True Bracket Car vs True Street Car....

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I think most street cars that want to go faster/quicker at the track have to start applying bracket racing attributes to start meeting it's wanted goals...
Personally I like all three worlds.. Street, strip, show...

Agree....
But me, never find gutted doors, lexan, no carpet, fiberglass hoods, aftermarket dash, open headers, on anything i race.... at heart i am a streeter...
But going man to man at the tree is where its at
Love when guys see a plate on the car and go... haha, i got an easy one this round
Fun to drive by in the pits and see them saddling up that 468 powered,Gutted Camaro with stickers all over it, and fixin to head out the gates home
 
Getting 60 foot down is tuning suspension, carb, and convertor. The first 60 foot is by far the most important part in getting a car to perform up to snuff at the track. There is nothing “ unstreetable” about making this number good. In other words, having a car that 60 foots good doesnt make it less driveable going to dunkin donuts
One of the biggest mistakes i see people make is assuming a good 8 inch convertor isnt streetable.
So instead they buy these cheap 3200-3800 stall 10 inch convertors which are actually less efficient and create more heat. And are half a hard on at the track... not much good
Some people will never “ get” that because they have never had such a car.
I would bet most even halfway serious Hot Rod power tour guys are running 8 inch convertors. If not more.

I`m thinking about getting a built convertor , big $$ for me , and the 3500 hughs I`ve got works so well , but wonder what I`m leavin on the table .
dynamic , and what are the two others -----------?>?
 
I`m thinking about getting a built convertor , big $$ for me , and the 3500 hughs I`ve got works so well , but wonder what I`m leavin on the table .
dynamic , and what are the two others -----------?>?

I have always had good luck with PTC. Kenny Ford, the owner races a Mopar door car.
Had an ATI once too, no issues with it at all.
No matter who makes one, giving good intel on what you got going on makes for better chance of them getting it right. Be extremely accurate.
Guys tell the convertor Company they have a fire breathing 630 horse smallblock, and they really have a smogger headed 318 with single legged 2.76 gears out back... they aint gonna get the convertor right....
 
I have always had good luck with PTC. Kenny Ford, the owner races a Mopar door car.
Had an ATI once too, no issues with it at all.
No matter who makes one, giving good intel on what you got going on makes for better chance of them getting it right. Be extremely accurate.
Guys tell the convertor Company they have a fire breathing 630 horse smallblock, and they really have a smogger headed 318 with single legged 2.76 gears out back... they aint gonna get the convertor right....


Yup. Have use PTC many times, and they’ve never failed to produce a converter that flat works. But you have to tell them the truth. You do that and you won’t believe what a modern converter can do.
 
I`m thinking about getting a built convertor , big $$ for me , and the 3500 hughs I`ve got works so well , but wonder what I`m leavin on the table .
dynamic , and what are the two others -----------?>?
Lenny @ Ultimate
In Pa., Pro Torque @ https://protorque.com/

I heard good things about PTC. Never had them personally.
 
to me walking that line is kind of what my car is always been about with parts like competition clutch race grind camshaft, over jetted 6-pack and Nitto drag radials but still being able to hop in it forty miles one way to the coast is what it's all aboutI think that is an art in its own.have I been stranded alongside the road absolutely but I see new cars alongside the road every day and I Ithink a big car payment and a tow bill and a shop bill that sucks! if you see my car on a trailer it's probably being stolen I've learned to carry a few essential Parts with me extra ignition control unit ballast resistor, voltage regulator Etc, a few tools. While keeping my 340 swinger Scat Pack all original looking from the outside and in the interior. It's probably the hardest of both routes but to me very satisfying. I guess in that way I've never grown up it's just a hot rod
 
What is this some kind of converter thread now....
I've always assumed real men had three pedals...:thumbsup:...
 
I think for the most part you'll find different opinions on what a "street car" is. My car is a street car IMO, and it's capable of running 6.30's in the 1/8 on pump 93. Do I want to drive it on vacation? No, my wife's Charger or my truck are much more comfortable. Would my car make a 600 mile drive? I think so, it would take a lot of gas and some time, LOL. I could also walk to town (12 miles) but I don't want to.

As far as racers answering street car questions. If a street car guy is looking to go faster who better to ask than a racer? Most of us started with street cars and as our need for speed consumed us we either improved our cars or bought faster ones.

Some guys are satisfied driving completely stock cars, others slightly modified and others would drive a Pro Mod on the street if they could afford it.
 
now let's be sensitive J par not everyone cant be proud of their stick 36059"]What is this some kind of converter thread now....
I've always assumed real men had three pedals...:thumbsup:...[/QUOTE]
 
A lot of these street and bracket cars have 8 3/4s. Get a good converter and you can run 3.23 or 3.55 during the week and swap to 4.56 or better for the strip. Did it a lot when I was younger. 9 1/2" converter in my 71 Demon, and then in the 4 door Valiant when we were expecting our third son. I never had any trouble with the converter with the higher gears.

I did eventually compromise and settled on 3.91s.
No more friday night gear swaps!

My oldest son has that valiant now.
 
The advice I would give to someone with say a stock 360 Duster with street tyres and 2.76 gears is to change the plugs before you run, make sure your motor/induction are running well, check timing etc. etc., as far as the launch well not much there you can advise, try different pressures, heat them and try, or around the box, stock set ups normally run better with some wheelspeed to get up on the motor, not the tyre. Also depending on the gearing you could tell that person when to shift basing it on the motor combo/power range and not use 3rd before the traps otherwise it'll kill things stone dead.....so there are other things apart from a converter/gears and all the rest.
 
think Lenny retired. Have heard the guy now though is good too

I think Lenny sold the business to a guy that worked for him. My experience with Ultimate wasn't that good. The 8" converter they built for the 408 and wasn't even close to the cheap 9 1/2" I had killed. I pulled the 408 with the intention of freshening it up and while the engine was out sending the convert back to be worked on.

After finding my block was flexing and knowing I was going to step the power I found and bought a R1, Indy head engine and built my current 434. After dynoing the new engine I called lenny about reworking the converter for the new engine and was told that it should work fine as is. Well it didn't, the engine drove through it so it went back. IIRC it was $275 to do whatever they did to it and it still sucked, 1.45-.50 60's in a car that had been going 1.37-.39 with a 100 or so less hp and a $450 converter.

I sent the converter to Kenny Ford and he helped but it's still not right, it has been 1.40 60'. So I have close to 2K in a converter that won't work for me. There is a new 8" Coan sitting in the shop that'll probably go in this week.

It's not my intent to slam Ultimate at all, but to point out you don't always get what you want or pay for.
 
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Well my opinion is I would ask what is a true street car?, you will find as many definitions as grains of sand. As said the lines were blurred along time ago, you can have the guy with a efi hemi and overdrive stuffed in a abody to a bracket car with plates and the dude drives it everywhere including a 100 miles round trip to the nearest track and loves it.


The advice part is just that, its all math/parts combos and it takes such and such to improve a cars performance at the track. Some of those things will take away from someones definition of streetability but its always a compromise unless you drop off the car and a blank check at Kindigits shop. I guess on that topic I would say if you don't want to get rid of 2.76s and stock convertors but want a killer 60ft and et than there is one option, nitrous lol-I know I know.
I built my car with a dual purpose in mind but I know I have left allot of track performance on the table.


I told YR recently if I built my dart ten years ago it would have the fiberglass bumpers (still on the shelf in my shed),a 904/ptc convertor (he called me a colorful name for that one) and run in the nines. Instead I have a od four speed and full weight pig with bmw sport buckets lol, oh and jpar trying to get me to race his bracket car with plates :D AAAnnnndddd nitrous!
 
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Mines a little of both 360 w/"stock crank" but 10.5 to 1 pistons good size cam, good dual-plane intake, out of the box Edelbrock heads bought them bare and had them built,headers good exhaust(all the way out back) built 904 tranny full manual v.b. 3800 stall converter,8 3/4 4.30 gears w/spool.car is all steel except fibreglass hood,full interior weights 3120 and yes it could cruise for an hour or more,have taken it a few times but I like racing so its primarily what I do with her,it runs 11.70's 1.50's 60' on drag radials:D:D

Spool and 4.30 gears knocks you out of the street category as does the trailer.
 
Spool and 4.30 gears knocks you out of the street category as does the trailer.

You've had problems with a spool on the street? If I buy a car that's a couple hours away and want to trailer it home it's not a street car? Just curious.
 
My 69 Barracuda fastback runs consistent 11.7s at around 115 to 116 mph. Mild 408 W2 ,10.5:1 comp engine with 3000rpm converter and 3.91 gears. Car is all steel and weighs 3300LBS without me in it.

Would i like it to be faster, yes, but it is such a great street car that has been going strong for 8 years now with no issues.

It has done about 4 x 650 mile return trips to a big mopar show here in Australia where most cars that quick or quicker end up getting trailered.

Juat cant bring myself to change anything that is going to make it less streetable, might have to build another one for that.
 
If I buy a car that's a couple hours away and want to trailer it home it's not a street car? Just curious.
I think that is a negative ghost rider but rather a case of, if you need to trailer it anywhere other than home from a purchase or to the shop to get fixed, as in trailer it to the track.... then it’s not really a street car since a street car can drive to and from the track.

Streetability , street car, daily driver, it’s all a point of view and what the loose nut behind the wheel is willing to live with, or not.... LOL
 
My 69 Barracuda fastback runs consistent 11.7s at around 115 to 116 mph. Mild 408 W2 ,10.5:1 comp engine with 3000rpm converter and 3.91 gears. Car is all steel and weighs 3300LBS without me in it.

Would i like it to be faster, yes, but it is such a great street car that has been going strong for 8 years now with no issues.

It has done about 4 x 650 mile return trips to a big mopar show here in Australia where most cars that quick or quicker end up getting trailered.

Juat cant bring myself to change anything that is going to make it less streetable, might have to build another one for that.
that's awesome!!
:thumbsup:
 
lol, oh and jpar trying to get me to race his bracket car with plates :D AAAnnnndddd nitrous!
:rolleyes:... You got to keep YR out of your garage, he keeps filling you with those reasons for not showing up to race LOL...
My car has Factory buckets Factory interior Factory steel wheels full weight doors the whole nine yards. All I got is fiberglass bumpers.... I've never used the nitrous so I wouldn't want to use it until it's been tested for an actual race....
 
:rolleyes:... You got to keep YR out of your garage, he keeps filling you with those reasons for not showing up to race LOL...
My car has Factory buckets Factory interior Factory steel wheels full weight doors the whole nine yards. All I got is fiberglass bumpers.... I've never used the nitrous so I wouldn't want to use it until it's been tested for an actual race....
agree, your car is back in street form. 3.54's and a 4 gear is street, street tires, and maybe pump gas now?
 
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