Pontiac Pavement Pounders Shootout: Lone Star Part 2
Owner Bio: Lee Atkinson
Lee Atkinson is certainly a veteran racer having invested 18 years in the sport. He describes himself as "the car guy" since junior high school and told HPP that he still has the first issue of Hot Rod magazine (Aug. '78) that he bought at the age of 12. When it came time to build a race car, this chemical plant operator had a plan, "I wanted a lightweight Pontiac to make a street/strip car, and it had to be a '67 or older model so that it was emissions exempt," Atkinson recalled. As you can see, this '67 Bird fit that bill. Lee said that one of the funniest moments came when his big, strong friend tried to film from the back seat of the Pontiac during a test run. The launch was so hard that his friend could not control the camera, which made for a humorous video. Past Pontiacs include a low 13-second '79 T/A, another '67 Bird with a 326 that ran high 14s, and a '95 Grand Am GT that ran 16s. | Strip Specs | | Year/Model: | '67 Firebird 400 | | Race Weight: | 3,545 lbs | | Curb Weight: | 3,345 lbs | | Fuel Level: | 3/4-Tank | | Type of Fuel: | 93-Octane Exxon | | Engine: | YH-code 455 +.060 | | Cubic Inches Before/After: | 455/468 | | Built By: | Owner and Bill Swinney | | Carburetor: | Holley 750 Double Pumper, Jets #80/#85 | | Spacer Plate: | None | | Intake Manifold: | Edelbrock Torker II | | Fuel System: | Mallory Comp 140, 1/2" line to Holley regulator set at 7 psi, dual feed to carb | | Heads: | '68 #16, ported, 2.11/1.77 SI valves | | Flow Numbers: | N/A | | Pistons/Rings: | TRW forged, custom dished/Sealed Power | | Rods: | Stock cast, resized, SPS bolts | | Compression Ratio: | 9.8:1 | | Crankshaft: | Stock nodular iron | | Rotating Assembly Balanced: | Yes | | Camshaft: | Ultradyne, hyd. 231°/239° at .050, .550/.580 lift, LSA 108° | | Installed Position | 108° | | Rocker Arms: | Harland Sharp roller 1.65:1 (actually measured at 1.72:1) | | Ignition: | Dave's Small Body HEI | | Total Timing: | N/A | | Exhaust: | Custom headers 1 7/8" primaries, 3 1/4" collectors, 3" Dr. Gas X-pipe, 2-chamber Flowmasters, system by Deer Park Muffler | | Power Adder: | None | | Transmission: | Turbo 350, shift kit, HD parts, built by Arabies Racing Automatics | | Converter: | Custom Hughes, 3,200 rpm stall, 10.5" | | Shifter: | B&M Pro Shifter | | Rear: | 12-bolt GM Posi, 3.42 gears, Moser axles, built by Pyle Bros. | | Brakes F/R: | Disc/Drum | | Wheels F/R: | Weld Draglite 15x3.5/15x8 | | Tires F/R: | Generic 165R-15 / M/T ET Streets 28x11.5x15 | | Tire Pressure F/R: | 36 psi/14 psi | | Suspension Fr: | Moroso drag springs, Comp Eng. shocks, no stabilizer bar | | Suspension Rr: | Stock mono-leafs, Comp Eng. shocks and lift bars | | Chassis Mods: | Welded-in subframe connectors, 8-point roll cage | | Interior Mods: | Auto Meter gauges | | Exterior Mods: | Front air dam | | Safety Mods: | Roll cage, driveshaft loop, SFI-approved belts and drivetrain parts | | Paint: | PPG Arctic Blue by Todd Helgerson | | Launch Technique: | Stage at 1,200 rpm, flash converter at launch | | Best E.T., MPH prior to event: | 11.77 at 113.6 | | STRIP TUNING LOG | | Run | Tuning | Launch RPM | Shift Point | 60-FT | 1/4 E.T./MPH | | 2 | As arrived | 1,300 | 5,400 | 1.68 | 11.90/113.12 | | 3 | Front shooter from 28 to 31 | 1,300 | 5,400 | 1.77 | 11.99/112.98 | | 4 | Timing from 17° initial to 19° | 1,300 | 5,400 | 1.70 | 11.98/112.41 | | 5 | Initial timing 16° | 1,300 | 5,400 | 1.70 | 11.93/113.02 | | 6 | Initial timing 17° installed ram air box | 1,300 | 5,300 | 1.67 | 12.00/112.09 | | Five most important runs are listed in the order that they occurred. | Owner Bio: Mark Metdker
Why an '89 Turbo TA? Mark Metdker says, "I have always liked the looks of the Third-Gens but was never impressed with their performance. This one is the exception. It remains one of the fastest cars Pontiac has ever made, but no one really knows about it--a real sleeper. Most folks think it has a 305 TPI motor." Metdker, a 47-year-old firefighter with 20 years on the job, shared his most favorite moment in his T/A, "It was when I raced a Z06 Corvette. After I beat it, the owner walked over to my car. He couldn't believe a 15-year-old car beat his very expensive new Vette. He was really upset when he saw the six-cylinder engine." | Strip Specs | | Year/Model: | '89 20th Anniversary Turbo T/A | | Race Weight: | 3,615 lbs | | Curb Weight: | 3,430 lbs | | Fuel Level: | Quarter-Tank | | Type of Fuel: | 104-octane at the track | | Engine: | 3.8 liter V-6 (231 ci) | | Cubic Inches Before/After: | 231/231 | | Built By: | GM | | Programming: | Custom computer chip with Scan Master 2.1 for diagnostics | | Air Induction: | ATR intake pipe, K&N cone-type filter | | Fuel Injectors: | 38 lb/hr | | Intake Manifold: | Stock | | Throttle Body: | Stock 58mm | | MAF: | Stock | | Fuel System: | Elect. Walbro 340, adj. regulator, stock line size | | Heads: | Stock, 1.71/1.49 valves | | Flow Numbers: | N/A | | Pistons/Rings: | Stock hypereutectic, 30.4cc dish/stock | | Rods: | Stock 151mm cast Arma-Steel | | Compression Ratio: | 8.0:1 | | Crankshaft: | Stock nodular-iron | | Rotating Assembly Balanced: | Factory | | Camshaft: | Stock hydraulic roller 192°/196° at .050, .409/.434 lift, LSA 107° | | Installed Position: | Straight up | | Rocker Arms: | Factory 1.65:1 roller | | Ignition: | Stock electronic, coil pack | | Total Timing: | 21° | | Exhaust: | Stock manifolds, 3" ATR exhaust and single muffler | | Power Adder: | Precision Industries GT 3255 Turbo | | Boost: | Tial external wastegate with adj. boost controller | | Transmission: | 200-4R, rebuilt | | Converter: | Vigilante, 3,200 stall | | Shifter: | Stock | | Rear: | Stock Borg-Warner Australian limited-slip 3.27 gears | | Brakes F/R: | 11.5" Disc/ 10.5" disc | | Wheels F/R: | Stock 16x8 Crosslace | | Tires F/R: | Kumho 245/50R16 / 245/50R16 Nitto drag radials | | Tire Pressure F/R: | 30 psi/14 psi | | Suspension Fr: | Stock, KYB AGX adjustable gas struts | | Suspension Rr: | Stock, KYB AGX gas shocks, Hotchkis panhard bar and control arms | | Chassis Mods: | Kenny Brown Double-Diamond subframe connectors | | Interior Mods: | None | | Exterior Mods: | None | | Safety Mods: | None | | Paint: | Factory White with graphics | | Launch Technique: | Footbrake to 5-6 psi boost at around 3,000 rpm | | Best 1/8-mile E.T./MPH Prior to Event: | 7.58 at 92 | | STRIP TUNING LOG | | Run | Tuning | Launch RPM | Shift Point | 60-FT | 1/4 E.T./MPH | | 1 | 21° timing, 26-psi boost | 3,000/5 psi | 5,000 | 1.65 | 12.32/102.61 | | 2 | 20-psi boost | 3,000/5 psi | 5,000 | 1.76 | 12.30/109.74 | | 3 | 23-psi boost | 3,000/5 psi | 5,000 | 1.81 | 12.23/111.37 | | 4 | 25-psi boost | 3,100/8 psi | 5,000 | 2.06 | 12.74/108.78 | | 5 | 24-psi boost | 3,000/6 psi | 5,000 | 1.84 | 12.26/110.10 |
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