Stan, your claim of what cars would run faster than the 442 is easily proven wrong with a little study of history. In 1967, four engineers from Lansing loaded up a 1967 442 W30 production mule on a trailer behind a 1 ton GMC van, with a few spare parts, and a set of used slicks, drove to Pomona California and swept C stock at the Winter Nationals with the car. Swept it.
There was no factory support or money used. The car was a radio delete, heater delete, 4:33 geared four speed car with a bench seat. The motor used the factory W30 308 cam. Oldmobile sold about 500 of the single 4 barrel W30 models in 1967, and 54 W30s the previous year, which used a mechanical linkage 6 barrel arrangement, which, actually worked all the time, versus the vacuum arrangement used by, well, everybody else. In 69 and 70 the factory produced F85 and Cutlass W31 models, with factory blueprinted 350 motors that would happily run down the strip in front of most of the big blocks cars of the era, when a set of headers and slicks were bolted on.
People seldom went to Olds for a drag car, but, they had one for you if you really wanted it.
You're right about that last sentence. They seldom went to an Olds for a drag car because they wanted to win, not see tail lights. As for your claim about the C stock class at Pomona .... we could throw up examples of one car or the other winning here or there forever, and not prove anything. You know people lose races for lots of reasons, not always because they weren't the quickest through the 1320. Redlighting is good example. Cheating is another. But, back to your advice about studying a little history. Maybe
you should make the effort to look into history. I was not talking about what one particular car can do when "a set of headers and slicks were bolted on". My gosh, I could make a golf cart outrun your F150 in the 1/4, with enough effort. Tell you what .... I'll save you the research. Here ya' go ........... 1/4 mile E.T.s and speeds for 1970 muscle cars.
ALL stock cars, which is the only way to do a fair comparison.
1970 Chevelle SS454 (SSC)
450ci/450hp, 3spd auto, 3.31, 0-60 - n/a, 1/4 mile - 13.55 @ 104mph
1970 Chevelle SS454 (CC)
454ci/450hp, 4spd, 3.55, 0-60 - n/a, 1/4 mile 13.12 @ 107.01mph
1970 Chevelle SS454 (CD)
454ci/450hp, 3spd auto, 3.70, 0-60 - 5.4, 1/4 mile 13.81 @ 103.80mph
1970 Chevelle SS454 (HR)
454ci/450hp, 4spd, 4.11, 0-60 - n/a, 1/4 mile - 13.44 @ 108.17mph
1970 Camaro Z/28 (MT)
350ci/370hp, 4spd, 4.10, 0-60 - n/a, 1/4 mile - 14.11 @ 102.73mph
1970 Camaro Z/28 (HC)
350ci/360hp, 3spd auto, 4.10, 0-60 - n/a, 1/4 mile - 13.88 @ 101mph
1970 Plymouth Road Runner (MT)
440ci/390hp, 4spd, 4.10, 0-60 - 6.6, 1/4 mile - 14.06 @ 101.69mph
1970 Plymouth Road Runner (SS)
426ci/425hp, 3spd auto, 4.10, 0-60 - n/a, 1/4 mile - 13.34 @ 107.50mph
1970 Pontiac Trans Am (HR)
400ci/345hp, 4spd, 3.91, 1/4 mile - 13.90 @ 102mph
1970 Dodge Dart (CC)
340ci/275hp, 3spd std, 3.91, 0-60 - n/a, 1/4 mile - 14.70 @ 96.84mph
1970 Cutlass W31 (PHR)
350ci/325hp, 3spd auto, 3.91, 0-60 - n/a, 1/4 mile - 14.62 @ 96.05mph
So, what do we see here that the W31 could beat? Well, maybe the lowly Dart, with only 275 hp. Why did the Dart come so close to beating the W31? Because horsepower to weight is more important than raw horsepower.
If you'd like to see how the Olds stacked up against
other muscle cars of 1970, that I didn't mention ..... here 'tis.
https://www.facebook.com/HotRodHarrysGarage/posts/10151254903213160 Have a good 'un, Ted
P.S. To put this in street terms, the 454 Chevelle with the 4-speed and 3.55 gears (notice the W31 had lower gears at 3.91) would beat the W31 by roughly
15 car lengths (at these e.t.s, .1 second is about one car length). Kinda puts things in perspective, eh? Nobody in their right mind would claim that a W31 with a small block could "happily run down the strip in front of most of the big block cars of the era".
SRH
