Having recently converted to corn, Steve was chasing his combo just a bit. He started strong with a 10.19 but backtracked to the mid-10s on his next pass. Steve was certainly making good use of the track time and not spending too much time to cool off the car between rounds. Seeing what the car liked, he whittled it down to a 10.21, then its best time, a 10.14, before regressing on his last pass of the day.
"Converting to E85 was a fun experiment," Steve says. "With some tuning, cleanup work, and a lot of help from my friends Danve Roche, Tom Harrington, and Rich Kent, we were able to knock a half second off the e.t.--and we did it without going over 6,000 rpm."
5.0 Tech Specs
Engine and Drivetrain
Block
Stock
Bore
4.030-in
Stroke
3.00-in
Displacement
306ci
Rods
Stock
Pistons
Stock
Crankshaft
Stock
Camshaft
Custom
Heads
Trick Flow Twisted Wedge
Intake
Holley SysteMAX II
Throttle Body
BBK 70mm
Mass Air
Pro-M
Power Adder
Vortch S-Trim
Fuel System
Aeromotive pump, lines, and regulator; custom rails; and Siemens
injectors
Headers
Custom
Exhaust
3-in custom with Flowmaster mufflers
Transmission
Dynamic C4 with 4,500-stall converter
Rearend
8.8 with Moser spool, 3.55 gears, and Moser axles
Electronics
Engine Management
Anderson Ford Motorsport PMS
Ignition
MSD
Gauges
Auto Meter and EFI Systems
Chassis and Suspension
Front Suspension
Struts
Lakewood
Springs
Moroso
Brakes
Stock
Wheels
Weld Drag Lite
Tires
Mickey Thompson
Rear Suspension
Shocks
Lakewood 50/50
Springs
Granatelli coilovers
Brakes
Stock
Wheels
Weld Drag Lite
Tires
Mickey Thompson
Scott Kaczmar: '86 Mustang 10.34/128.20Scott Kaczmar went back to basics with his ex-Arizona Highway Partrol car. The four-eyed Fox sports a tried-and-true '69 351 Windsor block with Trick Flow heads and a carb. That's decidedly retro in today's small-displacement, returnless-fuel-injection world, but as Scott showed, it remains an immensely effective combination--especially on corn with just a touch of spray.
As were many others, he was still feeling out his combination, and had run quicker on pure petrol with more nitrous, but he was definitely headed in the right direction. After staring out in the 11s, Scott tweaked his combo all the way down to his best time of the day by his third pass. Not satisfied, he tried a couple more times to better the 10.34, but it didn't happen as his car was laying down a bit after the 330-fout mark, and he didn't have time to chase the issue before we had to all it a day.
"I decided to switch over to E85 since pump gas was so expensive and race gas even higher," Scott says. "It just seemed to be more economical and a benefit of the octane. I modified the carb myself and, so far, it has been worth the switch. On motor, it runs consistent 11.20s at 122. It picked up 0.4 second and 4 mph over gas. I started slow with the nitrous tuneup, and I'm not actually quite there yet."
5.0 Tech Specs
Engine and Drivetrain
Block
'69 302 block
Bore
4.030-in
Stroke
3.5-in
Displacement
357ci
Rods
Stock w/ARP rod bolts
Pistons
JE forged
Crankshaft
Stock '69
Camshaft
Comp Cams XR292R solid-roller
Heads
Trick Flow R, ported
Intake
Edelbrock Victor Jr.
Carburetor
Holley HP750 modified for E85
Power Adder
100hp NOS Big Shot
Fuel System
Two Holley blue pumps, Aeroquip fuel lines, NOS and Aeromotive fuel-pressure regulators
Headers
Kooks long-tube headers
Exhaust
Flowmaster mufflers
Transmission
Redneck Performance C4 with transbrake, Redneck 9-in, 3,000-stall converter, and B&M Hammer shifter
Rearend
Welded 8.8-in rearend, Eaton Posi, Superior 31-spline axles, and 4.10 gears
Electronics
Ignition
MSD 6AL
Gauges
Auto Meter