full size car comparison

[hotrod_chevyz]

what is the lightest full size muscle car from pontiac in 72? How did it (meaning pontiac full size muscle cars) compare to other full size models by chevy, ford, dodge ect?

For straight line competition purposes would a 72 catalina be a good car to build a racer out of to go against other "stock" full size cars?

What are the rules of stock racing, what are you allowed to upgrade? I know rules tend to vary from track to track a little.

[MrPbody]

HR,

Which? A muscle car or a Catalina? 2-door Catalina with minimum options would be the lightest "full size" car for '72. GTO was the '72 muscle car.

"Stock" class is a specific class within NHRA and IHRA. To know what is and is not legal, I suggest you aquire a rule book for this season (or next, if that's when you'll be ready). For what can be done to make the Pontiac come alive, get Jim Hand's "How to Build Max-performance Pontiac V8s" by SA Designs. This is the most current study of the ol' Injun.

You will find NHRA "unfrendly" to the Pontiac, regarding "factoring". They've refactored 400 Pontiac at least twice in the last three years, as they become more and more competitive. Like with NASCAR, they WILL NOT allow 1962 to happen again... (most dominant year of one marque in pro racing history)

Jim

[hotrod_chevyz]

Thanks for the reply MrPbody. I thought 2dr catalina with 400+ cubes is classified as a "full size" muscle car. It would be next season if at all. I might go to the track and just ask what the rules are since i have one particular track i would like to race at (thunder vally).

[MrPbody]

The term "muscle car" is open for much debate, but those of us from "the old days" usually consider them an intermediate body with a large engine. The BIG cars from the early '60s (before GTO) with the hot engines were known as "super cars". '62 Catalina is among the most notorious (most dominant single year of any marque in professonal racing).

Find out what they call "stock" or what's legal in the class, and I can help you extract the most power to do the job. The Pontiac engine has an advantage in such large cars.

Jim

[maxwedge]

True in the day the "swiss cheese Cats" were incredible, but my pictured all steel wedge still beat em, it was lighter by 150 lbs, some fun in those days. BTW they were in a lower class so it wasn't really a heads up race. Great engine for mid range torque, the 421.

[hotrod_chevyz]

Originally Posted by MrPbody

Find out what they call "stock" or what's legal in the class, and I can help you extract the most power to do the job. The Pontiac engine has an advantage in such large cars.
Jim

I might just have to hit you up for some info. You dont see many 2dr hard top 72 cats on the road wich is what peaked my original interest. I was told they only made around 2000, the rest were 2 dr convertibles and 4 dr.

Anyways as it sits the rebuild is recent, but many things hold it back. Right now its 2bl setup with a mild cam and stock intake. The only thing it has going for it as it sits is extra compression due to some work I had done to the heads while it was getting rebuilt. They are 7j2's wich is another problem. They flow good but i know much more can be had from a "good" set of 6x's. I have available a 70 GTO judge heads/intake/carb set and with the right cam might make some pretty good power for "stock" parts. The trans is a fresh broke in 400 with a shift kit. I do need to find out what can be done to this car to add power and lose some weight while still being allowed to race within its class.

Originally Posted by maxwedge

True in the day the "swiss cheese Cats" were incredible, but my pictured all steel wedge still beat em, it was lighter by 150 lbs, some fun in those days. BTW they were in a lower class so it wasn't really a heads up race. Great engine for mid range torque, the 421.

I dont know what you mean exactly by "swiss cheese" i expect you mean they were made to weigh less by punching holes in it.

[maxwedge]

The frame had holes drilled in it, the front end was all aluminum, no sound deadening, no body sealer and other weight saving tricks were incorporated, 62-63.

[hotrod_chevyz]

Im going to make a performance related thread in the next couple of days to dream on this catalina. I cant put the kind of power this catalina can take in my firebird. It would twist in half. Plus with the added weight will cure traction related problems i have in my firebird.

Some of the track regulations are pretty stupid here i found out. If your faster than 13.99 you have to wear a helmet...WTF?

I still wonder what ford, dodge and everyone else was doing when this car was made. Im a GM man. Ive owned other brands but i know more about GM models than others. I bet in the late 60's pontiac was pretty dominating. What full size models from other companies were worth anything? Not that this car is worth much for factory performance...

[MrPbody]

Well, the Impala SS was a pretty good performer with 454. Monaco/Polara/Fury with a 440 is no punk, either. Ford had a handful of Galaxy 500s with 427 in them. By '72, "big" cars were out of the performance market. Monte Carlo SS was about the biggest "performance" car out there.

You would be amazed at how much power an F-body (Firebird) can handle.

The Ramchargers were fast, alright. Just a year too late to do real battle with the GM factory racers.

ALL "swiss cheese" cars were '63s. They made 15 of them, I think. We saw an aluminum frame at a Pontiac meet a couple years ago. It was slated for the '63, but never got there.
The '62 Super Duty cars had aluminum bumpers, hood, fenders and doors. The weight got "down" to about 3,200 lbs. They won virtually every "pro" race that year, in both NASCAR and NHRA.

In mid '63, GM pulled the money out after Fireball Roberts and Joe Weatherly were both killed racing NASCAR. It was then the focus shifted to true street cars, and GTO emerged. The rest, as they say, is history!

Jim