For the past two months, High Performance Pontiac has brought you to the edge of your seat with drag race action from our Pavement Pounders Shootout private-invitational, held at Norwalk, Ohio. We continue the series this month with two more racers who were determined to deliver their best e.t.’s ever. The first built a ’50s-era, gasser-style coupe with Pure Pontiac heritage, and the second wants to bring his already-modified Bird to a new plateau with nitrous.
John Labuda of Herminie, Pennsylvania, is one of our Pavement Pounder Shootout volunteer helpers, and his year it was his turn to get behind the wheel. His ’56 Star Chief features a 0.060-over 455, aluminum heads, a Turbo 400, and 4.56 gears.
Steven Ciregna of Brooklyn, New York, considers himself a Third- and Fourth-Gen Firebird fanatic. His ’02 Trans Am WS6 features a factory-issued LS1, "243" (LS2) heads, a hot cam, a built 4L60E, 3.73 gears, and a single-stage nitrous system.
The temperature at Summit Motorsports Park ranged from 77 to 81 degrees. Barometric pressure was 29.95 hg and 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 the density altitude at the time of his best pass. John’s occurred at 12:40 p.m. (DA 2,630); Steven’s best occurred at 2:09 p.m. (DA 2,607). The correction factors are designed to chart the theoretical best performance at sea level on the best pass based on e.t.
Strip Specs
Year/Model: ’56 Star Chief
Race Weight With Driver: 3,685 lbs
Curb Weight: 3,465 lbs
Fuel Level When Weighed: Full
Fuel: 112-octane
Engine: ’74 code-Y4 455
Cubic Inches Before/After: 455 / 468
Engine Built by: Owner
Induction system
Air Cleaner: K&N, 14-in dia., 3-in tall
Carburetor: Holley 800-cfm / 1,050-cfm Dominator
Jets: 88 square / 90 square
Spacer Plate: 1/2-inch, open, wood
Intake Manifold: Victor
Fuel System
Pump: Holley Black 140-gph
Lines: 1/2-in
Regulator: Holley, set to 8.5 psi
Heads
Casting: Edelbrock 72cc
Head Porting: Butler Performance
Flow Numbers: 320-cfm (intake)
Valves: 2.11/1.77
Bottom End
Pistons: Ross forged flat-top, 4.21-in
Rings: Total Seal, file-to-fit, 1/16, 1/16, 3/16
Rods: Eagle forged, 6.625-in
Compression Ratio: 11.5:1
Crankshaft: Pontiac "N" 4.21-in
Rotating Assembly Balanced: Yes
Camshaft
Brand: Comp Cams solid-roller
Duration at 0.050: 276 / 280-deg
Duration Advertised: 308 / 312-deg
Lift With Specified Rocker Arms: 0.661 / 0.661-in
Lobe Separation Angle: 110-deg
Installed Position: 106-deg
Rocker Arms: Scorpion roller, 1.5:1
Ignition
Distributor: MSD Pro-Billet
Amplifier: MSD 6AL
Coil: MSD Blaster
Wires: MSD 8.5mm
Spark Plugs: Autolite 3924
Total Timing: 40-deg
RPM that Total Timing is Reached: 2,000
Exhaust
Headers: Hooker Super Comp
Primaries: 2.00-in
Collectors: 3.50-in
Exhaust Pipes: Dumps, 3.50-in x 14.00-in long
Mufflers: None
Crossover: None
Drivetrain
Transmission: Turbo 400
Converter: ATI 8-in, 4,000-stall
Shifter: Hurst Quarter Stick Rear: GM 12-bolt
Rear Gear Ratio: 4.56:1
Spool: Moser
Axles: Moser 30 spline
Chassis and Suspension
Brakes F/R: GTO 11-in disc / 9.5-in drum
Wheels F/R: Pulsar (Summit Racing) 15x4 / Centerline Auto Drag 15x10
Tires F/R: Hoosier 28x4.5x15 / M/T 29.5x11.5x15
Tire Pressure F/R: 45 psi / 15 psi
Suspension Front
Springs: ’69 GTO stock replacement
Shocks: Summit Racing 90/10
Control Arms: ’69 GTO
Stabilizer Bar: None
Other Features: ’69 GTO frame sectioned into ’56 frame
Suspension Rear
Springs: QA1 variable rate, 175- to 350-lb/in
Shocks: Competition Engineering coilover 50/50
Control Arms: Edelbrock upper and lower
Stabilizer Bar: 0.875-in
Other Features: ’72 Chevelle rearend mounts on ’56 frame
Chassis Mods: Lakewood Traction Bars
The Rest
Interior Mods: Summit Racing seats, RCI 5-point racing harnesses, rear seat removed, Auto Meter tachometer, oil pressure, water temperature, and voltmeter gauges
Exterior Mods: No front bumper, rear bumper end sections removed, radiused wheelwells
Safety Mods: RCI transmission blanket, SFI-approved flexplate, power cut-off, battery relocation to trunk, S&W 8-point rollbar, driveshaft loop
Color: ’06 Ford Red
Launch Technique: Footbrake to 1,500 rpm
Best 1/8-mile ET/MPH Prior to Event: N/A
Best 1/4-mile ET/MPH Prior to Event: 10.716 / 122.96
John, a 65-year-old lawn and garden supply store owner, has been racing off and on since the ’60s. He bought his Star Chief in 2008. "I liked the boxy shape of the mid-’50s Pontiacs. I found this one sitting in the weeds about five miles from my house." It’s special to him because "you don’t see many ’56 Pontiacs on racetracks anymore." John also owns a ’70 GTO that was previously featured in HPP’s Pavement Pounders Shootout (Dec. ’08), which he’s returning to stock condition.
Strip Tuning Log |
| Run/Tuning |
Launch RPM |
Shift Point |
60-foot |
1/8-mile |
1/4-mile |
| 1. Holley 800-cfm carb, 40-deg timing, 16 psi rear tires |
1,500 |
6,000 |
1.50 |
6.89/97.81 |
10.93/120.62 |
| 2. 14 psi in rear tires |
1,500 |
6,000 |
1.47 |
6.78/100.10 |
10.76/122.08 |
| 3. Dominator 1,050-cfm carb |
1,500 |
6,000 |
1.44 |
6.71/100.46 |
10.69/121.47 |
| Best Pass Corrected |
10.36/125.41 |
| 4. 16 psi in rear tires |
2,000 |
6,000 |
1.46 |
6.73/100.58 |
10.70/121.92 |
| 5. Same |
1,500 |
6,000 |
1.51 |
6.93/98.19 |
10.98/120.00 |
| Run Notes: 1) Out of trailer, poor burnout and launch; 2) Good burnout and launch; 3) Good burnout, pulled hard all the way; 4) Higher rpm didn’t help launch; 5) Spun off line. |