How FAST Do You Drive?

[lakeholme]

         NICE CAR 

Ditto on the hog rings!

And you have to tell us your top speed!   

    

[69X55SS]

Thank you, since I'm getting old that one took me a while.

Top speed ? , after a Speedo gets pegged it's anyone's guess, and I have never done it at a place I could be clocked..

I am putting dual quads and nitrous on her this winter. Just found my old Offy intake again and I can't resist two 4's ......

 Never used nitrous before, so maybe you can teach old dog new tricks.   

[armstrong6]

I can remember one time about 15 years ago there was a late 70's 400 Trans Am I was racing at about 110 we were pretty much neck and neck until a light turned yellow about a 1/2 mile down the road.  I remember stepping on the brakes and nothing really happened!  I was literally standing on the brake and downshifting at 80 MPH.  I finally got it shut down in the middle of the intersection right before a car came through.  A big billowing cloud of smoke came drifting across the car of burning brake pads.  That is when I realized it was time to replace the drums with some front discs. 

Much later after replacing my muncie with a TKO I got a wild hair up my toosh and hit about 130 MPH.  After being there for about 3 seconds I started thinking of who rebuilt this thing (yours truly) and how old the tires were (about 15 years old)  That sufficiently freaked me out and I promptly slowed her down.  Handled surprisingly well though....

[My68SS]

Many years ago, late night freeway, gave it a quick wot squirt to valve float @ about 6500, which with the 3.55 rear is about 130mph, more than double the speed limit.
As soon as I felt the valve float I shut down the throttle letting the engine pull the knots off. Then, my heart stops as I see blue lights in the rear view!
"I am sooo dead, they're going to lock me and the car up and throw the key away! How the hell did I miss them!!!"
Cop walks up to the window and says, "Do you realise you were doing 80mph just back there". My heart restarts as I splutter back "Oh really" [choke] "80...wow...sorry about that, don't drive this car much, kinda gets away on you".
I then realise that he has come onto the freeway via the overpass I had just gone under and missed me hitting 130.
I behaved myself for a looong time after that! 

[lakeholme]

Hey, Rob, love that story...
I got pulled over in the 61 Impala I used to have, doing a good 30 mph over the speed limit.  The trooper got out... walked all the way around the car looking... walked up to my window... and said, "I used to have one just like this, same color and everything!  Now, slow down and get out of here.  Next time you won't be so lucky!"
Did you --or Armstrong6-- experience any of the front end lift that others have mentioned?

[My68SS]

Hey Phil, lucky break for you too I see 
Your question is testing my memory, it seemed ok at the time, maybe a little lighter feeling. But it's a fairly smooth bit of road which didn't ask much of the suspension, plus it was all over in a matter of seconds so not much time to think about anything

[lakeholme]

True --about not much time to think!
There is a restorer who puts new Vette front ends on 1st Gen Camaros in my area (lots of NASCAR folks with lots of money).  He let me drive one a while back.  Ran great, but it was almost too responsive (if there is such a thing for many of us).  It just didn't feel like a Camaro...  As a result, I didn't take it above 60... Would hate to wreck somebody else's car!

[sleepsinshed]

Like armstrong6 I re-evaluated my driving habits after racing someone on the highway in my first 68 many years ago. We were both doing around 100 and came up quickly on slower traffic. I hit the brakes -manual drums all around- and waited for the car to slow down. Which it didn't seem to want to do. After nearly pooping my pants trying to avoid rear-ending the truck in front of me  I decided that stock 68 vehicles weren't necessarily made for that kind of driving. My current 68 also has manual drums all around so I mostly drive it like an old lady, though I would like to test that rear squat at 70mph effect caused by the rear spoiler. Wouldn't that also contribute to the front end lift?

[Harvey M Vogel]

I was on a long country road straight away with a crouch rocket behind me on my butt so I aired out my Z10 my speedo said 137,started to run out of road so I shut it down pulled into a side road and he pulled in behind me. I ask him how fast he was going and he said his speedo said 147. I was running tall tire on rear so I guess my speedo is a little.The Z10 has a bb 427 with Tremic 5 speed & 342 gear in the 12 bolt rear end. My tach was sitting on 3850 rpm and I shift @ 6000 rpm so she had more in her but it starts to feel a little loose at that speed and I start to run out of gonads.

[lakeholme]

How did it handle?

[jmcbeth]

'69 Z, 302, M20, 410 gears: I've had her over 70 MPH, but only briefly. With 410 gears, it's screaming! After all, you have to blow them out occasionally, don't you? That's waht they were built for...

[hotrod68]

Phil...I have enough miles on my '68 now that I can play with it, and it's a lot of fun. The engine laughs at my Mickey Thompson L60-14 street tires, and the first time I stalled the converter up with the Hoosier street slicks on it I went for a ride! She went sideways to the left then hooked. I turned it 6500 in 1st, 6500 in 2nd and by the time I let out of it in high the speedometer needle was down among the idiot lights...chuckle. Geez, what a rush! Maybe the question isn't how fast do you drive, but where can I find a place to turn this thing loose? I can't wait to get it painted, put the interior back in it, and hit Piedmont Dragway!

[lakeholme]

Hotrod, sounds great!  I'm glad to know you've got it out and running.
Are you coming to the Charlotte Autofair in April?  We're already working on it.

[hotrod68]

Yep, she's up and running and all systems are go...chuckle. I'm going to try and make Charlotte next year. it's been a few years since I've gone, but I hear it's expanded to unreal proportions from my buds. That's wild to me, because the last time I went you could talk all day in the infield and not see everything!

[lakeholme]

We're taking the AACA show outside the track (It is a national show in April, so it has to be free!), so that should leave even more room inside for (hopefullly) good stuff.