318 - Best Bracket Engine ..... IMO

[Oldiron440]

For guys who only run what the car runs you can lose the same way, running a few pairs back against a car like that is an advantage when whether, air density changes you can run your number and the other guy can’t.
I realize the things I’ve been saying come with thousands of rounds of experience and you need a car fast enough to be able to sandbag yourself to a win.
That’s how the stock class works, a lot of those cars run a second under their index but they rarely show how fast they are.

 

[33IMP]

I used to run a little soft on my dial. The car would run 6.30s, but I didn't have a license (didn't want one) so the fastest I could dial was 6.40.
Found the cushion very helpful on occasion.
I want the new car to run 6.50.
(Tho why, I don't know. I don't street race and the nearest track is 120, or more, miles away. Not hard to believe in my part of az, but southern california?!? WTF?)

 

[4mulas]

Well it's because most people want to go faster because they get bored I guess.

Lol

 

[4mulas]

Nothing like a snack and a drink while busting out a deadly consistent 21.20 quarter time. BTDT

I really did laugh out loud. Funny!

 

[toolmanmike]

Nothing like a snack and a drink while busting out a deadly consistent 21.20 quarter time. BTDT

That always pissed off the no box guys that have thousands in their cars, The guy with the Dodge Omni beat them. (or they beat themself by breaking out)

 

[318willrun]

That always pissed off the no box guys that have thousands in their cars, The guy with the Dodge Omni beat them. (or they beat themself by breaking out)

Better have a fast omni these days. No-Box now at Cordova (and many other tracks) caps the slowest at 7.99 in the 1/8. LOL

 

[toolmanmike]

Better have a fast omni these days. No-Box now at Cordova (and many other tracks) caps the slowest at 7.99 in the 1/8. LOL

Now days. Yep, that was back when it was just ET. It didn't matter what it was or how fast.

 

[318willrun]

Now days. Yep, that was back when it was just ET. It didn't matter what it was or how fast.

The only class I can think of nowdays that is like that is trophy. Ironically, at my track that's a 1/4 mile race so you can have a 6 second rail waiting on a 21 second mini van... LOL

Sportsman you can go as slow as you want but no faster than 12.00, so that helps control some of the madness

 

[318willrun]

The only class I can think of nowdays that is like that is trophy. Ironically, at my track that's a 1/4 mile race so you can have a 6 second rail waiting on a 21 second mini van... LOL

Sportsman you can go as slow as you want but no faster than 12.00, so that helps control some of the madness

And why sportsman ^^ class makes 318's the obvious choice. Big class too....

 

[toolmanmike]

The only class I can think of nowdays that is like that is trophy. Ironically, at my track that's a 1/4 mile race so you can have a 6 second rail waiting on a 21 second mini van... LOL

Sportsman you can go as slow as you want but no faster than 12.00, so that helps control some of the madness

Yep, that's what it was like. That has to be tough for the fast guys. Your competition is a couple hundred feet from the stripe and you haven't left yet.

 

[318willrun]

Yep, that's what it was like. That has to be tough for the fast guys. Your competition is a couple hundred feet from the stripe and you haven't left yet.

Sportsman is so popular because no air shifters, trans brakes, boxes, or any such devices allowed. It's your eye/foot coordination at the start. Also, no expensive safety equipment, just a seat belt (factory is fine) and a helmet if faster than 13.99. Slicks get drive shaft loop and long studs. Last, many people (especially old timers) like racing the 1/4 mile. So many tracks have "no-box" as 1/8 now, including Cordova.

 

[Killer6]

The only class I can think of nowdays that is like that is trophy. Ironically, at my track that's a 1/4 mile race so you can have a 6 second rail waiting on a 21 second mini van... LOL

Sportsman you can go as slow as you want but no faster than 12.00, so that helps control some of the madness

I don't know about tracks across the country, but locally that'd never happen, no slicks allowed in trophy or street anywhere I ran.

 

[318willrun]

I don't know about tracks across the country, but locally that'd never happen, no slicks allowed in trophy or street anywhere I ran.

here street class is part of sportsman. Sportsman has a lot of designated bracket cars along with street cars.

 

[B3422w5]

here street class is part of sportsman. Sportsman has a lot of designated bracket cars along with street cars.

Same here. But our ET break is 11.60 and slower. Used to be 12 flat

 

[crackedback]

That 21.20 car was fun. I used to search for the 10.90 or better cars in the lanes. Pair up with them. I lined up against a Super Pro car dialed at 9.90, they were testing. He was so used to lighting the stage build and getting on the brake, he about smoked the trans in his car. Cars don't like sitting on the brake for 11-12 seconds. It is weird to have a car run 60-65 and getting passed in the lights by something going 130+. You aren't judging the stripe at all. LOL

This was all early mid 80's, no boxes, etc... Wed night racing was great

 

[B3422w5]

Sportsman is so popular because no air shifters, trans brakes, boxes, or any such devices allowed. It's your eye/foot coordination at the start. Also, no expensive safety equipment, just a seat belt (factory is fine) and a helmet if faster than 13.99. Slicks get drive shaft loop and long studs. Last, many people (especially old timers) like racing the 1/4 mile. So many tracks have "no-box" as 1/8 now, including Cordova.

Sportsmen at our track always has by far the least entrants. It’s the case anywhere I have raced( lots of tracks)
It’s because it doesn’t pay well to win, compared to the other classes
Pays 350 to win. Other classes 1500 each.
Btw, in pro,, or modified or no box, whatever you want to call it.
I footbrake, no air shifter etc, just like sportsmen racers.

 

[Hysteric]

Dan Smith wrote this along time ago on a 318 thread over on Moparts:

I went 11.60s with a .030 o.s. rebuilt 318 in my Demon. Crank was turned .01/.01 and had stock rods, not even a resize, no replacement bolts, no balance, pistons were stock replacement Federal Mogul brand, a whole $80 for the set, and were .100 in the hole which was .02 deeper than the originals. Valve clearance was done with a die grinder in assembled engine, intakes only needed it. CR was 7.9 to 1. Heads were off a smog era 360 with a mild port job and stock 1.88 and 1.60 valves. Cam was a solid flat tappet from Racer Brown. ST-21--[254 at .050 and .520 lift]. 273 rocker arms. Less than $800 in that engine that I raced for 2 years and sold for a bit more than I had in it. Guy is still running that engine in a street car near 20 years later.

That cam is similar to what my machinist ran in his.

 

[318willrun]

Sportsmen at our track always has by far the least entrants. It’s the case anywhere I have raced( lots of tracks)
It’s because it doesn’t pay well to win, compared to the other classes
Pays 350 to win. Other classes 1500 each.
Btw, in pro,, or modified or no box, whatever you want to call it.
I footbrake, no air shifter etc, just like sportsmen racers.

Yes. Sportsmen doesn't pay out that much. But, a lot of hobbiest like that class because they don't race against the tricks, it's still 1/4 mile and it's cheap.

Here:

• Sportsman - 400.00 (450.00 if 30 or more), 150.00, 100.00, 60.00, and 45.00 for a 2nd round win. It's 45.00 entree
• No Box - 1200.00 (1400.00 if 40 or more), 350.00, 150.00, 100.00, 80.00, and 65.00 for a 2nd round win.

Me, I'm just there to test n tune, and many times I'm forced to run in trophy.

 

[Hysteric]

Lets not forget what this 318 made:

Dyno shop tested 318

 

[Hysteric]

For those that might be interested this is an old magazine article about making a locally produced 308 CI v8 into an 11 second bracket engine. Doing this to a 318 should net better results:

 

[Hysteric]

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