(Ed: As we publish various writers’ and readers’ insight and experience in Pontiac performance and racing, we are bound to find differing opinions and actual findings. This article illustrates this situation. Jim invites all to share their views here. And, as he points out, the actual proof has to be in your own testing on your own Pontiac. Read and enjoy!)

During the past 10 years, I have conducted many tests on my ’71 LeMans wagon at the strip in an attempt to gain performance. Concurrent with the testing, I have performed technical research with the most knowledgeable and unbiased written and people sources I could find. The research tended to confirm what I actually found during testing. Following are comments about some of the tips or techniques tried, and short explanations as to why they did or did not help performance. Read more

As mentioned in an earlier column, I don’t plan to cover the typical “hot rodding” of adding after-market components. Instead, a discussion of techniques to obtain maximum performance at minimum cost, while maintaining excellent driveability, will be furnished. This information is intended primarily for the enthusiasts who would like to improve the performance of their stock or nearly stock vehicles. Read more

In an earlier part, we discussed reaction time, and indicated that it is measured from the green light switch closure until the front tires leave the starting line. That is technically correct. However, if your local track’s clocks indicate a perfect light as .500, the reaction time is measured from the closing of the switch for the last yellow light until the front tires leave the starting line. If your track measures a perfect light as .000, it’s timers are measuring from the green light activation until your front tires leave the starting line. Both measurements tell you the same information, and your task is to obtain the quickest and most consistent R.T. possible. Read more

…….. this session will be dedicated to the following letter from John Mino.

TO: DRAG RACING WITH JIM HAND

Dear Jim,

I always enjoy reading your articles and usually agree with your views, particularly since your info is backed by “at the track” results and not some “pie in the sky” theory backed by umpteen hours of dyno time. I was elated to read your article about ignition systems, and couldn’t agree more. Actually, it made me think about the last time I went to Super Shops to buy a cam key to advance the cam in my L/Stock ’74 Firebird. While waiting for my part, this 20something year old “expert performance advisor” directed my attention to the Mallory Hy-Fire ignition display boasting a blue spark about 1-1/2″ long arcing away while exclaiming “That’s worth about 25 horses over stock…would you be interested in a set-up like that for your drag car?…the whole system runs about 300 bucks.” I looked him square in the eye while responding, “…naw, I only spend money on things that will help lower my E.T….I have a good ignition system.” Read more

Improving the Elapsed Time, or ET, is the primary reason for the changes that most of us make to our vehicles. The quicker (lower) the ET, the stronger our vehicles feel. An improvement of one second in ET to a relatively slow car capable of running 16.5 seconds is just as important and just as noticeable as a one second gain on a 14 second car. Although a very low ET is not necessarily a determining factor in winning bracket races, it certainly is important when bench racing with our friends! Read more

Fred Cal from Batavia, Illinois, recently submitted a great list of subjects for possible discussion. Several of those will be covered in this column.

How about those claims for increased airflow through the newer performance mufflers? Does airflow relate directly to performance? As with all factory components, the stock mufflers and pipes were a compromise, with noise, cost, warranty, and space limitations all being considered. The stock type mufflers did cause some back-pressure, which adversely affected performance. The pipe configurations andlor size also caused back-pressure in many applications. Read more

Our last column covered several subjects suggested by Fred Cailey from Batavia, Illinois. We have picked another from his excellent list and will discuss it in this part. Read more

You may remember the letter from John Mino that was published in this column in 1996. John described his good experience when he switched to race fuel in his Pontiac at the drag strip, and suggested we try it in our ’71 LeMans wagon.

In order to provide an accurate test it was deemed necessary to make several runs with the Amoco “Clear” 92 octane pump gas that we normally use, and then drain the tank and add the race fuel. Several runs would then be made with no other changes except the switch to race fuel. Further, we wanted to run on a well prepared track in order to minimize changes caused by possible traction problems. Read more

I received a call last summer from a long time member of POCI, Jon Hardgrove. Jon operates The Carburetor Shop at Eldon, Missouri, which has been in the carb repair/service business for a large part of this century. Jon had noted our consistent and impressive performance with the Q-Jet carbs, and wondered if we had tried a Carter Thermo-Quad. l had briefly tried several in the late 70’s or early 80’s, but was not very successful. After visiting with Jon, and reviewing some literature on the T-Quad, I realized there was much more to this carb than I had previously known. Read more

This month, we have an addendum on our recent gas/fuel test, a technical tip, and we also will mention an enthusiast who is truly dedicated to the Pontiac hobby. A later column will discuss an NHRA approved method of installing a master disconnect switch to immediately stop the engine when a master switch is operated. If you need such  information immediately contact me. Read more