L88 Corvette takes on ZL1, Z28, W30, SS396 - Drag Video

johnkn

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As stated above, the quickest standard showroom stock 428cj, 454, 455, and even Hemi cars in the late 60s/very early 70s were typically 13 second cars. Boss302, Z28s, TA Challenger, AAR Cuba’s were low/mid 14 second cars stock. Sure there were a few special models, Thunderbolts, Ram Charger, L88, 427 Cobras that we’re a quicker. Then there were the Motion Performance, Yenko, Baldwin, etc cars some of which were “guaranteed” to run 11s and were typically either dominator or tunnel ram cars on slicks. The cars shown in the videos are highly tuned representations of the stockers and run much, much better than the originals, while “appearing stock and within the rules”. My first Shelby in 1977, a 68 GT500 ran a best of 13.8s stock on J60 tires and traction bars at MIR. It didn’t run a high 11 until it had a 454MR motor and 430 gears on 9” tires.

And many magazines like SS/DI would run an article on a car, like a ‘70 SS454 Chevelle, run it stock at a best of a mid13 or so after 6 runs, then spend the day tuning, carb jetting, timing, tire pressures, remove air cleaner, loosen sway bars, etc, etc and drop a couple tenths and hit that magic “12” number.

I was there......
 
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Klaus

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you guys are all dreaming...not on STOCK TIRES...PROOVE IT, you can't...show me the article...Ronnie Sox didn't run stock tires...DO ALL OF YOU KNOW WHAT STOCK MEANS?

JFC. Stop with the mouth running, you literally do not know what the **** you are talking about.
Muscle Cars You Should Know: '69 1/2 Plymouth Road Runner 440-6 #1 - Street Muscle

I am too lazy to search for you but there is a similar mag article of a 70 Stage 1 455 GS that ran 12.99. I think it was C&D but cannot remember. I have read this with my own eyes.
 

UBNZO6D

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I am too lazy to search for you but there is a similar mag article of a 70 Stage 1 455 GS that ran 12.99. I think it was C&D but cannot remember. I have read this with my own eyes.

Maybe 13.99
 

johnkn

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JFC. Stop with the mouth running, you literally do not know what the **** you are talking about.
Muscle Cars You Should Know: '69 1/2 Plymouth Road Runner 440-6 #1 - Street Muscle

I am too lazy to search for you but there is a similar mag article of a 70 Stage 1 455 GS that ran 12.99. I think it was C&D but cannot remember. I have read this with my own eyes.


Read the article, that was a mid-13 second car with factory weight reduction (the hood ended on on the ground or roof as there werent even hood hinges) then after carb tuning and jetting, weight reduction, playing with tire pressures and all the other things the magazine didnt disclose, one of the best drivers in the world knocked another 1/2 second off the best time.

Take a brand new GT500, tune it, weight reduction, work tire pressures, etc on the best track, is that representative of all the other new, stock GT500s?

And almost every mag that tested the cars also tuned them, played with tire pressure, clamped the leaf springs, etc., etc. for better times and to sell copies on the news stand.


.
 
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Klaus

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I am too lazy to search for you but there is a similar mag article of a 70 Stage 1 455 GS that ran 12.99. I think it was C&D but cannot remember. I have read this with my own eyes.

Maybe 13.99

Dig it up yourself, numbnuts. Trust me, it is out there.
 

Klaus

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Read your own article, that was a mid13 second car, then after carb tuning and jetting, weight reduction, playing with tire pressures and all the other things the magazine did t disclose, one of the best drivers in the world knocked another 1/2 second off the best time.

Take a brand new GT500, tune it, weight reduction, work tire pressures, etc on the best track, is that representative of all the other new, stock GT500s?

Do not move the goalposts. The car was stock. The whole story is well documented.
 

johnkn

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Do not move the goalposts. The car was stock. The whole story is well documented.

No the car was not stock. You have an issue with reading comprehension. The article you posted stated It was a tuned factory PR car, sent to Chrysler Performance for tuning, then thrashed for a day, removing weight, additional tuning and tire pressure, and driven by the best in the business. EVERY auto manufacturer had special PR cars in a effort to produce the best times and sell cars. When they chose a car to go in to PR rotation, do you think they selected a representative slow or average car? Or was it tweaked? Every manufacturer played that game.

That car was also selected because it was a bare-bones stripped version void of options and weighing less. No harm no fowl there. My current 68.5 CJ Mustang was one of the first sold to the public, and it was purpose ordered as a race car from the factory by the original owner. Zero option, radio delete, 4.30 rear, 4 speed 428CJ car and lived much of it's first 10 years on the track.

.




.
 
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UBNZO6D

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Listen up one more time DS...I made a statement, it's your job to disprove it...You can't cause you're bringing a knife to a gunfight...I'm done talking to you bench racers as that's the only races you probably win.
 

SVTSR

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No the car was not stock. You have an issue with reading comprehension. The article you posted stated It was a tuned factory PR car, sent to Chrysler Performance for tuning, then thrashed for a day, removing weight, additional tuning and tire pressure, and driven by the best in the business. And the article is a report of something that allegedly occurred 42 years prior. EVERY auto manufacturer had special PR cars in a effort to produce the best times and sell cars. When they chose a car to go in to PR rotation, do you think they selected a representative slow or average car? Or was it tweaked? Every manufacturer played that game.

That car was also selected because it was a bare-bones stripped version void of options and weighing less. No harm no fowl there. My current 68.5 CJ Mustang was one of the first sold to the public, and it was purpose ordered as a race car from the factory by the original owner. Zero option, radio delete, 4.30 rear, 4 speed 428CJ car and lived much of it's first 10 years on the track.


.

Would like to see a few pictures of that 68.5 135 Cobra Jet
 

xblitzkriegx

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What's this guy crying about? The article states that all they did was yank the air cleaner off and it ran a 12.99 with a great driver. I did read where the was some weight removal. I take that to mean that they took out the tire and jack. That's far from "weight reduction" in the sense that it can be removed without tools and reinstalled quickly. Also, tossing those two items isnt going to drop half a second off the car.

Concerning the pure stock class cars, they get some more compression, a muffler, choice of H or X pipe, and a street radial if desired (not always the best choice). The cars themselves are as stock as you can get and the extra CR isnt often used as much as you'd like to think. It's the tuning that makes them fast.
 

johnkn

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Would like to see a few pictures of that 68.5 135 Cobra Jet

My 68.5 car is not a 135 car, it was one of the first CJ street cars sold to the public with a 01-May build date. It’s time to part with it Now that the restoration is complete, and I’ll be selling it soon...... To put perspective into the pure stock class, this car was rated at 335 hp. The best FE guy in the business Barry at Survival Motorsports built the motor, stock block, stock heads, stock iron intake, stock single point distributor and yellow top coil, stock original Holley 735 and THROUGH the stock cast iron exhaust manifolds (I didn’t even want to run dyno headers) it did 450.2/479 through very, very careful built and appears concourse correct. The pure stock guys are able to get even more while appearing ‘stock’. Weak by today’s standards, but still cool IMHO.


.
 
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CobraBob

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For the disbelievers.....when I lived in Long Beach back in 1968-1969, my cousin in Hawthorne bought a new red L88 Vette. He had wanted an L88 badly. It was a freaking beast. I still remember riding in it with him. I remember very distinctly that within a week of delivery of his L88 Vette he ran a high 12 second 1/4. All factory stock (engine, exhaust and suspension), but I cannot say for sure he was on factory tires, but I believe he was. For the sake of argument, I'll go with race rubber at the rear. Still, that was brutally quick at the time.
 

Junior00

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Listen up one more time DS...I made a statement, it's your job to disprove it...You can't cause you're bringing a knife to a gunfight...I'm done talking to you bench racers as that's the only races you probably win.

Another internet tough guy? If we're playing that game, prove to us you’re not just another mentally handicapped poster.

Dad has been dead for 13 years now but that was run in ‘93 I believe. Just because someone adds race gas and knows how to adjust timing and re-jet a carb doesn’t change things. It is all semantics in your case. We know these cars all made 500+hp and were severely underrated. Do the math, that’s a mid-high 10 with a true slick at that weight and the mph at the back half proves it.
 

UBNZO6D

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Well you're responding to me so what does that make you? Sorry about your pops. The DS was not meant for you.

Greg
 
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kcobra

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As stated above, the quickest standard showroom stock 428cj, 454, 455, and even Hemi cars in the late 60s/very early 70s were typically 13 second cars. Boss302, Z28s, TA Challenger, AAR Cuba’s were low/mid 14 second cars stock. Sure there were a few special models, Thunderbolts, Ram Charger, L88, 427 Cobras that we’re a quicker. Then there were the Motion Performance, Yenko, Baldwin, etc cars some of which were “guaranteed” to run 11s and were typically either dominator or tunnel ram cars on slicks. The cars shown in the videos are highly tuned representations of the stockers and run much, much better than the originals, while “appearing stock and within the rules”. My first Shelby in 1977, a 68 GT500 ran a best of 13.8s stock on J60 tires and traction bars at MIR. It didn’t run a high 11 until it had a 454MR motor and 430 gears on 9” tires.

And many magazines like SS/DI would run an article on a car, like a ‘70 SS454 Chevelle, run it stock at a best of a mid13 or so after 6 runs, then spend the day tuning, carb jetting, timing, tire pressures, remove air cleaner, loosen sway bars, etc, etc and drop a couple tenths and hit that magic “12” number.

I was there......
Exactly. Let's not forget also that these cars were all running on high octane leaded gas also. They weren't that fast stock. Engine hp ratings without accessories. Not down playing but 12 seconds was rare.
 

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