Thread: how to get truck into 11s

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What would you have to do to get a 72 chevy swb into the 11s ?Bought a 72 chevy with a 400 small block & 3.73 posi-traction. Could this be done or would i be better off trying for 12s ? I think the truck weight is 3800 #. Fixing to pull the motor out for a rebuild looking for ideas as to what to do to it.

You need about 450 hp at the rear wheels just to dip into the 11's with a 3800 lb vehicle. (That's over 525 at the crank.) How you get the HP doesn't really matter. Heavy-duty SB with lots of cam, and the good parts to match . . . or blower and good parts to match . . . or nitrous and good parts to match.

However, it ain't just HP. What does matter is getting the HP turned into acceleration. You need the right gearing and the right suspension to get the power to the ground. 3.73's and stock GM truck suspension isn't going to get you there.

. . . or, you can get just about any car in the 9's. Push it off a cliff. It only takes a little over 9 seconds to fall a quarter mile . . . . . . sorry . . . short walkabout . . .

JATO Bottles?

http://www.the-rocketman.com/archive_photos/wingft.jpeg

Streets, you're not being very helpful. CVs are much too expensive. . .

Yogi,

In addition to what to what Henry said, you can take wieght out of the truck too. Each 100 pounds is usually worth a 10th or so. The other questions are how much $$$$ you got and how much streetability are you willing to give up?

Pat

Get some of them fiberglass fenders and bedsides that the Baja trucks run. I don't know if you can get them without the flares, so it might look kind of funny having flaired fenders and tiny drag wheels. They will take quite a few pounds off, though.

Looking at building a 550 hp motor with a high rollercam 232/242 560/570 lift, afr 210 race heads and maybe adding 150 nos. Also looking at going from 3.73 to 4.56 gears. with a 3400 converter. If all else fails i guess i could have a 9 second truck just have to take it to goat bluff for one run.

LOX = 4.5 Sec.

That combo should get you there. A few years ago (well, more than a few), I built a 400 Poncho motor in a 3506# GTO. Used a 312/320 split overlap with nominal .544 lift (on 1.6 rockers, Crane, I think), 11.8:1 compression, balanced, single plane manifold with 850 double pumper on CAM-2, Muncie wide-ratio, Hayes steel clutch & flywheel, 4:10 gears, MT wrinklewalls and those weird Lakewood No-Hop traction bars. Pulled some low mid to low 11's at Cornhusker dragway way back when I lived in Nebraska. Launched at 6500, shifted at 7000. Never broke a thing. It had the potential to go faster- but I would have had to go to 4.88's or 5.10's.

You could go lower on the compression and depend on the anaesthetic to get you there.

Stay away from the bluff, though. The deceleration lane is a bitch.

Henry Rifile: thanks for your input looks like i'm head in the right direction

Hey Yogi;
I went high 11's with a 3700 vehicle and a sbc 400 with aluminum heads that flowed 255@.600 and a cam with mid 200's duration with 4.10 gears and a 3200 stall ahead of a 700R4.

Hope this helps.

Originally posted by Henry Rifle
Pulled some low mid to low 11's at Cornhusker dragway way back when I lived in Nebraska.

I spent some time out there in 1971-73 until they closed it and built houses.

I had a street/strip '68 427 Biscayne that was my daily(only!) driver. Best ET with it was 13.03. Had a lot of fun cruising Dodge street, hanging out at McDs.

When were you there? we probably knew some of the same folks.

I was stationed at Offutt and worked part time at the Brandeis Tire Center on 73/75.

Pat

Okay here is what i'm building. chevy 421 stroker, 6" manley forged 7075 alum. rod. Eagle 4340 crank, 10.5.1 compression, Lunati hyd. roller cam 242*-252* / .560-570 lift 112 lobe centers, heads afr 210cc competition weiand team g manifold 3000-8200rpm, 825 B/G race demon carb, 1 7/8 hedman headers. with 150# nos, 4000 stall converter , t400, 4.56 posi-trac. hope to get into the 11s with this combo. hope this has enuff torque/hp.

IF IWAS WANTING TO GET IN THE 11'S I WOULD NOT PUT THE 400CI ENGINE BACK IN IT IF I HAD THE MONEY NOT TO I WOULD GO WITH A 327CI WITH A SET OF TRIPPLE VALVE SRING DOULBLEHUMP HEADS AND U NEED TO DO SOMETHING A BOUGHT THAT REAR SUSPENSUNIF POSSIBLE I JUST GOT A 72 PICKUP TWO AND THE WAY THAT THE REAR END BOLTS UP U WILL LOSE TRACTION BUT I CANT TELL U WHAT TO DO WITH IT

Originally posted by TRUCKGUY
IF IWAS WANTING TO GET IN THE 11'S I WOULD NOT PUT THE 400CI ENGINE BACK IN IT IF I HAD THE MONEY NOT TO I WOULD GO WITH A 327CI WITH A SET OF TRIPPLE VALVE SRING DOULBLEHUMP HEADS AND U NEED TO DO SOMETHING A BOUGHT THAT REAR SUSPENSUNIF POSSIBLE I JUST GOT A 72 PICKUP TWO AND THE WAY THAT THE REAR END BOLTS UP U WILL LOSE TRACTION BUT I CANT TELL U WHAT TO DO WITH IT

WHAAAAT ................... I CAN'T HEEEEEAR U.

What are you planning for the suspension, Yogi. Stock suspension will give you one heck of a good burnout, but that's about it. Doesn't matter how much power you have if you can't get it to the ground and hook it up. Just my 2 cents worth.