[mrennie]

This is possibly my first real post in the Race section.


I’m a few years away from being able to retire, and I want to build a dedicated drag car and get into bracket racing. Looking back at my GTO project, I realize that I wasted a lot of $$ by changing directions multiple times, so for this project I want to develop a solid plan before I start and then stick to it. Once I have a good strategy, I will begin collecting parts as money allows and start the build when I am ready.
There isn’t really a specific budget, but I want to keep costs reasonable as I will only be able to do 4-5 races a summer due to the few events/tracks up where I live (all are 1/8 mile). I already have a stash of parts to use as a starting point, and want to plan the build around them to keep costs down. Being a bracket car, I’m looking for a strong, reliable and consistent setup.

What I have to work with so far:

-79 Trans Am rolling chassis with 10 bolt rear (assume I will use 28” slicks or drag radials)
-factory 2 bolt 481988 block
-“as cast" round port Speedmaster 72cc heads
-forged 3” main, 4.250” crank
-forged 6.800” I-Beam rods
-factory 1970 dual plane intake (planning to do the Cliff/SD mods to it)
-800CFM Q-jet
-Turbo 400 transmission that I will rebuild with appropriate parts & shift kit

Assuming 91 octane/10% ethanol for fuel, I am looking for input on:

-recommended camshaft type & specs that complement the heads/intake/carb I will be using (note: I have no plans to port the SM heads and will run them as delivered other than swapping springs as required.) The heads are reported to flow 289/202CFM at .600 lift and I want a cam that will fully use the airflow capability with either 1.5 or 1.65 rockers. I'm OK with solid lifters if that saves some $$. If a flat tappet cam will get me where I need to be that is great; a roller cam is also not out of the question if needed.
-recommended target compression for the cam/engine/fuel combo
-recommended size of round port headers to match the combo (I see Doug’s has 2 sizes for round ports to fit in 2nd gen F bodies)
-recommend rear gear ratio
-recommended stall speed for converter
-I plan to install main studs. Are 4 bolt splayed caps needed at this level?
-block fill required or recommended?

-anything else I should know? J

I appreciate that most of you have spent years to get your combo’s dialed in, and any advice to get me on the right track is appreciated. Bear with me as I ask a lot of dumb questions along the way. Pontiac powered race cars are few and far between up here so hoping to represent the tribe