Anyone running mid to high 12s, what are your 60 foot times?

Bio, Wallace says ideal (perfect traction, perfect shift points etc.) 12.50 et should run 106 with a 1.74 60ft. A 13.00 should run 102 with a 1.81 60 ft.
I had a car that ran very close to Wallace's ideal numbers, but that was a very light car with huge tires and a glide and a transbrake. I would think that the only stick cars that would be close to the "ideal" numbers would be a nhra stocker or super stocker. (Or other full-out race car!)

Great info guys!
Yes, I've visited the Wallace Racing calculator website a number of times.
There has GOT TO be a good bit of untapped potential in the Pertronix distributor, it may even be working against the best output with the way it's setup (by the shop that installed the rebuilt engine) and I'm embarrassed to say that the engine was installed over 2 years ago, and I have YET to examine the distributor setup other than to disconnect the vacuum advance, set initial, then total timing without the vacuum advance. I remember the shop said they "couldn't get it to run right" with the vacuum advance hooked up, and the guy who modded the Rochesters suggested that I disconnect the vacuum advance at the track and just set total timing. Well I didn't listen, and I set mechanical advance to 33° thinking, assuming (probably correctly) that at wide open throttle the vacuum is at/near zero, so I'd be running around the 33° he suggested at wide open throttle even leaving the vacuum advance connected, which I did leave connected. I didn't get ANY pinging, but on the ride there and back, with vacuum present, the engine felt like it was stuttering and surging in the background of its normal sensations that it puts out. So I KNOW something is "off" and that's where I'm going to look first, and frankly I should have a long time ago.
As far as the Roadrunner goes, I'm going to see what happens with all the new suspension and traction aids, and then go from there.
Even though my dad's 389 Tripower was 11:1 stock, and maybe gained a quarter point of compression with the Bobcat head gaskets, unless the timing on the 421 is way off in how it affects the engine output, the 421 at 10.1:1 should still be putting out more power than the 389.
I'll figure it out....
After all, I have the TREMENDOUS SUPPORT of my forum family, and thanks SO MUCH to all of you for that!
Here is the 2nd run I did that night. This one dropped from 103 mph to 102, but I also went 13.58 this run instead of 13.61
A little wheelspin in first gear, but not bad in my opinion, and I wish I would have stayed in the gas in first instead of a fraction of a lift for a fraction of a second.

Only ran 1/8th mile so far at Barona with my best times in the 8.20’s ( Wallace calculator converts to 12.80 ish)

1st trip the best time of 8.21 @ 86.88 mph with a 60 foot of 1.894 and another run of 8.24 @ 86.54 with a 60 foot of 1.895. These runs were in cool weather using a set of cheap used 30 x 9 x 15” slicks.


2nd trip later the same year in much warmer weather only resulted in 8.60’s with 60 foots right at 2.00 range on several runs. I could feel the tires spinning a bit every run. Used the same 30x9 slicks this trip.


Last trip was run using Cooper Cobra street tires aired down to 17-18 lbs for a best run of 8.28 @ 86.79 mph and a 60 foot of 2.004. I was very surprised to nearly match my best ever run of 8.21 on slicks. It took a lot of finesse to get the street radials to hookup and I feel the car could have dipped into the 8.0 or better range had I ran a good set of slicks.


Anxious to get the motor back together with aluminum heads to see how much it will improve. Car is a 68’ RR 440/727 3.91 sure grip. Never weighed the car yet.

Here's my 3 time slips for that night. I had fun, and it seemed like I wasn't going to get much faster without doing more at the track than I was prepared to do, and I didn't break my wife's car, so there's that...
I'm car #12
The yellow slip is when I missed 4th (of all gears to miss ) Funny thing is, I was door to door with the newer GT Mustang until I missed 4th, at least it looked that way. The time slip says it was over at the 1/8th mile.

Jerry Hall said:

Take this with a grain of salt. IMO, learn how to drive a stick. When I was 20-21 and spending a lot of my time at the local tracks, I was turning low 1.6's with bias ply tires and some cheap home made traction bars. Wish I had saved time slips over those years, but the priority was to beat the guys in the opposing lane. Time slips usually got trashed everytime I cleaned out the car. Hope I don't ruffle any feathers but..........

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Lol, I don't even remember 60' times on the time slip.Too old or??

oldbee said:

Lol, I don't even remember 60' times on the time slip.Too old or??

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Two tracks in the State that had enough timing equipment to get a 60 foot time. I really don't know how accurate that early stuff was either. All the others resembled street racing. A yellow light, green light, and a red light. One even used flags.

Bio, your missed fourth gear pass was on your way to being your best, by far. Your 660ft mph shows you missed fourth before the 1/8 mile clocks. Your 330 was more than two tenths better, should be at least three tenths better at the finish line, looks like it should have been a 13.30s pass at 104. Your intermediate numbers are not great for your finish line numbers, meaning you have lots of steam on the back end of the track.

You could also learn to cut a better light if you want better 60 ft times.

Reaction time has absolutely nothing to do with any measured intervals. It only affects who gets to the finish line first.
If I have a ten second car, but I sit and look at a green light for ten seconds, then go, my time slip will still say ten seconds, but it took 20 seconds to get to the finish line after the light turned green. A seventeen second pickup could beat me easily, if he has a good light.

33 IMP said:

Reaction time has absolutely nothing to do with any measured intervals. It only affects who gets to the finish line first.
If I have a ten second car, but I sit and look at a green light for ten seconds, then go, my time slip will still say ten seconds, but it took 20 seconds to get to the finish line after the light turned green. A seventeen second pickup could beat me easily, if he has a good light.

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For some reason that sounds totally contradictive. Really the only thing that does matter is whom gets there first and reaction time obviously makes a difference.

Regarding R/T I was more focused on clutch release and throttle position relative to launch RPMs. I agree, those are not my typical R/Ts. I actually won the quickest R/T award the last time our car club had a track day. The only tree I've ever had a consistent problem with was in Chattanooga at the 1/8th mile track. I just couldn't get the "beat" of the yellows as green approached.
Thanks for the reply, but that is usually not a weak point when I'm racing against the car in the next lane.

mopar 3 B said:

For some reason that sounds totally contradictive. Really the only thing that does matter is whom gets there first and reaction time obviously makes a difference.

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It sure does. But "elapsed time, e.t. " does not include reaction time. But total time, after the light turns green, DOES include reaction time.
Let's say both cars run exactly fourteen second quarter mile times. If one car reacts perfectly, and the other waits one second after the green, perfect reaction will get to the finish line first by one second, but both cars will run fourteens. The quick reacting dude will take fourteen second et, and zero reaction time, fourteen seconds total time to finish line. Slow reacting dude takes 15 seconds, 14 seconds e.t. plus one second reaction.

33 IMP said:

you have lots of steam on the back end of the track.

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I was actually concerned about hitting the rev limiter in 4th, but that never happened. Had to be close though. There will be a functional tachometer and a shift light in the GTO once the Dakota Digital gauges go in. The control unit has a "warn" output that can trigger a 4 watt light w/out the need for a relay, and I'm going to contact a local LED wholesaler who may have a light or light array I can use. If I need more than 4 watts, I can hook up a relay to that output.
That's another reason why I cut my number of trips to 3, because I "brushed" up against the limiter on each run, in second or third gear.
Lots of room for improvement, but to get below 12.8 I'm going to need to find ALL of the remaining improvements I can find.

Bio, your mph difference from 1/8 to 1/4 was 21 2/3 mph, only two mph less than the late model mustang that ran 113. That indicates real good power/weight. Getting the launch right, and improving the first half of the track is where big improvement can be made. In high gear, after the eighth, you are bookin' pretty good.

Mstone68440RR said:

Last trip was run using Cooper Cobra street tires aired down to 17-18 lbs for a best run of 8.28 @ 86.79 mph and a 60 foot of 2.004. I was very surprised to nearly match my best ever run of 8.21 on slicks. It took a lot of finesse to get the street radials to hookup and I feel the car could have dipped into the 8.0 or better range had I ran a good set of slicks.

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I've been 1.72 60 ft. With 275 /60/15 M/T S/T's. Same tread as Cooper Cobra. I never go below 20 psi.

My 4 speed Challenger will run 2.0 60ft on street (radial T/A) tire. Its all you can do to baby it without spin. Best of 13.20@107 2.47 1st gear, 3.55. With sticky tires 12.7@109. With a 4.30 and slicks 1.8 60ft 12.5@110 Th 2.47 1st gear makes it tough. Is your GTO a 2.20 1st gear? To me also the mph is low. The Challenger is a 9-1 iron head 360
Doug

dvw said:

My 4 speed Challenger will run 2.0 60ft on street (radial T/A) tire. Its all you can do to baby it without spin. Best of 13.20@107 2.47 1st gear, 3.55. With sticky tires 12.7@109. With a 4.30 and slicks 1.8 60ft 12.5@110 Th 2.47 1st gear makes it tough. Is your GTO a 2.20 1st gear? To me also the mph is low. The Challenger is a 9-1 iron head 360
Doug

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What?? Whooos?? I'm tellin!!!

dvw said:

Is your GTO a 2.20 1st gear?

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1st gear "feels funny" compared to the Roadrunner, in particular in relation to 2nd.
The GTO has a tricked out TKO600 5 speed sitting in a box in my garage. I'm not sure what the ratio is in the Muncie.
These replies have been EXCELLENT for the purpose of why I started this thread!
I'm not feeling so bad about my 60 ft times, I have always thought that Gulfport Dragway was NOT the best launch pad for traction, and a lot of other cars had poor 60 ft times.
One of the biggest differences in my dad's equipment on his 12.8 time in his GTO in 1965 was "cheater slicks". There's a good chance that allowed him to shave a few 10ths off at the launch.

Basing things on a 3700 all in car with a chassis that hooks good and an actual on track 291fwhp your ticket would look like>
60 Foot E.T. : 1.89
1/8 Mile E.T. : 8.58
1/8 Mile Trap Speed : 79.24
1/4 Mile E.T. : 13.59
1/4 Mile Trap Speed : 99
@333fwhp it would be>
60 Foot E.T. : 1.81
1/8 Mile E.T. : 8.20
1/8 Mile Trap Speed : 82.88
1/4 Mile E.T. : 13.00
1/4 Mile Trap Speed : 103
So you have the 333hp (weight/mph) the numbers explain it all...radials of any kind, street/drag and stick cars are not a match made in heaven.