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The 1995 Camaro That Served As The Basis For Project Road Rocket

By Dave Emanuel

As noted previously, the 1995 Camaro that served as the basis for "Project Road Rocket" received a change in rear end gearing and that, in combination with the repair of an exhaust system leak really brought the car to life.From a best quarter-mile performance of 12.87 at 109.27 miles per hour the Camaro blasted to a 12.24 at 113.55 miles per hour. That's as quick and as fast as some supercharger-equipped Camaros. As with any vehicle that's being groomed for improved performance, the key to hitting impressive numbers is the overall combination. In the case of LT1-equipped Camaros, Corvettes and Firebirds, free-breathing intake and exhaust systems combined with aggressive rear end gearing are essential. So is a good pair of rear tires. Once the 4.10 rear end gear had been installed, it became almost impossible to launch the car without a blaze of tire smoke.It took a change to 10" wide Mickey Thompson slicks to get all the power to the ground.While a 4.10 gear may seem excessive in a street-driven vehicle, the advent of overdrive transmissions brings viability to overkill. The manual gearbox that's installed in Z/28 Camaros has six forward speeds with both fifth and sixth being overdrive ratios. Sixth has a .50:1 ratio, so a 4.10 rear end has an effective overall ratio of 2.05:1 in sixth. That compares to 1.71:1 for the original 3.42:1 rear end. Consequently, the overall effect is a surprisingly slight elevation of engine rpm at normal speeds. In fact, in sixth gear at 80 miles per hour, there's only about 300 rpm difference between the 3.42 and 4.10 gears. The car still travels over 22 miles per gallon of gas on the highway.

Pro Stock program

If you've been wondering about the recent proliferation of Pro Stock teams running competitively at National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) national events, think "Rent An Engine". A couple of engine builders have plans under which a racer rents a competitive Pro Stock engine for approximately $5,000 per race; that totals $95,000 per year for the whole 19-race series. Breakage and miscellaneous expenses are extra.That might seem like a heavy hit, but when you consider the amount of money a typical independent team spends on research and development to stay competitive, it's actually a bargain. One side effect of the rental programs is that occasionally one of the renters is asked to take a dive so the engine builder's house car winds up in the winner's circle. Of course, such goings on are routinely denied, but in my opinion, a look at the competition record indicates several "group efforts".

Where are the Dodge boys?

Any mention of NHRA Pro Stock naturally brings up the subject of the Wayne County Team MoPar Dodge teams. After several years of front running performances, including three Pro Stock championships for Darrell Alderman (1990, 1991, 1994) both Alderman and teammate Scott Geoffrion vanished from the Pro Stock scene in May, 1995 when vandals allegedly broke into the Wayne County Speed Shop and destroyed six racing engines. Since that time, there has been one excuse after another as to why the Dodges haven't returned to competition.Supposedly, after moving to a new type of cylinder block, the engine builders haven't been able to come up with a competitive combination. Rather than being non-competitive, they've decided to abstain from racing.The rumor mill has it that the Dodge teams were caught running nitrous oxide and given a one-year suspension. Rather than embarrassing the teams' primary sponsor (Chrysler Corporation) both cars were simply withdrawn from competition voluntarily. At first, that theory seemed preposterous, but as time goes by, and the "Dodge Boys" continue to sit on the side lines, you have to wonder. Alderman won three of the first four races in 1995, Geoffrion won the fourth. With a string of victories like that, the Dodge teams obviously had a winning combination. With all that's at stake, the obvious move would be to return to the original engine combination, start winning races again and put an end to the speculation. Why hasn't this been done?Could it be that nitrous oxide was in fact being used?The whole situation is bizarre. More than a few people have put forth the opinion that the break-in is a complete sham. According to some observers, the vandalized engines shown in photographs in various publications don't seem to look like competitive Pro Stock engines. Other people have stated that much of the damage appears to be from the inside out, which means it couldn't have been caused by someone with a hammer.An interesting aside is that some race-savvy observers think that the cars were equipped with nitrous oxide, but that the drivers were completely unaware of it. The theory is that the systems were triggered remotely, or with a timer. Of course, all these theories are nothing more than speculation, but the longer it takes the Dodge teams to get back on the track, the more credence they seem to have. Stay tuned to the year's remaining NHRA national events to see what develops.

Computers rule

Computers have had a dramatic effect on racing and high performance and their influence continues to grow. And while there is a resentment against the semi-conductor invaders in some quarters, there's no doubt that the information they provide is invaluable. One of the latest developments is a system called the DataMite from Performance Trends, Inc. of Dearborn Heights, MI (810)-473-9230. DataMite uses sensors on front and rear wheels to determine the amount of slippage in the tires and/or driveline. It can also plot tire growth and with proper input data, it will also compute horsepower, torque, G-force, vehicle speed and number of feet traveled.All information gathered is contained in a small "black box" and can be downloaded to a computer for subsequent analysis. Since the DataMite also computes horsepower, it can evaluate the effect of modifications. As a tuning aid, this system is invaluable. The DataMite is particularly attractive because it can be used on drag race cars, street machines, oval track and road race cars. (Racers in all quarters are often unaware of the extent to which slippage compromises the performance of vehicles.) Of course, the one requirement is all four wheels must remain on the ground if the system is to supply valid data.

Eye spy

Another recently introduced piece of equipment that has tremendous potential is the Powervision Inspecta-Vu System recently introduced by Powerhouse Products of Memphis, TN (800)-872-7223. The system includes a five-foot long, 1/8" diameter fiber optic scope that is used to look deep inside an engine, transmission, rear end or anything else you can imagine. The scope, which contains its own light source, attaches to a small box that houses a miniature video camera. By connecting the camera to a video monitor, you can probe places normally visible only after disassembly and view it all on a television screen. As an example, if you want a close-up look at a cylinder wall, valve, valve seat or piston dome, all you have to do is remove a spark plug and insert the 1/8" diameter scope. Then by simply manipulating the scope, you can view any part of the cylinder above the piston on a video monitor. It's also possible to record the inspection on video tape for future comparisons or to send off to interested parties that aren't close by.The Powervision system was developed to allow racers to inspect engine and driveline components without having to disassemble them, but obviously, it can also be used by repair shops and parts stores to diagnose suspected problems.

Getting a grip

One of the reasons that late model cars are recording such fantastic quarter-mile performances is tire technology. For years, most research and development efforts have been focused on the large slicks used by professional racers. But tire companies have recently begun refining the smaller slicks used by Sportsman type cars. Much of the impetus for this development has arisen from the increasing popularity of associations like the NMCA (National Muscle Car Association) which have a number of classes designed for street-legal cars. The rules for many of these classes place limits on tire size, so it's essential to develop maximum bite from a given width.One company that's been particularly active in this area is Mickey Thompson Performance Tires (800)-222-9092. According to sales manager Jerry Francis, a number of changes have been made to not only improve bite, but also to increase longevity. A case in point is the slick that has become the tire of choice in NMCA's Super Street class, which requires a maximum sidewall width designation of 10.5". In 1995, most of the cars ran a 29.5" x 10.5" tire and after 15 passes, it was time for a new set. This year, a redesigned version which still has the 10.5" width designation, but actually measures 11.2" has taken over. (These "wide" tires are designed to take full advantage of the rules which allow for an actual tread width of up to 11.5" to accommodate the increase that normally occurs as a tire wears.) After 45 runs with the new tire design, one racer reported that starting line bite was still as good as when the tire was brand new. The racer replaced the tires at that point because he felt he was pushing his luck- he had already gotten three times as many runs as he ever had previously.Francis also noted that with the burgeoning import drag racing market in California spreading eastward, demand for front-wheel-drive slicks is booming. So Mickey Thompson has released a 22" x 7" drag slick and a 205/50D15 DOT race tire. Both tires are designed specifically for FWD applications. And that's not all that's in the works. Within the next year or two, a host of new drag slick designs will be released.