Here there is a class known as the Qwik 8. It's run on street nights and obviously it's the quickest 8 cars that enter. It's run heads up in the 1/8 and the only rules I know of are saftey equipment, mufflers or turbo, and doors. Usually runnin a 6.0 will get you in the show but to be competitive you need to run 4.9X to 5.0. I've seen these cars pull 1.01 60ft times before.

I would like to get a car and put it under the knife so I can join these guys. I was hoping to do it with a backhalved third gen or LT1 car. I wasn't planning or retaining the original driveline but rather buy a cheap car part it out and start from scratch with the simplest, safest, and most consistant setup possible. Any thoughts?

 

IMO you better have a BIG bank account. Its cheaper to buy a done car than to build one. Go to racingjunk.com to find a car.

 

Mid 7's in the 1/4 mile around 190mph...mmm I'd say make it weigh 3000lbs and toss a cool 1500hp at it...post pics when yer done

 

Amen brother! There are a ton of quality cars on there that couldn't be built for what they're asking. I'm building a Stock Eliminator car now and the prices that they are getting for complete class cars is looking better and better all the time ...

Good luck and keep us updated!

 

4.9 in the 1/8th? no offense man but i think u've bitten off more then u can chew

 

+1 on that. I run the eighth here in Iowa and thats about what our fastest N/A rail runs......

 

Heads up is a money race. Whoever can spend the most money to make their car the fastest usually wins.

Although blower and turbo cars usually compete it's usually big engines with multiple stages of NOS that win those type of races.

My NA engine is just dipping into the 5 second range and I have at least $20,000 invested in the engine. A bigger head swap is currently in progress and I'm hoping to to get an 8 second 1/4 mile timeslip this year at altitude.

It's much easier and cheaper to use a lightweight vehicle to go that fast. Since a dragster is out because your rules specify doors, the next best option is a tube chassis car. Find a roller or turnkey car. It's cheaper than building one. www.racingjunk.com has lots of choices.

 

if you wana play with the big boys just turn your wallet upside down. Do you understand to make a LT1 run in the 7's, or even an LS1 is a 50K + project.

And on top of that you want it to do that on the street, not a prepped track.

Shouldnt be a problem......... not to mention you would hold the LT1 world record for fastest timeslip.

 

I would think you could buy one built for $50K+, would cost $80K-$100K to build. However I don't think it would be on a LT1 platform.

 

I will take a different tack and assume you have some idea of what you are thinking of getting into. Two concepts already expressed are very cogent. First is that unless you have deep pockets and just want to build it your way from the start, buy a car that is already built. Saves at least 1/2 the cost, especially with the down economy there are motivated sellers out there. I like the idea of buying a "roller" and putting in my own motor and tranny. I have done this and it is much easier/quicker/cheaper than a ground up build. Second, keep in mind that weight is the enemy of performance. You need to figure how much weight you are going to have, how quick you need to be, and then you know how much hp you need.

As far as how to make the hp, if you are starting from scratch, GO BIG on the displacement. That is where you get the most hp/$$ and reliability/$$. Build it for nitrous and use as much as you need in a particular field. I am assuming a BBC as the platform. I think to play in this league you will need an aftermarket block. A 4.5"x4.5" (572) would be the absolute minimum I would consider. You will not be able to use a "conventional" head and will need a symmetrical port head with very large ports such as the Dart Big Chief. Off spray, such an engine will make 1,000-1,200hp reliably and not need to turn more than 7.500rpm. That's a $25,000 motor with good parts. Build it with aluminum rods (for the nitrous) and add a multi-stage port nitrous system capable of ~600+hp and unless your car is a pig you will be able to compete. It will need a $5000 tranny/converter if you use a 'glide. If you get the right roller chassis I'd say this could be done for $60-75,000. I have thought about it myself.

Good luck, I have more thoughts on this if you are interested.

Rich

 

I would think a 3rd gen would be better because of the engine bay size.

As rich mention I would not even think LT1 for a second and most likely not LSX. Your going to need a bbc 600 ci + motor and a **** ton of juice.

 

I now have a heads-up car capable of making the Quick-8, but it isn't my 4th Gen LTX Camaro! New 2003 Tube-chassis Cavalier, Glasstek body, NHRA 7.5 certification, long 107" wheel base, P/G with 1.98 straight-cut first gear and a SBC. I've been working on this car for the past several weeks and haven't been on the forum lately, for those who know me.

 

VN, but why a small block?

Rich

 

Now days “small-block” Chevy doesn't necessarily mean “small.” An aftermarket Dart block w/ 4.125” bore and 4.00” stroke equals “big-cubes” and big-HP.

I’m not planning on running Top-Sportsman, so I don’t really need a 500+ CI engine. Additionally, the tube-chassis was build around using a SBC, so a BBC would be a really tight fit.

 

LSx can go to 500ci with deck plates. World Products just came out with a hybrid tall deck SBC that accepts Gen 1 internals, but bolts on the LSx heads...... might produce an interesting end product.