World's Fastest Riviera ?

I wonder how one of our modded Riv's would do (that still has the stock gears). I know I had no problem getting up to 140 one time... but that was before my current mods, plus I reduced from 2.93 to 3.29 gears. A cam and GenV blower would make that top end pull much better, and with the stock gears, I'm sure 160 or 170 is attainable if you make the TC lock up.

Yeah, for top end, you'd be better off going back to the original gear - - unless you can rev it to the moon. What are the highest revs (that still deliver power) that these Gen II engines can run at? I read somewhere that a - ? Pontiac ? - was taken to Bonneville and did over 200 - - like 202 or something with a more-or-less conventional front wheel drive Gen II engine (hopped way up, though), BUT they got some higher gears, like 2:73 or something.

The Gen-8 Riviera is SOOOO clean aerodynamically. Can you imagine what the coefficient of drag would be with no mirrors and a "legal" air dam straight down from the "front bumper" of one of those?!?!?! And it looks like it could be lowered a LOT, too. Looks like there's a clean 6" under both my girlfriend's and my mom's car (both '97s)

3800 cc's would fall in the "E" engine size class. A Gen-8 Riv without an air dam could fall in the "Production" catagory. WITH an air dam AND a non-OEM supercharger, it could go into "Gas Coupe" catagory. The current (as of 2008) record in "E Production Supercharged" is 256.8 mph - - powered by a - yes, turbo V-6 Buick. In "E Blown Gas Coupe", it's 264.6, by the same guy with the same Buick turbo V-6. To qualify for "Gas Coupe", you need to do one of the following;

1) an engine swap (meaning using an engine design not offered in your car - - like a V-8 or older V-6, different make, like Ford, or something like that)

2) a non OEM supercharger (probably the best route for a front wheel drive Riv that you don't wanna swap engines in)

3) a quick-change rear end (which is what I had to do, since I was gonna use a Buick 455-based engine and run it naturally aspirated)

If you go to "Altered", you can cover the headlights & grille, remove the bumpers (which probably wouldn't help in a Gen-8 Riv), add a rear spoiler, and a "step pan", which is like a partial belly pan. The same guy again "John Rains" has that record too - - at 275.2 mph!!!

Here's another one:



The Brian & Celia Dean '64 Ford Thunderbolt "AA" Classic Gas Coupe

This car's 209 mph speed successfully beat Todd Low's 188 mph record in the first few days of SpeedWeek 2008, but then got knocked out of the record spot by the Hot Rod Special (now "SoAl Special") Camaro. Even so - notice how the air dams are all similar. The rules pretty much eliminate doing anything much more "creative".

Here is a link where your info has been posted on v8buick.com(not by me)
You should get some ideas from those folks. Perhaps some of them can help with aero changes.

http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=173103

I am guessing side skirts are not allowed?

Bert

ibmoses wrote:

I am guessing side skirts are not allowed?

Bert

Yeah, 'fraid not - - sigh. I don't think they're even allowed in "Competition Coupe" catagory. - - unless they're a factory option or stock. A lot of the newer cars have them now, but we're kinda screwed in the older ones.

Went to the site on your link. Yeah, I remember someone wanted to cross-post. And the discussion going on about the engine build on the BPG forum is my engine builder. Bob is "bigwedgie" on that forum. He's my "engine guy"/project manager.

And one little tease of an update: I just got back from a trip to Scottsdale and a super-secret meeting. It looks like I'm one step closer to that new aluminum block.