Author:
TDR FAN
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Date Posted: 21:28:57 02/15/14 Sat
>March of
>last year we purchased this old Buick T-Type that had
>been in storage for over 17 years. The car was owned
>by Gene Lujan, owner of Speed Center, in Pharr, Texas.
>Unless someone thinks otherwise and has proof, this
>car at the time (early 90's) was the Fastest Street
>Car in South Texas. Gene, has always been a very low
>key and private person so not much fan fare was made
>about the car. When a race came up, Gene would show up
>take care of business, drive the car home and put it
>away. The car never went to car shows, cruise in's or
>even the race track. It was after all, a street car.
>So the question has been, just how fast was this car?
>Remember, this is back in the early 90's. Back before
>the famous LS1 engine was bolted in to everything GM
>produced. And gave everyone the ability to go fast
>with simple bolt-ons. And way before the new 5.0
>(Coyote) engine was released by Ford which gave all
>Ford dudes the ability to run 8's right off the show
>room floor...
>
>Since unearthing the Mammoth, as Gene put it, we have
>been on a quest to answer the question, "How fast was
>it?" So this last Saturday we took the opportunity and
>gave it our best shot to answer that question. The
>car was basically in the same conditions as when it
>was pulled out of storage. Same engine, same
>carburetor, same ignition, same exhaust (2.5" pipes
>with Flowmasters) and same wheel combination. Only
>changes we made prior were the installation of a Joel
>Alvarado built TH700R4, which performed flawlessly,
>and a Hughes GM30 Stall Converter. We also replaced
>the weak 10 bolt with a Moser 12 Bolt differential
>with 3.55 gears. These parts replaced a TH350 with a
>3500 Stall Converter and the previously mentioned 10
>bolt with 4.10 gears. So for all intents and purposes
>the changes we made actually slowed the car down.
>Almost forgot, we also ran the car on 275/60 M/T Drag
>Radials, which replaced the 28x10.5 M/T full race
>slicks Gene used to run on the street. On the
>suspension side, the car still has the same shocks
>front & back as it did back then. The power adder? An
>old Top Gun nitrous system which we confirmed was
>setup for 150 horsepower. Hope I am not giving any
>secrets away.
>
>So what did the Buick run? Again, please remember that
>this was back in the early 90's. Way before TDR came
>around and started urging everyone to step up their
>game. The best motor pass we made on Saturday was a
>12.22 @ 112mph blast with a 1.68 short time. Not bad
>for old school tech. Our first attempt spraying the
>car resulted in a bunny hop wheelie, some tire spin
>and an ET of 11.68 @ 119mph. After reviewing video we
>figured out that we were being too aggressive on the
>launch. The engine was making so much torque that it
>was actually lifting the drivers side tire at the hit.
>So on the nitrous it got really crazy and spun. On the
>second and last nitrous pass I decided to leave softer
>by basically rolling into the throttle. That run
>resulted in a 1.55 60ft on the way to an ET of 11.14 @
>121mph...wow! Mind you, this is with me driving the
>car. I easily outweigh Gene by almost 200lbs. Doing
>the math we figure the car was truly a 10 second
>street car way back in the early 90's. To help put
>that in perspective, my youngest Son just turned 20
>yesterday. He was about 2 years old when this car was
>out roaming the streets, packing a 10 second punch for
>anyone that dared challenge it.
>
>Future plans for the Buick are a much better exhaust
>system, some upgrades to the suspension to keep it
>from twisting and a few upgrades to the fuel system.
>We might even swap out the cast iron factory heads for
>a nice set of Brodix aluminum heads to squeeze as much
>power as we can out of the engine. With the vast
>improvements in head design we can easily make an
>extra 100hp with just a head swap. You can bet we will
>be back to Edinburg Raceway on the hunt for a 10
>second ET on the record for the old Buick. For now
>head over to our Facebook page or our YouTube channel
>to watch a video compilation of the Buick's passes
>from this past Saturday. You can even watch what
>happened when the Buick went head to head with our
>very own 2002 LS1 Camaro known as The Sandman. I'm
>telling you, technology has come a long way. Stay
>tuned for more....
>
>MARCH 3rd 2013 - PULLING THE BUICK OUT OF
>STORAGE
>
>
>src="http://www.texasdragracing.com/pics/3.3.13-Buick-T
>-Type/Buick-1.JPG">
>
>
>src="http://www.texasdragracing.com/pics/3.3.13-Buick-T
>-Type/Buick-2.JPG">
>
>
>JANUARY 8th 2014 - EDINBURG RACEWAY
>
>
>
>
>
>Last Note: Like Gene always said - Everything is For
>Sale - And this car is no different - TDR is always on
>the market for new projects & toys. So if you are
>interested in owning not only an awesome ride but a
>bit of RGV Drag Racing history shoot us a note to
>mod@texasdragracing.com or text (956)655-2835...
>
>
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