I had this exact setup, except AFR 225s in the first Hoopty. Some days, I regret selling that car. It was naaaaaaaaaaaaasty on the street for the little while I got to drive it.
I will look for and bring up pics of the car this is going into for the folks that haven't seen it yet.
Ok, part two.
The coffe cans that were the Pistons yielded a street friendly 9.5:1cr. The only thing spinning in the front was a wp, and an alternator.
When the 460 came apart the C4 that was behind it was opened for the first time in over 90 passes.
I built the c4 for the thing. Found an almost impossible to find 385 pattern bell for it, and rebuilt the c4 myself using the typical hypo mods( Kevlar bands, Alto red clutches, 6 clutch low reverse drum) B&M shift kit, and a stupid cheap 10" 3500 stall converter. The transmission was a literally being torn apart by the torque , that was trying to drive all of the internals out the ass of the transmission. There was so much thrust bearing wear, several of them were paper thin. I ended up converting to a 1.76 geared glide, but the 466 that had been the staple for the previous three years had given its last. The new engine was an equally cheap 496 stroker, using 440 Chrysler rods. It went 6.0 getting the snot sprayed out of it, when one of the junk assed Chrysler rods decided it had had enough and left through the pan rail.
After that, I returned to a Windsor based build, but nothing that followed was done so cheaply that yielded so much fun.
The coffe cans that were the Pistons yielded a street friendly 9.5:1cr. The only thing spinning in the front was a wp, and an alternator.
When the 460 came apart the C4 that was behind it was opened for the first time in over 90 passes.
I built the c4 for the thing. Found an almost impossible to find 385 pattern bell for it, and rebuilt the c4 myself using the typical hypo mods( Kevlar bands, Alto red clutches, 6 clutch low reverse drum) B&M shift kit, and a stupid cheap 10" 3500 stall converter. The transmission was a literally being torn apart by the torque , that was trying to drive all of the internals out the ass of the transmission. There was so much thrust bearing wear, several of them were paper thin. I ended up converting to a 1.76 geared glide, but the 466 that had been the staple for the previous three years had given its last. The new engine was an equally cheap 496 stroker, using 440 Chrysler rods. It went 6.0 getting the snot sprayed out of it, when one of the junk assed Chrysler rods decided it had had enough and left through the pan rail.
After that, I returned to a Windsor based build, but nothing that followed was done so cheaply that yielded so much fun.
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Yeah, the smaller thunder jet passenger head as opposed to the CJ head. I still ground the therm actor bump out of the exhaust port, and did some mild pocket porting ( ala Hoopty).
The 496 got upgraded to cast iron CJ heads, but I'm not sure they worked any better. A 460p.i. head is also a good junker alternative, but I'm sure they're all almost non-existent now days.
I'm not sure if the " Stupid Story" that revolves around that engine, and the campaign I waged with it against the demon that wears a bow tie is published here, but it involves hitting the wall, totaling the mustang, and retrofitting all of the drivetrain into the third of 6 fairmont(s) that got built by me, to include the current one.
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I get the super cheap builds that last for a while, but they are not my cup of tea.
90 passes sounds like a lot to some possibly, but I had more than that running sportsman my first year, and I didn't make every race.
It seems many of the stories of cheap thrown together stellar performers have similar a fate, when folks are honest.
I appreciate your honesty.
At the other end of the spectrum;
Guy I know well, friend if you will, he and I used to race with nearly every weekend. He built a solid roller naturally aspirated Dart 347 back before folks started the 363 craze. All top notch machine work, top notch internals, quality heads, carb, worked over C4 and it all sits in a 79 pace car. (I'm sure I can get details if anyone really needs them) Same shop that built his motor later built mine... one of the reasons I chose that shop is because of the following...
His car has been running 10.teens @ 130mph for 13 or more years... in crappy Phoenix AZ air. It's a solid 9 second car in mine shaft that is the north-east. It's got a little more in it, but he was not shelling out the $ in safety to run 9's (chassis certs, cage certs, chute, comp license etc).
I bet over a 5 year period we probably made 6 passes per track outing, 25(or more) weeks out of the 52 weeks in a year. It's very safe to say the car has well over 1000 passes on it.
He still runs it (not as often as we used to), and the car is still dead reliable and consistent running 10.teens and bringing home the goods in the local bracket series.
Like I said, I get the super cheap builds, but I'm more of a commitment guy.
I'm not judging which way is better/worse, right/wrong... either way done well are very impressiv to me.
To each his own.
90 passes sounds like a lot to some possibly, but I had more than that running sportsman my first year, and I didn't make every race.
It seems many of the stories of cheap thrown together stellar performers have similar a fate, when folks are honest.
I appreciate your honesty.
At the other end of the spectrum;
Guy I know well, friend if you will, he and I used to race with nearly every weekend. He built a solid roller naturally aspirated Dart 347 back before folks started the 363 craze. All top notch machine work, top notch internals, quality heads, carb, worked over C4 and it all sits in a 79 pace car. (I'm sure I can get details if anyone really needs them) Same shop that built his motor later built mine... one of the reasons I chose that shop is because of the following...
His car has been running 10.teens @ 130mph for 13 or more years... in crappy Phoenix AZ air. It's a solid 9 second car in mine shaft that is the north-east. It's got a little more in it, but he was not shelling out the $ in safety to run 9's (chassis certs, cage certs, chute, comp license etc).
I bet over a 5 year period we probably made 6 passes per track outing, 25(or more) weeks out of the 52 weeks in a year. It's very safe to say the car has well over 1000 passes on it.
He still runs it (not as often as we used to), and the car is still dead reliable and consistent running 10.teens and bringing home the goods in the local bracket series.
Like I said, I get the super cheap builds, but I'm more of a commitment guy.
I'm not judging which way is better/worse, right/wrong... either way done well are very impressiv to me.
To each his own.
I know people who have literally spent over 20k on an engine from a reputable race engine builder, and scattered it down the track.. I can only imagine how sick they were. The bottom line is, it doesn't matter how "committed " you are, chit happens. Spending a ton of cash doesn't mean your motor is going to last forever if you beat on it. I've had slapped together junk that SHOULD have exited the car, and I sold it because i wanted something new, after beating on it for a couple of years ruthlessly. I can see your point, and there is something to the addage "You get what you pay for," but there's another that goes "More bang for the buck." I think anyone who does this thing we do can expect to lunch an engine anytime.. But if you are going to risk it, why wouldn't you want to kick the guy's ass next to you, and still have money in your pocket to celebrate while making your house payment?
To each his own I guess..
Nothing wrong with a fairmont. They just lead to really, really long builds is what I've noticed.
When I was much much younger, my parents had an 81 Granada. All of the thoughts and dreams I had when I discovered that it was the same platform as the Mustang GT. lol
I had a buddy with a 4 door 80 something granada in high school with the i6. We begged him to do the 5.0 swap and offered to help, but he rebuilt the 6 to be different, complete with cam and holley carb intake.. He got passed by turtles.
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