Been building my car as a driver. Never gave any thought to a class before just wanted it to do everything well and be as fast as i can afford... Now im getting close to being able to drive it and imthinking i can def get more seat time at the track if i find a class to race in... My specs->
car is full stock suspension only aftermarket adjustable lca's
Rear is 02 SS 3.42 with stock disc brakes
Trans is the stock 700r4 with transgo kit, corvette servo and 2800 rpm stall
Aluminum LS1 driveshaft
Engine will be all forged 383 10:1 compression
Gmpp LT4 hotcam
Gasket matched Vortec heads valve guides cut, .550" lift springs
Gasket matched rpm intake
Stock LG4 e4me Qjet
Air and egr delete
Deleted windsheild wipers ac hvac radio and speakers gutted interior only 1 seat for the driver...
Fiberglass lift off cowl hood... I think thats about it i wanna run 12.5 on the motor without a cage eventually she'll get SFCs and rollbars but not yet...
So what class if any am i in now... What safety equip is a MUST have right now... And does anyone know if 275/50/16 et streets will fit under my car on the 99 t/a rims and 4th gen axel? Thanks for any help and hopefully ill see some of you at the track
99 t/a rims with

 

Depends on how you want to race. If you want to race in a Stock Eliminator type class then you build the car to suit the class. Something simple as the wrong carb and you won't fit the class. From what you've said so far, you won't fit into any Stock Eliminator class because of all the aftermarket stuff already on the car.

If all you want to do is bracket racing then you fit in a specific speed class. Under NHRA rules, the typical class indexes are

Sportsman (street) - 14 seconds and slower
Pro - 12.00 - 13.99 May also be 8.50 or faster to 13.99. Depends on each track. Pro class can't use electronics such as delay boxes or throttle stops.
SuperPro - 11.99 and quicker and electronics are allowed.

Each track may modify the indexes to suit their local racers.

In bracket racing, you can do just about anything you want to the car. Just stay within the safety guidelines for the speeds you're going to run. If in doubt, buy a rulebook.

If you run 12.00 and slower, there's very little you need to do to the car. Once you hit 11.99 then things like a roll bar and fire jacket are required plus a few other things. When you dip into the 9's, you need a whole lot more.

 

Thanks man! That was alot of helpful info and def helped... I guess im in "pro" and id like to go 12.0 so i dont need a cage... For now! We all know cars are never finished lol anyone wanna venture a guess as to what i should run? Im hoping 12.7 or better with good traction i know theres only one way to find out im just getting ancy being so close to "completion"

 

it really kind of depends on what's available at your track. this question would be better suited for a track official at your local track.

 

at most tracks around here, you would want to race sportsman. in pro the racing is TOUGH especially for a beginner

 

Are you using an adapter to fit the q-jet on the RPM intake? I didn't think anyone made a Vortec spreadbore intake.

What track will you be running at? Most tracks have their classes and associated rules posted on line. Maple Grove does, for instance - there you could run in Pro (9.00-15.99 sec), Street Eliminator (11.50-19.99 mufflers required), or Trophy (12.00 sec & slower).

You didn't mention exhaust - I hope you have at least shorty headers, although long tubes would probably suit the combo better.

I'd want more stall, to get the engine in the power band at the start. And more gear to get the RPMs closer to redline at the stripe.

Assuming you have decent exhaust, I would think your combo as-is should be in the 12.5-12.7 range. You will need a helmet.

 

Yes adapter unfortunately they dont make a spreadbore rpm or id have it lol

Island Dragway in north jersey ill check their site

Hooker 2055rs into slp loudmouth for 4thgens
I too would like more stall lol like 3500 but i got my converter for 40$ bnib
When i get the 383 with a bigger cam ill get a matching converter... The gears are stock i didnt think it made sense to go much bigger with the stock 700r4 we'll see how it holds up... have less then $1500 in all of this lol i want a better carb next year either SMI qjet or demon 750 and at least a 150 shot if the tranny wil hold it

Ill def get a REAL helmet i hate wearing the dirtbike helmet in cars lol

12.7-12.5 is right where i wanna be thanks 5.7

 

Get some subframe connectors man. A car that can run in the twelves on slicks hooks hard enough to twist the frame. They are cheap, proven and effective.

 

Thanks man Thats definately the next mod after i sort the motor out... Planning hotchkiss unless someone know of a cheaper set thats got the bend for the exhaust?... I was kinda worried about the weight theyd add though.

 

the weight is negligable when you take in account the repeatability you will have with a stiffer chassis. look at the jegster bolt in ones, then weld them in. or spohn, or bmr, or umi...lots of options that will work with stock routed exhaust.

 

Anyone know which is the lightest of all those?

 

Out of curiosity, would a higher stall and shorter gears get me out of the 12s with good traction and sfcs ofcourse lol or am i just not making enough power for that yet?

 

i think you'll need a combination of: better cam, carb, exhaust, converter, gearing, and tires to get you faster than 12's.

 

Your 2800 stall converter is more than enough for the LT4 Hotcam. You wouldn't want any more than 3000 stall with that camshaft.

The 3.42 gears may hold you back a bit however my old 383 ran high 11's with 3.27 gears which were completely mismatched for the car. I was also using a TH350 with a 3800 stall converter. I can't remember the camshaft specs but lift was around .550" and I was spinning the engine to 7000 rpm.

Since your camshafts rpm range isn't that high, 3.73 gears would be a better match for a stock height 26" tall tire. If you went with a 28" tall tire, 4.10 gears would be better.

You're going to do a lot of trial and error. Race with what you've got until you can figure out what's not working well to give the best performance. You may go through cam/converter/gears or tire size swaps to find what the car likes the best. You're not going to put together a perfectly matched combination of parts on the first try. You may get close but until you get some track time, you'll never know if it all works together or not.

All classes including the slowest cars are hard to beat. There are racers who prefer to run the slower cars because they can be made more consistent easier than a faster car and will run those cars for years. Those are the racers that will always be going rounds or taking many wins. It's always nice to go faster but speed means nothing in a bracket race. The slow cars can be just as hard to beat. The downside of running in the slower classes is the payouts may not be all that great or you may just win a trophy for your effort.

As a bracket racer, even I admit that watching a 12 second car going down the track is boring but when you're behind the wheel in a race, even a 15 second car is exciting to race. Just less things to go wrong. I raced my 15 second pickup truck for 2 years and have more trophies than all the years I've raced the Camaro. The Camaro is a lot more fun especially if I can trip the 60' timers with the back tires

 

lol i know im not gonna win...just figured being able to enter in a class would get me more track time and more schedule options then just thu/sun test and tune... i have a 15 sec truck i could run lol

 

u really think my exhaust is inadequate? do i need longtubes?? i doubt the loudmouth is verey restrictive other then only being 3"

 

yes. shorty headers are that restrictive. the loudmouth is fairly free flowing, though i'd replace the muffler with a dynomax bullet. same sound, and better flow than the slp muffler. longtubes and a custom y-pipe and you'll be doing much better.

 

just looked up the 2210s... too much money for right now, but def down the road a little way im sure ill like the sound better too anyway lol... so my new plan thanks to you guys is to get the car going with the current 350(same topend as described for 383), then get subframe connectors... then run it and tune it this year until i cant do any better... by winter time the 383 should be about finished and i can park the car and pull the 350... should be fun

 

have fun and keep us posted...always good to see folks that give feedback after we've given out .02

 

def will this is my favorite website so i "come here often" not to be cliche lol

 

well i was going through my old threads and found this one... havent been to the track yet or even driven her on the street, its been a long and arduous process, right now shes all together just need to get her tuned and since ive never tuned a CCQjet before, it hasnt even gotten started, check the thread in my Sig for details... i am happy to announce that ive purchased a set of alston subframe connectors, ill be getting a set of UMIs in the near future and im going to get a10 pt cage after the SFCs are installed...
changed plans for the 383, instead of going N/A, im going to custom a twin intercooled turbo kit for it... and for now, after i get it tuned im going to run the 350 as is, untill i can find a Nitrous kit for $200

 

At my local track the amount of racers have went down the last few years, on a typical Friday night there is only 3 classes, street, non electronic and electronic. Tires are the only restriction in street, you can be as fast as you want.

I would go to a few throphy/test and tune nights to practice. Like stated above you could be competitive with a 20 second car or 8 second car it dosnt matter, get your reaction times in the .010-.025 range, and get the car consistent. My problem is as the night goes on my reaction times get faster. I can't tell you how many -.003s I have cut in the semi/final rounds.