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New To Hotrodding Question for the drag guys...

2K views 19 replies 11 participants last post by  xntrik 
#1 ·
Hey everyone I am just about done painting my 1966 olds f85, i want to give her some more juice. She is my daily driver and i want it to run around 15's on the 1/4 mile. What do you think i could do to get there? Here is what i have right now:

1966 olds f-85
330 cubic inch engine
2 barrel carburetor
Factory forged crankshaft
2 speed automatic trans
2.78 rear end (open diff no posi)
Single Exhaust
With me in it and 1/2 tank, it weighs 3800 pounds
GM Manual: 250bhp @ 4800rpm, 335 ft/lbs @ 2800rpm

What would it take to get her to roughly the 15second mark? I dont wanna beat the real muscle cars, i just want to smoke those bloody japanese pieces of crap, while getting better then 10mpg on the highway (gas is $4.50/gallon where i live).

Heres what I have planned for the near future:
-Do not plan on changing the carburetor (as that is a nightmare, tuning carburetors is left best to guys with a dyno, past experience)
-Change transmission to a th350 or a 200-r4, i would prefer the 200-r4 but i would be worried that my engine might kill it(Either one will be bone stock with maybe a rebuild, what do you think?)
-Dual exhaust off of the exhaust manifolds with cherry bomb mufflers (i love the way they sound)
-I can get a hold of a 2.78 posi rear end from a friend

What do you guys think? What would it take for me to smoke the ricers? Thats all i want, I will graciously take a beating from a 442 or a charger.. I dont have a whole lot of money either (i am a poor college student)
Thanks,
Mark
 
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#2 ·
Get yourself an overdrive transmission like that 200-R4 and some 3.4 or so rear end gears. No posi needed, but this will give you a lot better acceleration and keep gas milage about the same. Oh, remember that Olds has a different bellhousing bolt pattern than Chevy.

For more power, get and HEI distributor and, I have to tell you, a 4 barrel carb and intake. You can put dual exhaust on it, but without getting more air into the engine you're not going to see much of any benefit.
 
#3 ·
I basically agree with the above advice, with a couple exceptions.

An internal combustion engine is basically an air pump. The more air you can get in and out the more power you can generate. I would strongly suggest an aluminum intake with a small (500 CFM) Edelbrock 4 bbl carb. The Edelbrock and AFB carbs for the most part require little or no tuning and run strong right out of the box. Also a good set of headers will add about 10-15% to your horsepower rating if combined with a reasonable dual exhaust system.

Personally I'd go with a bone stock TH-350 with nothing more than a shift kit and yes remember that BOP trans have a different bolt pattern than Chevys.

Good luck.
 
#4 ·
All the above, are the tried and true methods. Also Nitrous, it's fairly cheap only there when you want it and if you only use it at the track won't affect daily driving manners.
Weight reduction? Yank everything out that ain't bolted down and half of what is.
BTW what #'s are you currently running?
If your close a set of sticky tires and losing some lbs might get the #'s you want.
 
#5 ·
Hey thanks for all the replies guys, so i guess it comes down to these two issues:
1)The carb, i did at one point have an a4 aluminum intake with a 600 cfm edelbrock 1406 on it and i could not for the life of me get it to run right. I think a lot of this was due to the fact that the intake manifold was put on by idiots and only 2 bolts were at 24 ft pounds, i unscrewed a few bolts with my fingers. So i MIGHT put a 4 barrel on it, but if i do its gonna be a stock 4gc (not a qjet) with a stock squarebore manifold dated for my car (i wanna keep it as stock looking as possible) plus the 4gc has adjustable secondaries unlike the pos 1406 i have sitting in my basement (calibrated weight door my ***). My 2 barrel does run a WHOLE hell of a lot better around the city and feels way more torquey then the 4 barrel. But when i floor it i notice the lack of horses.

2)The th350 or the 200-r4, if i was to do either they would both be stock from a scrapyard or maybe the newspaper. I know i can get a decent th350 from a buddy out of a trans am for like 80 bucks. I hear a lot of complaints about the 200-r4, plus if I was to use one with my 2.78 rear end it would rev real low in overdrive. So the debate is how long will each last, with dual exhaust and a four barrel:

th350: stock rebuild (maybe)?
200-r4: stock rebuild(maybe) from pick your part?
Would the 200-r4 live behind my motor?
Either transmission will bolt up to my motor fine, id just need to jury rig the tv cable.
:thumbup:

Ohh and no nitrus or supercharger, or turbo's, i wouldnt want to put the 40 year old engine through that abuse. The tires are 25 inches in diameter with 225 width.
 
#8 ·
All I can say is the nephews had a pontiac with a stock 200r4 and abused to no end that car and never had a tranny problem..They wrecked about every thing else about it tho.. :spank: :spank: :spank: :smash: :pain:

Uncle is not fixin their cars now..they can fix their own,, :nono:

OMT
 
#10 ·
It's all in how you get to that magic 1:1. You will accelerate harder by passing through peak hp more than once. Lower gears can accomplish the same thing, but why do that when you can get the transmission to do that for you (to a point)and keep your mileage (in a way)?
 
#11 ·
Hey, the problem is that my current transmission is a 2 speed, and while its nice to not have it shifting all the time it is a real dog off the line, 1.78 first gear 1.00 second gear. Also when i am driving on the highway at say 75 the car still revs around 2850 rpm, it would be nice to pop it in overdrive and get it down to like 1800. Plus that would give me a 2.74 first gear which would be nice too. And eventually i can get down to changing my rear end. The only problem is that i worry about the strength of the trans. But onemoretime said that his was strong in its stock form. Any other opinions? (i know what its like to have to fix other peoples cars :mwink: hehe)
 
#12 ·
I'm Sorry, I thought the question was "How can I make my car run 15's in the quarter?" and I have no money. just trying to tell you how to get there with cheap bone yard parts. you can get 1.82 stock first gear for your powerglide, not as heavy duty as the 1.76 but you don't have enough power to hurt it. you also don't have enough power to pull your car 75mph @ 1800 rpm unless you are going down hill. with $$ the issue the cheapest way to get there is exhaust and gears or a big block 455
 
#14 ·
Please remember you are beating a 40 year old car, make sure your breaking system, brake lines, and suspension are in safe shape before you go blasting down the road.

Someone recommend nitrous, not a smart choice for an engine that is 40 years old. (assuming it has never been rebuilt)

Gears should be your top priority. I would figure out what transmission you'll be swapping in first.

Personally I would go for TH350 because:
-They are cheaper
-They are stronger in stock form
-and you won't have to deal with the 2004R's TV cable and the electronic locking torque converter.

with a TH350 I would go with a 3.4ish gear because I like to run a good speed on the highway. You may plan on never cruising above 55, if that's the case go with deeper gears.

You're a poor college student, all this should drain your cash supply. With the transmission change you may need the drive shaft shortened, and crossmember modified. Maybe, I don't know for sure. That's costs extra $$ though.
 
#15 ·
Yup the rest of the car is in tip top shape, good brakes, checked out the front end replaced the idler arm. The engine has never been rebuilt and has 80,000 miles on it. I realized that the th350 is stronger, but if i did get one i would not change the rear gears cause she already revs at 3 grand when i drive 80 on the highway. But in your opinion would the 2004r stand up to my engine? I know the 700-r4 is decent we have one in our '89 jimmy and never changed the fluid once and its running fine with 280,000km on it, i just dont know much about the 2004r, The tv system is not a problem to rig up, and the torque conver i would just rig to a toggle switch (im decent with electricity).
 
#16 ·
Are you saying you're turning 3000rpm at 80 mph or 80 km/h? Because 3K @ 80mph isn't bad at all.

The cheapest way to make your F-85 fast and not kill your fuel milage (believe it or not) is to drop in a 455 and th400 from a mid to late '70s full-size Olds. This will give you low 15 to high 14 second 1/4s. It'll run on today's gas and won't have to work to push your car down the highway.

I had a '73 Delta 88 convert, 455 smog motor, th400, 2.73s, headers, and electronic distributor, it would run 15.50s all day long and get 18 mpg on the highway. I also had a '67 Cutlass 4 dr with the same setup except with 3.42 gears, it would run 14.0 in the 1/4.

Greg
 
#18 ·
281ranger said:
I had a '73 Delta 88 convert, 455 smog motor, th400, 2.73s, headers, and electronic distributor, it would run 15.50s all day long and get 18 mpg on the highway. I also had a '67 Cutlass 4 dr with the same setup except with 3.42 gears, it would run 14.0 in the 1/4.

Greg
the 207ci v6 in my grand am gets 20-24mpg but then again I drive like the 19 year old I am (the burning rubber smell means it's working!)
 
#19 · (Edited)
OneMoreTime said:
Actually I think you would get the most bang for the buck with a set of 3.55 gears and the 200r4 myself..The 200r4 seems to be a fine trans for what you have in mind..

OMT
I am going to use this quote.

I agree. Since you don't want to do much engine changing, you have to do this and nitrous.

15 flat is not realistic for your car. It runs 17.5s now, if you are lucky. That is all they did when new.

No matter what you do to that little nail head, you are NOT going to beat most of the ricers. Period. Be realistic. 15 flat will not beat most of them, and a lot of them will kick your ass easily. I mean assembly line stock ricers.
That Dodge SRT4 is killing late model Z-28s.

I would suggest you just stay with what you have and make faces at the ricers, and put your money into gasoline. That's less $$ outgo than chasing parts. (but not as much fun)
 
#20 ·
I would like to PS my last entry.

Mind mind said Buick... yours is not a nailhead Buick... but an Olds.

289 HIPO Mustangs ran mid 15s.
327 Camaros ran mid 15s.
390 Mustangs ran 15 flat.
Buick Skylark GS 400s barely ran 15 flat off the assembly line.
Olds 442s dipped into the 14s barely.
383 Dodge Chargers barely ran 15 flat, (3800 pounds)
etc.

Be realistic.
 
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