Thread: Old School VS Import

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This weekend I am going to tie it up with my 73 dodge dart swinger against some punk in a honda at the strip. This is my first time going to the strip but not my first time racing my dodge, how does every body think it is going to turn out?

Depends on the Honda. I know a genuis import builder who fabbed a 12-cylinder engine out of two 6's and shoehorned it into a rear-drive -converted Acura. I wouldn't race him in a Ferrari.

If he's a typical dork who put a cold-air intake, neon-colored plug wires, and a wing on an otherwise stock car, you've probably got him.

Get him at the launch 'cuz once he starts winding into his -- ahem -- power curve, he might have something. If he has nitrous he can actually get moving after a bit. Google a drag race tree simulator; there are a couple on the web you can play with. Those little engines have no torque, which is why they like to roll past us at lights and then take off.

The WRX has a mean launch, FYI. Any AWD import can give you trouble if the guy knows how to drive.

Let us know how it turns out.

He has a 95 honda civic with the b-16a engine swap and a short ram intake. My dodge has 360 heads on it so it might be close.

As much as we sometimes hate to admit it, some of these ricers really haul butt. I'm not talking about the garbage can exhaust guys, but the ones who have spent some serious bucks on power adders and drivetrain mods.

Just log onto some of the sites where they post videos of some of these cars running, and sometimes they kick 5.0 Mustang and Ferrari tail. So just to say he has a Honda doesn't take into account what he has done to it.

A few years ago I watched a muscle car vs import shoot out on TV. I laughed at the beginning, thinking the ricers would get fried. Boy was I wrong. They cleaned up.

Like I said, we hate to admit it, but they CAN be built to fly. My Son warned me one time to be sure of who I challange at a red light, because anymore you can't be sure.


Don

Originally Posted by Was_II

Depends on the Honda. I know a genuis import builder who fabbed a 12-cylinder engine out of two 6's and shoehorned it into a rear-drive -converted Acura. I wouldn't race him in a Ferrari.

Im sorry, but Ive just gotta call a spade a spade, that is the biggest crock of sh*t Ive heard in a loooooong time. The only way that I would believe a story like that would be to see it in person. If that was actually ever done, it would be in a magazine somewhere.

99% of the imports that end up next to me at a stoplight don't run against me; no matter how tricked out they are, they take one look at the Hilborn and the dual quads and either pretend they didn't see me, or they give me a big thumbs-up and a grin. The rice I've run against -- I do not and will not street race in a populated area, mind you; these are friendly shoving matches from stoplight to stoplight -- have been posers, and I've annihilated them to a car. And my car isn't even particularly fast -- it's essentially just a Mustang 5.0 motor with some induction mods in a wicked-small chassis.

You're probably okay unless he's dumped twenty grand worth of mods into his ride, in which case you'd probably need to be on the ragged edge of streetable.

Get him at the light.

You're right. To be fair, I haven't seen the car. So let me add an "allegedly" to that. The guy builds sprint cars and he's some kind of wizard engine guru. Allegedly.

The only place I think i will have trouble is the shift into 2nd since my car is an auto I dont think the gearing is right to pound him through the entire race.

Champ -

I take it that since your swinger has 360 heads on it that it doesn't have a six-banger! In that case you probably aren't too interested in going slant six. I didn't realize that.

Oh, well, my daily driver is a 318. I like those too.

Jim

Originally Posted by Champ_29

The only place I think i will have trouble is the shift into 2nd since my car is an auto I dont think the gearing is right to pound him through the entire race.

Hopefully you have a fairly accurate tach, if so don't let the engine get above 4500 or you're looking at valve float.

A B16 swap will likely run high 15's to low 16's.

. . . they take one look at the Hilborn and the dual quads . . .

You have Hilborn injection AND dual quads on the same car? What am I missing here?

Originally Posted by Henry Rifle

You have Hilborn injection AND dual quads on the same car? What am I missing here?

Hilborn scoop.

That would be a trick.

spray it......

A guy here at our local track runs mid 12s in his Honda.

Also remember Racing an import is like fighting a girl. If you win you can't brag about it, but if you lose you better not let your friends find out.