Ten Second Budget Turbo Regal Recipe

Ten Second Budget Turbo Regal Recipe

Disclaimer

"This information represents what worked for the author(s) with their combinations. It may not work for you. Be aware that anytime you increase the performance of your car you run the risk of damage. Be smart about modifications: take them one at a time and keep a close eye on vital tuning indicators such as knock counts, O2 volts and RPM. This Recipe assumes you are using adequate octane RACING fuel for best performance. This particular Recipe depends on VERY high boost levels and pushing the car's performance envelope to the max, so extreme care must be taken -editor"

Introduction

I would first like to ask everyone that reads this to do so with an open mind. This recipe and it's resulting ET's have caused a lot of controversy over the past year for me, so much that the car was torn down in front of a garage full of GS Club Members just to save my reputation (more on that later). What is listed here is the combination I used to run a full weight,loaded with options,completely internally stock motored,stock transmission and convertered '87 Turbo Regal into the 10.70's at well over 123 mph through full exhaust.

I want everyone to also take into consideration that I didn't simply bolt on some parts and run right into the 10s. This took over 2 years and over 130 passes down the quarter mile,with a lot of time spent tuning and talking to people.I did get a lot of help from Red Armstrong and Terry Houston on this project because they both live very close to me. I bought my white '87 T with chrome exterior trim and burgundy interior off of it's original woman owner in April of '95 and needless to say it was completely stock.Being newly married I set a goal to try to get the car into the 10 second zone as cost effectively as possible.

To me that said NO internal engine or transmission work, no cam, no ported heads, no torque converter, nothing but a bolt on part here and there and what little things I could do cheaply myself. Again I ask you to read this with an open mind,this is only the combination that I ended up with.There are many different opinions on what works and what doesn't out there and I am not saying that anyone else's doesn't work because they do. I am just offering my recipe as food for thought (no pun intended) .I will start with the first day at the track and go step by step from there.

The Recipe and Results

5/26/95 Dragway 42 /temp. about 80 degrees
- The car was completely stock including cat. converter with the exception of:
  - Underdrive crank pully
  - Fuel enhancer from Red
  - Homemade adjustable wastegate actuator
- Here are the highlights of that day :
  - 13.845 @ 96.48 at stock boost levels
  - Removed air filter from canister, boost up to 16 lbs. 13.280 @ 103.13
  - Added 104 octane booster and turned boost up to 18-19 lbs. 13.014@105.11
  - Same as above best pass of the day 12.975@105.45
  - Same as above 12.987 @ 106.36 1.957 60 ft. on 215/65 radials.

6/13/95 Dragway 42 /temp. about 83 degrees cooled off to about 63 degrees later
- New additions:
  - Added Hooker supercomp 2.5" exhaust
  - Volt booster
  - Red's 93 chip
  - XP pump
  - 43 psi fuel pressure regulator.
- Here are the highlights:
  - 13.048 @ 107.23 Traction is becoming a problem, 18 psi boost
  - 12.937 @ 107.27 left easy, 2.10 60 ft.
  - 12.819 @ 110.55 boost at 20lbs. launching almost off idle
  - 12.744 @ 109.62 same as above
  - 12.766 @ 110.65 let it cool down

7/7/95 Dragway 42 /temp. 81 degrees cooling down to 64 degrees
- New changes:
  - Added Mickey Thompson 295/50 Competitors,
  - Bell mouthed my intercooler inlet and throttle body with a die grinder
  - Mounted battery in the trunk
  - Opened my wastegate hole in the turbo to .900"
  - Airbag in the passenger side
- Here are the highlights:
  - 12.694 @ 106.84 1.82 60 ft. taller tires seem hard to pull,18.5 psi boost
  - 12.646 @ 107.01 same as above
  - 12.477 @ 109.83 1.88 60 ft. boost up to 20 psi with octane booster
  - 12.465 @ 109.49 same as above, 5 degrees of knock on 3rd gear shift
  - 12.450 @ 108.83 boost down to 19 psi but outside temp. at 64 degrees

10/22/95 Dragway 42 / temp. in the 50s all day, strong headwind blowing the wrong way
- New changes:
  - Added 3" ATR single exhaust
  - Houston 3" downpipe
  - 009 injectors
  - Reds 108r chip
  - Cam2
  - M/T 26x10 slicks.
- Here are the highlights
  - 11.756 @ 118.07 1.64 60 ft. 21 lbs of boost, 5 lb. launch
  - 11.631 @ 116.70 1.56 60 ft. 23 lbs of boost
  - 11.624 @ 114.93 1.53 60 ft very windy on that one
  - 11.673 @ 114.20 1.54 60 ft. 7 lb. launch (keep in mind this is still the stock turbo and intercooler)

4/14/96 Dragway 42 / temp. in the low 40s
- New changes:
  - Added John Craig TA-61 turbo
  - Mark Jackson 17 row intercooler
  - Comp. Cams 979-12 valvesprings
  - AC R42TS plugs at .032"
  - Red's 107 chip
  - Removed my underdrive pully
- Here are the highlights:
  - 11.455 @ 119.55 1.58 60 ft. 24 lbs. of boost,having problem with boost dropping off 3-4 lbs. when car goes int high gear,never fixed it
  - 11.386 @ 119.40 1.54 60 ft. same as above, noses over in high gear
  - 11.292 @ ??????? 1.57 60 ft. no mph given,it is now starting to feel really fast!!
  - 11.313 @ 120.11 1.51 60 ft. 26 lbs. of boost, 3 degrees of knock in the worst frame

5/2/95 Bowling Green Ky. GS Nationals
- No new changes from 4/14/96
  - 12 psi in slicks
  - 30 psi in airbag.
- Here are the highlights:
  - 11.244 @ 119.88 1.57 60 ft. temp.at about 65 degrees,the car is starting to lean out bigtime at this point, 25 lbs of boost, O2 voltage down to .640-.680 range, popping
  - 11.311 @ 119.52 1.64 60 ft. turned boost down a little but still lean
  - 11.351 @ 118.91 1.62 60 ft. same as above At this point it was running between 7.13 and 7.20 eighth mile ET's at about 96 mph

5/29/96 Dragway 42 /temp. in the 60s all day
- New additions:
  - Added Red's Double XP pumps
  - Red's 7th injector setup with a stock injector in it
- Here are the highlights
  - 11.460 @ 119.43 1.63 60 ft. .740-.780 O2 voltage but is going to take time to tune the 7th injector.
  - 11.311 @ 118.27 1.59 60 ft., have worked my way up to 27 lbs. of boost at this point, no knock and good O2 voltage
  - 11.329 @ 121.20 1.66 60 ft. over 121 mph! traction again is a problem

6/16/96 Norwalk /temp. very hot ,in the high 80s and very humid
- New changes
  - Added 3.5" hose from mass air to inlet bell and 4" hose from filter under the front of the car to the mass air sensor (had adapters made at a machine shop)
  - Also at this time I added Southside bars with 6.5 degrees of pinion angle
  - Moroso front springs
  - Belltech rear springs and Koni SPA-1 drag shocks on all 4 corners
- Here are the highlights
  - 11.289 @ 120.20 1.62 60 ft. 28 lbs. of boost, not hooking very well, have to adjust shocks
  - 11.409 @ 118.43 1.68 60 ft. same as above, not enough fuel had to let off
  - 11.194 @ 120.38 1.59 60 ft. very hot and no one was hooking up

8/21/96 Dragway 42 /temp. in the low 80s
- New changes:
  - Added 28x10.5 M/T slicks
  - 28x7.5 M/T fronts
  - At this point half of the people said a stock motor couln't pull tall tires and half said if I kept the rpms down I would go faster
- Here are the highlites
  - 11.205 @ 120.58 1.56 60 ft. 28 lbs of boost car feels smoother at this point going down the track
  - 11.262 @ 119.63 1.53 60 ft. same as above,8 lb. launch
  - 11.237 @ 121.64 1.55 60 ft. same as above
  - 11.136 @ 121.51 1.53 60 ft. mph is going up, starting to get it tuned

9/18/96 Norwalk / temp. in the 60s
- Changes:
  - Added 62 mm. throttle body
  - Put my underdrive pully back on and got the suspension working.
- Here are the highlights
  - 11.404 @ 116.14 1.53 60 ft. bigger throttle body caused it to lean out to .630 O2 on a couple of frames and it popped very loudly
  - 11.346 @ 116.17 1.50 60 ft. it is now blowing oil out of the breather and it blew the dipstick out of the tube, it runs ok but I think the headgasket went. My wife wanted to load up and go home but I thought if the motor has to come out anyway I am going to turn it up and see what happens
  - 10.761 @ 123.43 1.459 60 ft.
    - It almost scared me when it left so hard, I launched at 12 psi and the boost dropping problem I had always had didn't happen. This run was at 31 psi of boost and 72 lbs. fuel pressure, 8 degrees of knock. I have to admit it was so strong on that pass I thought for sure it was the 10.90 pass I had worked for, and almost didn't believe the ticket when I read it.I pulled back into the pits and my wife had a very confused look about her.I decided not to touch anything at all just wipe up some of the oil and go again.
  - 10.846 @ 123.50 1.47 60 ft. blowing oil out of the dipstick but what a ride!!!!!!
  - 11.013 @ 121.66 1.48 60 ft. turned boost down to 29 lbs. That's right, DOWN to 29 lbs just to see if it would stop blowing oil...it didn't

After those passes is when the trouble started,some people were calling me a liar and saying I had heads and a cam and even one rumor about a hidden nitrous kit. In an effort to save my own reputation, Red Armstrong and myself offered a teardown party at his house and anyone could show up to see what was in my motor. We took the car to Norwalk again on 10/11/96 to try to show the people that were going to be present that it could run in the 10s before we took it apart....

10/11/96 Norwalk
- The car was running but wounded...
  - 11.036 @ 119.15 1.44 60 ft. pulled the wheels BIG TIME for a high 10 second car, only ran 26 lbs. of boost to see if it would run right...
  - 11.248 @ 99.71 1.48 60 ft. the headgakets went before half track at 30 psi boost,it completely shut the motor off right before half track but went 6.86 @ 99.16 in the eighth.....the 10.761 pass was 6.81 @ 99.96...this proved to everyone it did in fact have it in it if it wouldn't have blown up

Final Notes

The car was taken straight from the track to Red's house where it sat until that Sunday and 12 or 13 clubmembers showed up to help tear it down even though they were all pretty much satisfied of the cars modifications. Everything was found to be factory issued original. If you are a GS Club of America member you can see the articles in the recent issues of the GSX-TRA on the progress of this car (GSX-TRA Nov./Dec. 1995 page 7 - "11-Sec. T-R Budget Buildup" , GSX-TRA Sept/Oct. 1996 front cover "White Lightning" and GSX-TRA Nov./Dec. 1996 page 12 "The Tim Stockwell Teardown Party")

I don't want people thinking that it only ran in the 10s a couple of times then blew up because I pushed it too hard. I honestly believe that if I wouldn't have leaned it out and damaged it on the 11.40 pass it would have been a very consistent and reliable 10.70-10.90 recipe. Who knows how fast it might have gone???

I hope some of you can get some ideas from all of this. I know there will be some that won't believe how much boost I ran, but it is all in the chip programming and how much fuel you can dump into it. The car has a weight of 3570 lbs with me inside and has not been lightened up at all, except for removing the swaybars. I am currently waiting for my new 274 ci stage 2 short block to get finished and waiting for my Champion aluminum heads to come, so there might be a 9 second recipe later this year.

Everyone have fun and most of all...be careful!

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