Owner Bio: Ken Deabenderfer
Ken, a 37-year-old road-construction worker, has been racing for 12 years. He bought his '68 Tempest in 1986 from his grandfather, who had owned it since 1969. Ken says his favorite moment in his Pontiac is winning his first race. He also owns an '02 WS6 Trans Am. When he's not racing Pontiacs, Ken enjoys archery hunting whitetail deer.
| Strip Tuning Log |
| Run/Tuning | Launch RPM | Shift Pt. | 60-ft. | 1/8-mile | 1/4-mile |
| 1. No. 74 jets | 3,000 | 6,300 | 1.46 | 6.43/107.53 | 10.13/132.02 |
| 2. Same | 3,000 | 6,300 | 1.46 | 6.44/107.61 | 10.14/131.83 |
| 3. Same | 3,000 | 6,300 | 1.47 | 6.42/108.12 | 10.09/133.33 |
| Best Pass Corrected | 9.79/137.47 |
| 4. Same | 3,000 | 6,300 | 1.46 | 6.44/107.81 | 10.12/132.74 |
| 5. Same | 3,000 | 6,300 | 1.49 | 6.44/108.35 | 10.10/133.65 |
| Run Notes: 1) Spun rear tires; 2) Less spin |
| Strip Specs |
| Year/Model: | ’68 Tempest |
| Race Weight With Driver: | 3,560 lbs |
| Curb Weight: | 3,345 lbs |
| Fuel Level When Weighed: | 15-gal |
| Fuel: | Sunoco Supreme |
| Engine: | 511ci K&M MR1 |
| Cubic Inches Before/After: | 511/511 |
| Engine Built By: | Owner |
| Induction System |
| Air Cleaner: | None |
| Carburetor: | Two Holley 750-cfm DP |
| Jets: | No. 75 square |
| Spacer Plate: | 1-in composite plastic |
| Intake Manifold: | Hogan sheetmetal |
| Fuel System |
| Pump: | Holley Blue, 110-gph |
| Lines: | -10 steel braided |
| Regulator: | Two Mallorys set at 7.5 psi |
| Heads |
| Casting: | Edelbrock aluminum |
| Head Porting: | Jeff Howell in Indiana, PA |
| Flow Numbers: | 329 cfm at 0.700-in lift |
| Valves: | 2.200/1.750-in Ferrea SS |
| Bottom End |
| Pistons: | Ross, flat-top, 4.250-in bore |
| Rings: | Total-Seal, file-to-fit |
| Rods: | Oliver billet, 6.800-in |
| Compression Ratio: | 13:1 |
| Crankshaft: | Crower billet, 4.500-in stroke |
| Rotating Assembly Balanced: | Yes |
| Camshaft |
| Brand: | Cam Motion custom grind |
| Duration at 0.050: | 276/282-deg |
| Duration Advertised: | N/A |
| Lift With Specified Rocker Arms: | 0.726/0.726-in |
| Lobe Separation Angle: | 110-deg |
| Installed Position: | N/A |
| Rocker Arms: | Cam Motion, 1.6:1-ratio |
| Ignition |
| Distributor: | MSD Pro-Billet |
| Amplifier: | MSD 7AL |
| Coil: | MSD |
| Wires: | ACCEL 8.8 mm |
| Spark Plugs: | NGK No. 8 |
| Total Timing: | 36 deg |
| RPM That Total Timing is Reached: | Advance locked out |
| Exhaust |
| Headers: | Hooker |
| Primaries: | 1.875-in |
| Collectors: | 3.50-in |
| Exhaust Pipes: | None |
| Mufflers: | None |
| Crossover: | None |
| Drivetrain |
| Transmission: | Turbo 400 |
| Converter: | ATI 9-in with 3,500 stall |
| Shifter: | Cheetah |
| Rear: | Ford 9-in |
| Rear Gear Ratio: | 3.70:1 |
| Spool: | Strange |
| Axles: | Moser 31-spline |
| Chassis and Suspension |
| Brakes F/R: | Wilwood 11-in disc |
| Wheels F/R: | Weld 15x4.5/15x10 |
| Tires F/R: | M/T 26x4.5x15 / M/T 29.5x11.5x15 slicks |
| Tire Pressure F/R: | 30 psi/16 psi |
| Suspension Front |
| Springs: | Moroso Trick |
| Shocks: | Comp Eng. three-way adj. |
| Control Arms: | Stock |
| Stabilizer Bar: | Stock |
| Other Features: | None |
| Suspension Rear |
| Springs: | Stock |
| Layout: | Lakewood ladder bars |
| Shocks: | Comp Eng three-way adj. |
| Other Features: | Southside bars, Airlift airbags |
| The Rest |
| Chassis Mods: | 12-point rollcage |
| Interior Mods: | RCI five-point racing harness |
| Exterior Mods: | Fiberglass tilt front end |
| Safety Mods: | SFI-approved drivetrain parts, RCI flywheel shield and tranny blanket, custom driveshaft loop |
| Paint: | Black with purple ghost flames painted by Dave Steffy |
| Launch Technique: | Footbrake to 3,000 rpm |
| Best 1/8-mile ET/MPH prior to event: | 6.233/109 mph |
| Best 1/4-mile ET/MPH prior to event: | 9.82/136.16 mph |