first off, hi everybody. i'm new to the forum. merry christmass.
my ride is a 1972 gmc sprint, but you all probably know it's the same as an elky.
anyhow, i've got a zz502 under the hood (holley hp 1000 carb, stock aluminum heads and intake), a narrowed ford 9" (detroit locker, 35 spline), and a fb ford aod trans (full manual valve body). the car is putting out about 425 horse to the rear wheels and it hooks nicely with the slicks on it. no cutting, no tubbing, and i don't intend to start.
the car's pretty fast, but to get it down in the 10 second area i need to get this thing on a diet! anybody know where i can buy fibreglass or (prefferably) carbon fibre hood and body panels?
thanks!

Merry Christmas chilli...welcome to ECC! Try these www.usbodysource.com/ and www.eharwood.com/home.html

first off, hi everybody. i'm new to the forum. merry christmass! Happy Holidays right back at'cha!!! And welcome to the forum!!!

10 seconds with no tubbing? that's quite a goal! What times are ya running now?

i've got a zz502 under the hood (holley hp 1000 carb, stock aluminum heads and intake), a narrowed ford 9" (detroit locker, 35 spline), and a fb ford aod trans (full manual valve body). I'd love to see how you shoehorned that big block in there...post some pictures for us to ogle over :cool:

no shoehorning required; it just slipped in as easy as you please. the 502 is the same size outside as the 454 from what i understand, the difference in size is the inside of the motor. i could be wrong about that, i'm new to the sport and i've never worked with a 454 before, but that's what i've been told.
i went outside and took a digital picture, but i don't know how to attach it here. anybody have any ideas?

anyhow, look at this guy's ride-
http://www.teamwir.com/2003photos/4-26/pages/100_0062_jpg.htm
now here's the thing; i didn't know crap about cars untill a few months ago, but i'm learning. i started this project in april '03 with a few wrenches and a seized motor and went out and got all the parts i could find and did alot of reading. i'm realizing that there are two camps when it comes to performance:
1)the people who overdo everything and hope for the best- this group is usually the old timers, they are the guys who cut everything up and tub it, throw in a blower whenever possible, put in sloppy springs so the car wildly squats in the back for traction etc...less calcualtions, more brute force and experience.
2)the people who do just enough to get a goal accomplished- this group relies upon tricks to get the job done. intense calculations and test/tune work for suspension geometry rather than cutting and tubbing, nitrous shots when needed instead of copius all the time power boosters like blowers etc...
seems like both get good times and have good points. my ride hooks perfectly now that i've played a few games with it (batteries over the rear wheels for instance, also boxed suspension parts and drag shocks front and rear, e/t street slicks) so i think that will continue to happen so long as i keep the cg at or closer to the rear wheels than where it is now(friction is the normal force*the mu), but i need to drop weight off the front for faster acceleration (force stays the same, mass drops acceleration rises i hope). I'll get in the tens, i just need a little time!

You could take off the "GMC" grill emblem and send it to me... that would save you a few ounces, and I'll even pay for shipping! :cool:

Seriously, though, are you keeping this car as a driver, or as a strip only car? You can save weight by using race-only braking components (lightweight and meant only for 1 big stop at the end of a run, not for stop-and-go traffic). "Skinnies" for front tires mounted on aluminum rims (makes for low rolling resistance too). You could easily change to these when you get to the track if this is your driver.

The "sloppy springs" you mentioned are probably guys running the 90/10 valved front shocks. This is for front to rear weight transfer... getting as much weight to the rear tires as quickly as possible for increased traction off the line. You probably don't want to run these for street use though.

That pic of the 71 coming off the line was sweet. I think I read somewhere on chevelles.com that the third gen El Caminos actually have a better front/rear weight distribution than the Chevelles of the same years.

It's all about how you plan on using it. Riding in a 10-second strip car down your local streets 7 days a week can get old quick unless you choose your components carefully.

not sure about the sprint model but did you try www.up22.com ?