The Virginia Muscle Car

Andy, Bill, and Bob's Nomads of the late 60s and early 70s: L79, L84, L88
(This is where it all started for us)



I have gone into a little detail here. It is surprising how much you can remember once you get started. Maybe even a little scary; especially, since I am supposed to have a bad memory - maybe only for the things for which I don't have a strong interest?

Short Block - block, rods, crank, pistons, cam

The four bolt short block actually started life as a 427/425hp 4-bolt block; possibly from a Vette. I thought this for several reasons. First, it had a Vette oil pan. I bought it from a guy who lived in the Mount Vernon area who raced a 66 big block Vette. After I bought this engine from him, I saw him at the quarter mile track turn 11 something in a stock class. Back then, an 11 something at a quarter mile track was very good for a stock street car. I do not know where he got the motor he sold to me. It might have been the original engine from his 1966 Vette which also had a production date of 1966. However, "the" machinist told me that GM cast this block with NASCAR racing in mind and it had a thicker casting. I'm almost sure that the guy who sold the engine to me did not know the details about the motor. I kept the forged crank, but upgraded the 425hp 11.25 compression pistons to the L88 pistons. Bill brokered a deal for a set of L88 pistons with a guy named Eddie, (I will talk about this colorful guy later.) Eddie not only setup the 488 Pontiac punkin but also sold to me a set of slightly use L88, GM 40 over, 12.5 to 1 forged pistons. I had also upgraded to the L88 7/16 push rods and to the Phase II L88 full float 7/16 connecting rods. Had a funny experience in buying the connecting rods. When I went to a Chevrolet dealer to buy L88 connecting rods, I thought I bought eight L88 rods - and I did - kind of. After making the purchase, I delivered them to "the" machinist so he could do his magic. A day or two later, he called me back just chucking up a storm. Apparently, I bought six rods with 7/16 rod bolts and two rods with 3/8 rod bolts. When I went back to the Chevy dealer's parts department to exchange the two 3/8 rods for two more 7/16 rods, the parts man explained that the 425hp and L88 Phase I had 3/8 rod bolts and that the L88 Phase II and Phase III rods had the larger 7/16 rod bolts. He went on further to say that the L88 Phase I, II, and III, all had the same part number - even with different rod bolts. Maybe I was being given a line and someone put a couple of rods in the wrong boxes - don't know? After reading another article that advocated the Phase II L88 cam for hi-performance street/strip applications, I made another purchase at the Chevy dealer. I also bought the GM compatible L88 lifters. This time "the" machinist said that the Chevy dealer gave me the right parts! Later when the more radical ZL-1 cam came out, wished I had made an additional purchase for a cam update. However, after all the upgraded parts were installed and machine work completed, the Nomad engine had more hi-end horse power and hi-end torque than a stock L88 so you decide what to call it.

Cylinder Heads

For heads, we used the rectangular port (verses oval port), closed chambered, cast iron heads; Bill told me about the Phase I aluminum L88 head's exhaust seats would move around during hard acceleration and cause pre-detonation. However, others were successfully using the aluminum Phase II and Phase III L88 heads. I guess the other factors in my selection of the big cast iron heads were the relatively inexpensive cost, good flow characteristics, plus I already had a pair. The purists would not call this engine an L88 because it had the cast iron heads rather than the aluminum heads. The real issue with the aluminum heads was that they were lighter. And as far as my heads being closed chambered, I think the open chambered heads came out a little after my engine was built (1969); otherwise, I would have assessed their performance increase as compared to their cost. The rectangular heads that we used were used in engines that had a solid lifter cam such as the 427/435hp 1967 Vette, 427/425hp 1966 Vette, 396/425hp 1965 Vette, and the 396/375hp SS Chevelle and Camaro. Actually, I read in a hotrod magazine that stated the 396/375hp and the 396/425hp were virtually the same motor. These motors also had 4-bolt blocks with 11.25 compression pistons, the big Chevy aluminum hi-rise intake, and the 780 double pump Holley. I had heard that Chevrolet also used some of these heads in truck motors; the heads also had "truck/hi-pass" cast on them. So if you are looking for a set of these may want to check out the Chevy trucks in a salvage yard otherwise you may pay a lot for them at a swap meet. The oval port head was used in 2-bolt block motors that had hydraulic cams such Vettes with 427/390hp (L36) motor and Chevelles with 396/360hp(L35) or 396/325hp(L34) motors. These engines also had lower compression pistons, low-rise intakes to match the oval port heads, and sometimes Quads rather than Holleys in the Chevelle.

I did not keep up with head/short block evolution after about 1970. I was in college at the time - that's my story and I am sticking to it ... About 1971/1972 is considered the end of the Muscle Car Era and the beginning, in earnest, of the smoggers - like my "de-smogged" 76 Vette (see 76 Vette section). Engine specs really changed for the big 454 and other engines which were introducted after the Muscle car Era like the 402, 502, and others. If you are interested in information on Big Block Chevy casting numbers; here is a great WEB site: http://www.nastyz28.com/bbcmenu.html Wish I had written down my casting numbers and at the same time been able remembered where I put this list!!!

Oil Pan

For an oil pan, we started with the 425hp Vette pan. It had a separate baffle(windtray) that was bolted directly to the main cap bolts. The pan was long in the front so I had to buy a dropped drag link to make it fit in the Nomad. When I bought a L88 pan to replace the 425hp Vette pan, I noticed that the L88 pan did not have quite the same depth in the front but held an additional quart in the rear sump. I had to install the L88 oil pump pickup to compensate for the deeper sump. Also bought the L88 oil pump which probably was the same thing as the Vette oil pump. Did stretch the oil pump spring to raise the oil pressure a little. Had to swap out several of the Vette main cap bolts that held the baffle; they were too long and would hit the front of the L88 pan. After changing to the L88 pan, I noticed that the dropped drag link was not needed after all, but now the oil system was truly L88. In retrospect, not sure the L88 pan was any better than the Vette pan other than having an additional quart capacity. I liked the design of the Vette baffle more than the L88's puny baffle that was welded directly to the pan. However, with the deeper sump of the L88 pan, the engine probably would be less likely to suck air under hard acceleration than the Vette pan would be. The Vette's long pan evenly distributed oil over most of the bottom with a large baffle designed to compensate for more sideways motion as in road racing. This kind of makes sense since the Vette was originally and primarily designed as a road racing car. Because road racing cars are low to the ground, it would not make sense to have a deep pan sticking out the bottom dragging on the road. In contrast, the L88 pan was primarily designed for straight ahead drag racing with the sump not going dry under hard acceleration at sustained, high rpms. OK, we did right; the Nomad was not a round-d-round car (as Andy used to say). The body sat up relatively high and had enough ground cleanance for a deep pan, The Vette pan did have a nicely designed baffle with a little hinged flap in the bottom; so some GM engineer obviously took his time in designing this part. Even though we swapped out the Vette pan, I feel it was a true work of art but for a different application.








Carburetor

For a carburetor, I used a modified 950cfm Holley 3 barrel that had two primaries with one big oval dump for a secondary. The 3 barrel had a single pump accelerator system (verses the 850cfm double pump system on the standard L88 motor or the 780cfm double pump system on the standard 425hp Vette motor). However, I modified the 3 barrel to the better double pump system with a kit that doubled a the accelerator pump reservoir and ran an additional accelerator pump fuel line feed to the secondary. In addition, the jets and power valve were also swapped out. Couple of guys who worked with me at night were Army helicopter mechanics during the day and made a nifty accelerator linkage for the 3 barrel. These guys had just returned home from the Vietnam War and were just happy to be alive and would help just about anyone - include me.

Fuel Pump(s)

Read in a magazine that two fuel pumps were better than one. So we mounted an elecrtic fuel pump near the gas tank and mounted a mechanical standard GM Delco L88 pump on the engine block. The output line from the electric fuel pump fed into the input feed of the block mounted pump. Needed a lot of fuel for that 950 Holley.

Distributor

After reading a hotrod magazine article on how distributor shops could optimize a distributor, I asked Bill if there was good shop in the area and he told me about one in Alexandria. First, I bought a Mallory Dual Life distributor from the Alexandria speed shop that was own by Big Ed (recently was told Ed passed on). I learned a lot there too by talking to Donnie who ran a 66 SS El Camino with a "stock" looking 396/375hp, M21, and a 411 - what a Great truck! He lived near Annandale so occassionally I saw him at the Annandale TOPS too. We also saw him at the track several times. I bought several distributor kits from Donnie with springs of different tensions and weights of different shapes. (The 3 Barrel carburetor was bought from this same speed shop and it was Donnie that sold it to me.) After purchasing the Mallory, I then went to the distributor shop and talked them about my application. They setup the distributor on some kind of dynamic spinning machine. They changed the weights, springs, and ultimately optimized the spark's curve for the engine, gearing, and weight of the Nomad. Later, I considered buying a Vertex Magneto to replace the Mallory distributor but ran out of time and I had to sell the Nomad - one of several regrets. I am sure Donnie would have gladly sold another Vertex Magneto.

"The" Machinist

Once I had all the engine components together, the motor was setup with racing clearances and several other tricks applied by "the" Sox and Martin's (of the early 60s 409 drag racing fame) mechanic/machinist: Pete Hall(AEI). Bill's Uncle Sherman suggested that Pete do the machine work for the Nomad; so Bill introduced me to Pete. Pete also had the B Stock Automatic record with his 64 2D post Dodge that had a 426 Wedge (as opposed to a 426 Hemi). Besides setting up engine clearances, Pete did a 3 angle valve job (something more common place today), machined a negative deck height (used a thick composite head gasket), turned the crank 010, balanced the whole engine, and set the valve timing; actually he blueprinted the bottom end. He also machined the hi-rise Eldebrock intake manifold to an open chambered one, flycut the pistons to make enough relief for the high lift cam, tuned the three barrel by changing the powervalve and jets, and re-tuned the distributor. Pete told me to set "total" advance to 35 degrees - Oh boy - that was a lot, but he knew whattt he was doing. When Pete was finished with the machine work, he said the engine had well over 700 horse power. However, much to Pete's dismay and several other "real" drag racers, I used the Nomad as a daily driver to go to work and to college classes rather than just for quarter mile racing. He probably wanted the engine on the track to act as an advertisement for his business. I am not all together sure he would have worked on the engine in the first place if he knew it was going to be in a street car. I thought this because he asked me: "You are not going to use this on the street are you?" Naturally I said, "NO - of course not!" (hehehe) Now that I look back on it, I am sure Sherman thought I was just plain nuts - probably am.

Spark Plugs

Ran Autolite spark plugs. Bill and his Uncle swore by them so Autolites were and still are good enough for me - even today. I found a magazine article on how to read plugs and the author advocated using different heat ranges in different cylinders depending on what was observed on the plug. Each cylinder is slightly different so I would read a new plug, after short usage, and install another new plug with the appropriate heat range for that cylinder. I can remember Bill telling me something that he learned from his Uncle, "The higher the plug number, the hotter the heat range."








Big Block Installation

I also read a magazine article on how to use a Nickey Camaro Change Over Kit to help fit a big block into a 55, 56, or 57 engine compartment. This kit included headers, clutch conversion hardware and motor mounts. Years later someone told me that the 58 Belair 348ci motor mounts were the same motor mounts used in this kit. Besides installing this kit, we also had to move the radiator from the back of the radiator support to the front of this support. Pounding in the firewall with a ball peen hammer above the distributor and behind the back of the left head, was also required. Actually, I smoothed out the metal after using the hammer... In addition, the article also advocated that a left side power steering valve cover (one with indentation) be used for additional clearance. Once everything was assembled, I still had to dent the tubular header on the right side to clear an Idlerarm arm bolt.

Clutch - flywheel, pressure head, bell housing

I changed a clutch part once. Started out with an aluminum flywheel, but I burned it up fairly quickly, too much weight and power. Also, back then the friction surface of an aluminum flywheel was just the aluminum. Today a thin plate of steel or composite material is rivited to aluminum flywheels to act as the friction surface. I have no idea how the older pure aluminum flywheels were used in a racing environment back then without being replaced frequently. Because of this I changed to a 43lb steel flywheel, which definitely was not going to burn up. However, I did notice a difference in engine performance. With the aluminum flywheel, the engine had much better throttle response, but the rpms would drop off quicker under a load. With the steel flywheel the throttle response was a lot slower, but when the rpms were high they tended to stay high under a load - like off the line. This kind of makes sense; an object with greater mass (steel) will tend to have more inertia than an object with lesser mass (aluminum). Sherman said these were two different philisophies in flywheel technology and depending on what you were trying to do you used one or the other. Guess if you had a lot of weight to move quickly you used the heavier wheel - as in the Green Nomad's case. However, with the high ratio 488 rear the engine still wound up tight very quickly. For the pressure head used a Schaffer Revlock diaphragm but should have gone to Hayes 3 finger; however, the Revlock was good enough for the street and the "much" stiffer Hayes 3 finger would have been a real killer in street traffic. The clutch assembly was incased by Lakewood blow proof bell housing. Lately, I have been pricing aluminum flywheels for the 76 Vette on EBAY and have yet to run across a good bargain.

Transmission/Hurst shifter

On the M21 close ratio Muncie 4 speed, I remember buying the M21 from a local Chevy Dealer for $259 in 1968. Today, you might be able to find a blown one for that price if you were lucky. The M21 had a 220 first gear and was strong enough for my purposes. Thought about the M22 Rock Crusher and it too was ridiculously cheap back then. Andy said the M21 was strong enough and to save my money for something else. So I did. At the auto parts department where I worked, we had many return items. One day a Hurst Shifter was returned that was for a 66 Chevelle with a bench seat (verses a console) and a Muncie 4 speed. The Nomad did not have a console so this shifter fit great. The Department manager sold it to me for about 10 dollars. It had been taken out of the box but not mounted on the trans - got lucky! Later, I bought a reverse lock-out and the massive T-knob. With that large T-knob you could get a good grip on things. Another shifter part that Andy told me about was trans leavers that shortened the shifter throw. This was an easy, inexpensive modification and replaced the original longer GM Muncie hardware. This item dramatically shortens the distance the shifter has to be moved when shifting gears. The other day I was pricing Hurst shifters for the 76 and 85 Vettes because I remember how firm and true those shifters were - forget about it. At today's prices, I'll just keep the stock Vette shifters for a while. However, on the 85 Vette I did install the short throw shifter leavers.

Rear End (a car's)

Even though I read an article in a popular hotrod magazine on how to set up a good rear end, it still was a little tricky. The article described how to swap out the stock 55 Chevy rear end (wheel to wheel) for a heavier the 57 Pontiac rear. The spring perches were the same distance apart. According to this article, you also had to get another right hand axle to replace the left side axle because the left axle had a machined groove behind the splines (weak point) - not sure why it was manufactured this way; however, if you used two right axles the Pontiac rear was stronger than the Chevy rear. Because of all the weight and power, I needed all the strength I could get back there. The only real issue was to cut, weld, align, and balance a 57 Pontiac drive shaft to a Chevy front yoke in order to make the Pontiac rear work with the Chevy M21 trans. Bill told me about a machine shop in Washington DC that could do this kind drive shaft work. Bill also said I should be concerned about the rear end yoke to drive shaft angle. He said there were shims that needed to be put between the rear end spring punches and the leaf springs to minimize this angle. If the angle was too great then the U-joints would have to work too hard. Read a couple of manuals before I decided on an angle. Bought the Pontiac rear end, rims, drive shaft, and extra axle from a wrecking yard. Bought a new ZOOM 488 ring/pinion, and new Timken wheel and pumpkin bearings.

A guy named Eddie, who worked for Sherman, setup the Pontiac pumpkin. He raced an early (56/57) red Corvette with a 427 big block, but it had a blower. He called it Jellybean. Not only did it look like a big red Jellybean, there is a story behind the name Jellybean. Not too long ago another guy, Calhoon, told me the Jellybean story. I vaguely remember Bill telling me this story. Anyway, Calhoon used to own a speed shop on Duke Street and was a place that Andy, Bill, and myself used to frequent and might have been one of Sherman's sponsers. Calhoon now owns speed shop in Manassas where I recently stuck up a conversation with him about the old days. Calhoon said that Eddie used to eat at particular restaurant and always asked for a peanut butter and jellybean sandwich. It was an ongoing joke; so one day the restaurant personnel actually served him a peanut butter and jellybean sandwich, which Eddie did eat. So in honor of this event, Eddie named his Vette - The Jellybean. Calhoon also told me some sad news that Pete, Ed (not Eddie) who was the owner of the other Alexandria speed shop, and Donnie all past away ... But Eddie is still around - I'll have to look him up. When I was building the Nomad, I also bought from Eddie a set of slightly used GM 12.5 L88 (040 over) forged pistons for the Nomad engine. I can still remember Eddie grumbling about the Nomad being a streetcar rather than a just-for-the-quarter-mile-track car. them go a little faster.








Gauges

During this time many drag and street racers used SUN gauges. On Andy's Chevy II, he had used the big Sun tach and some other SUN gauges. He also suggested their use on the Nomad. I believe he used a big SUN tach when he had the green Nomad. So, I bought a cluster of three SUN gauges and mounted them on the steering column just in front of the factory instruments. I used the big tachometer (SUN Super Tach) and set the red line to 7200. I also used the smaller oil and temperature gauges on either side of the tach. Didn't bother looking at the factory speedometer; it was way off anyway. So I judged the speed by the rpms on the tach. I thought the three SUN gauges looked pretty good. Can't seem to find these SUN gauges today? Was thinking of buying the same cluster for the 76 Vette. However, when racing, I don't take my eyes of the road to look at the tach; I listen to the motor in order to know when to shift. Bill said I should strive to do this - 35 years ago.

Background music is "California Girls" originally sung by The Beach Boys and rerendered by Still Surfing (http://www.stillsurfin.com/OCCD.cfm). BTW they have a great CD you can get on this WEBsite ... ~Bob (and Andy)




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