Sitting around the office on an overcast dismal day can cause the mind to wander to places other than where it's supposed to be. That's how the new project Drag'n Wag'n came to life. In the planning stages of Fastest Street Car Magazine the crew around the office thought that the '66 Chevrolet Bel Air wagon sitting out front of the office would be a fun and interesting project car. After all, it's a '60s Chevy, plus wagons are hot these days, and it has a small block. What could be more perfect a car to screw with?!
One of the great things about this project is that there are a lot of companies that make parts to restore or modify these great cars. We also wanted to do a bolt-on basics power build up with basic components available from the everyday dealer. This would allow us to give in-depth coverage of technical help for the average everyday guy who loves to play with his car, but can't afford high-dollar racing equipment. There is plenty of power to be had from to other parts than just a custom set of race heads or a radical race camshaft. Some of the parts we have chosen are designed specifically for the street market. It is unfortunate that some of these high quality, efficient parts get overshadowed by the powerful but unstreetable race equipment. Some of the parts we are planning to install are World Products SR Torquer cylinder heads, a Performer RPM intake manifold and Quadrajet carburetor from Edelbrock, mid-length headers from Hedman Hedders, and a 2 ½ inch custom exhaust from MagnaFlow. Also, on the list are Milodon stainless valves, a timing set, oil pump and oil pan, an Art Carr 200-4R transmission and converter, a Renegade Products HEI
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distributor and high performance coil, and a Comp Cams hydraulic roller camshaft to retrofit some technology into our old car.
The plan is to increase the efficiency of the whole vehicle using today's technology and see what the changes will be at the rear wheels. We plan to have dyno runs after every single step to show how the powerband and horsepower number changes in real world terms, at the rear wheels. We never plan to compare flywheel horsepower or any "what ifs," just plain old hardcore information. If at all possible we will give as many details as possible, any and all photos, and any good tips we happen to come across as the project bears on. It will be in a step-by-step process and we hope to have something on the project in each issue of Fastest Street Car. As you can no doubt surmise, this is not a hardcore, speed-at-all costs project. Brian Smith, the car's owner, is more surfer than racer, but even he appreciates the power that can be coaxed from a small-block, and the bark of the tires as the trans hammers itself into second gear. Will we run 10s with this car? No. But will be a nice 13-second car that rocks the beaches of So-Cal? You know it!
Yeah, we know it's a brick, but hey we had to get the Drag'n Wag'n to smoke the hides somehow! We hope to be able to easily spin them when we get into making some real power.
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