Just looking for some opinions/insight.

My 75 Gremlin was a stock v8 factory car and I did not want to turn it into a full on drag car as I was building one. I did replace the stock v2 carb for a Holley v2 (loocks stock) with the air cleaner installed, a shift kit in the 998 auto, Lock Right locker (replaces spider gears) with stock 2.87 gear. I did clamp the front of the springs to try and stop wheel hop but it was still there. Car would run between 16.0 (cool days) – 16.50 (hot days) and because I ran brackets I would run against 12.0 or little less cars and could go a few rounds.

Now my drag car is a full on never to see street race car. It is gutted in side, just have the dash frame & column, 70 Javelin. It has glass front fenders, F/R glass bumpers, glass rear valance. I still run all the factory glass and can roll them up/down if I want. I added a scoop to the stock steel hood and is sealed to pull in cool air. Batt is in the trunk with fuel cell, know you have to have a metal fire wall between trunk and passenger area with the cell & batt in trunk and you need a batt cut off switch. Also out back a Holley blue elect. Pump & Fram filter.
I run 90/10 front shocks, 6 cly springs no front sway bar. Everything bushing & joint was replaced before I hit the track. Out back new stock leaf springs, off the shelf the shelf gas shocks and a must have Cal-trac bars.
I use the stock AMC 20 rear with another must have Mosers axles, Detroit Locker with 4.56 gear (should have gone with 4.11) and run a 28x9x15 M/T slick and stock steel 14” front wheel/tires.

I started with a 304 and why the 4.56 gear out back but now run a junk yard 360. I say junk yard because it was pulled from a 74 Jeep I was given for the TH400 trany that I will get to. I pulled it apart did a drive way wash, measure and replaced all bearings but cam (no money or time for it), cleaned the piston ring slots and installed new rings (large end gaps) and installed Comp Cams 280H cam. This was the largest lift cam that could be used without machine work. Had a set of 291C heads (valves move in the guides) that I installed the cam kit springs and used roller rockers from the 304. I also used the Eldy Torker intake w/1” spacer and Holley HP DP650 and now HP DP 750 carb. And goes out Hooker super comp 1-7/8 headers. I still use the stock water pump & ALT with belt drive.
Motor hooks to a AMC TH400 from the Jeep and converted to 2 wheel drive for my car. The converter is a too high stall custom built for the 304 motor. Plan to build a bigger motor to work better with the converter someday. Trany has a shift kit rev man. Valve body and matching shifter.

Nothing really works together, cam with converter with rear gear, etc. so it is not that fast time wise. Best time I have run is 12.8 only once. I dial 13.5 most of the time and adjust up/down from there.
http://cars.grantskingdom.com/index.php/70-Javelin-Racecar
I am no expert but if I can help let me know.
Dave ----

    PAINT
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Edited by Lou Abernathy - Jul/23/2014 at 8:58pm

first of all the bracket racing here in fl. for money is on 1/8 mile tracks, so if you are setting up car for bracket racing set for the 1/8 mile. If you are running a chry. 360 if you build it right you should be able to run around 7.oo in 1/8 that's around 11.00 in 1/4. I just sold a 72 dart with a 360 and 904 trans and 8/3/4 rear with 488 gears ran 7.00 1/8 mi. Good Luck Gary

Lou Abernathy wrote:          PAINT > IF, and only if,  car is ORIGINAL paint....it's lacquer (acrylic)....See CAUTION below. Ideally, it should be primered (lacquer primer), but for a "cover it up" job > If original paint is  good, you can sand it lightly and shoot a lacquer color over it....But if rusty, only choice is sand it off.   Lacquer is easy to spray....as easy as primer....and not that expensive.....( Harbor Freight on-sale gun is $10) Pre-thinned Lacquer is available in quarts from Autozone ($20 / qt, "Dupli-Color Paint Shop"), in a dozen colors. It may also be available from Carquest.  For a Javelin, you would probably need somewhere around 8 quarts (minimum) For OEM color, "Restoration Shop" (California) has lacquer matched to OEM color (which is almost always "metallic") But Restoration Shop is expensive.....$200 for gallon, plus you need thinner from local paint shop ($30 to $50 for gallon) Stripes:....original SST should have stripes....which you want to keep if you can.... Mask them off...it's worth time spent You also have chrome scripts ("SST..Javelin"  etc). These are very easy to break if you try to remove them. Body shops have a jell that you can use on scripts to block paint. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ CAUTION:.....If car has been repainted, it's often enameled.... You can't successfully paint lacquer over enamel. Sometimes, cheap panel repairs are done with enamel. Look for nice shiny paint vs dull lacquer. If you can't verify lacquer, for a drag car, it's best go to a cheap paint shop,  and let them enamel it  ($400 or so)....For a work-on-it car, enamel is far more scratch resistant. PS: Any spray paint has temperature requirements, which may be hard to meet at times in Ohio

Lou, Think you have that a little backwards on our cars being painted in acrylic lacquer. Pretty sure they were done in acrylic enamel. AMC would NOT have buffed out all the cars to make them shine. Also want to say the door data plate shows it to be done in acrylic enamel.

You are right “You can't successfully paint lacquer over enamel” because the enamel will lift.
Now days I don’t even know if you can get acrylic lacquer paint, I know you can get primer as that is what I have been using on my car so far. I also have been painting over it with single stage acrylic enamel paint with hardner with no issues.

All paint or should say thinner/reducer has a temp range to be used in where ever you use it.
Dave ----

      PAINT (more)
Interesting discussion.....(probably should be moved to another forum)   (Attn: moderator)

Bottom line is....enamel is a safe way to go.....especially for a drag car (but not easy to do)

I really struggled with lacquer / enamel 25 years ago...over original AMC paint  on '71 Javelin.
Five coats of lacquer still look good today....no cracking or lifting (it was also lacquer primed)

However, per Chilton, AMC paint code suffix "A" (as last letter), indicates acrylic ENAMEL.
From PPG repaint book (unfortunately doesn't specify OEM type of paint), but does have codes >         
          for '66 - '68 all AMC paint codes are suffixed "A"  ie: ENAMEL
          for '69 - '72 no paint codes are suffixed by "A"
          for '73, three colors  are listed both with and without "A"....C8A...E1A...E5A & C8..E1..E5
          for '74, only E1A is suffixed "A"
                 Beyond '74, it gets confusing, as letters A thru Z are sometimes used.

Above is by no means the final answer.   I still remember crossing my fingers because there wasn't a really clear answer. I did have some other sources, but don't remember where...probably Web.

PAINT (OEM)
Final answer.....ENAMEL
Door tag for '60s & '70s says "ACRYLIC ENAMEL"  (several sites show door tags)    http://www.planethoustonamx.com/main/amc_metal_door_tag.htm

How I got away with lacquer over  '71  A5A enamel.....escapes my memory.
Do know Javelin sits in garage looking as nice as 25 years ago. No flaws (and it's definitely lacquer)

Best guess is I used  "sealer" undercoat.....which would explain why I do remember crossing my fingers.

My long-time body shop neighbor probably tipped me that sealer 'could' allow lacquer over enamel (but ONLY OEM enamel, not repaint or repair enamel)

But, I  wouldn't suggest lacquer over sealer....when the local production shop does enamel and eliminates the risk and work for you.
 

 
         




Edited by Lou Abernathy - Aug/07/2014 at 10:07pm