[x-bird2]

Originally Posted by PAUL K

I wanted to share an excellent experience I had with my SD TA. Three years ago I took the car to the track hoping to get a 13 second time slip. The car was mostly stock with the exception of 1.65 rockers, exhaust and carb/dist.tuning. I ran 13.9@100 mph and was quite happy. Then the racer in me kept thinking about a project Cars Magazine did back in '74 trying to get an SD to run 12's, and I wondered if I could accomplish this using a different approach. Since I had a spare SD block laying around, and enough parts to assemble another engine, I decided to see what could be done. I ordered a set of trick custom flat top pistons from CP, rebuilt a set of rods using ARP bolts, had the crank nitrated and the rotating assembly balanced. I just did the standard performance blueprinting prep to the block. I spent a lot of time on the flow bench testing different valves and valve seat combinations. The heads were milled .060 and an HFT cam was designed to match the flow characteristics of the heads, and hopefully accomplish my goals. I never touched the heads with a grinder, nor did I port match or modify them in any way. Other than an efficient valve job and milling, they are stock. I used a '72 455 HO intake manifold that I gasket matched, and I ported the exhaust manifolds.
I figured I would need to update the chassis a bit, so I clamped the rear springs and installed a set of performance shocks in the rear. I believe my front shocks are original. When I scaled the car, it weighed 4100 lbs without the driver. I figured I needed to remove a little weight, so in addition to the aluminum intake, I removed the spare tire and jack assembly, installed the thinner fender to core support braces and painted up a set of Rally wheels I could use at the track instead of the heavy honeycombs. The car still weighs over 4300 lbs. with the driver.
I got my chance to race the car at a local track this past May. I was very happy when I got the time slip and saw that I ran 12.7. I made four runs and didn't get a chance to try and dial-in the combination. I ran three 12.7s and a 12.8 all at 107 mph.
Super Duty 455's are the best!
I've attached two video links of my runs that day.

http://youtu.be/7SvcXv8YvEE

http://youtu.be/iT9oOBH6JRU

Nice! i ran mine about 200 pounds lighter than yours, headers, solid cam, holley street dominator intake and hoosier qt pros at about 22 psi (used to drive to the track and home on them) hit consistent 12.4s at 108 with the 3.42 gearing and a lot of fun getting it to hook. Best ever was a 12.04. Would one day like to start racing it again with 3.08s out back and a set of street tires with me to take the drag radials where they need to be pressure wise and maybe crack a high 11 out of it.

[PAUL K]

Originally Posted by x-bird2

Nice! i ran mine about 200 pounds lighter than yours, headers, solid cam, holley street dominator intake and hoosier qt pros at about 22 psi (used to drive to the track and home on them) hit consistent 12.4s at 108 with the 3.42 gearing and a lot of fun getting it to hook. Best ever was a 12.04. Would one day like to start racing it again with 3.08s out back and a set of street tires with me to take the drag radials where they need to be pressure wise and maybe crack a high 11 out of it.

That's cool! Do you still have the same car? The new drag radials work great and really don't wear out very fast...atleast compared to the QTPs!

[x-bird2]

Yes, can't part with it, even though at the present time (and for the past 15 years LOL) I don't have the $s to do the final paint and interior work it needs. Sitting in ugly old primer with front seats splitting at all the piping. First race runs I did with it were with stock intake/carb, headers and a mild solid cam. other than the heads/intake being port matched, all else is stock, 1.5 ratio on the rockers (still haven't gone to 1.65) At that time, with 15 year old Goodyear Eagle GTs mounted on turbo T/A wheels i got a 13.1s down to 12.8s out of it and some really hairy runs with the old tires busting loose at each shift point (auto). The QTs i have are just as old nowadays. She's sitting with a bent collector flange that got crushed 2 years ago. Fixed it this summer, but i have to still have to triple the gaskets to stop it from leaking.

[Larry Navarro]

Similar prep as Paul K.......my old '73 4speed SD clone ran high 12's @ 108 with just the addition of the H-O racing camshaft....HC-63, along with optimized tuning, 3:90 rear gears and McCreary G-60's.

[bluebird455]

Larry, don't you wish you still had it??

[Larry Navarro]

Originally Posted by bluebird455

Larry, don't you wish you still had it??

oh hell yeah!!!....sold that car back in '96.
that car was such a sleeper.....all stock-appearing under the hood with that nasty exhaust note. Alot of folks figured the car was overcammed for the street.......I got the last laugh on that one with unsuspecting chevy guys. That car spanked a lot of ass on the street.

[PAUL K]

Originally Posted by Larry Navarro

oh hell yeah!!!....sold that car back in '96.
that car was such a sleeper.....all stock-appearing under the hood with that nasty exhaust note. Alot of folks figured the car was overcammed for the street.......I got the last laugh on that one with unsuspecting chevy guys. That car spanked a lot of ass on the street.

I think I remember your sun roof car and 79 T/A being in the HPP pavement pounders. I also thought there was a 73 T/A clone from Texas.......was that your car that you are talking about?

[1970TA]

Saw this 73 SD barn find at Floyd Garett's Muscle Car Museum today.

[PAUL K]

Originally Posted by Larry Navarro

Similar prep as Paul K.......my old '73 4speed SD clone ran high 12's @ 108 with just the addition of the H-O racing camshaft....HC-63, along with optimized tuning, 3:90 rear gears and McCreary G-60's.

Larry, my brother ran an HC-63 in his cars years ago. That is one wicked sounding cam! I couldn't have made that work with a 3:08 gear and stock converter, but with 3.90's and a 4 speed ...look out! I was considering using the smaller HC-62 cam, but thought it could do a little bit better with the combination I had to work with. You gotta love those guys from H-O Racing Specialties!

[71GP76TA]

Who has the most miles on a never opened up SD455? Who has the most miles on an SD car? You always hear about low mileage SD's.... But never high mileage ones... Just curious.....

[x-bird2]

Given that the odometers only went up to 99,999 I'm always dubious about mileage claims on any older car --- unless they're 100 ercent time warp survivor with original paint, interior etc. I've got about 135,000 on mine, of which i put about 5,000 on the clock. At the time I got it, there was nothing to stop me from claiming the 29,xxx it showed. Hell, it could have 235,000 on it for all I know ....

[PAUL K]

One of mine had 84,000 and ran perfectly. It would still run low 14's in the quarter.

[Larry Navarro]

yeah those were my cars in HPP PP's.
The other '73 T/A clone (red) was owned by Mike Cooke from Midland, Tx. He builds some potent pontiacs too.

attached is the old '73 SD I had.

[RamAir]

Here's a nice one

http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/...tml?refer=news

[PAUL K]

Originally Posted by Larry Navarro

yeah those were my cars in HPP PP's.
The other '73 T/A clone (red) was owned by Mike Cooke from Midland, Tx. He builds some potent pontiacs too.

attached is the old '73 SD I had.

That's a cool car! You should have kept it. White with the blue bird is always my first pick.

[71GP76TA]

Mine has 121,000... never been apart

[The Boss]

I think I have a set of them Darryll.

[Red Goat]

Hey Darrel, Welcome to the f-body side of the house! What color interior on that one?

Cheers,
Tim

[notime]

Black interior Tim. Pictures will follow soon as I get some. Thanks for the welcome guys. I would have been here sooner, but I don't own one as much as I love them, I haven't come across one I could buy yet but I have held off on buying lately since I have 4 cars now that need restored and I cant keep up.

[notime]

Not sure on the dates yet but I think car is a late build.