Messages

31

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Trans-Am cheating fact or fiction ???

« on: March 26, 2014, 09:03:20 PM »

I too still want to hear from the racers who were there.....  That's the important thing!!

32

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Trans-Am cheating fact or fiction ???

« on: March 26, 2014, 08:45:51 PM »

Please don't get me wrong- they most certainly did the best they could, were volunteers, different divisions, different interpretations..... and on and on... I volunteered to help bring racers closer to what I was told ( and believed) what our vintage club wanted..... I'll never do it again, and I'm sure it damaged a couple of friendships.. I hate that it went that way.   But T/A was a professional series, big money, careers, and car sales at stake.... Every good racer looks for an advantage, hopefully a legal one.... but, when a rulebook says, " unless this book specifically says you can change/modify or remove- you CANNOT.."  I would whisper,  "cheater" very quietly under my breath, and walk away.... 

33

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Trans-Am cheating fact or fiction ???

« on: March 26, 2014, 04:32:52 PM »

My opinion (very strong, I might add- but, it's just an opinion..) is that, YES, done probably by all of the factories or front-runners. Often tried and never caught or it didn't matter on back markers...  2. some was "uintentional".... case in point; ( Car Life, Wagging the Dog article)....  " Ford had only produced about 700 Boss 302's at the start of the season... considering the SCCA could not find a single Tunnel Port Mustang the year before.... obviously, Ford never intended to sell TP's, but sold Boss cars quite rapidly..... parts homologation/production is another story.... then we get into tech, specs, weights, etc by individuals......   My opinion? Sure, a ton of these stories are part of the fascination and lore of the times,cars,and people we idolize..... the "good 'ole days"....... Let me pose this question to the few who actually competed at the time; At that time, did it make you really mad when "they can't do that?" .. " I can't buy that!"..... "You can see as plain as day that's not right!" came out of your mouth?   I can tell you as a current vintage racer, it's probably more prevalent, and USED to get me very upset..... I build and race my car LEGAL and CORRECT, even if no one else does..... Would the racing been better had no one 'cheated'?? probably not- just a tad slower, with a few slightly different results in a few instances.... but again... just my opinion..   Ken

34

Trans-Am Camaros / Stanford University Library

« on: March 25, 2014, 10:59:46 PM »

https://revslib.stanford.edu/catalog?f%5Bpub_year_isim%5D%5B%5D=1969&page=2&q=trans+am&utf8=%E2%9C%93      Literally THOUSANDS of pics from races, events, etc... "inside BRM"  Trans Am, Can Am, "Inside Cosworth"... etc...   Most of these I've never seen...  The link drops you kinda in the middle, just use the search or browse- Ever seen a Can Am Boss 494? with the valve cover off? my eyes hurt from looking at stuff-- but lots of Trans Am Camaro pics... (and a couple under the bubble hood of an AMC Javelin....     enjoy!   Ken

35

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: FIA homologation : 1st gen Camaro in Trans-Am and International racing 1968-72

« on: March 25, 2014, 10:52:00 PM »

Don Yenko ran an A- Production 427 Camaro at Sebring in '69, but the SCCA Production car standards list it as a wet sump setup... I'm not familiar with IMSA rules...   Ken

36

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Firebird and the Trans-Am series

« on: March 05, 2014, 06:20:05 PM »

Big applause! I LOVE to see the obscure parts posted! THANK YOU!  I have two questions; the offset on the carbs looks like they go the wrong way, (meaning it seems to me that they're sitting at the ends of the plenums..?   2.  The roof of the opening; was the distribution fixes and the cut away roof cast that way, or was it a 'dyno' mod?  Ken

37

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: For All of You That Want to Own A Trans Am Race Car

« on: August 14, 2013, 03:18:41 PM »

....or a very nice A-Sedan car..     I've reduced the price on my '69 Camaro...  Hemmings online ad #1575354.....    My brother redid a smallblock Corvette that is at Monterey this year. He'll be there crewing for the owner/driver Steve Cole #44,  give him a shout...   Thanks,  Ken

38

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Wanted: Photos of 1971 Trans-am Camaro owned by Greenwood / Hoffman

« on: August 06, 2013, 03:09:49 PM »

The red Camaro is the ex-Gene Felton, IMSA Hilborn-injected small-block rocket.....   I really don't know much about how it's set up now, or then; but VERY fast...  Sam says it's scary...

39

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Chaffey College and Sam Contino

« on: May 21, 2013, 08:24:29 PM »

I'm certainly no suspension guru or engineer, but as far as "differences" between an axle-mounted watts or chassis mounted, it was explained to me by Bruce Griggs this way.. ..   " The watts pivot point IS the rear roll center; so, if it's chassis mounted, it rises and falls as the chassis leaps and bounds over the racetrack. Since a lot of work goes into designing a front suspension that tries to keep the roll center at a set height to the pavement, in compression and jounce, you want the rear roll center to do the same, or the front-to-rear bias changes...... an axle-mounted watts accomplishes this....  It also eliminates the need for a rear sway bar ( when sorted correctly ).  Instead of loosening or tightening the rear (or front) bar, the pivot is adjustable vertically on the rear.....    My next car, I'm gonna try it... 

40

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Engine photos

« on: November 30, 2012, 02:57:41 PM »

My brother and I spent two days visiting and interviewing Ronnie Kaplan this summer. He's 90 years old, was in a major auto-pedestrian accident in the mid 60's...  (Al Holbert crashed through a barrier, skidded through the paddock, striking Ronnie and launching him 50 feet into the air; he landed on his head, and most thought he was dead or soon would be...  " Yeah, I was a little loopy for a few years.. "- Ronnie Kaplan...        At 90, with his history, I wouldn't expect anyone to remember very many details. The details he did cover were very vivid, correct, and documented by recordings.  After a few minutes and a couple of pictures, some showing the difference in width to a normal intake, then the Donnybrooke video, we watched the "light" come on for Ronnie.... " A Goodyear guy tipped me off about what Holley was building for Ford.. I demanded "equal parts" or there would be hell to pay.. " RK.  His low-deck '69 block is described in several publications, as the masterpiece of his collaboration with Dave Potter, the designer of the original modern AMC V8...    In my research, which has been limited, I am sure this block and IR intake was run at the first race of Michigan. The Donnybrooke video also confirms they were still using the intake and carbs, but since the special low-deck block had been declared illegal much earlier, I personally doubt it was being run still.  John Martin had also stated that several races were lost due to not having the block..  My point is, if you're casting an intake from scratch, you don't make a piece that needs adapters. The intake CAN be run on a regular V8 with 1/2 inch spacer plates; I would imagine this was probably done at some point in the season..  The earliest Dominators were the 'sand-cast' ones for the Boss 302; as the drag racers and other engine guys started getting their hands on the IR style carbs, much confusion and mis-application, mostly from bad information from magazines and Holley caused a lot of problems..   My intake may have been well on its way to being morphed into a true drag race tunnel ram, but I assure you, it started out as AM 4488023...  Ken

41

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Engine photos

« on: November 26, 2012, 11:20:15 PM »

Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to arrange some of the pics into one post, but for now, here is a little more info;  1. yes, my intake has been modified; most of the carb mounting pad had been machined off, I don't know why.  2. my intake has absolutely no casting #'s, marks,stamps, nothing.  3. it has never been bolted down 'tight' to an engine, ( no washer markings)...   There is a youtube video listed as "Trans Am 1968", even though it is clearly the 1969 season, I believe at Donnybrooke. There is about a 5 second piece that shows John Martin CLEARLY stroking the throttles on two inline Dominators..    Later Pro Stock gurus all tried to make IR Dominators work with no success, and all written articles said the same..  a 2" throttle will barely feed a ~500hp application.  360 cid Pro Stocks were probably close to 600 or better.  I have seen pics of this intake with a "plenum adapter" on top, making for an extremely tall induction; again, probably too long of runner for a drag motor.  Slabbed and sectioned Pro Stock heads like Booth, Arons, and Maskin and Kanners required major welding and epoxy-  and most used the Edelbrock UR-18...    My intake will never look completely original, and the fab work was not finished in time for the show, but it is a true T/A piece.   I'm sure the crossram would have enjoyed a taller air cleaner, but one pic I've seen of a domed hood on a crossram Javelin still carries the super-flat airbox...   I do appreciate all the discussions, tips, and ideas...  ya'll are the best..    Ken

42

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Engine photos

« on: November 26, 2012, 05:16:57 PM »

The tunnel ram and Dominators are mine. I loaned them to a good friend to display at the Chicago show..  I also included a picture of Kaplan's team under the hood at the first race in '69, ( Michigan ) and a print of the intake with the listed AM part #....   My hope was to clarify that these parts did indeed exist, were actually raced, in hopes that I can track down the piece of the puzzle I'm missing- the low-deck block....   The individual runner intake will only work with the special 6214 carbs....  all fuel metering is completely different and all 8 barrels open at once, ( think Webers or sprint car injection)...   Ronnie Kaplan has several references to building a 5/8 inch shorter deck block for '69.. This intake is exactly 1 inch narrower across the valley; 5/8 of an inch off of the deck height of an AMC requires a 1 inch narrower intake...    Chicago is home for Kaplan and close to Kenosha--  somebody has to know something...     Ken

43

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Engine photos

« on: November 17, 2012, 04:30:30 PM »

List #'s on mine are stamped on the "floor" of the main body just inside of the air cleaner retaining lip...  I just took a really good pic with my phone, but I'm not having any luck with technology right now.... will post when my brain functions better..

44

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Engine photos

« on: November 17, 2012, 01:10:29 AM »

My brother is slightly mistaken as to the type of Dominators on my Kaplan tunnel ram..... Mine are not sand cast, but die cast..  Holley list #6214..... The sand cast one are SUPER rare, basically hand-made, very porous, and actually don't work very well due to these inconsistencies.... I believe the two Boss cars that do run the twin Dominators also use the later produced die-cast 6214's....... I talked with one of the Ford gurus who was very instrumental in getting one of them running, he told me that the 6214's were the ONLY way to go.... I sure hope displaying my induction setup jars somebodies memory on a Kaplan low-deck block..... that's all I need...

45

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: SCCA Trans-Am car valuation seminar

« on: August 02, 2012, 03:05:30 PM »

My guess would be this is for the "street" cars, not the actual raced cars.....  ( just a guess )    Ken