Owner Bio: Donald Babb II
Would you believe this '65 GTO is Donald's daily driver, regardless of the weather? He bought it from a friend whose family had owned it since the early '70s. "I used it as a show car for a couple of years and then started racing it and using it as my daily driver," the 33-year-old Tyco employee told HPP. He also said that being in the shootout with HPP and YearOne marked his favorite moment behind the wheel. Other Pontiacs that share garage space with the GTO are a '99 WS6 Formula, a '67 GTO, and a '67 LeMans.
| Strip Specs |
| Year/Model: | '65 GTO |
| Race Weight: | 3,590 lbs |
| Curb Weight: | 3,455 lbs |
| Fuel Level: | 1/2 tank |
| Type of Fuel: | 93 octane Amoco |
| Engine: | 455, bored .030 over |
| Cubic Inches Before/After: | 455/462 |
| Built By: | Owner |
| Carburetor: | 750-cfm Edelbrock Performer, jets primary .110, secondary .107 |
| Spacer Plate: | None |
| Intake Manifold: | Edelbrock Performer RPM, plenum cut .5-in, gasket matched |
| Fuel System: | Holley mech. 110-gph pump, braided Russell -6 lines, Aeromotive regulator set to 5 psi at idle |
| Heads: | #6X-4, Ferrea 2.11/1.77, ported by owner |
| Flow Numbers: | N/A |
| Pistons/Rings: | TRW forged flat-top replacements/Sealed Power |
| Rods: | CAT forged-steel I beams, stock 6.625-in length |
| Compression ratio: | 9.50:1 |
| Crankshaft: | Stock 4.21 stroke, nodular-iron, cut .010/.010 |
| Rotating Assembly Balanced: | Yes |
| Camshaft: | Crane Blueprint Series, hyd, 230/240-deg duration at .050, .500/.500 lift, 113.5-deg LSA |
| Installed Position: | Advanced 4-deg |
| Rocker Arms: | Roller 1.60:1 from Butler Performance |
| Ignition: | Points distributor, Crane XR-1 conversion, Jacobs coil, Pertronix wires, ACDelco rapid-fire #2 plugs |
| Total Timing: | 34-deg at 2,600 |
| Exhaust: | DynoMax coated 15/8-in primary headers, 3-in collectors, Pypes crossover pipe, DynoMax mufflers |
| Power Adder: | None |
| Transmission: | '68 Turbo 400, stock rebuilt, B&M shift kit, governor modified to shift at 5,400 rpm |
| Converter: | TCI 11-in, 2,400-2,800 stall |
| Shifter: | '65 Grand Prix |
| Rear: | '71 Pontiac 10-Bolt, Powertrax Locker, 3.55:1 gears, Moser 28-spline axles |
| Brakes F/R: | Aluminum drums '65-'66 Buick/aluminum drums 79 GP |
| Wheels F/R: | ARE Torq-Thrust 15x6/Steel 15x8 |
| Tires F/R: | Classic Radial 195/75-15/ M/T ET Street 26x10.5x15 |
| Tire Pressure F/R: | 35 psi/18 psi |
| Suspension Fr: | No stabilizer bar, stock springs, Summit three-way shocks set to 60/40 |
| Suspension Rr: | Six-cylinder Tempest springs, Edelbrock No-Hop bars, Jegs adjustable upper control arms, stock boxed lowers, .875-in stabilizer bar, Summit adjustable shocks set to 50/50 |
| Chassis Mods: | None |
| Interior Mods: | Added seatbelt to driver's side, Auto Meter water temperature and oil pressure gauges |
| Exterior Mods: | 4-in VFN cowl hood |
| Safety Mods: | Indian Adventures driveshaft loop |
| Paint: | '89 GM White |
| Launch Technique: | Idle to 1,800 rpm, on the third yellow nail it |
| Best 1/8-mile ET, MPH prior to event: | 8.04 at 86.53 |
| STRIP TUNING LOG |
Run | Tuning | Launch RPM | Shift Point | 60-FT | 1/8 E.T./MPH | 1/4 E.T./MPH |
| 1 | 34-deg total, 19 psi in tires cold | 1,200 | 5,300 | 1.83 | 8.08/86.10 | 12.68/106.47 |
| 3 | Same, 18 psi hot | 1,800 | 5,300 | 1.79 | 8.03/85.91 | 12.63/106.14 |
| 6 | Changed shocks to a worn set | 1,500 | 5,300 | 1.81 | 8.02/86.29 | 12.61/106.60 |
| 7 | Same | 1,500 | 5,300 | 1.82 | 8.08/85.78 | 12.70/107.13 |
| 8 | Opened exhaust caps | 1,800 | 5,300 | 1.81 | 8.02/86.76 | 12.60/107.13 |
| BEST PASS CORRECTED | 7.64/91.03 | 12.01/112.41 |
| The five most important runs are listed in the order they occurred. |
| Run Notes: None |