Ol' Blue
I have a subscription to Chevy High Performance, and was just looking through the latest issue, and wanted to drop a line and say that the blue '71 Stingray (Phil and Debbie Huffman) in the September issue is a beautiful car. It is my father-in-law's car and pictures of that car do not do it justice. Sorry if I sound a little partial but it is a beautiful car. He is very meticulous about keeping his car clean but drives it everywhere. It is far from being a trailer queen but from looking at it you could never tell.
Thanks for taking the time to listen to my praise about his car, and if possible I would like a little corner in the magazine for mine someday also. It is a '79 Electric Green Z28. I made it into the NastyZ28 calendar this year as February's car and would love to see it in your magazine. I am on vacation right now but when I return home I will download the images and send them your way. Thanks again and your magazines are great (I have a subscription to Chevy High and Camaro Performers). We are both devoted Chevrolet guys and your magazines keep us well informed of all the important Bow Tie issues.
Kevin Roby
Via email
Partial or not, the '71 Stingray is very nice indeed. Regarding your '79 Z28, send us the pictures with details and we'll be more than happy to showcase your ride.
High Speed Events
Concerning Bob D'Amore's letter in the Sep '10 issue about wanting to see more race cars in the mag. There is another venue where there are very few rules limiting cars. Open Road Racing is run on public highways closed for the day. Race distances run about 100 miles. The idea is to average a given speed. Classes run from 85-90 mph up to 175-180 mph. Some events also have an Unlimited class where the fastest time wins. Cars are started at intervals and run against the clock. The only limits on the cars are all safety oriented. The faster you want to go the more safety equipment and driver experience is required.
In the slower classes, you can run your grocery getter, only needing non-synthetic long sleeves/trousers, gloves, and a helmet. The car only needs to be in reasonable condition and have stock belts, tires in good condition, and a fire extinguisher.
The fastest classes require a full cage, racing seat, fuel cell, fire suppression system, and tires up to the task. The driver (navigator, if there is one) needs a fire suit, shoes, gloves, head & neck restraint, helmet, and arm restraints. Otherwise almost anything goes for the car. No engine limits, no aero body mod limits, no transmission limits, etc.
Everything from econo cars up through Vettes/Vipers/Porsches up to retired NASCAR machines usually show up. Events are usually three days long and there is plenty of time to bench race at these events.
Check out the various events at these websites for more detailed info on locations, requirements, and schedules: openroadracing.com, sorcrace.com, silverstateclassic.com, bborr.com
Charlie Friend
Alamogordo, NM
More Elcos
I'm just curious why I don't see a lot of '79-87 El Caminos in most of the Chevy magazines in print today. I myself have three '80's era Chevys starting with my first project, an '81 El Camino that came with the factory 267 V-8 automatic. I'm currently in the process of building a 454ci for it. Almost all my parts are from Edelbrock, including the heads, manifold, and the cam. I'm having trouble deciding on whether to use the Turbo 350 I have out of an old '79 truck for my setup or to find a Turbo 400 and rebuild it to my needs. I'm also planning on a full Hotchkis suspension setup and a posi-trac rear.