AT THE TRACK
As you know if you've read installments 1, 2, and 3, stick at the starting line was not an issue but the heat and humidity was. Though we didn't see any best-ever passes for this installment, there were still some very solid performances.
Butch Kale
Butch simply worked on dialing in shift points for his three passes. The net result was shifting at 6,200, 1-2, and 6,400, 2-3, to a best-of-the-day 9.56 at 139.54 mph with a 1.30 60-foot. Since we can't speak to Butch, HPP asked his friend, Larry Snyder, who tuned Butch's car and was featured in the Oct. '06 issue in this same shootout series with his '77 Formula, if Butch shared any thoughts with him at the shootout. According to Larry, "Butch was just glad to be there and be involved." Our thoughts go out to Butch's family and friends, and we thank Larry for his help in preparing his friend's portion of this shootout.
Rich Roup
Running a borrowed engine, Rich limited his tuning to jet changes. Going leaner for the third pass revealed that the engine actually wanted more fuel, not less. Jetting up for the fourth pass paid off with a best-of-the-day 11.70 at 114.11 and a 1.62 short time.
Rich relates: "The starting line at Norwalk was excellent as always, but the weather was nasty. I was happy with 11.92 right off the trailer since the only time we ran my LeMans before with this engine, it was in the 12s with carburetor problems." Since the shootout, the LeMans has run 11.38 at 115.78 on a 1.60 60-foot in better weather at Mason Dixon with just some jet changes.
Jim Gnadt
Jim made changes for density altitude and minute adjustments (1/4 psi at a time) for tire pressure. After overcoming a bog early on, he was rewarded with his best e.t. and 60-foot of the day on the last pass with an 8.58 at 155.24 mph on a 1.25 short time.
"The track was excellent given weather conditions," Jim states. "I would have liked it to hook a little better, but with that weather, it was unreasonable to expect it. My GTO's mph could have been better, too, but it was good for the density altitude we were seeing. I think the shootout is a great opportunity to show what you can do. However, people have to realize that there are many details that go into building these combinations, which go well beyond the parts themselves. The shootout does give a start, and it's a great way to share as long as participants aren't too guarded with their information."
Cliff Ruggles
Cliff spent his day at the races tuning and testing induction parts. He made nine passes, performing changes to the combo on almost every one. We usually only print the Top 5 passes, but this time we bent the rule to illustrate the extent of his tuning.
The short story is that the carburetor he started with, which flows 850 cfm, improved in performance through the first four passes with metering-rod changes and the removal of the 1-inch spacer beneath it. A swap to an NHRA-legal stock Eliminator carb, which flows about 828 cfm, cost a few hundredths and about 0.5 mph on the fifth pass. Bolting on the Tomahawk aluminum intake improved mph to 113.6 from 112.75. Adding the 1-inch spacer on the eighth pass boosted performance further for this combo with the Tomahawk, increasing to 114.07 mph. The final run of the day netted the highest mph at 114.17 with an 11.89 e.t. on a poor 1.76 short time. The best 60-foot of 1.70 on the fourth pass also resulted in the lowest e.t. of the day by a scant 0.01 at 11.88 seconds as compared to the final pass.
The starting line was decent," Cliff says. "The tires slipped slightly on launch with every pass (usually 60-foots are 1.62/1.67), but they didn't spin too much, and it was consistent and predictable. My Ventura ran right on for the conditions." With a cam upgrade, a Performer RPM intake, and no spacer, the Pontiac has since run 11.58 at 116.39 on a 1.69 60-foot with a stiff head wind at Virginia Motorsports Park in 2006.
CONCLUSION
So what did we learn from our final installment of this series of shootouts from Norwalk Raceway Park?
Well, the hobby lost a great friend with the passing of Butch Kale. From all accounts, he was an admirable and friendly person. He had a quick wit and a quick racecar in his '64 GTO, which was a lot of fun to watch on a track.
Rich Roup taught us that heart attacks and blown engines don't always keep you on the sidelines. His '80 LeMans outfitted with his friend's 455 is a testament to that. It ran the entire day without so much as a hiccup. So it didn't run 10s; it still ran well considering it's a mild street engine.
Jim Gnadt knows how to build a fast racecar and is very detail-oriented in the process. As he explains, going fast is more than just the sum of a pile of parts: The devil is in the details. He even went so far as to build his own flow bench so that he could not only port his own heads but also build his own sheetmetal intake manifold, a bit beyond the normal investment of your average weekend racer.
Our buddy Cliff Ruggles lives to tune. Just look at his Strip Tuning Log. Like everybody who races a Pontiac, we all want to go faster. Cliff works toward that goal on a regular basis and then employs that knowledge in his business so that other hobbyists may benefit as well.
So there you have it. After four issues, we have completed our Norwalk shootout series. The HPP staff would like to thank Bill Bader Jr. from Norwalk Raceway Park and Pete and Andrea Woodruff of Super Duty Promotions for their help in coordinating this shootout.