Owner Bio: Lorin and Greg Budzinski
Many fathers dream about building a racecar with their son as a means to further bond their relationship and experience the thrill of racing together. Lorin Budzinski, 57, a retired crime-lab scientist for the Detroit Police Department, and his 34-year-old son, Greg, have joined forces to build a 455-powered '81 Grand Prix that hooks up, runs hard, and is easy to maintain. It was chosen as an inexpensive alternative to the GTOs and Firebirds more commonly seen at the strip.
Building on the torque characteristics of our favorite undersquare V-8, the pair have hit on a simple, low-rpm engine that uses as many off-the-shelf parts as possible. It was originally built as a street engine for Lorin's '64 2+2, but it seemed like such a natural for this project that it was used for the Grand Prix.
"This car is special to me because it represents a true team effort on the part of my son and myself," said Lorin, who has Greg do the driving. "It's the most fun we've had together since he was in Little League." He continued, "When people see the car run, they're surprised that there isn't a nitrous bottle in addition to the Pontiac engine."
In addition to the Grand Prix and the 2+2, the Budzinskis have a '63 Catalina two-door post sedan. Lorin also drove a '68 GTO in the early '70s with a 421 Super Duty that ran 12.20s at 112 mph. He drove it to work for a couple of years but decided the race car could cause a conflict with his police job, so it was retired from street use.
| Strip Specs |
| Year/Model: | '81 Grand Prix |
| Race Weight: | 3,475 lbs |
| Curb Weight: | 3,265 lbs |
| Type of Fuel: | 93 Octane |
| Engine: | '74 YU-code 455 |
| Cubic Inches Before/After Bore: | 455/466 |
| Built By: | Lorin Budzinski |
| Carburetor: | 830 Holley DP, jets #86 square |
| Spacer Plate: | 1-in, four-hole phenolic |
| Intake Manifold: | Edelbrock Performer RPM |
| Fuel System: | Holley 110-gph with Holley regulator set to 6.5 psi, Fram fuel filter, 1/2-in aluminum line to regulator, then -8 AN lines to carb |
| Heads: | Edelbrock 87cc, port-matched and pushrod-bulge opened up |
| Flow Numbers: | Close to stock Edelbrock |
| Valves: | 2.11/1.66 SI from Edelbrock |
| Pistons/Rings: | Ross forged 4.180/Total Seal Gapless |
| Rods: | Eagle forged 6.800-in |
| Compression Ratio: | 10.2:1 |
| Crankshaft: | Nodular-iron, stroked to 4.25 in |
| Rotating Assembly Balanced: | Yes |
| Camshaft: | Comp Cams street mechanical roller, Magnum series |
| Camshaft Specs: | 244/255-deg at 0.050, 0.585/0.555 lift |
| Camshaft LSA: | 106-deg |
| Camshaft Centerline: | 112-deg |
| Installed Position: | 6-deg advanced |
| Rocker Arms: | 1.65:1 Crane Energizer intake, 1.50:1 Omega (JBP) exhaust |
| Ignition: | Stock cast-iron Pontiac dist, Mallory electronic conversion, ACCEL 300 wires, Autolite #3924 plugs |
| Total Timing: | 34-deg all in by 2,200 rpm |
| Exhaust: | Indian Adventures 17/8-in primary headers, 3.5-in collectors, 3-in pipes, Dynomax welded mufflers |
| Power Adder: | None |
| Transmission: | Turbo 400, performance rebuild, full manual-reverse shift pattern |
| Converter: | Coan 10-in, approx 3,000 stall |
| Shifter: | B&M |
| Rear: | Ford 9-in, Currie housing and axles, truck centersection, Detroit Locker 3.50:1 gears |
| Brakes F/R: | Stock 10.9-in disc/9.5-in drum |
| Wheels F/R: | 15x4 ET slots/15x7 Ansen slots |
| Tires F/R: | Syntread 165/75Rx15 / M/T ET Street 28x11.5x15 (27.3 tall x 8.6 wide) |
| Tire Pressure: | 40 psi/23 psi |
| Suspension Fr: | Stabilizer bar removed, stock V-6 springs, CE shocks (80/20) |
| Suspension Rr: | CE shocks (50/50), stock springs, Southside Machine trailing arms |
| Chassis Mods: | Six-point rollcage |
| Interior Mods: | Lightweight buckets, no backseat |
| Exterior Mods: | Fiberglass hood with cowl-induction scoop and glass decklid |
| Safety Mods: | Rollcage, driveshaft loop, shoulder harness (current date), fire extinguisher, SFI-approved drivetrain parts |
| Launch Technique: | 1,800 at line, then full throttle, shift at 5,000 rpm |
| Best ET/MPH Prior to Event (1/4-mile): | 11.14 at 120 |
| STRIP TUNING LOG |
| Run | Tuning | Launch RPM | Shift Point | 60-FT | 1/8 E.T./MPH | 1/4 E.T./MPH |
| 1 | 34-deg timing, 23 psi tires | 1,800 | 5,000 | 1.61 | 7.21/95.30 | 11.36/117.51 |
| 2 | Changed plugs, same heat range | 1,800 | 5,000 | 1.6 | 7.22/94.88 | 11.38/117.65 |
| 3 | 36-deg timing, added 100lb ballast | 1,800 | 5,000 | 1.61 | 7.26/94.59 | 11.42/118.21 |
| 4 | Removed ballast | 1,800 | 5,000 | 1.59 | 7.20/95.05 | 11.34/118.83 |
| 5 | Cooled off | 1,800 | 5,000 | 1.6 | 7.21/95.33 | 11.33/119.04 |
| BEST PASS CORRECTED | 10.78/125.07 |
| Run Notes: 1) New tires, 47 percent humidity, 90° 2) 47 percent humidity, 92° 3) 47 percent humidity, 92° 4) 47 percent humidity, 92&#deg. |