[ponyakr]

sometimes mistakes can be great teachers(if you live over 'em). lookin back over my racin mistakes, i can see several things i did wrong that resulted in fewer wins. i'll share this with you & it may help you avoid my failures. i'll lnclude the changes i'd make if i could go back & do it over. i'll include these ideas from 2 different approaches. (1) using the exsisting technology of that day & (2) using the technology of today. the #1 biggest mistake i made was switching to the 455 motor. had i stayed with the 400, we would've won many more races & thousands more in $. many a nite we loaded up early because of lost traction or broken parts. now, if i could go back, using the technology of that day, i could've avoided those 455 problems. 1st i'dve spent the extra $ to have a ladder bar system installed. it would've paid for itself many times over. next, of course, if i used a th400, i'd put a hd sprag in it. or i'd use a th350 with manual shift, forward pattern valve body, blocking out 1st gear at the shifter, & using only 2nd & 3rd. this would require more rear gear to compensate for the lower 2nd gear ratio of 1.50. next i would start with the biggest tires i could possibly fit on it. all these changes would have resulted in a quicker, but manageble, under control package, producing more wins & fewer broken parts. now, using todays technology, there may be other traction device options, cheaper & easier to install than ladder bars, which will work just as well. i'm not familiar with these, so i want discuss them further. now, there are other tranny options available today. the most popular, of course, is th pg. a look at a product list from most major racing tranny co will reveal pg models which are reliable to over 2000hp. that should cover the needs of most street/strip or footbrake class bracket racers. i still like the idea of the th350, using 2nd & 3rd only. & here's another wrinkle. buy a bulletproof th350 & use all 3 gears for the street, then for the occasional trip to the track, run 2nd & 3rd only. on a sticky track you may not even need slicks. but to cut a decent lite, you may need to take along a set of the shortest front tires you can find(22-23"). the early goats used a 2-speed tranny some called a super turbine 300. they worked great with the 389 motor. my pontiac tranny man thinks he can build 1 that will hold up to a 455. 2 other advantages--they have the bop bolt pattern & use the same converter as the th350 & th400. i'll say again, the advantages of a 2-speed are, less chance of traction problems & greater chance of consistent et. if given another chance i'd use a 2-speed of some sort in 2 of our cars. but not mine. if your like me & love to shift, then don't give it another thought. a th400 with a hd sprag is the safest way to fly. some say the th350 with modern technology is plenty strong. i've never used 1 of these new age creations, so i can't recommend them for hd bracket racing. if you'd rather use a th350, talk to someone who is using 1 sucsessfully in a setup similiar to yours & find out exactly what parts they are using to keep it together, or at least the builder of 1 that works. Good Luck!