OWNER BIO: Jim Thompson
Most of the time we hear about kids getting a part-time job to pay for their first Pontiac. In 61-year-old Jim Thompson's case, he retired in 1999 and then got a part-time job for three years to pay for his race car! One look at his '64 GTO clone and you will see that the part-time employment was well worth it. Jim chose the '64 because, "I love GTOs, and this was the first and the lightest one made." His favorite moment behind the wheel thus far came on this very same racetrack when, "I won Bracket I at Pontiac Heaven Drags & More VI in 2004 after a two-week thrash to redo both the engine and trans," he recalls. Jim also owns a '66 Tri-Power, four-speed GTO in Cameo White.
| Strip Specs |
| Year/Model: | '64 LeMans (GTO clone) |
| Race Weight: | 3,140 lbs |
| Curb Weight: | 2,970 lbs |
| Fuel Level: | 8 gallons |
| Type of Fuel: | Sunoco Purple, 111-octane |
| Engine: | '68 400, bored 0.060 over, 4.25-in stroke |
| Cubic Inches Before/After: | 400/467 |
| Built by: | Paul Carter of Koerner Racing Engines |
| Carburetor: | Holley Dominator 1050, No. 94/95 jets, no power valves |
| Intake Manifold: | Edelbrock Victor, ported by JBP, with turtle |
| Fuel System: | Summit 10-gal fuel cell, BG400 fuel pump, No. 10 braided steel line, BG four-port regulator, No. 6 braided steel lines to carb |
| Heads: | Edelbrock aluminum, ported by JBP, 2.11/1.77 valves, milled to 69 cc |
| Flow numbers: | 321/233 cfm at 28 in, at 0.700 lift |
| Pistons/Rings: | 4.181-in Ross forged / Total Seal |
| Rods: | Eagle 6.800 forged steel |
| Compression ratio: | 12.5:1 |
| Crankshaft: | Eagle cast steel, 4.25-in stroke |
| Camshaft: | Comp Cams, solid roller, 280/284-deg dur. at 0.050, 0.660/0.660 lift with 1.5:1 rockers, 108-deg LSA |
| Installed Position: | 1 deg advanced |
| Rocker Arms: | JBP roller aluminum, 1.50:1 |
| Ignition: | MSD distributor, MSD Digital 6+ ignition box, MSD spark plug wires, Autolite 3924 plugs |
| Total timing: | 35 deg, advance locked out |
| Exhaust: | Doug's Headers, 1.875-in primaries, 3.5-in collectors, 18-in collector pipes |
| Power Adder: | None |
| Transmission: | Hughes Turbo-400, reverse pattern, transbrake |
| Converter: | Hughes 9-in, 5,000-stall |
| Shifter: | Hurst Quarter Pro |
| Rear: | Ford 9-in, aluminum center, 3.89:1 gears, 35-spline axles, Detroit Locker |
| Brakes F/R: | Master Power 11-in discs / stock drums |
| Wheels F/R: | Centerline Auto Drag, 15x5.5 / 15x8.5 |
| Tires F/R: | Mickey Thompson ET Fronts 27.5x4.5x15 / ET Drags, 28x10.5x15, stiff sidewalls, wheel screws |
| Tire Pressure F/R: | 34 psi/13 psi |
| Suspension, Fr: | Stabilizer bar removed, Moroso springs, HAL 12-way shocks set +3 from soft |
| Suspension, Rr: | Dick Miller Racing, adjustable upper control arms, solid lower control arms, antiroll bar set to neutral, HAL 12-way shocks set +8 from soft, station wagon springs |
| Chassis Mods: | Solid steel body mounts, 10-point rollcage |
| Interior Mods: | Interior removed, Kirkey aluminum race seat |
| Exterior Mods: | Lexan windows all around, VFN fiberglass one-piece front end, hood, Super Duty-style scoop and doors, fiberglass rear bumper |
| Safety Mods: | Driveshaft loop, trans blanket, SFI balancer and flex plate, five-point harness, Halon fire system |
| Paint: | '64 GTO Cameo Ivory |
| Launch Technique: | 3,800 rpm on the two-step, delay box, and transbrake |
| Best 1/4-mile E.T., MPH Prior to Event: | 10.28 at 130.42 mph |
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| STRIP TUNING LOG |
Run | Tuning | Launch RPM | Shift Point | 60-FT | 1/8 E.T./MPH | 1/4 E.T./MPH | Corrected 1/4 E.T./MPH |
| 1. | 12.5 psi in slicks | 3,800 | 6,000 | 1.48 | 6.62/104.62 | 10.42/128.57 | 9.89/135.44 |
| 2. | 12 psi in slicks | 3,800 | 6,000 | 1.40 | 6.49/105.35 | 10.28/128.44 | 9.76/135.31 |
| 3. | 11 psi in slicks | 3,800 | 6,000 | 1.46 | 6.58/104.84 | 10.39/127.94 | 9.86/134.78 |
| 4. | 12 psi in slicks | 3,800 | 6,000 | 1.40 | 6.52/104.60 | 10.33/128.03 | 9.81/134.87 |
| 5. | Same | 3,800 | 6,000 | 1.43 | 6.52/105.11 | 10.31/127.75 | 9.79/134.58 |
| Run notes: 1) New tires, big burnout in Second and Third gear, spun a little off the line; 2) Third-gear only burnout, hooked up better off the line; 3) Third-gear burnout, spun off the line a little; 4) Hooked up good--solid pass; 5) Sheared off crank pulley, which took a blade off the electric fan |