Topic: Old school American V8s in Lemons...(again) 2021 edition
Hello, my name is George. This is my first post, but I am a long time lurker.
Not a new subject of course. Yes I’ve done a fair bit of searching on this forum and through other sources.
I’m trying to focus on old school(carbureted 60s architecture) American V8 powered cars/trucks that are capable of competing in class B or better in both lap times and reliability. A fairly difficult premise I accept.
Granted, modern lightweight performance minded small/mid displacement cars are a more natural fit for endurance racing, makes sense. Miatas, BMW 3 series, sc300s, Hondas, etc. plenty to choose from.
For those who are interested in doing things the hard way:
What I have come to understand for endurance racing with the old style V8s:
Getting a big old v8 to survive at a more modest class C pace isn’t as difficult as aiming higher for the performance range. Keep the engine pretty bone stock, keep rpms low, baby it, make sure there is adequate cooling,use good oil, try to start with an old engine in decent shape and state of tune.
For those aiming higher speed wise:
-Still keep the engine as stock as feasible. Maybe cheap headers/carb.
-Keep the rpms under 5500 for a known healthy engine, less if either trying to conserve fuel or engine isn’t deemed capable(some factory cams die at 4500-5000 anyway).
-The lighter the vehicle, the less stress on the engine and better performance/fuel economy for the engine output. (model T-GT is a great example)
-If chassis/tires/brakes setup and driver skills are good enough to have good corner speeds, long sweeping corners can allow enough oil slosh to let the oil pickup go dry enough to kill engines. (Petty Cash documented this issue). A simple oil pan baffling with scrap sheet metal and/or an oil accumulator can deal with that.
-fuel consumption becomes an issue for those trying to compete in class A or B. Again, lighter vehicle weight with more modest engine specs seem to be ideal.
Maybe headers/carb if desired and it passes BS.
The fantastic License to ill S10 short bed truck comes to mind as a good example as a reliable yet fast old v8 powered Lemons car(truck)
3000lbs (with 200lbs or so of thumping stereo equipment in the bed), a small 1960s Chevy 283 running a 2bbl Holley and a cheap pair of old headers. Reportedly not much aftermarket beyond that(aluminum intake maybe)
Yet that truck ran MANY races over nearly 10 years with I think the same 283. They managed an IOE title and later a class B win. In certain races they were competitive with class A cars. And starting with a non performance minded very front heavy compact 1980s pickup as a base. It’s hard not to be impressed.
Any info I can gather on keeping an old type V8 alive in Lemons is welcome.
Fuel consumption rates would be a big plus.
George
