If you buy one for an F-body with automatic trans, be aware that the tranny cooler connections in the tank are 5/16" threads, too small to receive the factory 3/8" threaded flared ends and you need to get the 5/16" to 3/8" adapters...then you'll discover they are just deep enough to barely tighten and seal into the radiator connections. Dan got some soft copper washers to allow the adapters to seal more tightly against the seats and after a modest 10 mile test drive they didn't leak. The connector threads are also aluminum so you can't reef on the line nuts. Also, you need to retighten all the connections, gingerly, after a couple of heat cycles. According to the new temp gauge the radiator kept the engine temps to 190 degrees no matter the driving conditions with a 180 degree thermostat, so a 30 degree improvement (the 190 degree temps were confirmed with an infrared temp gun).

I also wanted to get taller tires on the car, so I installed my 225R70/15 Eagle ST's on 15x7 HW Rally II's to lower the cruising rpm's a bit. We seldom drive on the expressways by trying to stick to country roads & highways (more scenic and fun). It did knock down the rpm's at 70 mph to 3000, so a little better. I'm sure it won't get any worse gas mileage than the '71 455HO Formula with 3.42 gears (15 mpg) with the smaller and more efficient 400 (hopefully 17-17 mpg).

I think the Formula is finally ready (enough) for some summer driving and will be at the TA Nationals this summer.

Dennis
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  #258  
Old 07-03-2021, 12:49 AM
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Looking forward to hooking up in Van Wert in August.

  #259  
Old 07-03-2021, 07:48 AM
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Absolutely looking forward to that Craig! When I look at the pics I took yesterday, it reminded my of a certain TA...except wingless. I see mine has the Pontiac advertising butt-squat...the anti-rake.

Natural daylight sure helps with getting better pictures of the interior.

Dennis
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  #260  
Old 07-03-2021, 08:16 PM
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Default 1970 vs. 2000 Formulas

Pic of the '70 Formula 400 RAIII and Dan's 2000 Formula WS6 before the Rally II's were put on yesterday. The '70 looks a lot smaller in the picture than it actually is...but is shorter and lower than the 2000 by a few inches.

Dennis
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