If you recall from last month’s issue, High Performance Pontiac brought its Pavement Pounders Shootout to Norwalk, Ohio, in August 2011 for an action-packed day of drag racing at Summit Motorsports Park. This month, we spotlight two more hobbyist racers who came to the event to beat their previous best e.t’s. The first is a classic musclecar that ran 16.10s when his owner bought it, and he has significantly improved its e.t.’s since then; the second is an iconic example of one of Pontiac’s late-model, heavy-hitting Birds that left the roost to get itself juiced.
Shawn Genge of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, traveled 4,000 miles round-trip to tear up the tarmac in his ’66 GTO. It features a stroked 421 with Edelbrock heads, a Turbo 400, and 3.55 gears.
Rick Geiger of Ortonville, Michigan, loves the look of ’98-’02 Trans Ams, which led him to his ’01 Trans Am WS6. It has a factory-issued LS1, “853” heads, 3.23 gears, a performance rebuild on its 4L60E, and a two-stage nitrous system.
Summit Motorsports Park’s temperature ranged from 77 to 81 degrees. Barometric pressure was 29.95 hg; the dew point was 70 degrees. The track is 853 feet above sea level, and density altitude ranged from 2,504 to 2,741 feet; we give each racer his own correction factor based on density altitude at the time of his best pass. The density altitude worked out to 2,741 feet for both racers. The correction factors are designed to chart the theoretical best performance at sea level and are done on the best pass only based on e.t.
Strip Specs
Year/Model: ’66 GTO
Race Weight With Driver: 3,890 lbs
Curb Weight: 3,680 lbs
Fuel Level When Weighed: 2⁄3-tank
Fuel: 93-octane
Engine: ’66 code-YH 421
Cubic Inches Before/After: 421/456
Engine Built By: Owner
Induction System
Air Cleaner: K&N
Carburetor: Holley 950-cfm
Jets: #81/#88
Spacer Plate: 1-in, phenolic
Intake Manifold: Edelbrock Torker II, port-matched
Fuel System
Pump: Holley Black
Lines: 1⁄2-in
Regulator: Holley, set to 7 psi
Heads
Casting: Edelbrock, 87cc
Head Porting: Yes
Flow Numbers: 300 cfm (intake)
Valves: Ferrea SS, 2.11 / 1.77-in
Bottom End
Pistons: Ross forged-aluminum, flat-top, 4.15-in
Rings: Total Seal, file-to-fit, 1⁄16-, 1⁄16-, 3⁄16-in
Rods: Eagle H-beam, forged-steel, 6.625-in
Compression Ratio: 9.75:1
Crankshaft: Stock Pontiac 455, 4.21-in stroke
Rotating Assembly Balanced: Yes
Camshaft
Brand: Comp Cam hyd. roller
Duration at 0.050: 245 / 252-deg
Duration Advertised: 306 / 314-deg
Lift with Specified Rocker Arms: 0.600 / 0.600-in
Lobe Separation Angle: 112-deg
Installed Position: 107-deg
Rocker Arms: Harland Sharp 1.5:1
Ignition
Distributor: MSD Pro-Billet
Amplifier: MSD 6AL
Coil: MSD Blaster 2
Wires: MSD 8mm
Spark Plugs: Autolite 3924
Total Timing: 36-deg
Rpm That Total Timing is Reached: 2,500
Exhaust
Headers: Doug’s
Primaries: 1.75-in
Collectors: 3.00-in
Exhaust Pipes: 3.00-in
Mufflers: Goerlich, 3.00-in tailpipes
Crossover: X-style pipe
Drivetrain
Transmission: Turbo 400
Converter: TCI 10-in, 3,200-stall
Shifter: Stock
Rear: Pontiac 8.2-in
Rear Gear Ratio: 3.55:1
Posi: Auburn
Axles: Strange, 28-spline
Chassis and Suspension
Brakes F/R: 11-in disc / 9-in drum
Wheels F/R: Rally ll 15x7 / Weld Draglite 15x81⁄2
Tires F/R: BFG T/A Radial 225/60R15 / M/T Street 27.5x10x15
Tire Pressure F/R: 45/15 psi
Suspension Front
Springs: Stock replacement
Shocks: Stock replacement
Control Arms: Stock
Stabilizer Bar: Stock
Other Features: 2-in drop spindles
Suspension Rear
Springs: Stock
Shocks: Moroso Drag 90/10
Control Arms: Stock upper, boxed lower
Stabilizer Bar: None
Other Features: CalTrac traction bars
Chassis Mods: None
The Rest
Interior Mods: Stock
Exterior Mods: Royal Bobcat decals
Safety Mods: Driveshaft loop
Color: Iris Mist
Launch Technique: Footbrake to 1,500
Best 1⁄8-mile ET/MPH Prior to Event: 7.49 / 92.67
Best 1⁄4-mile ET/MPH Prior to Event: 11.49 / 114.73
Shawn, a 46-year-old catering operations manager, has been racing for seven years. He bought his GTO in 2000. “I wanted to build a GTO to look stock but run very strong,” he says. It’s special to him because “You don’t see Iris Mist on many ’66 GTOs, since it was a ’65-only color.” Shawn also owns an ’02 Firehawk convertible; it was the first one built for sale in Canada. Pictured here are Shawn and his crew/friends Carlos Velasquez and John Damph.
Strip Tuning Log |
| Run/Tuning |
Launch RPM |
Shift Point |
60-foot |
1/8-mile |
1/4-mile |
| 1. 45-deg timing, 15 psi in rear tires, 81/88 jets |
1,200 |
5,300 |
2.01 |
8.08/86.05 |
12.60/107.55 |
| 2. Remove air cleaner, open exhaust dumps, 78/83 jets |
1,200 |
5,300 |
1.73 |
7.98/84.95 |
12.63/105.41 |
| 3. 36-deg timing, 78/86 jets, |
1,200 |
5,300 |
1.69 |
7.79/86.90 |
12.36/106.82 |
| 4. 81/88 jets |
1,200 |
5,300 |
1.69 |
7.70/88.27 |
12.19/108.59 |
| 5. Same |
1,500 |
5,300 |
1.68 |
7.67/88.50 |
12.14/109.44 |
| Best Pass Corrected |
11.75/113.15 |
-
| Run Notes: 1) Bogged off line; 2) Checked timing, which was 26-deg initial, retarded it to 14 deg, lazy on top end; 3) Pulled better; 4) Good run; 5) Cooled car with ice, and ran great. |