For manyboats, my ride

[deckofficer]

manyboats,

It is my Swiss Army Knife of hot rods. Been doing this for 40 years. With this ride I'm not fighting The Laws of Physics, as it weighs 1790 lbs, I've been able to attain a lot of benchmarks. It has been roaming the highways for 18 years now, and I've used (3) different engines and (2) transmissions over that time. Current engine is a 427 bored and stroked sbc, feeding a Tremec TKO 600 5 speed with a 0.64 OD, then a Jag IRS 3.54 and 31" tires. This allows very high gearing, check speedo vs tach......

The engine and trans is mounted so low in the frame rails, that the CG is about spindle height, thus allowing insane cornering with no body lean.

Here were my goals
1) Good street manners and mild idle
2) 1.02+G lateral forces cornering
3) 25 mpg at highway cruise
4) mid 9 second 1/4 mile
5) Be a sleeper

This is based on a 1923 Ford Track-T, which with full engine cowling, knowledgeable folks just know it has a 2.3 L Pinto 4 banger because a V8 won't fit under the cowling. Look close and you will see a custom bulge to give clearance to the Ram's Horn exhaust manifold.

Probably more than you wanted to know, since you just asked if it was an Allard, but shucks I'm proud of that little ride, it is a real hoot to drive.

 

[Nomad Willy]

DO.
Thanks so much. I was interested and appreciate your post. I haven't got the computer skills to do that.

I'm confused. What's the current engine? 427 (assumably Ford) or the Pinto?
Up very early today ... going to the boat show. Just have a min.

Here's my hobby car.

 

[deckofficer]

It never had a Pinto engine, I just mentioned others think it has a 4 banger due to the narrow, enclosed engine bay. 1st engine was a 355 circle track sbc, then I built one for torque, 400 crank 350 block, it produced 516 lb/ft way down at 2800 rpm, but in doing it that way gave up 100+ hp on the top end, it dyno'ed 320 hp @ 4050. Ran this torque monster for the last 2 years, loved being able to shift at 1600 and watch the tach drop to 1000, but still had plenty of pull. Since the torque peak was 1500 rpm lower than a normal built engine, I was able to enjoy pulling steep grades clutch out in top gear at about 1000 rpm.

I missed the high rpm zing of a "normal" built engine so went with a fresh Dart SHP Block w/Splayed 4 Bolt Main Caps, 4.125" X 4.00" stroke for 427 CID from a small block Chevy. Eagle 4340 4.000" Forged Steel Stroker Crank and Eagle 4340 6.000" Forged Steel H-Beam Rods. Since all the pump gas here in California is limited to 91 octane, I used Dart Pro 1 Platinum 215cc Angle Plug Aluminum Heads.

The results of the current (and last) engine are 521 hp @ 5700 and 548 lb/ft @ 4300, and remember the car is 1/2 the weight of a fiberglass Corvette, tipping the scales at 1790 hp.
Yosemite National Park

The old neighborhood

When you get back, tell me what was interesting at the boat show. What are your plans for your project car?

 

[Steve]

Are those "Love bugs" on the widshield?
Steve W.

 

[deckofficer]

No, Kamikaze bugs.

 

[alormaria]

Way cool!

 

[deckofficer]

Way cool!

After all the time spent going from full ahead (12 kt) to full ahead sea speed (18 kt) taking 1 hour, need something peppier for my time off. lol

 

[alormaria]

Yes, Angelina only has two speeds. Slow and stopped. She is a comfort though.

For speed I have a C5 Corvette and a Sportster.

OK, the Sportster isn't very fast but I always wanted one.

 

[Nomad Willy]

DO,
Sorry I forgot. Plans for the old Buick that my wife named Brown Bear is to maintain her well as she is and save my time for my boats and my money for gas. Brown Bear is a 455 Centurion. I actually wish I had a 350 LeSabre w a post body like I had before. Art I think has a post 67 Buick.

Wheels are great.

 

[deckofficer]

Yes, Angelina only has two speeds. Slow and stopped. She is a comfort though.

For speed I have a C5 Corvette and a Sportster.

OK, the Sportster isn't very fast but I always wanted one.

A 10 year old Corvette is the best automotive bargain out there. A lot of people that buy new don't use as daily drivers, so finding a 10 yo Corvette with 30K miles isn't hard to do. Kelly Blue Book is still brutal, so prices are around $14K to $16K, and for that price you get the stellar performance of a sports car and on the highway break 30 MPG. I've gone this route a couple of times.

Agree that Sportster isn't very fast.

 

[FF]

I love great fun cars , my favorite old ride was the Porsche Speedster ,

which was far more fun with a 6 cyl. Corvair 150 hp engine , than the stock 60HP.

Now I like air cond and a bit of performance to this is todays ride,

             CADILLAC SEVILLE MILAN ROADSTER CONVERTIBLE - Home

The diesel is gone and a 455 Olds chugs it down the highway with air cond and cruse control.

 

[deckofficer]

I love great fun cars , my favorite old ride was the Porsche Speedster ,

which was far more fun with a 6 cyl. Corvair 150 hp engine , than the stock 60HP.

Now I like air cond and a bit of performance to this is todays ride,

*************CADILLAC SEVILLE MILAN ROADSTER CONVERTIBLE - Home

The diesel is gone and a 455 Olds chugs it down the highway with air cond and cruse control.

I'd like to hear more about the Corvair Monza transplant into the Speedster. 150 hp, wasn't that the turbo, one of the 1st Detroit uses of a turbocharger, also on the Olds 215?

I too have gone modern Caddy, though it is a 6 speed stick.

Are fast cars our mental release of going at trawler (or ship) speed? I'll bet there are a lot of car nuts on this forum.

 

[FF]

The stock Corvair went into a VW or Porsche with an adaptor plater , and by swoping the ring and pinion to the other side , as the engines rotated in opposite directions.

This was possible as the Transporters use 2 axle end gears to lift the unit and gear and increase power ,
so all were built with the choice of ring and pinion side.

The Corvair only needed a better exhaust , a Thomas 4 carb kit and a lower speed fan pulley for the 150HP rating.

1/4 mile times went from 62 mph with a 1500N engine to 92 with the Corvair , fuel milage only went from 36 to 30 , as Porche was very aerodynamic.

Great fun car!! Drove like a Go Kart ,tho with a Blaupunk radio .

 

[deckofficer]

FF,

Do you have any pictures? I know this might have been before the age of digital, so have you scanned any of the old pictures?

This was scanned, taken around 30 years ago before gray infiltrated my beard.

 

[AusCan]

D.O. - I LOVE the car; It must be so much fun.

I don't know of any other 9 second 1/4 miler that would handle like your baby. Its the ultimate.

 

[deckofficer]

AusCan,

I have some hot rod friends that are members on my forum Tbuckets Forum from Australia and NZ, and they have some really fine rides. Hot rodding is alive and well in the Southern Hemisphere.

It is a hoot. 3rd gear is my favorite because I'll have traction for a full roll on from 3000 rpm to 6200. I live in the Sierra foothills and most my local roads are two lane and twisty, a lot of fun with no body lean. The nearest 4 lane freeway is trans Sierra hwy 50 where near Placerville there are a number of on ramps that are at the bottom of a rolling hill which allows you to merge and see traffic ahead and behind for a couple of miles, so no cop surprises if I want to roll it all on in 3rd. In less than 5 seconds can go from 60 mph to 125 mph, up shift to 4th and allow both compression braking and the up hill grade slow me right back down again, then slip into 5th and behave at the speed limit. That is pretty much the only time I can go full throttle in 3rd, 1st and 2nd, traction issues. Full throttle in 4th and 5th with the engine revs at 2000~2500 is rather mellow since it is a manual transmission so no kick down to a lower gear.

Here is a typical scenario on those mountain roads. This is at 8000' elevation and a 6 percent grade passing lane. Traffic goes at 50 mph or less till the passing lane which are few and far between, and you can hear their exhaust get louder as they near the passing lane. Problem is at that elevation their power is less, but they figure since they are wide open, they will take the passing lane and attempt to pass, but more times than not, everyone just picks up speed and no one is able to pass.

This was last year with the 320 HP 383, not the new 526 HP 427
GOPR0106 - YouTube

Two years ago with the 383 down in Southern California, a short 500 mile drive from my NorCal home.

Since I just got the 427 in, I'm still trying to dial into the additional 200+ HP, so no videos yet but it is much faster.

I'm geared really tall for good MPG and quiet engine at highway speed, here is my chart,

 

[deckofficer]

RPM First Gear Second Gear Third Gear Fourth Gear Fifth Gear
200 1.8 2.8 4.1 5.2 8.1
400 3.6 5.5 8.1 10.4 16.3
600 5.4 8.3 12.2 15.6 24.4
800 7.3 11.0 16.3 20.8 32.6
1000 9.1 13.8 20.4 26.1 40.7
1200 10.9 16.5 24.4 31.3 48.8
1400 12.7 19.3 28.5 36.5 57.0
1600 14.5 22.1 32.6 41.7 65.1
1800 16.3 24.8 36.6 46.9 73.3
2000 18.2 27.6 40.7 52.1 81.4
2200 20.0 30.3 44.8 57.3 89.6
2400 21.8 33.1 48.8 62.5 97.7
2600 23.6 35.8 52.9 67.7 105.8
2800 25.4 38.6 57.0 72.9 114.0
3000 27.2 41.4 61.1 78.2 122.1
3200 29.0 44.1 65.1 83.4 130.3
3400 30.9 46.9 69.2 88.6 138.4
3600 32.7 49.6 73.3 93.8 146.5
3800 34.5 52.4 77.3 99.0 154.7
4000 36.3 55.1 81.4 104.2 162.8
4200 38.1 57.9 85.5 109.4 171.0
4400 39.9 60.7 89.6 114.6 179.1
4600 41.8 63.4 93.6 119.8 187.3
4800 43.6 66.2 97.7 125.1 195.4
5000 45.4 68.9 101.8 130.3 203.5
5200 47.2 71.7 105.8 135.5 211.7
5400 49.0 74.4 109.9 140.7 219.8
5600 50.8 77.2 114.0 145.9 228.0
5800 52.6 79.9 118.0 151.1 236.1
6000 54.5 82.7 122.1 156.3 244.2
6200 56.3 85.5 126.2 161.5 252.4

 

[AusCan]

Sweet! She certainly is geared fairly tall.
So you had it Chysler powered for a while. I was into 1/4 mile Mopar racing in my younger days (340 Barracuda) but I had to run a 4.56 diff due to my power band being 4500-7500rpm.
These days I'm fairly sedintary, although a good friend gives me her '49 Willys Jeepster ragtop (450hp 360ci with Jag suspension) for the day to blow the cobwebs out for her. That gives me a hint of your ride must be like.
BTW - Is your 427 a Ford or Chevy?

 

[deckofficer]

The 383 was a sbc, 350 block, 400 cranked so stroked to 383. A sbc is the only engine that will fit, so the 427 is also a sbc, but stroked and bored to 427.

 

[AusCan]

Aha - my mistake - I didn't recognize your abreviation for small block chev. I was wondering how you shoe-horned a big block 383 Chrysler in there.
A sbc 427, - thats pushing a small block about as far as you can go.

 

[deckofficer]

Aha - my mistake - I didn't recognize your abreviation for small block chev. I was wondering how you shoe-horned a big block 383 Chrysler in there.
A sbc 427, - thats pushing a small block about as far as you can go.

Your correct, 427 would be pushing it with an OEM block. Mine is a 4 bolt splayed Dart block that could go to 472 without a problem, but being 60 I'm fond of the engine size of 427, plus my oil pan is already very close to the road surface, would be even closer if stroked to 454 or 472.

In about 2 hours from now I will be driving it for the first time with the 427 fully dialed in.