Over the years, our view of fast street
cars has changed drastically. Remember when you had to have an insanely low
gear, lots of carburetion, and 14-inch-wide slicks to go last? All those things
are still cool, but guys like Patrick Henry are getting it done with small
tires, stock suspension, and a ridiculously simple setup that proves to be
street-friendly. When you combine that with a subdued appearance, it creates
quite the conversation piece at the dragstrip, especially when Patrick busts
off a 5-second pass in the eighth-mile.
Despite
the car’s simple setup and tame appearance, it gets a lot of attention because
of its great performance on and off the track
Patrick’s journey with this car started
about seven years ago, and it began as a simple project with his son, Nick. He
bought it as a complete car, so it was a great start, but the first trip to the
dragstrip was a major turning point when the car ran a 15-second e.t. – in the
eighth-mile. Even at eight years old, Nick was embarrassed by Dad’s very slow
pass, so it sparked a never-ending fire to go quicker and faster.
With a new engine combination, the car
certainly picked up, but Patrick and Nick continued to make changes, while
making a point to retain the car’s drive-ability. The car’s current setup
includes a nitrous-fed small-block that boasts 436 ci, but the car is 100
percent street-legal, which comes in handy for Patrick’s weekly trip to his
home track, Brainerd Optimist Drag Strip in Ringgold, Georgia.
Patrick admits he needed lots of help
during his first few trips to the track, and a man by the name of Johnny
Walker, who worked at the track, never hesitated to help him get the hang of
it. Johnny watched Patrick make hundreds of passes through the years, always
manning his post at the burnout box. Unfortunately, Johnny lost his life in a
tragic accident during Brainerd’s annual charity race called Draggin’ for Toys,
so Patrick was very disheartened to lose one of his first drag-racing mentors.
Out
back, a GM 12-bolt rear end features a Moser spool and 35-spline axles with
3.42:1 gears
Despite the passing of one of his
drag-racing friends, Patrick still thrashes on his Chevelle every chance he
gets. He never trailers the car to the track, and he makes a point to keep
things simple for the sake of fun. Along with test-and-tune nights, Patrick
participates in Brainerd’s 275 drag radial class, and holds his own against a
field of tough cars. So far, he’s run a best of 5.99 at 112 mph, but he’s
hoping for more once he switches to E85. He also wants to venture out to a
quarter-mile track to stretch its legs a bit more, since it’s packing 3.42:1
gears and an overdrive transmission. Patrick’s Chevelle is proof that you can
do fast with a GM 700R-4.
Despite the car’s simple setup and tame
appearance, it gets a lot of attention because of its great performance on and
off the track. Patrick never brags about his success with the car and often
gives the credit the folks who helped him get this combination sorted out.
Rainey Horne is one of the forks responsible for the help, as he offers advice
for tuning between rounds. Patrick admits he’s still learning, but he’s
teaching his son along the way, so it’s a cool deal for both of them. The
learning curve for going fast is always a tough one, but Patrick makes it look
easy with his street-friendly small-block.
Procar
seats replace the original buckets, and a selection of Auto Meter gauges keeps
track of the screaming small-block’s vital signs
Tech notes
Who: Patrick
Henry
What: ’67
Chevrolet Chevelle SS
Where:
Ringgold, Georgia
Engine: It
takes a lot of power to run 5s in a 3,350-pound Chevelle, and Patrick gets it
done with a small-block. The engine started out as a production 4000 ci, but a
4-inch stroke and 4.165-inch (0.040 over) bore create a final displacement of
436 ci. The rotating assembly features an Eagle crankshaft, GM 5.94-inch rods,
and a set of JE forged pistons that create an 11.4:1 compression ratio. Carl
Henry handled the machine work and short-block assembly. The cylinder heads are
AFR 235 units, which have custom porting by AFR’s Tony Mamo. With flow numbers
approaching the 340-cfm mark at 0.650 lift, these heads are perfectly matched
with the custom-grind roller camshaft spec’d by Chris Straub. Up top is an AFR
Titon composite intake manifold and a 750-cfm Mighty Demon carburetor, which is
fed by an Aeromotive A1000 fuel pump. The Dynatek headers feature stepped
primaries, which lead to a 3-inch exhaust and Pypes Race Pro mufflers. This
thing seems way too quiet to be so fast!
It’s
a completely stock body with Super Sport badges, and a lift-off fiberglass hood
– simple and clean.
Power-Adder:
Although Patrick’s stroked small-block is no slouch on its own, it really wakes
up with a small shot of nitrous. The Zex plate kit is jetted for a 150 shot,
and Patrick generally leaves the line at around 50 per cent or less and ramps
in the nitrous down track using an Edelbrock progressive nitrous controller.
Transmission: This is where it gets interesting. Patrick relies on once of GM’s
least favorite performance transmissions – the 700R-4 overdrive automatic but
it has proven to be bulletproof, thanks to a few key modifications. Rainey
Horne built the gearbox, using an hardened input shaft, bigger clutch packs,
and many other cool tricks to make it strong. The converter stalls to 3,200
rpm, and Patrick selects the gears with a B&M Pro Ratchet shifter.
The
engine started out as a production 4000 ci, but a 4-inch stroke and 4.165-inch
(0.040 over) bore create a final displacement of 436 ci
Chassis: The
GM A-body platform works well on the drag-strip, so Patrick didn’t get too
crazy with chassis or suspension modifications. He added a set of tubular
control arms and QA1 coilovers up front, and tossed the original steering box
in favor of a rack-and-pinion setup. Out back, a GM 12-bolt rear end features a
Moser spool and 35-spline axles with 3.42:1 gears. The rear shocks are
QA112-way adjustable, while TRZ control arms offer even more adjustability to
the rear suspension. A BMR antiroll bar keeps the car lever when it leaves the
line, while a set of Wilwood disc brakes roll on all four corners.
Surprisingly, the Chevelle does not have a rollcage or any chassis
modifications, but Patrick plans to upgrade its safety equipment soon.
Exterior:
Patrick says he’s still working on getting the exterior in good shape, but we
think it’s slick! It’s a completely stock body with Super Sport badges, and a
lift-off fiberglass hood – simple and clean.
Interior:
You won’t find many modifications inside Patrick’s Chevelle, but it’s pratical
and comfortable. Procar seats replace the original buckets, and a selection of
Auto Meter gauges keeps track of the screaming small-block’s vital signs. Everything
else is bone-stock.
Wheels/Tires: The Chevelle rolls on set of Billet Specialties Street Lite Wheels,
sized at 15x4 inches up front and 15x8 out back. The wheels are wrapped in
M&H 185/75R15 drag radial front runners and Mickey Thompson 275/60R15 drag
radials, respectively.
Performance:
On the motor, Patrick’s Chevelle runs solidly in the 6.70 range in the
eighth-mile, which is mighty strong when you consider the street-friendly
build. On the spray, it has gone a best of 5.99 at 112 mph, with a 1.29 sixty
foot. And he drives it to and from the track.
