How quick MIGHT my truck be in the quarter?

[nikwho]

Okay, this is a VERY loaded question, I know! I'm sorry for asking it, ahead of time. But, I'm just morbidly curious what you guy think that this truck may run in the quarter mile. I know that it won't be really fast, as it's all pretty standard stuff. The truck runs well and the engine is pretty healthy.

With that said, I am heading down to Tucson, AZ in 3 weeks for the Roadkill Zip Tie Drags. It's supposed to be a very first timer friendly event, plus I like the Roadkill show and you can camp right at the track! Should be lots of fun. So, I've entered my truck and my son and I are heading down to see if we can break some stuff!

I don't have my new BBC together in the truck at the moment, so I was using the truck to break in a new 350 that I built. I had a fully machined block with balanced rotating assembly, so instead of rushing my BBC build, I built the 350 and installed it in the truck to break it in.

So, very mild 350 build with stock bottom end, Melling oil pump, '87-'95 305 TPI heads, Summit 1103 cam (214 int./224 exh. @ 050, Advertised 288 int./298 exh. 112° LSA), Weiand Street Warrior dual plane intake, Edelbrock 1406 600 cfm carb, HEI distributor, full length headers.

Transmission is a freshly rebuilt th350 with shift kit and 2,400-2,500 stall converter.

I have a Yukon locker and 3.08 R&P in the 10 bolt axle in the truck. I am going to try to get a 12 bolt installed that I'm buying from a friend. I believe that rear end is currently set up with a 4.10 R&P, though I believe that it's an open differential. If I swap it, I will try to get a position set up in it, but this event is coming up pretty quick, so I'm not sure what will happen there.

I have a line lock that was planning on installing for the front brakes. Would at least help warm up the tires!

Lastly, I am picking up a new set of Good Year Eagle 27"x11" slicks. I wasn't running very aggressive street tires and the truck likes to spins the tires. I found these slicks very lightly used, only a couple years old and stored indoors. Guy sold his car that he raced and sold these to me very cheap. So, I'll order a couple of steel wheels and should be able to hook up a lot better with them.

So, aside from that, the truck is a '68 GMC C15 SWB, lowered about 6"/7", so sitting this low, I don't imagine that it will transfer weight really well. It's mid-restoration, with the entire frame and suspension all done, with new brakes, bushings, u-joints, steering, etc. So, it should be nice and safe. Going to go try this racing thing. I'm afraid that I may get hooked!

I'm thinking that before I run it at the track, I should try hard to:
- Have slicks mounted on new wheels
- Get the line lock installed
- Build a driveshaft safety loop,
- Install my new 3 point seat belts

Any guesses what E.T. I should expect to see with this truck? I was pulling about 14 seconds out of thin air, but thoughthe that lots of you guys may have run, or seen similar truck's run.

Guesses on 1/4 mile time?

What should I do to get the truck ready?

How huge of a difference am I going to see going from 3.08 gears to 4.10's?

Sorry for asking a question that nobody can really answer. I guess that I'm just excited!

Nik

[nikwho]

I'm not sure about the weight of the truck. It's fairly bare bones, but they were from the factory, too! It's fuel tank has been removed and now the new tank resides between the frame rails, behind the axle.
Aluminum radiator, electric fans.
Fleet side, short bed, PS/PB
'86 C10 cross member, '86 C10 10 bolt

Truck should be about 3,700-3,800 lbs, with me in it. I weigh 215 lbs.

Trying to think of other pertinent information.....

[PGSigns]

Just a shot in left field based on about 4000 pounds and 300 HP 14.50. How well it is tuned, surface, air and a 100 other things can have an effect.
Jimmy

[nikwho]

Thank you for playing along! I know that I'm asking an arbitrary question with infinite variables! It's like asking what a new golfer that's practiced a lot wI'll shoot in a round of golf... I am excited to find a baseline for the truck and start tweaking and tuning for improvements.

The Tucson drag strip is at about 3000 ft, though I've only driven the truck in the mountains @ 6,800 feet! There is still a LOT of tuning in the timing, the carb, suspension setup, etc. I was thinking about the same, between 300-325HP. I think that the truck is about 3,800 with me in it, based on stock weight, changes to aluminum wheels, lower profile front tires, alum radiator, alum intake, alum water pump, etc.

I have moved the fuel tank back, going to move the battery to the rear of that hehe truck, low. Already have everything for that.

My main questions, moreover than asking people to make arbitrary guesses on 1/4 mile times, is this:

What should I prioritize getting done on the truck over the next couple of weeks?

My thoughts were:
- drive shafts safety loop
- General safety checks of nuts and bolt's
- Radiator over flow catch bottle
- mount new slicks on new wheels
- 3 point seat belts
- POSSIBLY swap out the current 10 bolt axle with a 12 bolt with 4.10 gears. I would probably either buy a mini locker for it OR maybe make a Lincoln locker our of the factory spider gears ONLY for that event. I know that it's not the smart way to do the wrong thing, but thought that with my current limitations on time, it would work for the weekend on the truck that I'm going the be trailering to the strip. It's a fun driver, but the strip is 4 hours away from my house, with lots of elevation change! I'll leave my house @ 6,800', drive through Phoenix @ 1,000', then end up at the strip @ 3,000'. Thinking that with only 200 miles on the new engine and transmission, combined with the likelihood of breaking stuff at the track, it'd be wise to trailer.

Thanks for entertaining my rambling! I'm really excited for my first pass on a drag strip. I
Nik

[nikwho]

I'll report back with an ET after January 20th!

[Dynospeed]

I’ve ran my 5/6 dropped c10 with 3 different combos. The first was a cam only 5.3 that probably made 350whp on crap 275/60/15 mastercrafts 13.8. It’s Efi and was tuned great. I weight 4020lbs and ran at 400’ elevation.

Take care of all the safety first and getting that gear change in will help a lot with your current low horsepower.

[PGSigns]

When you go to the strip what you could spin on the street may dead hook at the track.
Jimmy

[hotrod 80]

The drive shaft loop , the lugs going through the studs , battery hold down and radiator overflow should to be a mandatory part of tech. Also neutral safety switch , depending on how "loose" the tech is at your track or event . My guess is 15.28 .

[nebdrummer]

Id say high 13s if you can leave without spinning!

[nikwho]

I'm anxious to find out! And I appreciate your guys' input. I've got the driveshaft loop done. I just installed a new radiator over flow catch tank. I got my new line lock installed. I converted my Accel HEI to run with my MSD Digital 6 ignition box, by deleting the HEI ignition module and condenser. I used the MSD wire harness, Accel coil (on cap), new Summit brand 8mm wires, MSD low resistance HEI bushing, and got it running on the MSD box. Gonna work on my advance curve over the next day or two. The truck has open ended lugs that the studs protrude through. I ordered some custom offset Aero race wheels that are 15"x10", with 6" back spacing, which should tuck them perfectly centered in my wheel wells. I've got a set of 27"x11"-15" Goodyear drag slicks that I'm going to mount when the wheels are delivered. I am going to wire my neutral safety switch and finish my 3 point seat belt install and hopefully be ready to go.

I regret to report that I'm going to be stuck with the 3.08 gears, which is a drag. But, we'll see how it turns out.

[hkrob]

So what did it run?

[nikwho]

Well, this is going to be very anti-climactic.* My '68 GMC that I spent a bunch of time prepping and tuning to go run is currently sanded down to bare metal, prepping for paint.* I figured that I could get on board with dragging it down there in nice weather.* However, there was a storm that came in and being that they salt the roads here in northern Arizona now, I opted to keep that truck tucked safely in my garage.* But, I wasn't going to NOT go down to the track and have fun!* So, I decided to put a little effort in getting my '59 Apache road worthy enough to take down there and get through tech inspection!* So, a couple of late nights got some electrical work done, an oil change, carb rebuild and some re-jetting of the carb, along with adjusting the timing, new plugs and wires and new rotors, pads, drums, shoes, ONE wheel cylinder replaced and new brake fluid bled through the lines.* I couldn't have done it without my 16 year old son staying up late and getting stuff done with me.* We also had to wire a neutral safety switch and install a radiator overflow catch tank.* I only replaced one of the rear drum brake wheel cylinders, as it was leaking and I only found one locally in town.* Luckily I ordered a couple of rebuild kits for the stock ones from NAPA, which came in right before we left town.* I got everything done and the truck loaded up a couple hours later than I wanted to leave.* As I got the truck loaded up onto the trailer, the other wheel cylinder began leaking!* *

So, I got to the track, got into the pit area, yanked the leaky drum brakes apart, honed out and rebuilt the wheel cylinder, cleaned everything up, bled the brakes, and got through tech inspection!*

So, being that I missed all opportunity for test and tune on that Friday night with a leak, and the track was super crowded on Saturday for the event that they had going on, I only got one single pass in.* And, the bummer of it was that due to wind, they shut down the 1/4 and were only allowing guys to run the 1/8th mile.* AND, it was sprinkling off and on most of the day, which finally led up to them shutting down the event early!*

The '59 Apache has an all stock 350 bottom end with a mellow cam and 1406 Edelbrock carb.* Its got a '79 Camaro subframe and 10 bolt rear axle.* It's got 3.08 gears out back, though the 700r4 helped it leave, with its lower first gear.* It's got an open differential and spun A tire for the first 100-200'.* Tires on that truck are 245 BFG Radial T/A.* I had them aired down to 12 psi.* My son rode with me on the ONE pass that I got to make.* It was a BLAZING 10.462" 1/8th mile!* * I had to feather the throttle a bit to keep it from spinning.* Plus, my 700r4 is all stock and had a VERY slow, very "slippy" 1-2 shift!* So, with a posi, lower gears and some work to my transmission, it would have run quite a bit quicker.*

So, that was slow!* HOWEVER, I believe that I experienced the feeling that many cracking heads must have felt the first time they smoked crack, because I am HOOKED!* I can't wait to get back down to the track to get a baseline for the '68 and to get both trucks to run quicker!*

I'm having trouble attaching pictures at the moment. I'll post this, then try to add a few pictures of how to spend a lot of time and money to travel hundreds of miles to make a single slow pass!! LOL

[nikwho]

Here's a few shots.
First is of my brake job in the pits. lol
Second is a shot of the ol '59 in staging
One is a bunch of salty snow from the ride back home! I could not be happier that I didn't drag my truck down there, all sanded down to bare metal!

[Dynospeed]

The good thing is it can only get better and more expensive from here. LOL

[nikwho]

Originally Posted by Dynospeed

The good thing is it can only get better and more expensive from here. LOL

Yeah, lol, it'd be pretty devastating to get a worse time in anything!

[djracer]

i know that was not what you were looking for but its reallynot that bad. i thing the 68 wiyh 410s and minispool can run high 8's to low 9's in the 1/8th.

[Sparky dave]

Well you are certainly don’t mess around getting these cars ready for the track. Looked like a good day and building good memories for you and your son. Thanks for the good read too!

[Ironangel]

That 3:08 to 4:11 will feel like 100 pony's right out of the gate! I'd say go for it on the "Lincoln Locker" idea because a new Posi is it's own carrier, just swap in the 4:11 gearset...Cool read, Thanks! I was turning 14 flats in the 1/4 with a 69 L34 396 w/4:56 Posi. My buddy's LWB 80 w/383 stroker was turning 14.5's...Gave him my wore out slicks and he won first place in the burnout contest at the Midnight Madness event at Heartland Park Topeka...We towed my 72 C/10 with his 80 Chevy and he brings home the trophy! He's my pastor as well as one of the machinist's here in Small Town USA...