 PG. 2
In October of 2005 I purchased a 1978 Camaro race
car roller body. It was in rough shape,
to say the least. After 9 months of steady
restoration on the body and interior in
my garage, a new 383 engine and a Turbo
350 transmission was installed (with existing
4.88 gears) and we headed to the 1/8th mile
race track.
The car ran mostly in the low 9's to high
7's. The mph was mid 80's to a best of 91
mph. The 60 ft. times were pretty grim,
1.70's and higher. We had fun that summer,
but were always looking at everyone else's
tail lights. I called an old racer I knew
from many years back and told him my dilemma.
He said " throw those old slapper bars
away and call Calvert Racing in California
and you're done...problem solved."
That very day is when I became acquainted
with Travis @ Calvert Racing.
Three things about the Camaro were really
bugging me....it hiked up in the back like
a stinkbug, it was stiff on the takeoff
and it was slow. First, I purchased the
CalTracks. First pass was 1.59 60ft. @ 93
mph. That was better...much better , but
it still had that stinkbug look. "
Hey Travis ! How do I get rid if that ?
He and I had talked about the Split-Leaf
Mono springs several months earlier and
that day I ordered the springs.
I first lowered the front about 2 inches
and then installed the mono-leaf springs
and Wow!!!The car looks great and sits level.
Now it looks like a real race car but will
it perform better?
Back to the track...again there was a difference!
3 passes...60ft, 1.54, 1.55, 1.55 sec.
Speed was 95.42, 95.74, 96.36 mph. Again
,better much better.
Fast forward to December 2007. I Sold the
engine and transmission. Built a new 406
cu.in. full roller/stroker engine. Dart
block, all forged internals, dome top pistons,
a state of the art engine. Nitrous was added
just before the new engine. So now... I'm
blowing the tires off the car...A WILD RIDE
to say the least!!!! I switched over to
a Powerglide with a 3300 stall nitrous converter.
The powerglide calmed down the initial hit
on the tires the but the 60 ft. times were
still in the 1.50's and I am running almost
114 mph. Times are in the 6.40's mostly...what
gives? I discussed the issues numerous times
with Travis and John Calvert who says "
Tom, you have to get that front end up !!!
Well...there seems to be this new dual valve
front shock from Calvert Racing that is
supposed to be lighting quick. Can't hurt...right?
More weight transfer...right? A call to
Travis and we have shocks on the way! I
install the shocks on Friday and go to the
track on Saturday. The Camaro ran 60 ft.
in 1.43sec, 6.31 @ 110 mph. on less nitrous,
foot braked!!! The 330 ft. time was even
better @ 4.09 seconds.... Problem solved!!
The car ran great and the shocks are awesome.
They were a fast install, fitting the stock
location perfectly. They look good and are
very quick on the up side. The Camaro carried
the front end 8-10 inches for 60 ft. I think
we got her up...
This fall I will be in the 6'20's or better.
I have the equipment , it's just up to me
now.
I did run the Camaro @ Texas Motorplex,
a quarter mile track back on Sept. 6, 2008
before the shocks. It ran 10.61 @ 123 mph.
I used a 150 nitrous shot for the first
60 ft. Not bad for an old 3000 lb. 1/8th.
mile car. She stretched out a little on
those 4.88 gears but we made it.
I cannot say enough about Calvert Racing.
Each person there has always gone the extra
distance to be helpful with products and
professional advice. All your equipment
is awesome and I am proud to have it front
to back. Again, it has been a great experience
with you guys and a fun ride in the old
Camaro from 9's to 6's and we're not finished
yet!
Tom Walker
Rockwall, Texas
| BACK |
|
