"Actual Match Race" 1969 440 'Cuda vs 1973 Firebird Formula 'SD-455'

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69 Cuda 440

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Actual Race {Part 1}

1969 .. 440 'Cuda
vs.
1973... Firebird Formula 455 'SD-455'

Back in the Summer of 1975,

I owned a 1969 440 'Cuda, with Automatic and 3.91 Gears.

A very rare car, as there were only 344 Produced.

Though Factory-rated at 375 HP, the restrictive exhaust system did
strangle the exhaust flow after it left the Cylinder Heads.

NHRA did re-factor the 440 to 356 HP.

And the #3310 lb. Fastback was NHRA Factored in at 9.33 Wt/Hp
and classed in C/SA.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

My opponent, was my 17 year-old sister Susan, who being from a
Mopar Family, became a 'Turn-Coat' as she didn't want her Power-Blue
Cream-Puff, 1973 Dart Sport 340 anymore.

Instead, she stumbled upon, a 1973 Pontiac Firebird Formula 'SD-455'.

At the time, nobody knew how rare this Firebird was. It was not
a 'Trans Am' and not a regular 'Formula 455'.

It was a 'Formula SD-455'. Only 43 of these Firebird Formula's
were ever built with the 'SD-455'

More to come,,,,,,
 
Wow. I saw the most full-on resto on a '73 SD-455 Formula in Hemmings Muscle Machines. So then, did hers have the trans am style shaker hood instead of the twin scoop formula fiberglass hood?
 
Yes Cudavert.

No Trans Am 'garbage trim' on my sisters Formula SD-455.

Had the Reverse Shaker Hood Scoop, but it was not functional, as the
steel-plate was riveted closed {as per EPA Emission requirements}.

It came through with a fiberglass front valance that had a small lower air-spoiler.

And it did have the 'optional' Rear Spoiler.

It was 'Buccaneer Red', the only Firebird Formula SD-455 Automatic ever produced
in that color.

It came through with Air Conditioning, Power Steering, Electic Windows, and
Power Front Disc-Brakes and a 3.08 Rear.

But, my father put in a set of {3.90 Gears}, and disconnected the A/C Compressor,
and other under hood items that were not required for 'optimal' performance.

The SD-455 was rated at 310 HP by the Factory but NHRA corrected it to 345 HP
in the #3470 lb. car, which factored it at 10.05 Wt/Hp {NHRA Class E/SA}.

Production Numbers for 1973 Formula SD-455
* Automatics........33
* 4-Speeds..........10

AAAAC9fHksYAAAAAAPcMNA.jpg
 
I tore into a SD455 Firebird back when I was a kid.
I ran him on top end with my 340 Swinger with a 3.23 gear.
I had to insult him in front of his girlfriend to get him to run me, remember I was only 18 at the time & probably not very mature. LOL
Tried to get him to run me from stop light to light, he wouldn't bite.
Finally got him on the hiway going out of town, we didn't pull on each other at all, until I got into the upper RPM in high gear.
Then I started to edge him.
Got to thinking that my mouth was going to get the best of me on this one.
Got to respect them SD's.
 
Mike,

A stock 1973 Formula SD-455, Automatic with the 'Performance Axle
Option 3.42 Gears.

Properly tuned, was capable of 13.60's @ 103 MPH.

That is with the 'Factory Stock' 15" x 7" Honeycomb Wheels and F60 x 15" Firestone Wide-Oval
Tires.

On my sister's car, which was 2-Years old when she got it, it only had about
12,000 Miles on the Odometer.

We pulled out the A/C Compressor, and related components.

Since my father had a Performance Machine Shop, we pulled the Cylinder Heads
and performed a Competition Valve-Job with Teflon Seals, and installed the
73' 'SD-455' Off-Road Camshaft {#041} which was .470"/.470" Lift ~ 302*/320* Duration ~ 87* Overlap.

And we added a Speed-Pro Double-Roller Timing Chain.

That was it.

Since the 73' SD-455 came though with a specially calibrated Distributor
and 'factory tricked' Rochester MV 800-CFM Carburetor we did nothing else.

We even left the stock 'Cast Iron' Intake on the Engine, because an Aluminum
High Rise Intake Unit would raise the Carburetor, and screw up the alignment
with the Air Cleaner and Shaker Hood Scoop unit.

With 3.90 Gears, the 'Formula SD-455' could out-run just about anybody on
the Street,,,,,,,,except maybe me,,,,,,,,and out-handle any Musclecar.

More to come,,,,,,,,,,,
 
I agree that it is a fast car, but this was 1978.
Don't know what the tune-up was on his car or condition.

I do know that my Swinger was a 14.20 car with 70k miles on it.
It did have headers & 1973 TQ carb & intake on it.
 
Did the 1973 Pontiac Formula 'SD-455' need Headers.........

Take a look at these Cast Iron Exhaust Header-Type Manifolds...

Astronomically-Sized Round-Port Exhaust Primary

2.50" Outlets

RM-4.jpg
 
"With 3.90 Gears, the 'Formula SD-455' could out-run just about anybody on
the Street,,,,,,,,except maybe me,,,,,,,,and out-handle any Musclecar."

What streets are we talking about?? There were a lot of fast cars in Chicago running for big money on the streets back then.
 
I also had a kid in school that was a couple of years older than me, so this was in 1975.
He had a 1973 SD455 Firebird.
At the time, probably the fastest thing at school.

He did get out ran by an old guy, driving a 1955 Chevy on a top end challenge one night.
I happen to know this guy, he worked in the auto parts store where I worked part time.
He was big into running top end races with his 55.
The old drop out rear gear didn't last very long from a dead stop.
He had a typical old school set up, 327, 11.5:1 pistons, solid cam, 4-speed, & a 3.08 gear.
For a barn door, it had some top end speed.
His car would run 13.80's on street tires.

I understand were your coming from, since you have raced stockers & super stockers, the quality of tune has alot to who wins a race on the street or at the track.
what looks good on paper, don't always translate to the street.
I have beaten cars that should have cleaned my clock.
 
The info you give on how restrictive the Cuda manifolds is incorrect. I remember one of the magazines did a dyno test of a 69 440 Dart. They concluded that the manifolds didn't hold it back at all and also determined that the engine put down more power that what it was rated for. But not by much. I want to say it was Mopar Muscle. It's been so long ago I don't remember. I do know this. The 69 manifolds are considered the best of the A body HP manifolds. That said, there's dyno proof right on this forum that there is not a lick of difference between stock and HP manifolds.
 
69 Cuda 440 said:
and out-handle any Musclecar.

More to come,,,,,,,,,,,
Click to expand...

Sorry bud. A 70 Grand Sport Vette would smoke that heavy pig's butt through the turns. Maybe on the straights too.
 
Yorktown, Northern Westchester County, New York

I'm talking about a true Street-Driven Performance Car, not a set up Street Racer.

For God's Sake, I popped on a set of License Plates on my 1968 340 Super Stock
{SS/I} Barracuda that ran 11.50's @ 120 MPH and drove it to the local
Bowling Alley (Valley Lanes in Jefferson Valley, New York} was by far the
fastest Street Car around.

That's not what I'm talking about......................

I'm talking about a 'Street-Driven Performance Car'...........

And Mr., Rusty Rod

I owned a 69' 440 Cuda 'M-Code',,,,,,,,,Please don't tell me about the Exhaust System not being a problem,,,,,,

I Lived It..........

And, No Way would any 73' Corvette outrun my sisters 73' Formula SD-455'.............
 
69 Cuda 440 said:
Yorktown, Northern Westchester County, New York

I'm talking about a true Street-Driven Performance Car, not a set up Street Racer.

For God's Sake, I popped on a set of License Plates on my 1968 340 Super Stock
{SS/I} Barracuda that ran 11.50's @ 120 MPH and drove it to the local
Bowling Alley (Valley Lanes in Jefferson Valley, New York} was by far the
fastest Street Car around.

That's not what I'm talking about......................

I'm talking about a 'Street-Driven Performance Car'...........

And Mr., Rusty Rod

I owned a 69' 440 Cuda 'M-Code',,,,,,,,,Please don't tell me about the Exhaust System not being a problem,,,,,,

I Lived It..........

And, No Way would any 73' Corvette outrun my sisters 73' Formula SD-455'.............
Click to expand...

lol no kidding, that drivers side where it wraps around the steering column... on the inside you can barely fit you finger in and maybe 3 wide, thats small!

lol then the factory "crush"...:wack:
 
To answer most of these match race ponderings, you guys need to come to the Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Races held in Michigan in mid-September. See them in real life instead of just "what-if" on paper. All of these match-ups occur and some pretty strange ones as well. This year we had a 1963 Max Wedge 4 speed Belvedere running against a 1963 Studebaker Daytona Lark R2 4 speed with a Paxton charged 289. This pair ran in the high 12's. 1970 Hemi Cuda vs. a original owner 1967 Hemi Coronet R/T. Both running high 11's. As for your favorite A-body.....my 340/275 GTS was matched up against a 1969 SS 396/375 Camaro. Both qualified at 13.23. The 396 got the better of the 340 at the top end on two of the three rounds.

Check out more photos here:

http://s1080.photobucket.com/user/aweaver37/slideshow/PSMCDR 2013

The guy who this photo album belongs to is a 1969 Chevelle SS enthusiast so a lot of his photos are slanted towards that particular bow tie.
 
I had a 73 Firebird Espirit in H.S. 400 and some TALL gears. Loved that car. Love the look of them. That nose is rubber.

A corvette is a sports car, not a muscle car.
 
What did the 455 Pontiac owner say? "Is all this shiny stuff supposed to be in the oil pan?"
 
69 Cuda 440 said:
Yorktown, Northern Westchester County, New York

I'm talking about a true Street-Driven Performance Car, not a set up Street Racer.

For God's Sake, I popped on a set of License Plates on my 1968 340 Super Stock
{SS/I} Barracuda that ran 11.50's @ 120 MPH and drove it to the local
Bowling Alley (Valley Lanes in Jefferson Valley, New York} was by far the
fastest Street Car around.

That's not what I'm talking about......................

I'm talking about a 'Street-Driven Performance Car'...........

And Mr., Rusty Rod

I owned a 69' 440 Cuda 'M-Code',,,,,,,,,Please don't tell me about the Exhaust System not being a problem,,,,,,

I Lived It..........

And, No Way would any 73' Corvette outrun my sisters 73' Formula SD-455'.............
Click to expand...

I didn't. I told you what a magazine found out. I didn't say a 73 Corvette. I said GRAND SPORT. 1970. You said yourself

"With 3.90 Gears, the 'Formula SD-455' could out-run just about anybody on
the Street,,,,,,,,except maybe me,,,,,,,,and out-handle any Musclecar."

Those are your words. ANY MUSCLECAR. You specified no year. I got news for you. Those SD cars were pretty fast for their time. However, they were big, heavy and underpowered in comparison to those muscle cars that preceded them. Pontiac had almost zero street cred with the exception of some extremely rare models that were almost factory experimental types. Pontiac was more into luxury. They had nice cars and some were fast. But only those that were most rare. 90% or more of Pontiacs made back then would have gotten their asses handed to them by a 340 A body. That's just a fact. The 73 455 SD was only rated at 290 HP. Granted, that was net and not gross, but that is the only rating Pontiac ever released. Everything else is a guess. They did have 390 LB FT of torque. One more thing you have wrong. The curb weight on those cars is around 3854 pounds. They were pigs. Nice pigs. But pigs.
 
Mr. Rusty Rod,

I'm not wrong on the weight.

I posted 'Shipping Weight' {#3470 lbs.} based upon NHRA Classification Specs.....

The 1973 Pontiac 'Formula SD-455' was-and-is classed in NHRA E/SA.
{10.00 - 10.49 Wt/Hp}

Though the SD-455 is 'Advertised' listed at 290 HP, Pontiac re-upped it to 310 HP,
and the NHRA re-factored it to 345 HP.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As for who was quicker in the 'Quarter-Mile' {September 1976}

The 1970 Buick GS-455 held the 'C/SA' National Record......................11.93 @ 112.89 MPH

The 1973 Firebird Trans Am 'SD-455' held the 'E/SA' National Record....11.89 @ 112.50 MPH

Note; The 1973 Firebird 'Formula SD-455' is about 100 lbs. lighter than the 1973 Trans Am....

So which car is quicker in the 'Quarter-Mile'....... And Handling, lets not go there...........

That doesn't look like no 'Heavy Pig' to me.........

$(KGrHqVHJCEFHBBPr!EEBR3(Yh5uLg~~60_57.JPG
 
Show me a Pontiac document that raised the HP rating. This I gotta see. Regardless, it was an underpowered luxury hot rod. Too heavy to get out of its own way in stock trim.
 
I'll find the documentation and post it.

The 1973 SD-455 was planned to have 10.25-1 Compression, which was
obviously shot down, due to EPA Emissions and other regulations.

The Camshaft was supposed be the #041 Unit.
{.470" Lift/.470" Lift ~ 308*/320* Duration ~ 87* Overlap}

Also, was supposed to have an Aluminum Dual-Plane Intake.

And 'solenoid-activated' Flap for 'Cold-Air Induction' through the Reverse Shaker Hood Scoop.

Was to be rated at 380 HP.

All of the above 'Items' were not installed, due to Emissions.
 
I understand and I respect those cars. Really. I've always pined for a 78 Bandit Edition TA with a 4 speed. They were NICE.
 
I know this topic has to do with class racing for the most part. But in my time selling Pontiac parts (dealer) in the early/mid 80's, i met a collector of SD cars and Pontiac parts in general. This man could qualify for a "Hoarder's" episode these days. Seven storage locations of parts and cars, including his own 4000 sq ft house that you couldn't walk thru. He offere'd me a 73' SD Formula for 4K that needed body work. I declined :banghead:. His pride and joy was a Brewster Green 73' T/A auto with 40k on it. I have to tell you, that was a extremely strong car that ran mid 13's with it's factory tires & tune. I've driven it, and on the street, I don't know of any factory stock 340 car could run with it. Although it sad to compare a 100+ cube difference, you have to remember this was the low compression era for the T/A on the street.
 
If we're going to mix and match brands and years then a 71 429 Mach 1 has a dog in this fight. If 370 horse isnt enough there was the SCJ.
 
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