New Race Car /old Drag Strip Owner

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flboatman1

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I Just Bought A 1972 Dart Drag Car From A Widow Who Just Lost Her Husbend. The Dart Is Striped Out , Has A 360 With A 904 With 4500-5000 Stall And A Mauale Reverse Valve Body, 488 8 3/4 Rear Stock Rear Supn. Racing Springs And Snuber. It Has A 210 Shut Of Nitous On It Wires Disconnected. I Took It Out T0 Lakeland Motor Sports Park And Ran A 6.92 And A 7.02 7.04 On Pump Gas With Lucus Octaine Buster. I Just Noticed The Frt Shocks Are Removed The Car Runs Straight And Handles Good , What Can I Expect Out Of This Car With Better Fuel And Using The Nitrus. The Heads Are Cast, Is This Good Or Bad Thanks Gary Hansen Can I Go Faster Or Am I At Its Limit
 
Welcome to the site. First I'd put the front shocks back on the car. Some 90/10 drag shocks. Then maybe run some race fuel next time. You'll surely go faster with a shot of NOS. Sounds like a "ground pounder" of a race car. I'm positive the car has more to give. Any photos?
 
Sounds like a fun car. Would love to see some pics of it. Go back to the track with some race gas and put the NOS to it and see what happens. Good luck.
 
I'm Very Old School ! Started Racing In 1958 At Twin Cities Speed Way, Arm Drop. Don Garlets And Tommie Ivo Would Show Up 1 Or 2 Times A Year. Opened Up My Own Drag Strip In 1967 Tenora Dragways Comstock Wisc. That Yr. I Won The Nhra Pts Meet At Minn. Dragways In My 67 442. In Its Class. Also Raced A 56 Chev Mod. Prod. And A Aa/ F Funny Car. Then Retired For 25 Yrs. Now I'm Back. I Need As Much Advice As Possible With This Dart, Never Raced Chrysler Before I Would Like To Go 6.4 In 1/8 Mi. Or Better With Car Without Nos. Can Anybody Help I'll Take Some Pics Next Week And Post Them. Car Is Yellow With Rumble Bee Stripe On Rear A Aluim. Spoiler On Rear With Shut. Under It. Thanks Gary
 
There are a bunch of knowledgeable drag racers here. I'm sure they will be happy to answer your questions. I run 1/4 mile myself, so not sure what it takes to do that 1/8 mile thing.
 
To Demon 416 Thanks For Fast Reply I Know It Would Be Helpfull If I Knew What Was In Mtr. But I've Never Had A Valve Cover Off, Just Took It Racing. On Outside It Has A Pro Form Carb. Eldobrock Air Gap. Mani. A 1 In. Multi. Layered Spacer, Complete Msd 6al Syst. Elect. Water Pump. A Elect. Rad. Fan . 1 7/8 Hooker Headers, With Extn. Mt Slicks 33x10.5x15. Maybe This Will Help Someone. Thanks Gary Its 60 Ft Times Are 1.46 To 1.50
 
10 Miles So West Of Cumberland. Or 75 Mi. No. East Of St.paul Sold Trac. In 1974 During Gas Moritorium. Thank You Gary
 
Alot depends on the state of health the engine is in and what's in it, sounded good from here, next stop, roller cam? LOL What's it got on it?
 
Is that track you owned still open today. I know there's a track over in western Wi. but I've never been there.
 
No Track Is Closed , It Was Used For A Landing Strip For A Short While And Then Turn Into A Street To Go To Lake Homes. What A Shame. Should Of Never Sold It. The Other Track Is In Lacross Wi.
 
I'm Very Old School ! Started Racing In 1958 At Twin Cities Speed Way, Arm Drop. Don Garlets And Tommie Ivo Would Show Up 1 Or 2 Times A Year. Opened Up My Own Drag Strip In 1967 Tenora Dragways Comstock Wisc. That Yr. I Won The Nhra Pts Meet At Minn. Dragways In My 67 442. In Its Class. Also Raced A 56 Chev Mod. Prod. And A Aa/ F Funny Car. Then Retired For 25 Yrs. Now I'm Back. I Need As Much Advice As Possible With This Dart, Never Raced Chrysler Before I Would Like
To Go 6.4 In 1/8 Mi. Or Better With Car Without Nos. Can Anybody Help I'll Take Some Pics Next Week And Post Them. Car Is Yellow With Rumble Bee Stripe On Rear A Aluim. Spoiler On Rear With Shut. Under It. Thanks Gary

Just my 2 cents, but....
To go 6.40's without nitrous, you'll need W-2 or some other good aftermarket head with other complimentary parts. Obviously we don't know what all is in the engine now. But more importantly, you'll probably need quite a few upgrades to the safety side of the project. At 9.99 and faster in the 1/4 (forgot the 1/8 mile break), you'll need an SFI 5 driving suit, balancer, flexplate, probably rollbar and chassis upgrades, etc. You need to get a rule book for more specific info. While it's do-able, just SS leaf springs are not the best set-up for that ET.

Welcome back & good luck!
 
hi locomotion the 72 dart has full roll cage, frame connecters bolted and welded, fire ext. , helment and fire jacket, engine has a racing flex plt. on it the car was set up for IHRA,NHRA bracket racing. as far as cam sounds like a roller and rough guest on compression about 13 to 1. It was set up for super pro. thanks for info. gary
 
First let me say I did this same thing a year and half ago. We bought a car, 72 duster, someone had started. No idea what had been done to the car. Took it to the track and it was like racing a brick. No idea what was in the motor. Changed the gear, to 5:13, went faster. Pulled transmission and found a stock converter, change to 4,500 stall added a SFI plate at the same time. Then went faster.

What I am telling your this has been more fun, after being away over 30 years. First of all be safe. Get a rule book and check out the car. Don't rely on what someone else should have done. The real thing here is go have fun what ever the time slip you acheive. Change the car a little at a time.
 
Hay Guys I Need A Chry. Competer This Weekend I Need Some Companions With Mopars, Is Anybody Going To Race Bradenton Fl. This Weekend At The Muscle Car Race.if Your Not Going There Lakeland Motor Sports Park Pays In . Pro Super Pro 100.% Plus 300.00 From Track Not Bad When You Think Bradenton Only Pays At This National Event 1000.00 For Pro Super Pro. If You Think I Should Race Bradenton Let Me Know . I Will Be There. Lets Put On A Show , Or Is It Lakeland. Gary
 
I'm Very Old School ! Started Racing In 1958 At Twin Cities Speed Way, Arm Drop. Don Garlets And Tommie Ivo Would Show Up 1 Or 2 Times A Year. Opened Up My Own Drag Strip In 1967 Tenora Dragways Comstock Wisc. That Yr. I Won The Nhra Pts Meet At Minn. Dragways In My 67 442. In Its Class. Also Raced A 56 Chev Mod. Prod. And A Aa/ F Funny Car. Then Retired For 25 Yrs. Now I'm Back. I Need As Much Advice As Possible With This Dart, Never Raced Chrysler Before I Would Like To Go 6.4 In 1/8 Mi. Or Better With Car Without Nos. Can Anybody Help I'll Take Some Pics Next Week And Post Them. Car Is Yellow With Rumble Bee Stripe On Rear A Aluim. Spoiler On Rear With Shut. Under It. Thanks Gary

Today I was thinking about Tenora Dragways so I did a Google search and this is one of the hits.
I raced there in '68 and part of '69. I had a dark green 68 Camaro SS slightly warmed over. I won quite a few trophys and some money too. C-modified production. Names I remember were Smokey, Mortenson (Jim, I think, from Spooner) and the owner, I think, had a Buick 455.
'68 was a fun summer at Tenora.
John Hugdahl
 
I would put some front shocks back on it. dont need the front suspension flopping in the breeze on the top end......then I would go out there and be having some fun.
 
Amazing how a torsion bar front end can run down the track with no shocks! Try that in a Camaro (I have, shock bolts were left out of one side on the bottom!).
 
sounds like a sweet car buddy!!! im wondering for what reason in the world you would remove the front shocks even in a torsion type suspension??????? has to be awefuly dangerous too you should defanitly go buy some cheep comp engineering 90/10 shocks. you dont wanna get urself killed over missing shocks.......
 
Yeah, Rock Falls is over by EuClaire. North of LaCrosse. Southwest of me
here in Rhinelander. There is also one over by Kaukauna, Appelton area.
Is this a pic of the one from over by the twin cities.
 

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still wondering why someone would remove the front shocks in a race car???????????????? or is it just the cool kid thing to do
 
Yeah, Rock Falls is over by EuClaire. North of LaCrosse. Southwest of me
here in Rhinelander. There is also one over by Kaukauna, Appelton area.
Is this a pic of the one from over by the twin cities.

Yeah, thats Minnesota Dragways, it was like around Anoka area. Back in the day when it closed, I think Yamaha bought the track for testing or something like that.
 
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