[Cliff R]

Running quick at the track is ALL about you well the car hooks and how hard it leaves. Efforts put into suspension and tires will get the car where you want to be more than work in other areas.

Way back when I first started getting serious about getting the Ventura into the 11's I spent a lot of time with the suspension system. I started by installing sub frame connectors (boxed and welded in place), then moved on to springs, spring clamps, adjustable pinion snubber, welding the tubes into the carrier, and drag shocks.

I'm NOT a fan of traction bars for leaf spring cars, I don't like the look of them hanging under the car and can't stand the "clunking" you get with them for street driving. Plus I'm more into the "stock" lock and ride height, plus using stock rims tucked up nicely under the car. When folks start gendering at your car after you make a hard run without any visible traction devices and stock ride height it just puts a perplexed look on their faces. The looks get even more perplexed when they take a gander under the hood and see the Q-jet sitting on a stock intake.

Anyhow, even with 3.08 gears you should be able to run quick in 60' times, so put some efforts there. I would think you could bust into the 1.6 second range with some effort as there is certainly enough power and converter there to do it. That'll knock a bunch of ET off the time slips.

I still remember my very first outings with the old 455 making apprx 1hp/CID. I was all over the 1.9-2.0 range with 60' times and barely dipping into the 12's in the 1/4 mile. I ended up getting the car solidly into the 1.67-1.69 range without doing anything to the engine. It took some work but I ended up running 12.0's at 112mph when the smoke cleared and the dust settled from those efforts. I would have busted right on into the 11's with that combo but KRE developed their new aluminum heads and I was asked to test them so went that direction and never looked back........Cliff