Owner Bio: Mike Trice
"After buying the Tempest in 1997," Mike told HPP, "I finished it to take to Norwalk in 1998. I drove it on the street for a while and then campaigned it in Nostalgia Super Stock for two years." The 49-year-old racer with 25 years track experience says that he loves, "having to spot lettered-up race cars with my sleeper and then run them down on the top end." He also stated that he was "raised on Pontiacs," evidenced by the fact that his dad bought a loaded '67 400 H.O. GTO new, and Mike still has it. He also owns a '99 Firehawk with just 2,900 miles on it.
| Strip Specs |
| Year/Model: | '64 Tempest |
| Race Weight: | 3,505 lbs |
| Curb Weight: | 3,310 lbs |
| Fuel Level: | 1/2 Tank |
| Type of Fuel: | 93 octane |
| Engine: | '71 455, .030-over |
| Cubic Inches Before/After: | 455/462 |
| Built By: | Short-block by Ken's |
| Carburetor: | Two 600-cfm Carters, box stock jets |
| Spacer Plate: | 1-in, phenolic, 4-hole |
| Intake Manifold: | Offy 2x4 aluminum |
| Fuel System: | Holley 110-gph pump, 1/2-in aluminum lines, Holley regulator set at 6 ps |
| Heads: | 7F6, 2.11/1.77 Ferrea stainless valves, ported by owner |
| Flow Numbers: | 256-cfm intake at .600 lift at 28 inches of pressure |
| Pistons/Rings: | Ross forged flat-top/Sealed Power |
| Rods: | Eagle forged, stock 6.625-in length |
| Compression ratio: | 9.6:1 |
| Crankshaft: | Stock 4.21 stroke, nodular-iron, cut .020/.020, Nitrided |
| Rotating Assembly Balanced: | Yes |
| Camshaft: | Comp hyd. roller, 245/252-deg duration at .050, .600/.600 lift, 110-deg LSA |
| Installed Position: | 108-deg |
| Rocker Arms: | Harland Sharp 1.50:1 roller |
| Ignition: | MSD Pro-Billet, 6AL box , Blaster 2 coil, ACCEL 8mm wires, AC R45TS plugs |
| Total Timing: | 36-deg at 4,200 |
| Exhaust: | JR Headers, 1.75-in primaries, 3-in collectors, 3-in pipes, DynoMax Race mufflers |
| Power Adder: | N/A |
| Transmission: | Turbo 400, Dave Johnson valve body |
| Converter: | TCI 8-in, 4,200 stall |
| Shifter: | Stock column-mounted |
| Rear: | 12-Bolt, 3.73:1 gears, Moser axles, mini-spool |
| Brakes F/R: | Stock 9.5-in drum/aluminum 9.5-in drum |
| Wheels F/R: | Center Line 15x31/2/Center Line 15x8 |
| Tires F/R: | Michelin 215/75-15 / M/T 29.5x9x15 slicks |
| Tire Pressure F/R: | 45 psi/12 psi |
| Suspension Fr: | New bushings, Moroso springs, CE 90/10 shocks, stabilizer bar removed |
| Suspension Rr: | Boxed control arms, airbags, new bushings, CE 50/50 shocks, neg 6-deg pinion angle |
| Chassis Mods: | None |
| Interior Mods: | Auto Meter tach and gauges |
| Exterior Mods: | Kept stock for "sleeper" look |
| Safety Mods: | Lakewood driveshaft loop, SFI-approved drivetrain parts, RCI lapbelts, solid motor mounts, and fire extinguisher |
| Paint: | Black, by Bill Franklin |
| Launch Technique: | Flash to 2,000 rpm, trans shifts 1-2 automatically at 5,200, shifts to Drive at 5,800 |
| Best 1/4-mile ET, MPH prior to event: | 11.21 at 118.7 |
| STRIP TUNING LOG |
Run | Tuning | Launch RPM | Shift Point | 60-FT | 1/8 E.T./MPH | 1/4 E.T./MPH |
| 1 | 36-deg timing, 14 psi in tires | 1,800 | 5,200/5,400 | 1.6 | 7.29/94.07 | 11.51/115.69 |
| 2 | Same, 12 psi in tires | 2,200 | 5,200 | 1.66 | Aborted | Aborted |
| 3 | Same | 1,600 | 5,200/6,000 | 1.61 | 7.31/93.54 | 11.52/115.88 |
| 4 | Same, 14 psi in tires | 1,400 | 5,200/5,800 | 1.68 | 7.36/94.32 | 11.54/116.83 |
| 5 | Same | 1,800 | 5,200/5,800 | 1.67 | 7.34/94.69 | 11.50/117.35 |
| BEST PASS CORRECTED | 6.99/99.35 | 10.96/123.13 |
| Run Notes: 1) Spun; 2) Spun hard, let out; 3) Spun; 4) Spun; 5) Better air |