Recipes for speed.......

I've had several people ask about what it takes to run 13s, 12s, 11s, and mainly because of the "Fast&Furious" movies and their casual references to "10 second cars"-what it takes to run 10s. There are various combinations to do this- for example- a small-block Chevy in a Datsun 240Z is an easy to build 11 second ride-but we can't cover all the possibilities here. I can give you some general guidelines on what you'll need for a mild to wild street machine-regardless of the nameplate. What the average person doesn't know is in a 1/4 mile drag race-1/10 of a second equals 1 car length. So if your car runs say a 14.9 in the 1/4 and your buddy's car runs a 14.5-that doesn't sound like a big difference, but it is!  He just smoked you by 4 car lengths!!  If  your pal's car ran a 14.0-he beat you by 9 car lengths, which is a serious ass-whippin'-even though both cars technically run "In the 14s". That's why I laugh at the "F&F" movies and their casual references to "10 second" cars!  Anyhow- I'll break it down for everyone here.  # 1. 14 second cars. Like I just said-this is a lot of room from 14.00-14.99-but you'll get the general idea. Cars that fall into this realm are generally stock for the most part and consist of-small-block 327 and 350 '60's and '70's Novas and Camaros, '69-73 351 Mustangs, and '70-74 340 / 360 Dusters or 'Cuda / Challengers. You'll also find some "entry-level" big-block musclecars-i.e.-389 GTOs, 383 Road Runners, 396 Chevelles , etc. Also in this category would be 400 powered '70's Firebirds and Trans-Ams, '85-92 LB9 and L98 Tuned Port Injected Camaros, Firebirds and Corvettes, and '83-93 "5.0" Mustangs. These cars look and sound cool and are fun to drive, and are often used as daily drivers. They are fast enough to back up the image-you don't have to take crap from little boys in Honda Civics, old men in Northstar Cadillacs, or soccer moms in V8 Cherokees. The engines idle smoothly, the seats are comfortable and the suspensions don't rattle your fillings loose. # 2. 13 second cars. In this realm-you have some of the above mentioned cars mildly warmed over-aftermarket carbs and intakes, headers, maybe a mild cam or additional mechanical advantadge-i.e.- a 4-speed, or a higher-stall speed torque converter and 3.73 or stiffer gears. You'll also find the typical premium big-block musclecars here-454 Chevelles, 455HO / SD GTOs and Trans-Ams, 440 Road Runners / Chargers / Challengers, 455 Olds 442s, and 455 Buick GS Skylarks. Later stuff would include '85-87 Buick Grand Nationals, '93-2002 LT1 / LS1 Camaros, Firebirds, and Corvettes,2004-2006 GTOs, as well as 2005 and newer Hemi Chargers and Challengers,2009 and newer Camaros, and 2005 and newer 4.6 and "5.0" Mustangs. # 3. 12 second cars. Now your getting into some serious power. Nitrous can yank a 13 second car into the 12s, but the really glory is to run it "on the motor" which means "off the bottle". In order to do that, you'll need at least 450 hp-which means a stout small-block or a warmed over big-block. Additionally you'll need some traction aids to put all that power to the ground-a limited-slip rear end, larger, stickier tires, and traction bars or a pinion snubber. And, you may have to beef up the driveline to handle the extra power-for example upgrading the transmission or rear end.  # 4. 11 second cars. Now, your getting to the edge of streetability. It's rare to see an 11 second street car without a blue bottle in the trunk, but you can do it without nitrous. You'll need 500-600 hp depending on the weight of the car. This means a stout small-block with a big shot of nitrous, or a blower, or a pretty serious big-block.  Most strips require any car that runs the 1/4 in less than 12 seconds to have a driveshaft safety loop and an 8-point roll cage. To put all that power to the ground you'll definitely need a drag-race style suspension and an upgraded driveline-i.e. a TH400 or 727 or C6 automatic, or a heavy-duty Muncie, BW or Richmond 4 or 5-speed stick and a 12 bolt , Dana 60, or Ford 9" rear to avoid parts breakage.  # 5. 10 second cars. You can do this two ways-give an 11 or 12 second car a big shot of nitrous, or build a STOMPIN" big-block. To run 10s without nitrous-you'll need 600+ hp-which means a blower, or a 12:1 compression, 500+ inch big-block with a serious cam, which means you'll also need racing gas, a 3,500-4,000 rpm converter, 4.11 or 4.56 gears, and a reinforced chassis-an 8 or 10 point cage, subframe connectors, ladder bars, etc. Yes, anything is drivable-depending on what the driver is willing to tolerate-but these cars are really stretching the limits of "Streetability".  Buff magazines that blurb on their covers about 7,8 or 9 second "Street Cars" are full of shit, plain and simple. A car that runs the 1/4 in 7,8 or 9 seconds at better than 140 mph is not a street car, it's a race car. What else would you call a car with a 700 hp+ engine, a 4,500 rpm converter and a trans-brake, a 10 point roll cage,4-link ladder bar suspension, and rolling on 29 or 31 inch slicks or "DOT legal"-wink,wink, wrinklewall street tires or drag radials?  Most states require any car built after 1978 to have a smog and safety inspection which often includes checking for equipment like catalytic converters, EGR valves, etc. How does one get a 720 hp, 572 inch Rat powered '86 Monte Carlo SS legally registered?  And even with 4.56:1 or 4.88:1 gears-your 55-65 mph highway cruising rpm is going to be well below your 5 grand converter's stall speed, so how far toward soccer practice can mom go before she burns up that expensive B&M or TCI racing tranny?  Hope this clears some things up. Mastermind