I Called B.S. on This

I've got a friend at work that has bragged several times over the years that he once drove a 73 Trans Am 170 MPH. When I questioned him, he said that it was a 'rebuilt' Super Duty 455. When I replied "you mean the 290 HP version of the 455, as opposed to the 250 HP version?". He didn't like that at all.

Now, I know that the SD 455 was a strong motor (block, rods...), but it was so badly de-tuned due to the early 70's emissions laws: crappy cam, 8:1 compression....

You guys & gals give me your opinions. What would it have taken to make one of these things go 170 MPH.

Rick

An overdrive transmission, 2.79 gears in the back, and an idiot driving a motor that was hopped up well past factory spec perhaps?
[addsig]

"What would it have taken to make one of these things go 170 MPH. "


A jet airplane towing it down the runway.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: redneckprofessor on 5/16/07 9:21am ]</font>

I didn't know a TA would run long enough to even go that fast. Just got home from fixing one on the side of the road. Bad ignition module...imagine that. One of GM's brighter ideas, put the distributor in the back of the engine (403 olds). Makes it nice & fun to change a module in the dark with traffic passing you at 75-85 mph.
[addsig]

Highly doubt it, the guages didn't even go that high so how would he know.

I went to bonneville and saw what it took to get a stock bodied car to 170 mph, and believe me it was much more than a rebuilt 455. You could do it but with extensive engine work. Ill bet that thing actually ran to about 135 mph tops before the aerodynamics didnt let it go faster with that low revving engine.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ujt389 on 5/16/07 12:19pm ]</font>

Your buddy is talking out his azz. Other that Ford products, Ponchos are #2 with me and I doubt that there's ever been a Firdbird equipped with an SD that turned 170 mph, even on the salt.


Jan

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
On 2007-05-15 21:55, tbirdchick wrote:
Your buddy is talking out his azz. Other that Ford products, Ponchos are #2 with me and I doubt that there's ever been a Firebird equipped with an SD that turned 170 mph, even on the salt.


Jan
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

I had a 78 400 4sp worked over a bit. It was fast but not that fast. Couldn't find many Fords that could keep up either.
At the time, my roomy had a 455 silver anniversary edition, I could eat his lunch any day of the weak. He couldn't understand why.
_________________
Tweety Bird the 64 Falcon.

Common sense is a learned processed

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: retyler on 5/16/07 8:10pm ]</font>

I had a 79 T/A with a very anemic 403 Olds engine. POS motor. Rated at 180 - maybe on a really good air day in Death Valley. Put headers and a Holley on it - just made it worse I think. Threw the cat over the back fence, etc. - all the standard stuff we did back in the Disco era.

BUT...One evening I received an official "clocking" by the Fort Worth Police Department at 145+ MPH. So a 250+ HP motor might get 150~160, given sufficient room and luck. Now, it took nearly 2 miles to get there but I blew the doors off those two Camaros in the process...
[addsig]