455s VS. 455s at Virgina Motorsports Park
all contributors: Thomas A. DeMauro
photographer: Don Keefe
Whether we care to admit it or not, the venerable 455 rules the Pontiac roost in popularity. Sure, there are stroker kits available to make more cubes with a 400 block, and even standard bore and stroke 400s can be blindingly fast. Of course, 326s, 350s, 389s, 421s, and 428s are great as well (the latter two get more rare and collectible by the day), yet when set up right, the 455 is the go-to combo for most street/strip runners and racers.
As you have learned over the years, HPP's shootouts are chock full of 455s, and this one is no different. So if you are thinking about building a 455-powered Pontiac, presented here are five different ways to go about it. Some of the engine parts may be the same here and there, but as you can see, the e.t.'s and trap speeds are all different, as are many of the body styles and suspension setups. So see how fast our participants went, and then pick a favorite combo and see how fast you can go!
Virginia Motorsports Park in Petersburg, Virginia, was the setting for the second time in our shootout series. All were made possible by the facility offering up track time and Jim Zeek's planning, which scheduled the HPP get-together to coincide with his PY Pontiacs in the Park event that weekend in May 2005. The promise of great racing brought out the following participants, among others.
Shelly Brown rolled in from Ambler, Pennsylvania, with his bright-red '69 Firebird ragtop street car. Packing a 0.030-over 455 and whopping 4,220-pound race weight, (First-Gen convertibles are always heavy), we were curious to see how quick the stocky convertible could be--12s perhaps?
Al Dombrowski of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was anxious to show what his 0.030-over 455-powered '74 GTO could do with a brand-spankin'-new set of Kauffman aluminum heads and a cam swap. He was hunting for 11-second timeslips. Did he get there?
Rodney "Hot Rod" Oke punched his 455 0.060-over and stuffed it with plenty of go-fast goodies for his '75 T/A. At a race weight of 3,815 pounds, his Bird sounds like a street car, but with e.t.'s in the 10s, the race car intentions become obvious for this Leesburg, Virginia, machine.
Jeff Verdi's Glen Allen, Virginia-based '68 Firebird is the low e.t. racer of this group. What was a factory 400 four-speed car has become a 474-cubed, 13:1 compression, 3,085-pound (race weight) strip terror. Solidly in the 9s, this combo is potent.
Felton "Tommy" Thompson made the trip all the way from Wendell, North Carolina, to participate in his '68 GTO street car. Its 455 was bored 0.030 over, and Tommy loves those Q-jet carbs. Even with E-heads, the A/C-equipped Q-ship checks in at 3,975 pounds with driver. Will this Goat be knockin' on 11's door?
Read on for all the "glory" details.