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Pontiac Pavement Pounders Shootout: Norwalk
By far the most experienced Pontiac racer in this group, Terry, at 67 years old, brought an older-school form of whoop-tail to the bash. Originally hosting a 389, Tri-power four-speed Cat picked up for the handy sum of $600 10 years or so ago, this '62 Pontiac was converted to an automatic because, according to Terry, "You tear up too much stuff." Gotta love Pontiac torque. The Pontiac bug began for Mr. Spidel, now retired from GM as a Delco-Remy engineer, late in 1958 like so, "I had a brand-new '58 Corvette (327, four-speed, 4.11 rear, dual four-barrel) and got beat by a '57 Pontiac...and I mean badly. He was cheating, so he probably had a '59 Pontiac motor in it. We tried again, and he beat me on top speed, so I traded my Vette in for a new '59 Catalina Tri-power, three-speed, with a 3.64 rearend. It ran low 14s at 96 mph back then in Super Stock." | Strip Specs | | Year/Model: | '62 Catalina | | Race Weight: | 3,615 pounds | | Curb Weight: | 3,440 pounds | | Fuel Level: | 5 gallons | | Type of Fuel: | 110-octane Citgo | | Engine: | '68 428 +.030 to 434 cid | | Built by: | Owner and Brad (son) Spidel | | Carburetor: | 2-750 AFB Competition four-barrel, .115/.107 #16-544 metering rods | | Intake manifold: | Doug Nash aluminum tunnel ram, 2-inch-tall carb mounts | | Fuel system: | Fuel cell, Mallory Comp 140 electric fuel pump and regulator | | Heads: | '68 #62 heads, ported by Brad Spidel, 2.11/1.77 Ferrea valves, Comp Cams dual springs | | Flow numbers: | N/A | | Pistons: | Ross forged, flat-top | | Rods: | Eagle forged steel, stock 6.625 inches | | Compression ratio: | 11.25:1 | | Crankshaft: | 428 forged Arma-Steel, balanced, ATI balancer | | Camshaft: | Comp Cams, solid roller, 261/274 degrees at .050, .615/.650 lift , 108 degrees LSA | | Rocker Arms: | Harland Sharp, roller, 1.65:1 | | Ignition: | GM HEI distributor, ACCEL coil, Mallory Hyfire module | | Total timing: | 36-degrees locked | | Exhaust: | Hooker 2-inch primary headers, 3.5-inch collector, 20-inch long extensions | | Power adder: | None | | Transmission: | Turbo 400 built by Dave Himes/Automazing, reverse manual valve body | | Converter: | Coan 9-inch, 5,000-rpm stall | | Shifter: | B&M Quicksilver | | Rear type: | GM 9.3-inch with 4.10 Richmond gears, Moser 35-spline axles | | Brakes F/R: | Manual stock 10x2.25 drum/10x2 drum | | Wheels F/R: | American Racing 15x4/Weld15x8 | | Tires F/R: | Moroso 7.10/M/T 30x9 slicks | | Tire Pressure F/R: | 35 psi/10 psi | | Suspension front: | Stock springs, Competition Engineering antisway bar, 80/20 shocks | | Suspension rear: | Stock springs, 50/50 Competition Engineering, shocks, ladder bars,airbags, antisway bar | | Chassis modifications: | Six-point rollbar, mid-engine plate | | Interior modifications: | Removed rear seat, added basic carpet, racing bucket seat | | Exterior modifications: | Fiberglass hood and trunk lid | | Safety modifications: | Jeg's driveshaft loop, five-point harness, SFI flexplate | | Paint: | "Racing Blue Metallic" Brad Spidel | | Launch Technique: | Foot brake, launch at 2,500 rpm | | Best e.t., mph prior to event: | N/A, new combination | | STRIP TUNING LOG | | Run | Tuning | Launch RPM | Shift Point | 60-FT | 1/4 E.T./MPH | | 1 | 36-degree timing, 12.5-psi slicks, 5-psi airbag | 2,500 | 6,200 | 1.59 | 11.30/118.04 | | 2 | (aborted run) | 2,500 | 6,200 | 1.60 | 12.58/77.15 | | 3 | None | 5,000 | 6,200 | 1.68 | 11.47/118.74 | | 4 | 15-psi tires, 6-psi airbag | 2,500 | 6,500 | 1.58 | 11.22/119.49 | Owner Bio: Jim Wierzbicki When the need for a four-door sedan became apparent to Jim, the Grand Prix was the hands-down winner. "Pontiac's Grand Prix was the most impressively styled four-door sport sedan. When I saw the 40th Anniversary Special Edition, I was sold." An aerospace manufacturing engineer by trade, this 46-year-old enthusiast has been a street rodder since the age of 16. "It's even more fun now with all my experience and knowledge. Even though the car is his only Pontiac and his daily driver, still, he did not hesitate to modify it and push it as hard as he could for the sake of our shootout. Considering its day-to-day assignments in life and its natural aspiration, high 14s are impressive.Among John's more prized memories with his GP is the moment of taking home the First Place win at the '03 Pontiac Spring Dustoff race event. There he dusted off "25 other fine-looking, late-model Grand Prixes in the class." | Strip Specs | | Year/Model: | '02 Grand Pix GT 40th | | Race Weight | 3,560 pounds | | Curb Weight: | 3,390 pounds | | Fuel Level: | 1/8 full | | Type of Fuel: | 92 Shell | | Engine: | 3.8L V-6, ZZP Electric water pump, 160-degree thermostat, stock pulleys | | Built by: | GM Powertrain Stock | | Fuel Injectors: | 22-pound Bosch stock | | Induction: | Stock upper intake, OEM inserts removed, ZZP high velocity short runners, ported throttle body (65mm stock) 68mm. Wizard Cold Air induction | | Fuel system: | Stock | | Heads: | Stock | | Flow numbers: | N/A | | Pistons: | Stock | | Rods: | Stock | | Compression ratio: | 9.4:1 | | Crankshaft: | Stock | | Camshaft: | Stock | | Rocker Arms: | ZZP, Extended Range roller, split-ratio intake/exhaust, proprietary ratio | | Ignition: | Stock | | Total timing: | Digital HP PCM, custom calibration, 30 degrees | | Exhaust: | Stock manifolds, custom 2.5-inch downpipe, remote electric cutout before catalytic converter. | | Power adder: | None | | Transaxle: | 4T65E with Thrasher Engineering Performance modified springs and accumulators, stock 3.29 final drive | | Brakes F/R: | Stock | | Wheels F/R: | Factory chrome anniversary wheels | | Tires F/R: | Goodyear 215/60R16 | | Tire Pressure F/R: | 34/44 psi | | Suspension front: | Stock | | Suspension rear: | Stock | | Chassis modifications: | Front and rear GM Performance Parts strut tower braces with ZZP front mount bracket. | | Interior modifications: | PFYC three-gauge A-pillar pod, with Auto Meter gauges | | Exterior modifications: | ABS smoked headlight covers; Reflective Concepts window banner, front and rear fascia overlays; painted brake calipers with Reflective Concepts GP logo, 35 percent window tint | | Safety modifications: | None | | Paint: | Dark Cherry Metallic | | Launch Technique: | Brake torque the engine to 1,500, release brake, 3/4 throttle | | Best e.t., mph prior to event: | 14.85@ 92.5 mph | | STRIP TUNING LOG | | Run | Tuning | Launch RPM | Shift Point | 60-FT | 1/4 E.T./MPH | | 1 | Stock | 1,500 | 6,250 | 2.16 | 15.05/90.92 | | 2 | Removed spare Tire/jack, 32.5L/31R psi-44psi rear removed left headlight | 1,500 | 6,250 | 2.13 | 14.93/91.52 | | 3 | Open exhaust | 1,500 | 6,250 | 2.14 | 14.75/93.01 | | 4 | Same | 1,500 | 6,250 | 2.39 | 15.15/92.64 | | 5 | Same | 1,500 | 6,250 | 2.32 | 15.06/92.92 |
Pontiac G6 Research
When looking for your next vehicle, think about the Pontiac G6, a stylish car with nice features. The G6 has a $1,250.00 cash rebate, which will help you save money on your next new car purchase. It can seat 5 people comfortably. You may also be interested in the Pontiac Solstice and the Pontiac Vibe.
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