My dart vs 1969 Chevelle "396" predictions

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69dodgedart360

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i am at it again same people i raced at work have a friend who they go to high school with and he has a 1969 Chevelle with a big block 396 that has been done up i really dont know what he has done but im sure headers,intake,carb, bigger than stock cam (how big i dunno) and i really dont know what gears or tires he is running but im hoping for street tires and 3.07's and if all goes well im going to snag some G-Force T/A's for a little added traction and by now everyone should know my combo but here it is anyways:

Small Block 360
Stock Crank but has been rebalanced
Keith Black hypreutectic pistions Compression ratio is 10:1
Fully Ported out 2.02 1.60 valve Mopar X Heads
Comp Cams Hydraulic Flat Tappet Cam XE284H-10 (lift is at .510)
1.6 Ratio Comp Cams Aluminium Roller Rockers
TTI Headers with 2.5 in pipe into 40 series flowmasters out all the way back
Holley 670cfm Street Avenger Carb
Edelbrock Air-Gap intake
MSD igniton everything

727 Transmission w/ shift kit
stall at 2500
8 3/4 Powertrax 3.55 Posi
27 inch street tires
SS Springs in the back

P.S. The race should go down sometime in march unless for some odd reason he wants to run 2 weekends from now like planned but dont worry i will update everyone on what happens
 
I'd guesstimate you at low 13s, high 12s? Kinda hard to say what the 396 runs...

Because i outran a decently done up 5.0 mustang with my 318...twice...oh and he was running 8# of boost. :D Just because he may have a faster car, doesn't mean he can drive it fast. Second question, have either of you ever been down the track before, if so, how much?

I'd get some real tires and have your car on top of its game. Remember the 60' is the most important, also since your racing against someone else. So is your reaction time. If you tree him, and HOOK. He might lag, spin, and you get those couple tenths you may need.
 
Get ready to drive smart!!.8)
396cu have good hp and I have seen them run real
good back in the day,
But they did not hold up very good.
Like you said , We don't know what he has dun to it.
experience on the tree and peddle your way out, if you have a bad day of hooking up.
He is already intimidated by your small block so it will depend on that first 60' like Mike said. "GoodysGotaCuda".
Back in the 80's it seemed to me that a chevelle hooked up pretty good.
But if he has air shocks or coil overs and has the back end to stiff he will spin
and have to peddle his way out too.
Good luck to you and hope you do your best and beat this short stroke 396 and win.:-D
These chebbys can get out of the hole if you see his back end squat down
he is transferring his weight good.

How much exp dose he have at the track?

Be smart and know your car and how it is going to ack at the line before
you line up with him. Should be a good race. I say you will keep your head and drive a smart race and he will spin a bearing or two.:toothy10:
 
'69 Chevelle 396? Wouldn't get in a lather about it. Used to outrun those things with a Volkswagen. Just make sure that you are running on a 1/4 mile track. Most 396s that are built enough to make any power will :puke: the bottom end before they get that far. Let us know how it turns out.
 
Well you'll diffenately have the weight advantage, I'm guessing 500-600lbs but who knows without knowing the 396 and gears. My cousin had a 454 SS with 4.55 gears, I think, and that SOB was very quick out of the hole when he hooked up properly.

Terry
 
I had a 69 SS Chevelle 396 375 HP 4.10's from the factory. It is the QUICKEST CAR I have ever drove. On top of the factory was a set of headers & bigger cam. This car was a blast to drive. I never had it to the track but the guy I bought it from said it was a 12 second car.

Beware of the unknown. Kind of like the guys that didn't know how to tell the difference in a 383/440. But now the stroker wars are making it more difficult to see what the other guy has. Take the 440 small block stroker kit. You can have a very stock exterior, but never know what is inside.

Hope it is just for fun
 
well the shipping weight of the 2 cars is within 200 lbs if not less. like goody said, its about the holeshot and 60 foot. also you can pull more rpms than a chevy, so hold your gear longer and you might pull on him.
alos like said above, he may have a fast car , but doesn't know how to drive it. i'm not a pro racer myself, but i am still learning the art of the "little or no tire spin" type of holeshot. THAT is your advantage.
 
redfastback said:
well the shipping weight of the 2 cars is within 200 lbs if not less. like goody said, its about the holeshot and 60 foot. also you can pull more rpms than a chevy, so hold your gear longer and you might pull on him.
alos like said above, he may have a fast car , but doesn't know how to drive it. i'm not a pro racer myself, but i am still learning the art of the "little or no tire spin" type of holeshot. THAT is your advantage.
Click to expand...

I beg to differ on your weights redfastback, here's a spec. for a stock 396 SS chevelle at 3700lbs. What were the darts 3000-3200

Terry

The 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396
Specifications
Wheelbase, inches: 112.0
Weight, lbs: 3,700
Number built: 86,307
Base price: $2,850

Top Available Engine
Type: ohv V-8
Displacement, cid: 396
Fuel system: 1 x 4bbl.
Compression ratio: 11.0:1
Horsepower @ rpm: 375 @ 5600
Torque @ rpm: 415 @ 3600

Representative Performance
0-60 mph, sec: 6.5
1/4 mile, sec. @ mph: 14.5 @ 101
 
I also believe there is more weight diff than 200 lbs. I owned a 70 Chevelle and it weighed 3710 with a small block and no options. A buddy of mine now owns a 68 with a small block and it weighs 3650 with no options. I'd put a big block car at 3800 plus. My 68 Cuda weighs 3420 and Darts are usually 100-200 lighter. Anyway enough of that.

Down through the yrs. I heard all the tales about how fast 396 Chevelles were and then I raced all of them in my county. I was running a 3830 lb. 72 Pontiac Grand Prix with a 400, mild cam, aluminum intake and headers and a 3:08 peg leg. It probably ran 13.90 on a good day but usually was around 14.05-14.10. Only had one 396 beat me and he wasn't over 2 cars ahead of me an his was cammed up and had headers and 4:10 gears with a 4 spd. All the others were at least 3 cars behind me. I'm not knocking them but I just haven't seen many that ran astounding. Chevelles do hook good usually so you may have a problem getting him off the line but I think you'll pull him for the win. Your car is similar to mine except mine has 4:10's and it runs 12.80-12.90 not hooking great.

I raced my buddies 68 and he did jump me taking off but as soon as I hooked it up I went right by him and was at least 3 cars ahead of him in the end. He don't have a big block but has allot into his 350 including good aftermarket reworked heads, cam, RPM intake with a 750 Holley like mine, and hookers with mandrel 2-1/2" exhaust and flowmaster muff's, a 3500 stall in the powerglide. 3.90 geared 9" and a transbrake.

Get some sticky tires and you should have no problem unless his 396 turns out to be a 454 which is hard to tell if you don't look good. 454's are a whole different animal.
 
I think there alot of chevy guys-and others-that dont know how to tune or build an engine!.I had a 396 and it flat screamed,stock chevy big block heads flow,mine had the pass oval ports,decent cam,intake,holley-all the aftermarket basics and a 3.73 gear with a 2500 stall and ran mid to lower 12s all day.I also agree with the others,gms stock coil suspension hooks-as long as its not jacked up,mine had front and rear sway bars and still pulled 1.70 60 ft.s.If hes built right and you guys both hook it will be a hell of a race!.
 
I believe he is racing on the street,like he did in his previous threads so 60' and getting out of the hole won't matter much as far as no timeslips..now if you want to race the RIGHT way take it to the track...racing on the street and racing on a properly prepared race surface are two different things..
 
you know it seemed right that the weight numbers you guys have compared to mine. i got those from 2 different books! i always thought they were heavier! well then maybe the tables have shifted a bit.
 
Hate to say it ---- IMO you'll lose this one. You may be 3-500lbs lighter, & your motor rev quicker, but assuming he REALLY is running 396 cubes, torque is what you need & the 396 has it. Races are won in the first 60-80 feet & it's not hard to get a Chevelle to hook. MY BET is he's running a 540 (common among BBC fans), telling you it's a 396 and has or is doing some hidden suspension work in the next 2 weeks to insure it'll hook. I was in your corner on the last race, but this one ????????. I think you've bit off more than you can chew.......
 
With my 340 I've beat my buddies 396 Chevelle which wasn't stock. I have also beat a 454 Chevelle, A 427 Pro-Street Chev pickup, 455 Buick, 5.0 Mustangs and the closest race which I only beat him by thousands was a 440 six-bbl Roadrunner. This was at the track as I don't street race. I say you have a good chance.

Fred B
 
you got him beat just watch you traction and reaction, my neighbor has a 55 Chev bel air 455 lots of work cars worth over 80 grand compared to my budget 68 valiant when it had a 76 400 he always talks about racing me telling me he'll put a black strip down my car until the day i took him out for a ride, with my car running like a bag of s**t he still was speechless when i pointed him at the sky off the line, gotta love chevy guys think there so bad i said to him after he better look up a mopar engine to try and run me:read2:
 
UPDATE:
340srule: who says were racing on the street? yes we are going to the track (infineon or sacramento raceway) nothing is etched in stone we are going later in the month because yeah the track is now open for wed. night drags which is the oppurtunity i have been waiting for but its been rained on for a while and its probably better to let others run their cars for a little while before we run ours. And this is a 17year old kid who has already blew up one motor and i found out today THIS MOTOR IS A 396 BUT ISNT EVEN BROKEN IN, so i have a feeling he is going to back out when it comes down to it and im sure i am the better driver. My Goal is to grab those drag radials put em on and just do my best.
P.S. with Drag Radials do i want to drive around the water or go through it and do a burnout?
 
69dodgedart360 said:
UPDATE:
340srule: who says were racing on the street? yes we are going to the track (infineon or sacramento raceway) nothing is etched in stone we are going later in the month because yeah the track is now open for wed. night drags which is the oppurtunity i have been waiting for but its been rained on for a while and its probably better to let others run their cars for a little while before we run ours. And this is a 17year old kid who has already blew up one motor and i found out today THIS MOTOR IS A 396 BUT ISNT EVEN BROKEN IN, so i have a feeling he is going to back out when it comes down to it and im sure i am the better driver. My Goal is to grab those drag radials put em on and just do my best.
P.S. with Drag Radials do i want to drive around the water or go through it and do a burnout?
Click to expand...

Ok,i stand corrected i'm glad to hear your racing at the track...
 
I would put my money on the 396, as a decent stock type rebuild 396 with3.73 gear and a .510 cam will get into the mid 12s if it hooks, nothing fancy, 396 is an awesome rugged engine. Hate to say that but my dart will take of that 396 for you,doggone it
 
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