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Owner Bio: Denis "Diz" Dean Denis is rather modest about his '74 GTO, which I just couldn't stop staring at. Let's put aside his 5 years of stock car racing experience and throw out his 15-year Tri State Auto Racing News columnist/photography background. If I was the owner of this gorgeous GTO, claimed to be one of the last five '74s to roll off the assembly line, I'd definitely think I was the cat's meow. Packing a mildly modified, yet torquey 455, this '74 GTO, despite being the smallest GTO, was the heaviest Pontiac present! Additionally, handicapped with small street tires and factory column shift, Denis hustled this lil' GTO (No NOVA) down the track to a best of 13.82 seconds! Also, Denis is among the special GTO owners who can claim their favorite GTO is their first new car purchase. Thankfully, others agreed this is a special GTO when they voted it to a First Place win at the '95 GTOAA Nats. Among the other unusual Pontiac muscle sharing Denis' garage are a '64 GTO, '87 Fiero GT, '94 Sunbird convertible, and '01 GP Special Edition. | Strip Specs | | Year/Model: | '74 GTO | | Race Weight: | 3,950 pounds | | Curb Weight: | 3,785 pounds | | Fuel Level: | 1/2 full | | Type of Fuel: | BP Premium with 1 gallon Sunoco Blue | | Engine: | '73 455, XJ-code, +.030 to 462 cid | | Built by: | Owner, Jack Battafrano and Crank & Sleeve (Girard, OH) | | Carburetor: | Rochester Q-jet, tuned by DCI Automotive (Tallmadge, OH), jets N/A | | Intake manifold: | Edelbrock Performer | | Fuel system: | Stock fuel tank and mechanical pump | | Heads: | 6X, decked .008-inch, fresh valve job, 2.11/1.66 valves | | Flow numbers: | N/A | | Pistons: | TRW forged flat-top | | Rods: | Stock | | Compression ratio: | 9.5:1 | | Crankshaft: | Stock, polished journals, balanced | | Camshaft: | Crane hydraulic, 226/234 degrees at .050, .458/.473, 108.5-degrees LSA, installed 2 degrees advanced | | Rocker Arms: | Stock, 1.5:1 stamped steel | | Ignition: | GM HEI, MSD module, ACCEL cap, rotor, wires | | Total timing: | 36-degrees at 3,000 rpm | | Exhaust: | Hooker headers coated, 1 3/4-inch primaries, 2.5 inch custom stainless pipes, Walker Turbo mufflers | | Power adder: | None | | Transmission: | Turbo 400 built by Rossler Transmission (Girard, OH), B&M shift kit | | Converter: | GM Corvette, 2,000-rpm stall | | Shifter: | Column shift, stock | | Rear type: | Stock 10-bolt, Eaton differential, US Gear 3.42 gears, built by Broadway Services | | Brakes F/R: | Stock disc/drum | | Wheels F/R: | 14x6/14x8 Cragar mags | | Tires F/R: | E60-14 BFG | | Tire Pressure F/R: | 32/32 psi | | Suspension front: | Stock | | Suspension rear: | Stock with Monroe air shocks (40 psi) | | Chassis modifications: | None | | Interior modifications: | Sun tachometer, Auto Meter, oil pressure, volt, water temp gauges | | Exterior modifications: | Stock | | Safety modifications: | None | | Paint: | Gulfmist Aqua, painted by Auto Magic Auto Body (Hubbard, OH) | | Launch Technique: | Foot on brake, launch at 1,500 rpm | | Best e.t., mph prior to event: | 14.99 at 92 mph | | STRIP TUNING LOG | | Run | Tuning | Launch RPM | Shift Point | 60-FT | 1/4 E.T./MPH | | 1 | Drive-32 psi tires | 1,500 | --- | 2.56 | 15.29/96.29 | | 2 | Manual shift-25 psi | 2,000 | 5,000 | 2.40 | 14.10/99.56 | | 3 | Manual shift-24 psi Shaker scoop wired open | 1,500 | 5,000 | 2.22 | 13.96/99.25 | | 4 | None | 1,800 | 5,000 | 2.16 | 13.82/100.00 | Owner Bio: Royo Hess, Jr. The '66 Goat here really starts with Roy Sr. According to him, "I started racing in 1965 with a '62 Oldsmobile 98. Well, I graduated in June 1966 from high school and I bought this car in July 1966. It was my first new car. Slowly it turned into a race car. It was my work car, date car, and race car. In two years with headers and 4.30 gears I couldn't drive it to work anymore. This one gets the first-class and high-dollar parts." Now, even though the car now belongs to Roy Jr., you need to keep in mind that Roy Jr. is what you could call a late bloomer. Dad shares "When Roy Jr. was little, he really wasn't interested in it because he was made to go to the dragstrip with us. Then all of a sudden, he got interested in it, so he started out in the slow one, my '66 GTO (#STRONG62) and worked his way up to this one." Obviously, dad tunes the cars. As odd as it sounds, all three Hess '66 GTOs have points distributors--Roy Sr. just likes adjusting the dwell himself. With nearly four decades of experience in one household, Roy Jr. was bound to know his way around a GTO and a racetrack as evidenced by his personal record-breaking 10.28 run at 129.99 mph. Coincidentally, it was also just enough and just in time to keep the '66 GTO in the forefront of this shootout gathering. | Strip Specs | | Year/Model: | '66 GTO | | Race Weight: | 3,210 pounds | | Curb Weight: | 3,000 pounds | | Fuel Level: | 8 gallons | | Type of Fuel: | 114-Octane Cam II Sunoco | | Engine: | '73 XA-code 455, +.030 to 462 | | Built by: | Performance Clinic (Beavercreek, OH) | | Carburetor: | Holley 1050, #95/#95 jets | | Intake manifold: | Edelbrock Victor, gasket matched | | Fuel system: | Harwood 8-gallon fuel cell, Holley Blue electric fuel pump (9 psi), Russel's steel braided fuel lines | | Heads: | Edelbrock aluminum, milled .060-inch, ported by KRE, 2.19/1.77 valves | | Flow numbers: | 330-cfm intake/263-cfm exhaust at .600-inch lift at 28 inches of water | | Pistons: | Bill Miller lightweight, flat-top, forged | | Rods: | Bill Miller forged aluminum, stock length | | Compression ratio: | N/A | | Crankshaft: | Stock, balanced, polished,.030 undercut | | Camshaft: | Comp Cams custom, solid, 274/283 degrees at .050, .648/.656 lift, 108-degree LSA | | Rocker Arms: | Crane, gold aluminum 1.65:1 roller | | Ignition: | Stock distributor (points) | | Total timing: | 36 degrees 2,400 rpm | | Exhaust: | Hedman Hustler headers, 2-inch primaries, 3.5-inch collectors, 12-inch collector extensions | | Power adder: | None | | Transmission: | Turbo 400 built by Mark Louderback (Xenia, OH), TCI manual valve body, reverse shift | | Converter: | Grinner 8-inch, 5,000-rpm stall | | Shifter: | B&M Quick Click | | Rear type: | Chevy 12-bolt, 3.73 Richmond gears, Strange spool and 33-spline axles | | Brakes F/R: | Stock aluminum drum/drum | | Wheels F/R: | Center Line 15x5/15x10 | | Tires F/R: | Moroso 29x7.60/Hoosier 29x12 | | Tire Pressure F/R: | 40 psi/9 psi | | Suspension front: | Stock, 90/10 shocks | | Suspension rear: | Stock springs and shocks, Lakewood solid steel lower control arms, Jegs adjustable upper control arms | | Chassis modifications: | Jeg's six-point rollcage | | Interior modifications: | Removed rear and passenger seats, Jeg's fiberglass race seat | | Exterior modifications: | Fiberglass hood with scoop, trunk lid, front and rear bumpers | | Safety modifications: | Jeg's driveshaft safety loop, RCI five-point harness, two trunk-mounted batteries, SFI-approved drivetrain parts | | Paint: | Marina Turquoise, painted by Brook's Body Shop (Xenia, OH) | | Launch Technique: | Footbrake, launch at 2,400 rpm | | Best e.t., mph prior to event: | 10.34 at 128.18 mph | | STRIP TUNING LOG | | Run | Tuning | Launch RPM | Shift Point | 60-FT | 1/4 E.T./MPH | | 1 | None | 2,500 | 6,500 | 1.46 | 10.35/127.41 | | 2 | Turned alternator off | 2,500 | 6,500 | 1.47 | 10.32/128.80 | | 3 | Removed one battery | 2,500 | 6,500 | 1.48 | lost traction | | 4 | None | 2,500 | 6,500 | 1.46 | 10.39/129.50 | | 5 | Reinstalled battery/turned off alternator | 2,500 | 6,500 | 1.46 | 10.28/129.99 |
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