[Jim Hand]

Rather then discussing the one best run made yesterday evening, will post time slips from all four runs so you see what the car actually does. Would have made several more but we told no more without a fire jacket – driver Kevin and I both forgot our jackets! I don’t need it to watch but normally keep it in the car – took it out this winter to clean the car and care for the jacket. Kevin has been working in dust and mud with his truck and had also removed his jacket from his truck. I guess we were both a little excited about the first time out this year!

The weather was good except had about a 10-12 MPH crosswind. As we have for years, ran 37 year old iron D port heads with 170cc ports (peanut sized as described by one of the board “experts”), 267/218 cfm flow @.550 lift, an original Wovlerine standard hydraulic cam that was designed at least 35 years ago, and that I have run off and on since 2000. I carefully measured it recently and the average of eight lobes are:
Intake 300 advertised seat to seat (.006) – is 296.15, 234 @ .050 advertised –is 233.5, with .324 lobe lift
Exhaust 310 advertised –is 243.6, 310/234 advertised –is 308.3/243.6 with .339 lobe lift.
Lobe separation is 112, intake in at 108. Q Jet, RPM, stock HEI, stock fan and clutch, standard belt driven water pump, 92 octane pump gas and Brad Penn oil. Car weighs a Missouri certified 4050# with ¼ tank gas and driver.

And one of the original Jim Hand Continental “Tight 10" converters that still flash/stalls at 3200 RPM.- bought it in 1997 and have run it since.

Look closely at the very good 1/8 mile ET and MPH on all four tickets – we stage at 1800 and go to the floor at the light – no electronics, crossovers, delay boxes, trans brakes, - not even a line lock! Simply a basic street car with the right combination of parts that work together to provide excellent street driving in addition to respectable track numbers. I even hooked up the back up lights this past winter! Sometimes “old” parts when properly used and matched, work as well or even better then new parts, regardless of the excellent advertising for “new and modern” stuff!

Jim Hand

[ponjohn]

Wow Jim. I didn't know you were sub 11.50's.

Very nice.

Are jackets required at 11.499?

[67 Lamnas]

Originally Posted by Jim Hand

Rather then discussing the one best run made yesterday evening, will post time slips from all four runs so you see what the car actually does. Would have made several more but we told no more without a fire jacket – driver Kevin and I both forgot our jackets! I don’t need it to watch but normally keep it in the car – took it out this winter to clean the car and care for the jacket. Kevin has been working in dust and mud with his truck and had also removed his jacket from his truck. I guess we were both a little excited about the first time out this year!

The weather was good except had about a 10-12 MPH crosswind. As we have for years, ran 37 year old iron D port heads with 170cc ports (peanut sized as described by one of the board “experts”), 267/218 cfm flow @.550 lift, an original Wovlerine standard hydraulic cam that was designed at least 35 years ago, and that I have run off and on since 2000. I carefully measured it recently and the average of eight lobes are:
Intake 300 advertised seat to seat – is 296.15, 234 @ .050 advertised –is 233.5, with .324 lobe lift
Exhaust 310 advertised –is 243.6, 310/234 advertised –is 308.3/243.6 with .339 lobe lift.
Lobe separation is 112, intake in at 108. Q Jet, RPM, stock HEI, stock fan and clutch, standard belt driven water pump, 92 octane pump gas and Brad Penn oil. Car weighs a Missouri certified 4050# with ¼ tank gas and driver.

And one of the original Jim Hand Continental “Tight 10" converters that still flash/stalls at 3200 RPM.- bought it in 1997 and have run it since.

Look closely at the very good 1/8 mile ET and MPH on all four tickets – we stage at 1800 and go to the floor at the light – no electronics, crossovers, delay boxes, trans brakes, - not even a line lock! Simply a basic street car with the right combination of parts that work together to provide excellent street driving in addition to respectable track numbers. I even hooked up the back up lights this past winter! Sometimes “old” parts when properly used and matched, work as well or even better then new parts, regardless of the excellent advertising for “new and modern” stuff!

Jim Hand

Nice job.......I'll be lucky to run even close to those times with my new 535 with walnut sized ports.......LOL......

Met you back in 1994 at the GTO nats in St.Louis......

Thank you for all you've contributed to this hobby over the years.......you're to be commended

[Jim Hand]

PONJON,
Yes, a rollbar is required at 11.499, and the bar automatically adds a requirement for fire jackets, and SFI approved 5 point belts dated not more then two years old.

Jim Hand

[ta man]

I've always been amazed at the performance of your wagon.My wife surprised me at Xmas with a set of KRE heads ported by Dave Bisschop this led to a roller cam and so on.What is funny though us "mortals" for some reason need the aftermarket to accomplish what you have done.One thing I think you have taught people is common sense tuning>see what works for others in the same combo and test the parts out making small changes at a time.Best of tuning and luck to you.

[A.W.Dille]

Jim that is impressive. The sixty ft times are very consistant as are the 1/8th mile times. I also believe that with the right combination and careful tuning results will follow. I too am going old school with the 406 I'm getting ready to build, though I seriously doubt mine will see any strip action and will be running a four speed instead of an automatic, but hoping that it will be a really stout performer. Again very impressive, and thanks for what you have done forour hobby. You are a genuine inspiration to all of us.

[johnta1]

Nice runs, Jim!



Do you let the tranny shift itself?

[grandville455]

Very Solid Runs Jim!!.... AS always very impressive!

[superdutybob]

Very nice Jim! I love a sleeper.

Talked to Tim Connelly the other day and he said to say hello to you and Tom. He told us about you tossing him the keys to the old girl and telling him to go have fun down on your test road. He is working at McLaren Performance now and is doing well.

Say hello to Tom for me too!

[Jim Hand]

John,
I have set the governor small weights to shift the desired RPM 1-2. However, the 2-3 shift was too far off so I expanded the tension on the 2-3 shift valve spring until I got the 2-3 shift point where I wanted.

Now, after we finish the burnout, we move the shifter to Dr(ag), drive into the first light, and when the other car gets his first light on, we raise the RPM to the desired 1800 and bump the car into the second light with the brakes. Then we never have to look away from the lights to watch/set the RPM. When the lights activate, we release the brake, hit the floor, and cruise through in Drive. After crossing the finish line, we gradually let off and shift to Neutral to minimize running down against compression and stretching the rods. And we then use the brakes to whoa it down to turn off. So no manual gear shifting at all during the run.

Note: In addition to the shifter reverse lock out, I have a manual bar to positively prevent going into Reverse from Drive - we engage it before the burn-out.

Jim Hand

[Schoust]

Hey Jim awesome accomplishment with stock parts! Sounds like there's lot's more information to tell Us about in your next book! Great job....

[Old Man Taylor]

Great runs Jim! Now you'll have to start short shifting it to keep it slower than 11.49.

[Region Warrior]

Dont you also have a 3.42 gr?

YOUR KILL"N ME

[johnta1]

Thanks for the reply, Jim.

I modified the govenor springs/weights on my TAyears ago.
I race mostly 1/8th mile, so I rarely get out of 2nd gear.

Usually cross about 4400 RPM in 2nd.

Not fast like yours though, but all stock. (3.08 gear also)

[b-man]

Originally Posted by Region Warrior

Dont you also have a 3.42 gr?

YOUR KILL"N ME

Try 3.31 gears.

Nice runs as usual Jim.

Bart

[Region Warrior]

Originally Posted by b-man

Try 3.31 gears.

Nice runs as usual Jim.

Bart

[Cliff R]

Jim, as always great performance for the weight and combination of parts.

I'm wondering if anyone will notice that you are running almost as quick as you did at Ark City a few years back in much better weather conditions?

I suspect if you find a 10-12 MPH tailwind and a little more barometer, that put several tenths on everyones car at the Ark City even, the car will run as quick or quicker than the runs you made out there?

Deadly consistancy to go with the good runs as well, I'd hate to run into you guys at a bracket race!........Cliff

[Mr. P-Body]

Jim,

Mid 11s AGAIN?? Ho-hum... Argh! Argh! Humor...

Great job as always. Glad to know you're out and about, and at the track!

Rumor out there you may attend the show in Dayton. Any truth to it? We really need to get together!

Jim

[Jim Hand]

Thanks Cliff,
Many of the newer board members don’t realize my wagon has run in the low 11.30’s. However, it occurred in very unusual weather at the Pontiac Uprising in Ark City, Kansas, in 2000. The weather was perfect for optimum times – strong tail wind, very cool and dry, and very high air pressure. The car ran from 11.32 into the 11:40’s all day. Two weeks later, we ran a bracket race in KC with the exact same equipment in normal weather and ran slightly slower then the numbers I posted on this thread.

This is all described in detail on my car’s description on Bill Boyle’s Street Performance at: http://www.pontiacstreetperformance....ld455jh00.html

As a result, I have never claimed those numbers as typical performance. I guess I could put them in my signature and look good. But I prefer to describe what the car typically can run.

As a result of the then amazing performance from a heavy car with such basic and simple parts, several very jealous board members started a campaign to discredit me and the wagon. The problem? I still believed at that time there was magic in some highly advertised parts. So I decided to purchase a first class carb to try rather then the pre-Cliff Q Jet I was running. I bought what was considered one of the best - a Pro Systems Holley from Patrick James set up just for my car. It ran fine and it was on the car at Ark City, (and also at KC two weeks later). So the aginners of my wagon started in with “The only way you can run well is with high dollar parts”

I decided to remove all the “high dollar” parts and show what could be done with stock Pontiac stuff. I first installed a 3.31 gear in place of the 3.55. I installed an original 041 Mellings cam and an iron stock intake. After two trips to the track the next season, I was running high 11's. during the next several seasons, I ran a best of 11.55 with the stock intake, a series of 11.70’s at the Ark City event in ’72 with the stock intake, 041 cam and the 3.31 gears, and a best of 11.69 with the 041. Fortunately, Cliff came along and prepared a Q jet that was not really quicker but it ran (and still runs) flawlessly.

And long before this in 1987, I was running 12.70’s with a genuine 068 Pontiac S cam with then 3.23 gears at well over 4100#.

Yes, I have modified many of the parts I use – I have always thought that was what hot rodding is about. I simply try to visualize what the original Pontiac engine specialists wanted the parts to do if they had not been handicapped by time, cost, emission controls, durability, sound, ease of mfg, warranties, corporate policy, and all the other restrictions they worked under. Then I modify the parts accordingly.

As a result of some of the above, several still claim it was the Holley that made the car run so well that day – BS! It was the weather plus correct tuning. In fact, I hadn’t run the Holley for eight years so last season, I got it out and we completely renovated it with new soft parts and used the original calibration of hard parts. Result? The car ran slower then with the Cliff Q Jet – exactly as Cliff has reported numerous times from his recent dyno testing.

And that is what I meant with the statement in my initial post. Most new parts work fine, but there is no magic button – you still have to understand that the engines with the best combination of parts for their specific load/RPM will be the strongest whether new or old “technology is used. And I am finding that much of the “new” stuff is pure horse crap advertising, both from the MFG and the guys selling it.

I will post three of the quickest slips from that Ark City race – they are a little ratty and difficult to read but are the real thing – we are car 2171. So I really do have an 11.32 car – should I begin shouting to the board that I can run that? I don’t think so. However, after running very mild stuff with a self imposed shift limit of 5500 and a 3.31 gear, for the past eight years, I may push it a little harder. In fact, I did reinstall the 3.55 gear this past winter, partly for performance and partly for my health to keep me from sitting around and worrying about being sick.

I appreciate all the kind comments and words from all. As my time for racing and building is running out, don’t really have any firm plans. And I probably will not be able to make any of the Pontiac events, although I would certainly like to do so. Thanks to all for your support (and buying my book - they have now sold over 20,000 copies!)

Jim Hand

[mechanic17]

Hey Jim,
I've read your book a few times--thanks for writing it! Maybe slightly off-topic, but since you are talking drag performance and referred us to your car setup, can I ask you:

Have you ever experienced problems with your rear end--outside of swapping ratios--in the 11-sec range? My street-strip '70 Goat has torn out 7 (admittedly cheap) rear ends in 20 years of hard driving, and I'm considering an aftermarket 9-inch to end that once and for all (also have a new 407 going in that should be substantially better than stock.) It seems the cost of a good 12-bolt approaches that, so. . .

Also, the calculators (have trialed PT Engine Analyzer and others) I've used say my optimal strip gearing will be in the 4.10-30 range on a 28" tire, but I already have a 3.90/TH400 and it drives me crazy on the highway, so I'm considering going to the 3.50 range as a compromise for now (have a 4l80e lurking for when I get rich). Assuming optimal cam/converter, does that sound like the right ratio for the 400?

Best, Shawn