1/4 mile time for a stock 1972 GS350?

Nando - antifreeze has to be drained, run water with water wetter......have a look at the mission rules.

 

Get your total in sooner, like 2500 rpm

 

Sticky tires make a big difference, if you're running street tires don't drive through the water box go around it. Unless your transmission is set up to shift at optimum rpms, shift manually through the gears at about 4800-5000 rpm. No need to wind it up any more than that with a stock engine. A good dual exhaust with x pipe makes a big difference as well. My '69 350 ran 16.0 at 88mph when i first started racing it with a 2.73 open rear. Still have the stock intake, quadrajet carb, and points ignition in it with a 3.23 posi rear and it's run a best of 13.56 with a best mph of 99.9. It has been bored .030 over with forged pistons and a TA 290 cam. It's a lot of fun to beat big blocks with a small block and you get a lot better gas mileage when cruising!

 

Mine runs 13.34 stock. Well tuned.

Mark your car is closer to 4000.

 

Guys, guys, we're all forgetting....the secret sauce...3.42 gears!
If he's running a stock 4bbl engine he's making about 190HP.
The small Buick is the lightest of all the GM 350's so he has a weight advantage.
I've seen several 1/4 mile times in the lower 16 second range for a bone stock 350/350 Chevelle from the early 70's, so using decent driving skills, I don't see why he couldn't break into the upper 15's on his first day!
Judicious engine tuning will help, as well as making various suspension adjustments (air bag under the right side, zero toe and dropping the air pressure in the tires a bit).
Good luck on your first day at the track....and please, let us know how things turned out. =)

Bob
P.S. - Just checked the www.automobile-catalogue.com website.
1972 GS 2-door Hardtop with 3-spd auto - 16.8 sec. (when you open the page says, "Sport Coupe")
1972 GS Skylark Sport Coupe with 3-spd. auto. - 18.2 sec. (listed as 3rd Gen Skylark 2-door hardtop, but when you open it up, they list as Skylark Sport Coupe)
Not sure where they draw their figures from but they list about every general stat you'd ever want to know about any American car (maybe imports, t00?)

 

NICE! Anytime you need a driver, don't hesitate to call.....Good Lord!

 

Before I chime in, is anyone pushing, said car?

 

I appreciate all the feedback. Yes I’m fortunate to have 3:42’s...and now posi.

On the tuning side, I can max out centrifical advance to 34 degrees by following Larry’s tuning guide.

What’s the thoughts on all in at 2500...3500 rpm?

It is stock 350, numbers quadrajet, has duals with H pipe. And has air bags. I don’t see traction being an issue.

The goal here is just run the car prepped as well as possible with these stock components and see how she does. Big block transplant in the works....this is a car that my daughters and son in laws drive occasionally as well.

 

You will want to check on the timing beforehand. If you have the stock 72 distributer, I believe spec for mechanical advance was 12 to 16, 16 initial advance plus 16 mechanical is 32 . You may end up with too much initial . Bring a spare starter. Too much timing has blown the nose off the starter

 

Beautiful car and nice upgrades.

 

MMMMMM traction MAY be an issue
I thought the same thing “ eh it’s a 350”
Yeah it’s a BUICK 350, ALOT OF TORQUE

 

Brad: I have been reviewing through the Mission rules. Perhaps, we can meet sometime in the next few weeks. If traction will be an issue you can borrow a pair of my BFG Drag Radials. I will double-check the size, but they should be 245-60 x 15s. They are dismounted from the rims, however. I had been running them on my 1971 GS 455.



Nando.

 

Having the 342 may actually hurt you in the 1/4,...you will be in 3rd gear for all of the back half with a weak engine that is usually a recipe for for a high ET as its laboring thru the last 660

 

Gents, today I used a set of pertronix advance limiters that were left from the billet unit I put in my olds - they work perfect in a GM points style distributor. So my distributor is limited to 20 degrees centrifical advance....so put the lightest springs in i had, used my dial back timing light and lock it at max 32 degrees. This gave me 12 at idle...600 rpm. So I used the silver springs, I’m all in at 2500 rpm....all good. So as far as traction.....can hardly get a squeal out of this low compression 350. If I brake stand, I can break loose and get some posi rubber. Long and short.....I’m thinking 17 plus quarter mile time. We will see in July. Can’t see traction being an issue. My 395 hp 510 foot pounds of torque at rear wheels olds 455.....now it has traction problems.

 

...what hugger said....
I thought some more about my initial statement concerning the 3.42's and realized that Canadian GS 350 may run out of R's before the end of the track.
Too much gear can be as bad, or even worse, than not enough.
Running low 16's would put one in the upper-mid 80 mph range.
Assuming 26" tall tires, with 3.42's, the engine will be turning somewhere around 4000-4100 rpm.
At that speed, a completely stock 4-bbl engine is running out of steam. One may actually slowing slightly, as it crosses the traps.

 

LOL! This reminds me of something that happened to me back in my mechanic days.
So once upon a time I worked in the automotive service section of a large well known retailer.
I was given the task of performing an oil and lube on a 1972 Buick Skylark.
Man, this thing was a serious "Grandma's car". That pea green colour some were optioned with and a matching pea green PLAID interior, to boot.
But the thing looked like it had just come off the showroom floor (it would've been about 15 years old at this time)….even still had a hint of the "new car smell".
Being the young buck / kid-in-a-candy-store I was back then, I decided I would take the opportunity of my unique position to performance test every car I worked on.
...I mean, I may never get this chance again, right?
So my "performance testing" consisted of simply flooring the gas once the car was in gear and see how hard it would pull in the parking lot, before entering the shop....at idle, of course (well, usually... ).
So the Buick was parked out in the back, where we usually leave the cars after we're done with them, but..whatever.
The exit apron was a straight chute that was actually where the truck would drop off the new tires and our dumpster was out there, too.
All total, it was probably about 80 feet long and ended at a stop sign (this shop was located in a mall and it intersected the main road that went around the mall).
I jumped in, started it, backed it out nice and easy, got it lined up and nailed the gas...…..
























….by the time I was able to pull my head out of the back seat, I was just about on top of that stop sign and approach 35 mph.
I laid on the brakes and she literally stopped right on the spot.
I casually chugged it around and into the shop and TORE THE HOOD OPEN.
I was SURE a 455 would greet me...possibly a Stage 1 engine!....nope, simply a stock 350 4-bbl with A/C.
I was absolutely stunned.
I've driven some pretty high performance machines in my time, but that Buick is still the hardest pulling car I've ever driven.
The sheer force of acceleration was not to be believed. Incredible experience.
….and I've been a Buick fan ever since.
Beware the "little" 350...it WILL tear your head off, given a chance!

 

I should add this car came with the g60 15 option, so its running 255 60R 15’s.